Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Give us a call at +1 (619) 614-7953 Monday - Friday, or email us through the  "contact us" forum.

Responses on our social media may be delayed. Please message us through our contact forum on our website or email us at hello@topshelfwineandspirits.com to recieve responses about your order, we'd love to help you! 

You can follow us on FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM.

Sorry to hear that! Please fill out our claims form by clicking the link HERE. We'll get back to you within 1 - 2 business days.

Yes! All of our products are purchased from licensed Southern Californian distributors (or the brand directly). We never buy our bottles from individuals or random third party sellers. All products on our website are guaranteed to be authentic and new.

Yes, it is! At Top Shelf, we have all the licensing to keep things legal. We've been serving alcohol to our customers for years, so you can keep your worries behind. ✌ We also have licensed contracts with established distributors, which means all of our products are 100% guaranteed authentic. Happy shopping!

We've temporarily paused international shipping to improve the experience for our customers. In the meantime, we continue to ship throughout the USA! Below is a list of states where we can and cannot ship.

Please note, this list is regularly updated to ensure compliance with legal regulations.

States we ship to:

Alabama (AL), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AK), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Delaware (DE), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Idaho (ID), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), Maryland (MD), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Hmapshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New Mexico (NM), New York (NY), North Carolina (NC), North Dakota (ND), Ohio (OH), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), Texas (TX), Vermont (VT), Virginia (VA), Washington (WA), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (WI), Wyoming (WY)

States we DON'T ship to:

• (AK) Alaska
• (HI) Hawaii
• (MI) Michigan
• (SD) South Dakota
• (UT) Utah
• (TN) Tennessee

• We do not ship to PO boxes or APO/FPO addresses
• We do not ship to Puerto Rico, US British Virgin Islands, Guam

No, we do not offer same day delivery. 

Regular Shipping Times (February - November):

All orders are typically shipped out within 24 business hours - 3 business days (this does not include weekends & holidays).

Next Day Air orders are only shipped out Monday - Thursdays (no Fridays!).

Delivery dates are not guaranteed. Please account for any potential courier delays.

Please note that for cork bottled items or delicate liquids (such as wine), we recommend expedited shipping as it sits longer in summer heat, damage may occur to the cork or integrity of the liquid.

Holiday Shipping Times (December - January):

All orders are typically shipped out within 3 business days (this excludes weekends & holidays). Expedited shipping is highly reccomended as orders are fulfilled slower than usual due to order volume.

The warehouse is closed December 24th, 25th, 31st & January 1st. Please exclude these dates and weekends for the estimated processing time.

Shipping costs are determined by the courier, not Top Shelf Wine & Spirits. Rates vary depending on distance, weight, shipping option, and handling.

No, we do not price match to other stores. However, we update our pricing periodically to ensure that our pricing is competitive (and will often offer sales). 😉

Our packing slips do not include pricing on them. If you are looking for your reciept, please reference the order confirmation email that was sent to you when you placed the order. Cheers!

We will NEVER make transactions made by you on our behalf! All purchases and payments must be submitted by YOU through our checkout process. 

Please check if the payment is pending, or if it went through. If the payment is pending, you should be getting your money back within a few business days as long as you did not place an order with us. If it did go through and you did not purchase from us, please contact your bank and dispute the charges.

*All orders marked as fraudulent on our system will not get processed and the money will get refunded.

**Payments from our company will show on your statement as "TOP SHELF WINE & SPIRITS SAN MARCOS, CA". If it says a city other than San Marcos, it is a different company or site. 

Currently we do not have that option on our site (but we're working on it 😉). 

Although we try to keep up to date with photographs, we do not guarantee that the delivered product matches the product photograph. On the other side of the computer is a real-life human updating every photo, status, and description so although our team is awesome, we have to account for human errors as well! If you did in fact recieve a bottle completely different (i.e. the name on the bottle is different from the description or title) please submit a claims form HERE.

To get the most accurate product, please always base purchases on item title and description- not photographs.

Tip: If you received a product with a different look, double check to see on the distiller's website to see if they updated their bottle look! Distillers are always changing the look of the bottle :)

Packaging is not always included. This is due to the distributors that supply us with the product do not always provide us with the packaging. In addition, due to recent events the suppliers have had less production and shortages of supplies. (BUT, if the title of the item says "with Gift Box" or "with Wood Box" that means that the item is guaranteed to come with the delivery!).

Our bottles are packaged in unbranded bubble wrap or pulp inserts. We try our best to make sure that each bottle is protected. The box that it is shipped in does not indicate that it contains alcohol- it's just a plain, cardboard box.

In the case that you recieve an order where the bubble wrap or inserts have a carrier name (UPS, Fedex, DHL, etc.) written on it, please contact us using the "Claims Form" as this indicates tampering with the package and we can make a claim with the courier and it would help us out!

What if my order has many bottles?

Orders with multiple bottles will be shipped essentially the same as any single package, with each bottle bubble wrapped or inside a pulp insert. If your order has over 12 bottles, we typically ship your order in 2 boxes or more.

Per United States law, all shipments containing alcohol requires a signature of someone over the age of 21. 

I can't be home at the time of delivery:

The courier will typically attempt a re-delivery. If you need further assistance, please email us at hello@topshelfwineandspirits.com.

Yes! 🥂 You can sign up for our rewards program by clicking the link on our main menu that says "Loyalty Program."

On each purchase, you'll earn points to enter into VIP tiers for extra discounts, barrel pickings, and even invitation to in-person events!

We've temporarily paused international shipping to improve the experience for our customers. In the meantime, we continue to ship throughout the USA! Below is a list of states where we can and cannot ship.

Please note, this list is regularly updated to ensure compliance with legal regulations.

States we ship to:

Alabama (AL), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AK), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Delaware (DE), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Idaho (ID), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), Maryland (MD), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Hmapshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New Mexico (NM), New York (NY), North Carolina (NC), North Dakota (ND), Ohio (OH), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), Texas (TX), Vermont (VT), Virginia (VA), Washington (WA), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (WI), Wyoming (WY)

States we DON'T ship to:

• (AK) Alaska
• (HI) Hawaii
• (MI) Michigan
• (SD) South Dakota
• (UT) Utah
• (TN) Tennessee

• We do not ship to PO boxes or APO/FPO addresses
• We do not ship to Puerto Rico, US British Virgin Islands, Guam

Shipping costs are determined by the courier, not Top Shelf Wine & Spirits- due to age restrictions on alcohol, we are legally required to ask for an adult signature upon delivery. The courier charges extra for this action. 

Rates vary depending on distance, weight, shipping option, and handling.

Regular Shipping Times (February - November):

All orders are typically shipped out within 24 business hours - 3 business days (this does not include weekends & holidays).

Next Day Air orders are only shipped out Monday - Thursdays (no Fridays!).

Delivery dates are not guaranteed. Please account for any potential courier delays.

Please note that for cork bottled items or delicate liquids (such as wine), we recommend expedited shipping as it sits longer in summer heat, damage may occur to the cork or integrity of the liquid.

Holiday Shipping Times (December - January):

All orders are typically shipped out within 3 business days (this excludes weekends & holidays).

The warehouse is closed December 24th, 25th, 31st & January 1st. Please exclude these dates and weekends for the estimated processing time.

Shipping costs are determined by the courier, not Top Shelf Wine & Spirits. Rates vary depending on distance, weight, shipping option, and handling.

If you need the order by a certain day, please purchase expedited shipping methods. This will be Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, or 3 Day Select. Weekends are not included in processing/transit time. Ground shipping is not expedited and may take up to two weeks for delivery. Please account for any courier delays out of our control as no delivery dates are guaranteed.

General Timeframe:

• Ground Shipping: Processed within 1-5 business days, delivery will take 3 days - 2 weeks.
• Express Shipping (3 Day Select, 2nd Day Air, Next Day Air): Processed within 1-2 business days (excluding weekends), and shipped typically in the given timeframe (i.e. 2nd day air will arrive in 2 business days). Please account for any potential courier delays.
• Orders placed in December & January: Add on 3 to 5 business days to the normal given timeframe above. You can view a more detailed answer under the question: "what are your shipping times?"
  

Need to check which shipping method you chose?

Check the bottom left of your email confirmation.

Still confused?

Reach out to us and we'd be more than happy to assist. 😊 

Yes, we offer gift options! 🥳

Gold bow ($0.99 per bow)

If you purchased a collection item with multiple bottles and want a bow on each bottle, please update the gold bow option to the number of bottles in the collection. *Gold bow option is not available for gift sets, cans, or 50ml packs.

Engraving ($30 per bottle)

Engraving options are available on most bottles! You can add up to three lines. Please allow up to an additional 3 - 5 business days to engrave the item.

Personalized gift messages with your order (free)

Please provide us with the gift message you'd like to add on the cart page. It will be included in the packing slip! Emojis will not be printed. 

Shipping label (free)

Add who it's from on the shipping label by writing in the "Company Name" portion on the shipping address at checkout. You can add up to 35 characters, including any spaces. 

Add your name here for free (up to 35 characters)

Our packing slips do not contain pricing. However, don't forget to send the recipient the tracking link so they can prepare and sign for the delivery!

Add who it's from on the shipping label by writing in the "Company Name" portion on the shipping address at checkout. You can add up to 35 characters, including any spaces. 

See where it's circled in yellow below to find where you can add your name:

Add your name here for free at checkout (up to 35 characters)

We do not offer gift cards at this time.

The journey of your item:

1. Your order is placed.
2. We process all orders in the order of purchase. 
3. Once your order is processed, you will receive a tracking number in the order processed email confirmation (check your spam folder if you didn't get an email from us). This does not mean your package is already with the courier. Your order is being packaged at this time! Please allow 1-5 business days (this excludes weekends & holidays) for your item to get packaged and handed off to the courier. 
4. Packed item awaits courier driver for pick-up.
5. Once the courier driver picks up your item, it gets taken to the warehouse and gets scanned. From here on out, you should see movement of your package on the tracking link. You will now get an estimated delivery date provided through the tracking link. 
6. The courier handles all deliveries. Once the package is in their hands, Top Shelf Wine & Spirits cannot edit, change, or speed up the delivery of your order. 
7. The package gets delivered once you or your recipient signs for the package.
8. Enjoy!

All sales are final.  If you request a cancelation, please note it is not guaranteed and the order is subject to a 10% cancelation fee. 

If the refund or cancelation is approved, then it will be processed and a credit will automatically be applied to customer's credit card or original payment method shortly after (within 2-10 business days). 

More often than not, we are not able to cancel an order so please double check before clicking "place order" 🤗

Top Shelf Wine & Spirits covers:

• Damaged or broken bottles
• Missing packages in transit
• Incorrect items

Insurance does not cover:

• Shipping times (i.e. delayed orders)
• Damaged or missing product packaging
• Cosmetic damages to bottle
• Incorrect shipping address provided upon checkout
• Failed delivery
• Rejected delivery
• Stolen packages

For insurance claims, please fill out 'claims submission' form located at the bottom left corner of our website. We require photographic evidence to proceed with all claims. 

How do I know if I have shipping insurance on my order?

Shipping insurance will show on your order confirmation email along with the other items in your order.  **As of September 20, 2022 shipping insurance is included in the total shipping cost.

Congrats! You're early in line to getting an item that hasn't been released yet. 🎉 

Why does my item say "shipped"? The tracking shows no movement.

Sorry for the confusion! It's not shipped until the release date written on the description page of the item. Our process is the following:

1. You place the order.
2. We process your order, which at this time a tracking number is created and you get an email saying that your order has shipped (if you have a pre-order item, it hasn't yet).
3. We hold on to your individual tracking numbers until the pre-order item comes in stock.
4. Once it's in stock, we pack your order and ship it out! Typically, there's a bunch of pre-orders in which case we can't ship all the orders out in one day. Once it hits the restock date, please allow 1-5 business days for your order to be shipped out.
5. The tracking will now show movement- it's heading your way!
6. The tracking link will show a delivery time frame. Please remember to be home to sign for the package.
7. Enjoy!

Can you ship out other items first, then ship out the pre-order item later?

No. We will ship out your order as one shipment. So if you have items on your purchase that we currently have in stock, please wait for the pre-order item to be in stock and we will then ship out your order in one package. 

When will your item be in stock?

The stocking date will be listed on the product description page 😊 

We're sorry to hear that! We always package the bottles to the best of our ability, but it's inevitable that breakages happen. We don't get notified of the damage- Please contact us and we'd be happy to fix the issue!

We are so sorry to hear that, it is never fun to experience something like this. Please take a photograph of the box it got delivered in (if you're missing an item) and/or the incorrect/damaged bottles that clearly show the breakage (if the bottle arrived broken). We require clear photographic evidence to proceed with claims.

Please fill out the form the claims submission form found at the bottom of our website (or click HERE for the link) so we can look into it for you!

Incorrect Bottles:

If you received an incorrect bottle, we may require you to return the bottle(s) to us using a prepaid label. In this case, the bottle(s) must be returned to us unopened prior to reshipments. In the event an opened or empty bottle is returned to us, we will send an invoice to you. 

We can also offer you a 15% discount to keep the incorrect bottle. In the event that the incorrect bottle has a higher retail value than the one purchased, we will provide a $5 refund.

Damaged Bottle Packaging:

Although we try to have bottle packaging included in each shipment and delivered undamaged, we do not guarantee the inclusion nor undamaged bottle packaging. We apologize but at this time we do not offer refunds or reshipments of orders with damaged bottle packaging/cosmetic damage. 

** We do not offer reshipments or refunds for orders that have been shipped past 30 days ago.

In the event that an order is returned to our warehouse due to any of the following reasons:

- order refusal

- order cancellation

- rerouting the package to shipper

- rerouting package to a different address

- no pick up from the courier location

- incorrect or incomplete address provided at checkout

- courier attempted delivery and no one or no persons above the age of 21 was home

- a chargeback was placed on an order that is in transit

- lack of accepting order in any way

The customer is liable for all shipping charges including an additional returning fee.  The shipping charges in these cases are not refundable, and the customer is liable for any new shipping charges. 

Please contact us with your order number. Returned packages are processed and refunded within 30 calendar days of return. For more information, please read our refund policy by clicking HERE.

*Top Shelf Wine & Spirits require someone of 21 years old or older to be at the shipping address upon delivery. 

Please check your tracking link and see who signed for it -We have experienced some customers where their neighbor signed for it so we recommend checking with them 📦. Top Shelf Wine & Spirits cannot do anything on our end once the package is signed for and accepted. 

Please contact the courier to inform them of the issue- we hope you find your item!

Doesn't shipping insurance cover this?

Unfortunately, shipping insurance does not cover stolen packages. Click HERE for what shipping insurance covers/doesn't cover.

Tracking number showing no movement for less than 5 days:

Please allow time for us to process your order and hand it off to the courier. All Ground orders are processed within 5 business days, and Expedited orders (Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, 3 Day Select) are processed within 2 business days. (Weekends and holidays are excluded from this time frame!)

Tracking number showing no movement for 7+ days:

This means your order has been either lost, or broken in transit.  Just contact us with your order number and we will ship out a new one. 👍 

In the event that UPS does find your package and you recieve two deliveries from us for the same order, please refuse delivery of the second package. If you accept it, we will send you an invoice for the second order. 

Packaging is not always included. This is due to the distributors that supply us with the product do not always provide us with the packaging. In addition, due to recent events the suppliers have had less production and shortages of supplies. (BUT, if the title of the item says "with Gift Box" or "with Wood Box" that means that the item is guaranteed to come with the delivery!).

For cosmetic damages (this covers any issues with the look of the bottle: i.e. a ripped label): We unfortunately do not guarantee the bottle to arrive in pristine condition as the bottles do not always arrive in 100% condition from the distributor directly. I know, it makes us sad too. 😢

Due to the fact that our items are consumable, we do not offer returns once the order has shipped. All items are final sale.

• Once your order is successfully delivered, we do not provide refunds or reshipments.
• If a product gets damaged or was faulty upon a delivery - we offer 100% product refund. 😎   To get your refund or reshipment, please submit a claims form through our "claims submissions" page.
• Please note that customers are responsible for shipping costs of returned items in the event of a failed delivery.
• If the refund or cancellation is approved, then it will be processed and a credit will automatically be applied to customer's credit card or original payment method shortly after.
• We cannot offer refunds or cancellations for orders once the customer has made a bank claim against us.

For more details, please read our refund policy by clicking this link HERE.

In the event that an order is returned to our warehouse due to any of the following reasons:

- order refusal

- order cancellation

- rerouting the package to shipper

- rerouting package to a different address

- no pick up from courier location

- incorrect or incomplete address provided at checkout

- courier attempted delivery and no one or no persons above the age of 21 was home

- a chargeback was placed on an order that is in transit

- lack of accepting order in any way

A partial refund will be issued to your method of payment. We do not offer reshipments of the order for any failed deliveries- if you'd still like the order, please place a new order on our website. 

For more information regarding failed deliveries, please see our refund policy.

You can select your preferred payment method at checkout. We accept secure payments through Shopify Credit Card processing for the following:

• ApplePay
• American Express
• Discover Card
• Facebook Pay (Meta)
• Google Pay
• Mastercard
• PayPal
• Visa
• Top Shelf Wine and Spirits gift cards

We do not accept Venmo, Zelle, cryptocurrency, checks, or EBT.

No, we do not take payments over the phone. If you are worried about processing payments online, you can have confidence that our site is secured and all your payment information will be safe.

There can be several reasons as to why a payment by credit card is declined. Please double check:

• Typos
• Invalid card/funds
• Missing verification
• Correct billing address

If the same error continues, please try a different payment method.

We have temporarily paused international shipments to improve our shipping process and ensure we can provide the best possible service. Our goal during this pause is to address logistical challenges and costs so we can offer a more reliable and efficient international shipping experience. We appreciate your understanding and are working hard to resume international shipping as soon as possible!