FAQ

GENERAL QUESTIONS

• Boredwalk sure has a lot of designs. Who creates them all?

A few of them were done by independent freelance designers, but most of them — about 99% — are done in-house by co-founders Meredith Erin & Matt Snow. If you happen to run across our designs anyplace on the web other than this website, our official Etsy shop, or the websites of our legitimate retail partners (visit our Stockists page for a full list) it's a low-quality unauthorized counterfeit/knock-off printed with substandard and potentially harmful materials. Save yourself the disappointment and aggravation and just shop here. It supports the actual artists who created the design you fell in love with in the first place.

• I own a boutique/shop/store. Can I carry your products?

Sure! We have a couple of options for wholesale. We offer a limited range of our products through Faire. The nice thing about Faire is that if it's your first order with us you'll be able to return any items that don't work out, so it's a great way to test out a few of our items before committing to a larger PO.

We also offer wholesale pricing on our entire website catalog through our website. We have a slightly higher free shipping minimum for wholesale orders placed through our website, and we don't take returns on wholesale orders placed through our website, but it does enable you to order from our full product range. If you'd like to order via our website please contact us at wholesale@boredwalk.com for details.

• What about consignment?

Sorry, we don't do consignment, but you may want to check out ordering via Faire. They accept returns on wholesale orders if it's your first time ordering with us. That means you'll be able to test our products totally risk-free!

• Do you have a store? Can I visit you?

We don't have a retail storefront. We just have an office and warehouse in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles county. If you are based in the Los Angeles area you can place an order online and then arrange to pick it up from us in person at our office, but we don't really have an area set up for browsing or in-person shopping at this time.

If you would like to pick up your order please email or call us to arrange for a pick up at least one business day in advance. Since we print our items to order we need time to make sure we have the blank shirt your order calls for in the warehouse and to actually print the desired design on it and have it ready to go once you arrive. If we don't have the particular shirt size/style/color combo on-hand at the time you place your order we can usually get it from our supplier the following business day if you order early in the morning, but we'll let you know if it will take longer.

PRODUCT-RELATED QUESTIONS

• What kind of shirts does Boredwalk print on?

We print on a few different blank styles from different brands/manufacturers with varying ratios of cotton-to-synthetic (your polyesters, rayons, and viscoses), but all feature combed ring-spun materials with a minimum gauge of 30-singles. Detailed information on the fabric content and sizing is available on every product page to the right of the product pictures.

• Are the shirts you print on ethically made?

This is a tough question to answer because it's pretty vague, and "ethically made" can mean different things to different people, but we'll try our best. The standard (meaning, on-menu, non-custom) blanks we print on are made in a few different countries — primarily in Mexico, but Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua are also represented.

Regardless of where they're assembled, the blanks we print on are made of cotton grown in the USA. Some colors and styles are also fully made in the USA! One thing to note is that ALL of the manufacturers we source blanks from are NAFTA-compliant and sweatshop-free. Now, we know that the above may not satisfy everyone — and that's OK!

If you know you're persnickety about where the stuff you buy is made and how the workers are treated and you're looking for a shirt that's made in the USA by union workers out of...I dunno...unicorn hair or something, just shoot us an email at hello@boredwalk.com and we'll see if we can make it happen. Except the unicorn hair thing. Unicorns don't exist, and even if they did we would never print on stuff made of animal parts, mystical or otherwise. But don't flip out at us if it's going to cost like $50 for something made in the USA by union workers. If you're gonna talk the talk, be prepared to walk the walk with your wallet.

• $32 for a t-shirt?! That's insane, and I refuse to pay it!

Fair enough. But consider this: every order $65+ ships free within the U.S., and we also offer free exchanges on U.S. orders. And they come with a free limited-edition vinyl sticker! That postage needs to be paid for somehow, and postage rates go up multiple times each year. When I was a kid a First Class stamp cost $0.22. Now it's $0.68. And that's just to mail a standard-sized letter to your dear old granny; books, games, t-shirts, tank tops, and hoodies are considerably bulkier and heavier, so they cost a LOT more to ship. Especially when some customers are shopping while drunk and forget to include an apartment number, or their PayPal info auto-filled the place they lived in two houses ago, yet somehow rationalize their screw-up into something we did to them because heaven forbid anything ever be their fault.

We're also printing on softer, better-made shirts than you'd typically get for participating in your local charity 5k using eco-friendly water-based inks. That rad band tee you picked up in the merch tent at Coachella or Bumbershoot or wherever is rougher, cheaper, features thick, heavy plastisol ink that will crack & peel a lot faster than our prints, and probably cost you at least $35, not including the obscene amount of money you paid for the ticket to watch Beyoncé from a football field away.

Also, that funny Facebook or Instagram or Google ad that got you to laugh and click through to this here website? Yeah, those cost money. Don't blame us; take that shit up with Zuck.

We also start everyone who works at Boredwalk at at least $17 per hour because we believe in paying folks a living wage for their hard work. Our staff also gets health care benefits, retirement benefits, paid time off, and paid holidays. All of those benefits have costs and we do it because it's the right thing to do. We work hard to design cool art and print it on quality stuff in an effort to help you express yourself using our rad sense of humor and artistic ability, and we value our work accordingly. Unless you want us to contact your boss and tell them to pay you less, just keep it to yourself. Better yet, save up and treat yourself! Think of it this way: one of our tees is probably cheaper than a night at your favorite bar, and lasts longer, too. You'll also get so many compliments from strangers that you'll feel less inclined to drown your existential sadness at the bar. Maybe.

• How do Boredwalk's shirts fit?

Great question! The answer is: it depends. Our men's tees, women's relaxed fit tees, unisex tank tops, unisex hoodies, and crew-neck fleece sweatshirts all have a "unisex" fit. This means the sizes they're offered in are true-to-size with most men's sizes. However, our women's tees, women's scoop-neck tops, women's racerback tank tops, and women's scoop-neck fleeces run small, and sizing of each varies from style to style.

In other words, never go by designations like Small, Medium, Large, etc., when purchasing clothing online. Every brand and style of blank shirt is slightly different in terms of width and length, so a medium from one store won't necessarily fit exactly the same as a medium from another store if they're not printing on the exact same brand & style of shirt.

Save yourself the hassle and aggravation of returns & exchanges — with ANY online retailer — by taking a shirt you already own (and like the fit of!) and laying it flat on the floor, a table, or your bed. And we do mean flat; pull it taut so there are no wrinkles, waves, creases, etc. Take a measuring tape and measure the width of the shirt from underarm to underarm. Then measure the length of the shirt from the shoulder (just next to the collar) down to the bottom hem. Now compare those measurements to the ones in the sizing chart on the product pages throughout our site and select the size that is closest to those dimensions. This trick will save you a lot of money, time, and aggravation when shopping for clothing online. You're welcome! 

• Can Boredwalk print on shirt styles not listed on the website?

Yes! Although we don't have the budget to stock every style of shirt that our suppliers offer, we can usually take custom requests if you don't see your desired shirt style or size listed on our website. We can get specialty sizes up to 5X (or ladies size 26) and we can get specialty shirt styles like childrens sweatshirts, juniors tanks and much more! To send us a request for an off-menu item just visit our custom requests page.

• How are Boredwalk's shirts printed?

We primarily print our graphics in-house with digital direct-to-garment printers using water-based inks for a soft feel. From time to time we may use traditional screen printing if the design in question is really popular and we're struggling to get stuff printed and out the door in a timely fashion. Either way, we're obsessed with softness and durability.

• Hey! I just received my shirt and the print is all faded — what gives?

Chances are you ordered a shirt with a "distressed" design. This means we purposely "roughed up" the art prior to printing to give it that lived-in, vintage look. We take the utmost care to make sure the product photos reflect how the shirts look when printed, so any intentional distressing will be apparent on your screen when you zoom in.

• How should I care for my Boredwalk item(s)?

We recommend washing all of our items inside-out with like colors in cold water on the "Delicate" setting. Hang drying is best, but if you must use a machine, skip the fabric softener and use the lowest heat setting. Following these care guidelines will preserve the life of the garments and prints.

• Are Boredwalk items pre-shrunk?

Yes, but any garment with high cotton content — even those that are pre-shrunk — will experience some contraction when washed and dried. Thankfully, they'll stretch back out after you wear them for a little while. And if you're drying your laundry in high heat — especially your darks — stop that.

• Will you hire me as a designer or buy slogans from me?

Sorry, but no. We created Boredwalk as a platform for our creative output, so we aren't looking for ideas from other people or designs from other people. There are plenty of brands out there that do hire freelancers in this capacity. Because we are not one of those brands, we cannot give advice on working with them. We recommend checking out The Futur if you are looking for professional guidance on starting a freelance design career.

• Can you tell me how to create a business like Boredwalk?

We are super busy running Boredwalk and teaching isn't our area of expertise. We really don't have time to take on mentor projects and we couldn't distill years of professional experience into an email or direct message.

If you want to learn about running an e-commerce business there are tons of coaches out there who specialize in teaching people this stuff; this isn't something we specialize it. We recommend checking out Ecom Crew or Ecommerce Influence for coaching services if you are hoping to start an e-commerce company. Boredwalk co-founders Meredith Erin and Matt Snow have been interviewed on a few podcasts about running this company. You can find episodes on Unofficial Shopify Podcast and the Ecommerce Influence Podcast.

SHIPPING QUESTIONS

• Where does Boredwalk ship from?

Los Angeles, California.

• How long will it take me to receive my order?

We print all of our apparel items and our kitchen towels and bags to order. Sometimes we have the blanks here in our shop; sometimes we need to order them in from one of our suppliers. This is why we need 2-7 business days* to prepare orders for shipment. We have our books and games made in bulk ahead of time, so those we can usually ship out the next business day if the order doesn't also include shirts, towels, or bags. Or the same day if you're an early bird on the east coast or elsewhere and the order is placed before 6AM Pacific Time.

From there, it takes USPS, DHL, or UPS a few days to deliver packages within the U.S. The average delivery speed for USPS First Class packages is 5 business days. For USPS Priority packages, the average is 2-3 business days. Add another day or two if it's the holiday season.

Please note that the above averages are not guarantees. We have no control over how quickly carriers delivers packages once we hand them off unless you emailed us to request guaranteed expedited delivery (which will cost more). If you live far from a major city or in an area experiencing inclement weather or a spike in orc activity it may take a little longer. Pro tip: if you live in Florida or the upper midwest and a hurricane or blizzard is barreling toward you, don't pester us about delayed delivery. It's not our fault you chose to settle down someplace known for natural disasters. **rumble rumble** Shut up, San Andreas!

* Please note that a "business day" is any weekday, Monday through Friday, that is NOT a major holiday within the U.S. If you place an order on a Friday after 6AM Pacific Time, the following Monday will be the first business day from when you placed the order, and Boredwalk will have until the Tuesday of the following week to ship the order — Monday = 1, Tuesday = 2, Wednesday = 3, Thursday = 4, Friday = 5, Monday = 6, Tuesday = 7. If a major holiday falls on the Monday after you placed your order, then Tuesday would be the first business day from when you placed the order and the following Monday would be the fifth business day from when your order was placed.

We ship most orders in about 2-3 business days, but all orders ship within 7 business days. Most U.S. orders arrive in 4 to 10 business days.

If you live outside the U.S., please plan for your order to take about 2-3 weeks to arrive. We also strongly recommend following your package's tracking information once your order ships. If your tracking indicates that your package has arrived in your country, please contact your local customs or postal service with the tracking number to find out how you can collect the package. We've had instances of customers missing the notice about their package being held at customs and the packages are left for so long that they end up being returned to us. The best way to avoid this is to make sure to monitor your package's tracking information once it ships.

• Is there any way for me to track my Boredwalk order?

Yes! As soon as your order ships, you'll receive a notification containing a tracking number in the email inbox you provided at checkout (provided there wasn't a typo.)

If you don't see an order confirmation email in your inbox within a couple minutes of completing your transaction — especially if you're a Gmail user — it probably got auto-sorted into one of your email provider's subfolders. With Gmail this is usually either the "Updates" subfolder or the "Promotions" subfolder.

Anyway, once you receive the shipment notification email, the shipping carrier will be able to provide you with a projected delivery date. Please note that the information available on the carrier's website is the same information we have as to the whereabouts of your package. If there seems to be a delay or an issue of non-delivery, please contact your local post office with the tracking number, as they will have more information at their disposal to assist you.

I mean, you can contact us if you want, but we're just going to do the same exact thing, and you probably have a little more pull with your local post office since you can show up in person and yell at them about their terrible performance, and they probably would rather avoid that. As rad as our customer service is, that $32 you spent on your shirt does not cover air fare for us to show up in, say, Dubuque, Iowa and yell at postal clerks on your behalf. 

• Does Boredwalk offer next-day or expedited shipping?

Not as a standard option. For non-textile products like our books and games we can do next-day shipping, but in most cases where shirts, towel sets, or bags are involved we do need at least 2-3 business days to get an order printed and handed off to the shipping carrier, and then they need time to deliver the shipment. If you have a firm in-hand date you are aiming for, please contact us at hello@boredwalk.com to verify that we can make it happen.

Please note that if you select Priority shipping at checkout, this means we will ship your order using USPS Priority Mail service. This does not mean we can ship your order the day after you order. Again, all of our apparel, kitchen towel, and bag items are printed to order, which is why we have a 2-7 business day window for shipping.

• Does Boredwalk ship internationally?

Normally, yes! Under normal circumstances we ship to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most countries in Europe and some countries in Asia via USPS. We had to suspend international shipping during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been adding countries back into the mix upon request, so if you don't see yours in the country/region drop-down menu on the checkout page, please email us at hello@boredwalk.com to request it!

• Wow, these international shipping rates are high. What gives?

When shipping internationally businesses have two options: DDU (Delivered, Duties Unpaid) or DDP (Delivered, Duties Paid). Boredwalk used to do DDU, but now ships everything DDP so you know before you check out how much the total cost will be. This includes the cost of the items themselves and the postage to get them to you, as well as any additional fees that are charged by YOUR country — VAT, import duties, handling fees so that your postal service gets paid for their labor in getting packages from the airport/customs agency to your door, etc.

If we shipped DDU it would look less expensive on the checkout page, but depending on the rules of your home country they may withhold delivery until you go to your local post office to pay those additional fees, at which point they will release them to you.

We shipped DDU in the past and it resulted in a lot of packages getting returned to us because customers would refuse to pay those taxes. This disappointed everyone involved. Us because we had to refund customers and add inventory back into our system, and customers who had to eat the cost of the initial international postage with no cool products to show for it. At least with DDP you'll know before you check out how much the whole order will cost.

If you can't get past the sticker shock, the best value is honestly to order more than one item up to whatever your country's de minimis threshold is because then the shipping cost gets spread out across more stuff without having to pay significantly more in import taxes. Usually this is around 150 of whatever your local currency is, but if you're unsure just do a web search for "[your country] de minimis threshold." 

• Why don't you ship to MY country?

We wish we could ship to every country, but our experience has been that some countries offer more reliable postal service than others. For this reason, we've had to limit our list of available countries to those we know are most reliable in terms of delivery service. We would hate to attempt to ship you something and have you not receive it.

If you are outside the US and we don't ship to your country, you may want to look into international mail forwarding services. An international mail forwarder will provide you with a US-based shipping address so you can enjoy domestic shipping rates from stores across the US. When your packages arrive at the forwarder's address they will box them all up in one shipment and forward them on to you via a private carrier such as DHL or UPS, ensuring that you get all your purchases from the US for the cost of just one international shipment. This is a great option if you live outside the US but like to do a lot of shopping on US websites. 

• I placed an order a while ago and still have not received it. The tracking information on USPS.com hasn't changed since it shipped. Where is my order?

Great question! As mentioned above, Boredwalk has no control over USPS's delivery speed. That said, if you placed an order and still haven't received it within 14 business days (60 calendar days if you're an international customer), let us know and we will do a one-time re-ship of the order. If it comes to that, we strongly recommend you provide us with a more reliable delivery address (such as a business address) to ensure you receive the re-shipped item(s).

• The tracking information for my order indicates that it was delivered, but I never received it. What do I do?

First, check the area around your house or apartment. If the package was too large to fit in your regular mail box or slot, your mail carrier may have left it elsewhere on the property — on a porch, under a bush, around the side, etc.

If you live with family or a roommate/housemate, ask if they brought it inside and forgot to give it to you. You may also want to check with neighbors — mail carriers aren't perfect, and they may have mixed up the street or apartment number when delivering.

If you have exhausted all of the above options, contact your local post office with the tracking number and explain that you never received a package that was scanned as "delivered". They can ask the carrier who services your route if they placed it anywhere out of the ordinary. Be sure to ask them to check the GPS location where the package was scanned. Occasionally carriers leave packages at the wrong address. If you have your post office check the GPS information on the delivery scan, they can make sure the package was left at the correct address. If it was not left at the correct address, they should be able to retrieve it for you.

Above all, don't wait too long to eliminate the above options. The likelihood of finding a missing package is much greater if it's addressed within a day or two of being scanned as delivered instead of weeks later.

If none of the steps mentioned above turns up the package, please contact us at hello@boredwalk.com within 14 days of your order being marked delivered. Please include your order number and an alternate shipping address that's more secure/reliable (such as a work address), and we will do a one-time re-ship of your order.

RETURN/EXCHANGE/REFUND QUESTIONS

• The item I ordered doesn't fit. Can I exchange it for a different size?

Yes, provided it shipped within the US and is returned in unwashed/unworn/sellable/original condition. Customers have 30 days from when their initial order was delivered to exchange items. You can find our detailed return/exchange policy and instructions here.

Please note that Boredwalk does not cover the cost to mail back returns or refund original shipping costs (if there were any associated with the order). We can only offer free returns if there was an error on our part (e.g., the incorrect item shipped). Certain items are not eligible for return/exchange, please visit our return/exchange page for details.

• I purchased a Boredwalk item and have decided I don't want it. May I return it?

Yes, again, provided was shipped within the US and it is returned in original/unwashed/unworn/sellable condition within 30 days of when it was delivered, Boredwalk will issue a refund upon receipt of the item. As mentioned above, Boredwalk does not cover the cost to mail back returned items or refund any original shipping costs. You can find our detailed return/exchange policy and instructions here.

• I received my Boredwalk order and there's an issue with it (damage/defect, incorrect item.) 

That's terrible! We strive to make sure every order we ship out is free of errors or defects, but mistakes do occur from time to time (though very rarely.) We want you to be 100% happy with your order, and apologize for the oversight and/or mix-up and any inconvenience it has caused. Please contact us at hello@boredwalk.com with your order number and let us know what the issue is and we will correct it immediately!