Pre-Order Status

Preorder Update
Just a gentle reminder before you read on: when you placed your order, we were very clear that this was a preorder with an estimated timeframe, and that this timeframe is subject to delays outside of our control. This is what was agreed to at checkout. We know you're excited to get your order, we're excited too! No one was forced or tricked into a preorder, it was always a choice made with full information upfront. We'd just kindly ask for your patience, and we promise to keep this page updated every step of the way. 🤍

Hello, and thank you so much for preordering with us! 🦜 If you're checking in on your order, you're in the right place, this page is always the best spot to come first for the latest status before reaching out to us directly. We keep it updated as soon as new stock lands.

It also gently covers what was shared with you at checkout when you placed your preorder. We always try to be upfront and transparent, so none of this was hidden or in small print, it was stated clearly at every step, on the product page, at checkout, and in your order confirmation. Just a friendly refresher in case it's helpful!

Current Status

So far, our Hoopoes and Turacos have arrived, along with a small batch of Field Guides for Little Explorers 🎉 If your order includes only these items and no other species, it's packed up and shipping to you now.
If your order includes any other species alongside these, we hold the full order so everything can ship together in one go.

Those remaining species are still on their way, and we're working closely with our freight partners to get them to you as soon as possible. They are said to arrive at the port on the 29th September. Then they need to be offloaded and hoping there are no customs delays, we’ll begin packing our hundreds (yay!) of orders 🎉🎉 

Why Delays Happen

Preorders come with an estimated shipping window rather than a guaranteed date, and we do everything we can to hit our estimates. That said, international shipping can sometimes be affected by things completely outside our control, freight delays, customs processing, and even global events like the conflicts affecting Red Sea shipping routes, which have disrupted timelines across the whole industry, not just for us.

This is exactly why our Shipping Policy explains that estimated dates are estimates, and why you were asked to confirm you'd read our Shipping Policy and Returns Policy at checkout before placing your order.

We're also not able to give exact dates, as there are quite a few steps involved between order and delivery, including customs processing, shipping delays, and the final steps of manufacturing, which we do locally here in South Africa. Once a shipment is with customs or in transit, there is genuinely nothing we can do to speed that up, it's completely out of our hands. Each of these steps can shift a little depending on factors outside our control, so we always share our best estimate rather than a fixed date.
At checkout, the product page also stated clearly, in capital letters, that this was a PREORDER, with a "shipping from" date rather than a delivery date. We wanted you to know upfront exactly what you were ordering and roughly when to expect it to start moving.

A Little Note on Preordering
We love that you're excited about Feather Friends, and preordering means you get first access to each new release before anyone else. It just comes with a bit of a wait while stock makes its way to us, and occasionally timelines shift for reasons beyond our control.
If preordering and that little bit of uncertainty isn't for you, that's completely okay, we'd just gently suggest waiting to order once a species is already in stock and ready to ship straight away.

We also just want to say, honestly, the vast majority of you have been absolutely amazing through this process, so patient, so kind, and so supportive, and we're endlessly grateful for that. We have had a couple of instances where impatience turned into rudeness towards our small team, which has genuinely made things quite difficult. Nobody was forced into a preorder, it was always a choice, made with full knowledge of the terms upfront. If you're not able to wait or extend some grace along the way, we'd really rather you didn't order from us, and that's completely fine too.

Questions About Your Order
We completely understand wanting an update, and we're always happy to help. Just know that everything here reflects the Shipping Policy and Returns Policy from checkout, so if timelines have shifted a little, it's within what was agreed to when the order was placed.
If you've read through this and still have a question specific to your order, please reach out, we'd love to hear from you, just be kind, we're a small team doing our best!

Thank you so much for supporting a small business and for being part of this from the very beginning. We're so excited to get these little guys into your hands 🦜💛