Shipping policy

Orders are usually processed within 1–5 business days after payment has been confirmed.

Processing time means the time required to verify your order, confirm payment, prepare the product, and submit the order to our supplier, warehouse, or fulfilment partner.

Orders are not usually processed on weekends or South African public holidays.

During busy periods, supplier delays, stock shortages, promotions, or high order volumes, processing may take longer than usual.

Empire Investment may use third-party suppliers, warehouses, courier partners, and dropshipping fulfilment services to process and deliver orders.

This means:

• Some products may be shipped directly from local or international suppliers.
• Orders containing multiple items may arrive in separate parcels.
• Items may be delivered at different times.
• Packaging may differ depending on the supplier or warehouse.
• Tracking information may be provided once available from the supplier or courier.

Even where a third-party supplier assists with fulfilment, Empire Investment remains your point of contact for order support.

Estimated delivery times vary depending on the product, supplier, warehouse location, delivery address, courier service, and customs processing where applicable.

Typical estimated delivery times are:

These delivery times are estimates only and are not guaranteed.

For international dropshipping orders, delivery may take up to 45 business days in exceptional cases due to customs, supplier delays, courier delays, or events outside our control.

If your order has not arrived within 45 business days after dispatch, please contact us so we can investigate.

Depending on the investigation outcome, we may offer:

• Continued tracking support,
• A replacement,
• Store credit,
• Or a refund where appropriate.

Shipping fees, if applicable, will be shown at checkout before you complete your order.

Shipping fees may vary depending on:

• Product size and weight.
• Delivery location.
• Courier method.
• Supplier or warehouse location.
• Promotions or free shipping offers.

Shipping fees are generally non-refundable unless the order is defective, incorrect, lost, or cancelled before processing.

We deliver to the areas available at checkout.

Some remote, restricted, or high-risk delivery areas may not be eligible for delivery, or may require extra delivery time or additional courier fees.

If we are unable to deliver to your address after an order is placed, we will contact you to arrange an alternative delivery option or refund.

Where tracking is available, we will provide a tracking number or tracking link by email, SMS, WhatsApp, or through your order page.

Please note:

• Tracking may take a few days to update after dispatch.
• International tracking may not update daily.
• Some low-cost shipping methods may have limited tracking.
• Courier tracking updates are controlled by the courier or supplier.

If your tracking has not updated for several days, you may contact us for assistance.

Some products may be shipped from international suppliers.

Where international shipping applies, customs duties, import taxes, clearance fees, or other government charges may apply.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, the customer is responsible for any customs duties, import charges, taxes, or clearance fees required by South African authorities or other applicable authorities.

We are not responsible for delays caused by customs inspections, clearance procedures, or unpaid import charges.

Customers are responsible for providing complete and accurate delivery information at checkout.

Please ensure that your:

• Full name,
• Phone number,
• Email address,
• Street address,
• Suburb,
• City,
• Province,
• Postal code,

are correct before submitting your order.

Empire Investment is not responsible for failed delivery, delayed delivery, returned parcels, or lost orders caused by incorrect or incomplete delivery details provided by the customer.

If an order is returned because of incorrect delivery information, additional shipping fees may apply to resend the order.

If a courier attempts delivery and you are unavailable, the courier may:

• Attempt redelivery,
• Contact you for instructions,
• Deliver to a collection point,
• Or return the parcel to the supplier or warehouse.

Customers are responsible for responding to courier calls, SMS messages, emails, or delivery notices.

If a parcel is unclaimed, refused, or returned due to customer unavailability, incorrect details, or failure to collect, we may deduct courier, return, and handling costs from any refund where legally allowed.

Because we use dropshipping suppliers and fulfilment partners, items in the same order may be shipped separately.

This may happen when:

• Items come from different suppliers.
• Items are stored in different warehouses.
• One item is available earlier than another.
• Products require different shipping methods.

You will not be charged extra shipping for split shipments unless clearly stated before checkout.

Delivery may be delayed due to events outside our reasonable control, including:

• Courier delays.
• Supplier delays.
• Stock shortages.
• Customs processing.
• Load shedding or operational disruptions.
• Public holidays.
• Weather events.
• Strikes or labour disruptions.
• Road closures.
• Incorrect delivery details.
• High order volumes.
• System failures.
• Government restrictions.
• Natural disasters or emergencies.

We will make reasonable efforts to assist with delivery updates, but we cannot guarantee exact delivery dates.

If your order appears to be lost in transit, please contact us at support@empireinvest.online.

We may need to investigate with the courier, supplier, or fulfilment partner.

If the parcel is confirmed lost and the loss was not caused by incorrect customer information, refusal to accept delivery, or failure to collect, we may offer:

• A replacement,
• Store credit,
• Or a refund.

If your parcel arrives damaged, please contact us within 7 days of delivery.

Please provide:

• Your order number.
• Photos or videos of the damaged item.
• Photos of the outer packaging.
• Photos of the shipping label, where possible.
• A short explanation of the issue.

Once reviewed, we may offer a replacement, refund, store credit, or other suitable remedy in line with our Refund & Returns Policy and applicable consumer protection law.

A parcel may be considered delivered when tracking shows that it was delivered to the address provided by the customer or collected by the customer or their authorised representative.

If tracking shows delivery but you did not receive the parcel, please contact us as soon as possible so we can investigate.

If we offer pre-order or backorder items, the estimated delivery date will be shown on the product page or communicated to you where possible.

Pre-order and backorder delivery dates are estimates and may change due to supplier availability, manufacturing delays, shipping delays, or customs processing.