STEP 1:

Your order must be confirmed with your partial or total payment. The process really starts once we receive your payment on one of our bank accounts or via our merchant account for online sales. The date you receive a quotation does not count!

Please remember that if you live outside the United States, your funds will be shown on our bank account within 3-5 business days, not including Saturdays or Sundays.

To make things quicker you will be asked to provide proof of payment such as a scan of the transaction made by your finantial institution.

If you are paying via L/C, it is compulsory to receive the L/C well in advance in order to meet the dispatch deadlines and quantity requirements.

When L/C apply we normally negociate FOB(Guayaquil).

We only accept IRREVOCABLE & AT SIGHT L/C.

STEP 2:

Once we have received confirmation of your payment, your order will no longer be considered one of the hundreds of quotations we send every month. This date your payment is compared with the quotation you were sent and mistakes are corrected.

If everything is in order, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. If we find something wrong with your order, we will contact you with additional instructions.

STEP 3: (Day 1)

All payment confirmations received during the week are turned into "Work Orders" every FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

On Friday, all the orders that were confirmed during the week will be scheduled for manufacture next week. If we do not receive your payment before friday afternoon, your order will be processed next Friday.

If items are in stock, they will be shipped inmediately if not, we will adjust our manufacture volume to meet our production requirements.

As a matter of fact, during high seasons most orders require manufacture, specially if they are 500 hats or more, as we receive plenty of them during the week. It is almost impossible to have hundreds of hats in every single style, color and size in stock, they sell very quickly. Remember we are a factory not a retail store, hats are manufactured and inmediatley dispatched overseas.

If the manfucture volume exceeds our weekly production, orders will require additional days to be processed, this normally happens 3 months prior to summer and 3 months prior to winter. Take this into consideration when placing an order, please do it in advance!

STEP 4: (Day 2-3)

On Saturday and Sunday, we collect the necessary hat bodies from our weaver in order to manufacture the different styles, grades and sizes our clients have ordered if they were not already in stock.

We normally collect more hat bodies than necessary in order to have additional hats available for samples and future orders during high seasons.

If you have required customized hats or non-standard hats, such us:

Superior Grades, Wide Brims or Different Weave Styles, Crochet Hats, Estrellado Hats, Striped Hats, Dyed Hats, etc;

on SATURDAY our weavers will receive the order to weave these styles. Depending on the quantity, time will be needed, approximately 2 weeks before starting manufacture or step 5.

STEP 5: (Day 4)

On Monday, manufacture starts. The manufacture process is complicated, hats will pass through different stages before becoming real panama hats. This process takes from 5-10 days.

Raw Hats will be turned into beautiful finished panama hats during this stage. If weather conditions are good, this process will be concluded within 5-10 days as previously stated.

Sunlight and sunny days with no rain is extremely necessary during the panama hat manufacture process. You might think it is that simple, but IT IS NOT!...

Remember!, if you ordered customized hats or non standard hats, they must be woven before being sent to our factory for manufacture.

STEP 6: (Day 9)

Finished Hats are then sent to our warehouse where they will be sorted out and classified in styles, sizes, colors, grades, etc.

Hats are finished continuously, so everyday there will be hats being sent to our warehouse for packaging.

STEP 7: (Day 10)

At our warehouse, each client's order is packaged. Depending on the order number it was received, some orders are packaged before and others are packaged a couple of days later, all in an organized production line.

STEP 8: (Day 10)

Once your order is packaged, the corresponding invoice is printed and it is included in your consignment for customs clearance.

STEP 9: (Day 10)

Customes Agents do the necessary export paperwork which includes:

STEP 10: (Day 11)

The selected shipping company sends a person to pick up all the orders that our clients required to be shipped by this method

Everyday there are dispatches via different shipping companies. .

STEP 11: (Day 11)

All paperwork is sent from our factory to the ecuadorian customes office CAE, where it will be analyzed, if everything is in order customs officers send merchandise to drug inspection.

Sometimes, this process takes a few days longer! Specially if our forwarder has failed to find space on a flight to the country of destination.

STEP 12: (Day 12)

Anti-Drug Police Officers and their dogs will open and anaylize our merchandise. If no drug is found, your consignment will be released. Some random boxes will be more carefully analized, to check out content, this might also cause a delay!

Please remember that although we dispatch our merchandise in time, there are rules to follow for the export of any goods in all countries.

Some people expect to have their goods almost inmediately as when they buy any item via ebay on internet. We are not a retail store, but an export company. Sending large quantities of items requires the corresponding clearance and inspections before goods ship overseas.

STEP 13: (Day 12)

Once customs and police officers find no threat or export violation, they release the merchandise.

The export approval is issued.

Hats are then ready to leave Ecuador!..

STEP 14: (Day 13)

Tracking Numbers are placed on the boxes and then they are inmediately sent via airfreight to the international airport in Quito-Ecuador. Or an air bill is issued and merchandise leaves the corresponding port as negotiated in the transaction. INCOTERMS apply!.

STEP 15: (Day 14)

Once in Quito, depending on the selected shipping company, your consignment will wait for a flight to the country of destination or else it will be embarked on a plane inmediately.

Remember that low shipping fees mean slower delivery!

STEP 16: (Day 14)

Your consignment leaves Ecuador, if you selected a cheaper shipping method, it will take a few days longer until the shipping company finds space for your consignment on a suitable flight.

STEP 17: (Day 15)

Your consignment arrives in the country of destination. Flights always arrive at main airports first, then they are sent to the corresponding city or town. Main airports are, for example:

LONDON / NEW YORK / MIAMI / SYDNEY / AMSTERDAM

STEP 18: (Day 15)

The corresponding customs authorities hold your merchandise to check it out. During this process the forwarder or post office of your country has no jurisdiction to claim the goods.

STEP 19: (Day 16)

Before the corresponding post office or forwarder may pick up the merchandise, it will have to meet the import requirements of your country, this can be summarized in the following final steps:

STEP 20: (Day 17)

Once you have paid duties or in the case no duty is charged, your consignment will be shipped via the corresponding shipping company or post office to your localty for final delivery. Some forwarders will require you to pick up the merchandise at their depots or else require you to pay an additional fee for door to door delivery.

STEP 21: (Day 18-20)

Your consignment arrives the the depot of your city and then it is finally delivered at your address.

This normally happens the next day after arrival at the depot.

We are inmediately advised of successful delivery in Ecuador and your order is then filed!