Blog

You may have noticed that many of our products are now back in stock!  For the first time since we started importing 3 years ago, our shipment actually arrived on time.  In the past, shipments have been delayed by up to 6 weeks, so we try to be conservative when giving estimates of when items will be back in stock.  So we were very surprised when this latest container actually arrived on the estimated delivery date!

We scrambled this weekend to get the container unloaded and organized so that we can be ready to start shipping out the newly arrived products right away.  That means you can now purchase our popular 10L and 5L Boleslawiec crocks, both alone and in our 5L Beginner's Fermenting Kits and 10L Beginner's Fermenting Kits.  We also restocked our Extra Large Cabbage Shredders and the 8.5" (10L) Luna Glass Crock Weights!

We still have a few more items that aren't posted yet on the site, and that's because we have a little more background work to do before they are available.  The Olive Green Crocks have a new design by Boleslawiec, so before we can post those we need to take new photographs and update the description.  We hope to get that done in the next few weeks.

The Rustic Crocks are also temporarily out of stock while we update their listing to now come with our patent pending Luna Glass Crock Weights.  We've had many customers request to upgrade their  to include the Luna Glass Crock Weights, so we decided to go ahead and change the listing to always include them!

Thanks to everyone who has been waiting for us to restock these popular items!

No orders will ship from Friday, February 19 through Sunday, February 28.  Shipping will resume on Monday, February 29 in the order they were received. 

Thanks to you, our customers, we had an amazing 2015.  So great in fact, that we are currently out of stock of almost all of our fermenting crocks!  Our next shipment is due to arrive sometime in mid-March, which makes this a great time for us to take a break to reorganize, review our inventory and have a fresh start for this spring.

Since we launched our store in April of 2013, we have been working hard to make Stone Creek Trading your go to source for natural fermenting products and housewares.  The business has grown beyond our hopes into something we are so proud of.  And we want to make sure that we continue to grow and adapt to our customers needs.

To ensure that we are doing everything we can to serve our customers, we will not be shipping out orders from Friday, February 19 through Sunday, February 28.  Shipping out orders takes up at least 50% of our time, and is where the majority of our energy is focused.  In order to make sure that all areas of our business are running the best that they can, we will be taking a week off from shipping to focus on everything else! 

We will continue to answer customer service emails during this time, but our response time may be slower.  On Monday, February 29 we will resume our normal business operations.  Orders will begin shipping again in the order they were received.  It may take us a few days to get caught up, but we will get them all out as fast as we can!

As a small family business, we tend to devote a lot of our time to Stone Creek Trading.  By taking this week to recharge, we can come back with renewed focus and energy.  And we will be ready to get products back in stock quickly once the new shipment arrives!

Even though we'll be taking a break, the website will still be available for you to review and place orders!  Hopefully you will also get sometime to take a step back and refocus in your lives as well!

We are sponsoring another giveaway at Phickle.com!  We had such a great response last year that we decided to do it again this year - but with 3 great prizes instead of just 1!

Head on over to Phickle for all the details and to enter. 

http://phickle.com/fermentation-giveaway/

And while you're there, check out the information about her new fermenting book - Ferment Your Vegetables.  We bought one ourselves and can't wait to try out the delicious recipes.  And there is a whole chapter on fermenting in crocks.  Stay tuned because next year we will be offering her book in a new way as well!

It's hard to believe, but there is only 1 month left to get your orders in if you want to receive them in time for Christmas!  When it comes to online shopping one of the most important factors is how long items will take to ship.  As always, we strive for fast efficient shipping.  We only offer products on our website which are in stock and ready to ship. 

So when do you need to order by to make sure you have it before Christmas?  This year's magic cutoff date is 12pm CST on December 17, 2015.  All orders place before that time will arrive by December 24, 2015.

As always, orders ship within 1-2 business days after your order is placed.  Orders placed after 5pm on Thursday through 5pm Sunday  will ship on Monday.  Shipping times vary based on your location.  We are located in the Chicago suburbs.  Small items are shipped USPS Priority Mail while larger items & orders are shipped via UPS Ground.  UPS does not deliver or accept packages on Saturday or Sunday. 

See below for typical shipping schedules.

Location           Processing Time      Shipping Time     Total Shipping/Processing

Midwest              1-2 days                     1-2 days               1-4 days

East Coast          1-2 days                     2-3 days               2-5 days

West Coast          1-2 days                    3-5 days                3-7 days

If you miss the cut off for holiday shipping or need your order sooner, email emily@stonecreektrading.com to discuss expedited shipping options including overnight and 2-day shipping.  Please be aware that expedited shipping on crocks is quite expensive ($70+) due to the weight of the crocks. 

And as always, you can email Emily with any questions or custom order requests.  As a small family business, we are happy to work with you when special circumstances arise!

Happy Holidays!

As a small family business, we are truly grateful to our customers for your support.  Every time you purchase from Stone Creek Trading you help to support our young family.  So we decided this holiday season that we wanted to find a small way to say thank you to our customers!

From now through December 24 (or until supplies run out) every order will include a small free gift.  A little token of our gratitude for helping making our business a success.  It's just a small way for us to say thank you for helping us fulfill our dreams!

Happy Holidays from Stone Creek Trading!

Are you ordering something to be shipped directly to someone else?  There a few things you should include on your order to make sure the recipient gets the correct information!

Invoices

We typically include an invoice in every order we ship.  This means the price you paid is included in the package.  If you are purchasing an item as a gift, you might not want the information visible to the recipient.  If this is the case, please add a note on your order indicating that the purchase is a gift and you do not want the invoice included.

Who's it from?

Our invoices do not include the name of the purchaser, on the shipping information.  If you would like the have your name included on the invoice, you will need to add that to the note section as well.  If you aren't having an invoice included, we suggest writing a gift message as noted below!

Gift Message

Do you want to include a message for the recipient?  If you would like to add a note to be included with your purchase, please also add this to the notes section on the shopping cart page.  We are happy to print it out on a separate sheet if you do not wish to have the invoice included with the order.

With those simple steps your gift should arrive just the way you want it!  If you have any questions or special requests, just email emily@stonecreektrading.com.