Free Delivery Has Limits — Here’s When Express Costs Extra

Last Updated: 16 September 2026

Free delivery is one of the perks of ordering from us. But our free delivery option is only available for standard delivery days. If you need faster delivery, you may need to choose our express options instead. In this blog, we’ll explain our standard delivery timelines and when we recommend opting for express shipping.

Standard vs Express

What Each Service Requires From You

The two services differ not only in speed but also in what they require from you:

What Standard Free Delivery Actually Covers

Standard delivery is built around a realistic production timeframe:

• 7-working-day turnaround covering artwork approval and branding production
• Most orders arrive within around two weeks of the purchase order being placed.
• Works well for the vast majority of orders, since most events are planned with reasonable lead time
• Assumes nothing needs to be rushed at any single stage of the process

How Long Shipping Takes After Dispatch

Once an order is dispatched, transit time depends heavily on your state and how close your delivery address is to a metro centre:

WA, NT, and TAS need extra planning because even with express dispatch, shipping can still take up to 3 business days after the order leaves the warehouse.

Where the Limits of Standard Delivery Show Up

Put dispatch and shipping together, and the limits of the standard, free option tend to show up in a few predictable situations:

• Tight event deadlines with little or no buffer between order date and event date
• Regional or remote delivery addresses, particularly in WA, NT and TAS, where shipping alone can take several business days even under express
• Late artwork approval, since standard turnaround only allows one business day for sign-off before the schedule moves on without you
• Peak freight periods, such as the lead-up to Christmas or the end of the financial year, when courier networks are under heavier load

When you work with suppliers like us, we don’t just make sure your order arrives on time. We also go beyond and volunteer to hand them off to you personally when our local courier fails to commit to that.

Why Express Actually Costs More

To meet a 24-hour dispatch window, artwork approval must be completed within one hour and sign-off within 30 minutes. Production also has to prioritise your job over others already in the queue. This priority brings real costs at every stage:

• Expedited branding and packing, often outside normal production sequencing
• Premium freight rates on the courier’s end to guarantee a faster transit window
• Reduced flexibility elsewhere in the schedule to accommodate the rush

These are real operational costs, not just extra charges. Paying for express only makes sense when your timeline really requires it.

Why I Recommend Asking Early

As a Creative Director, I often help clients with fixed event dates choose between standard and express delivery. When deadlines are tight, I always suggest confirming your timing as early as you can. If you know your delivery date, quantity, and branding details upfront, we have more time to look at production options and recommend the best turnaround.

If you are not sure whether standard delivery will meet your deadline, ask us before you place the order instead of assuming it will arrive on time. Talking early gives us a better chance to plan for your date and let you know whether you need express production.

How to Work Out If You Need Express

Count backward from your event date to today, and compare that to our standard 7-working-day dispatch time plus the shipping time for your state. A few quick questions can help you decide:

• Is the delivery address in WA, NT, TAS, or another regional area with longer shipping times?
• Is the order going out during a known peak freight period?
• Can your team realistically approve artwork within one business day, or does sign-off usually take longer?
• Once you add standard dispatch and shipping together, is there still a comfortable buffer before your event?

If any of these points are a concern, express is worth the extra cost for the peace of mind it brings. If you have a comfortable buffer, standard delivery will work without the extra expense.

Isolating Where the Real Pressure Point Is

Express can apply to dispatch, shipping, or both. It is important to find out which part of the process is tight before you pay for express:

• Dispatch is the issue if your address is metro, but your artwork or production timeline is the bottleneck.
• Shipping is the issue if artwork and production are fine, but your address is in WA, NT or TAS.
• Both are the issue if the event date is close and the address is regional.

If you know which part of the timeline is tight, your account manager can suggest the right option. This helps you avoid paying for express everywhere, which can add cost without fixing the real problem.

Making the Call With Confidence

Free delivery is a real benefit, but it does not guarantee you can meet every deadline at no cost. Here is a quick checklist to review before you order:

• Confirm your state’s standard shipping time from the table above.
• Add the 7-working-day standard dispatch turnaround.
• Compare that total against your real event date.

If your time buffer is small, ask about express shipping early. Do not wait until the week before your event.