Welcome

WHO ARE THOSE SMILING FACES BEHIND SMILING TREE TOYS?
Hi! We're Justin and Kathleen, the creators of Smiling Tree Toys. You can find us in southwestern Minnesota, where we work hard and play harder to bring natural and organic wooden toys to your home! We’re proud new parents to a little girl, Amana, and we love enjoying family time, playing games, and being outdoors. Visit our profile page to learn more about us.

HOW DID SMILING TREE TOYS COME TO BE?
We’ve always enjoyed making and giving handmade gifts from the heart, and as new parents we’re constantly on the quest for creative, fun, and safe toys for our little one. We also love to work from home and spend lots of time with our daughter. We believe in being kind to Mother Nature and using her resources wisely and in their natural forms. Combine all of these things, and starting a natural and organic wooden toy shop was the perfect idea!

HOW DO YOU "GO GREEN” AND “SUPPORT LOCAL”?
*we use locally sourced and FSC certified woods
*our packaging materials are eco-friendly (recycled cardboard boxes, wood chips as filler, biodegradable bubble wrap, and re-used packing paper/bubble wrap from local businesses)
*our toys have our very own, homegrown organic finish (we use certified organic camelina oil and beeswax, both of which are grown on our family's land)
*our cotton bags are made in the USA from natural cotton free of harsh chemicals and pesticides
*we participate in our local renewable energies program
*we shop locally for our business/home purchases whenever possible
*we’re conscious consumers – waste not, want not!
*we’re sure to get out of the woodshop to tend to our organic veggie garden!=

DO YOU DONATE ANY OF YOUR PROFITS TO CHARITIES?
Yes – ‘tis better to give than to receive! We’re very fortunate to be able to support ourselves by doing something that we love and believe in. It only feels right to share our good fortune with others. As former Peace Corps Volunteers who served in West Africa, we make a donation to Peace Corps worldwide youth development projects for every toy sold.

**For more info on the types of projects that we sponsor, see the announcement box at the top of our shop home page.**

CAN I "LIKE" YOU ON FACEBOOK?
Why, of course! www.facebook.com/smilingtreetoys

HOW ABOUT FOLLOW YOUR BLOG?
How nice of you to ask! www.smilingtreetoys.blogspot.com

Payment

WHAT FORMS OF PAYMENT DO YOU ACCEPT?
We accept payments via PayPal. You can safely and easily pay by credit card (Visa, Discover, Mastercard or American Express) through Paypal without signing up for an account. Please make sure the PayPal and Etsy “ship to” addresses that you provide match.

WHEN DOES PAYMENT NEED TO BE RECEIVED?
All PayPal payments must be received within 24 hours of your purchase on Etsy. If payment is not received within this time, we’ll politely remind you to please do so.

WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL AN ORDER?
Please contact us via email or a convo on Etsy as soon as possible. If we haven't yet shipped the item and it wasn’t a custom order, we'll happily refund your money via PayPal.

Shipping

HOW AND WHEN DO YOU SHIP?
We’ll ship your toys via U.S. Priority or First Class Mail. Priority mail packages normally take 2-3 business days to reach their destination, and First Class packages take 3-4 business days. See our shop banner (on our home page) for any shipping-related announcements.

CAN YOU SEND MY TOYS DIRECTLY TO THE LUCKY LITTLE RECIPIENT?
Yes, no problem! Just make your purchase as you normally would and enter the lucky little one’s name and shipping address when you check out. If you want us to include a personalized gift note and/or leave out the sales receipt, just let us know in the "Note to Seller" box.

DO YOU OFFER SHIPPING DISCOUNTS IF I PURCHASE MULTIPLE ITEMS AT THE SAME TIME?
Of course! All of our shipping costs are either free or discounted when you buy two or more items at once. Just look under “ship with another item” in the item descriptions. If you want to buy a lot of things at once, contact us before buying and we’ll make you a custom listing so that you get everything you want at the lowest possible shipping price.

IS DELIVERY CONFIRMATION AVAILABLE?
Yes, but it's only available for domestic packages mailed within the United States.

DO YOU SHIP INTERNATIONALLY?
Yes, we ship anywhere in the world where the United States Postal Service delivers. We know international shipping can be expensive, and we're sorry we aren't able to offer lower international shipping rates. But we do promise you'll love your toys when they reach you! Tracking and delivery confirmation is NOT available for most international orders. If you'd like to purchase insurance on your package, let us know BEFORE purchasing.

HOW DO YOU PACKAGE YOUR ITEMS FOR SHIPPING?
We ship in recycled, eco-friendly cardboard boxes. For padding, we normally use natural brown paper that we reclaim from local businesses. When that's not available, we use biodegradable bubble wrap or wood chips from our shop. Please remove the wood shavings from the bag and compost them.

Refunds and Exchanges

WHAT'S YOUR RETURN POLICY?
We stand behind all of our items and we believe you’ll love them as much as we do! But if you aren't satisfied with your purchase, simply send it back to us in its original condition within 1 week of receiving it. We’ll happily refund you via PayPal. The buyer is responsible for return shipping costs. Personalized toys and custom orders are not returnable.

WHAT ABOUT SHIPPING ERRORS AND LOST PACKAGES?
Sorry, we can't be held responsible for shipping errors beyond our control such as damaged/lost packages or incorrect addresses provided by the buyer. But we package all of our toys very carefully and provide tracking/delivery confirmation on all domestic orders, so shipping errors are very rare.

In the event that your package is lost in the mail, we will refund you for the cost of the toys (not including shipping fees). We need to be notified of any lost packages within 5 months of the shipping date.

Additional Policies and FAQs

HOW DO I CONTACT YOU?
Convo us on Etsy or email us anytime: smilingtreetoys[at]gmail.com. We love to chat!

DO YOU OFFER GIFT WRAPPING?
Our toys come ready-to-give in reusable USA handmade muslin bags with a card that tells about our family business and care for how to’s. If you like, we can also add a hand written gift note to the bag. Just let us know what you want it to say in the “note to seller” when you checkout.

CAN I CREATE A SMILING TREE GIFT REGISTRY?
Sure, we'd love for your little one's arrival to include Smiling Tree! And we'll let you in on a little secret: if any three items on your registry are purchased, you'll get a FREE $10 gift certificate to use in our shop -- woo-hoo! Let us know when you want to get started.

DO YOU SELL WHOLESALE?
Yes, we offer a limited portion of our product line for wholesale. Email us at SmilingTreeToys<at>gmail.com to request our current wholesale catalog. (Please note, we cannot take wholesale orders between August 1st and December 31st, as that's our busy retail time.)

DO YOU TAKE CUSTOM ORDERS?
Sometimes, depending on the specifics of your request. Just contact us and we’ll get talking!

DO YOU CHARGE SALES TAX?
Only Minnesota residents pay sales tax. Non-Minnesota residents who provide a "Ship to Address" within Minnesota also pay sales tax.

HOW DO I CARE FOR MY SMILING TREE GOODIES?
All of our toys come with a card telling about the toy, our family business, and care-for instructions. Because they’re made from quality hardwoods, our toys are very durable and require little care. We do, however, have a few suggestions for keeping your toys in tip-top shape. (We know you’re busy parents, so don’t worry - it only takes two minutes!)

All of our individual teething toys are unfinished. Over time, as your little one chomps on them you may find they lose some of their silky smoothness. Just use fine-grit sandpaper to bring them back to life.

All of our other toys are finished with our blend of homegrown organic camelina oil and beeswax. We’ve found this to be the best natural and safe finish for protecting wood and preserving its natural beauty. If you find your toys lose a bit of their sheen or smoothness, just lightly hand sand and re-finish with an organic food-grade oil.

***Smiling Tree Toys make smiling little girls and boys***

Life is GOOD!

Smiles to you and yours -
Justin and Kathleen

Seller Information