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FAQs

Find the most frequently asked questions below.

We will send you a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information once your order has been shipped. 

Please allow 24-48 hours for the tracking information to show up in the system after processing.

We highly suggest creating a UPS My Choice account for the most detailed tracking information for orders shipped via UPS.

We offer Navidium Shipping Protection as a shipping protection program extending coverage to online purchases that are lost or damaged in transit, or stolen immediately after the carrier's proof of delivery.

The toggle is automatically selected on for Navidium Shipping Protection. The fee is based on order value. You can simply toggle off, if not interested. However, if you toggle off this option, Mermaid Straw does not take on responsibility for lost, damaged, or stolen packages. Replacements will not be provided without purchasing this service.

We process orders within 1-3 business days after ordering. During periods of high demand, please allow up to 7 business days for processing. 

Shipping time depends on the shipping method selected at the time of checkout.

For Domestic orders shipped via USPS, packages typically take 5-7 business days after processing. For Domestic orders shipped via UPS, packages typically take 3-5 business days after processing. However, the carrier ultimately determines how long shipping takes as there are measures beyond our control that they may encounter (natural disasters, holidays, weather, etc). There will be no refunds due to delayed shipments. 

Please allow 3-6 weeks for all international shipments, regardless of the carrier chosen. International shipments are also dependent on the weight of your package and the destination country. We are not responsible or in control of any carrier delays, import delays, or delays in your country. Refunds will not be issued due to delayed shipments. Please email us at support@mermaidstraw.com with your order number and tracking number if your international shipment has taken longer than 6 weeks to arrive.

This happens from time to time. Please check your mailbox, front door, any side doors, and neighbors to see if the package was placed there first. If you cannot locate your package, we suggest waiting 3 business days, as more often than not, it will eventually show up. If you have waited those 3 business days and your package still has not arrived, we suggest calling your local post office and providing them with your tracking number so they can help you locate your package. In addition, you can file a missing package claim online. We HIGHLY suggest calling your local USPS first, as the online form rarely results in any response, from our experience. 

The USPS asks you to wait 15 days before filing a claim for a missing package. You can file the claim here: https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm 

If Navidium Shipping Protection was purchased, please reach out to us at support@mermaidstraw.com after taking these steps to file a claim for a refund or replacement.

If Navidium Shipping Protection was not purchased, it is the customer's responsibility to contact the USPS to locate their package.

If your order was marked returned to sender, it is most likely due to an address issue. Please send us an email with your order number and confirm your shipping address.

The customer will be responsible for paying a re-shipment fee, as shipping is a non-refundable cost to the carrier.

If we receive your order back without prior contact first, we will reach out via email, and allow 14 days for a response. If we do not receive a response after those 14 days, a refund will be issued for the products purchased, but shipping costs will not be refunded.

If customs/taxes are due for your order, this will be displayed at checkout.

These costs are determined by your local customs office. Payment of these charges are the customers responsibility and will not be paid by us. We are not responsible for any delays within your country’s customs department. If your package is not claimed and returned back to us, we will not issue a refund for your order. If you do not accept the customs charges upon delivery and choose to refuse your package, we will not issue a refund for your order. 

For further details of charges, please contact your local customs office BEFORE placing your order.

If you decide you no longer want your package, but it is already in transit, you have the option to refuse it at the time of delivery. However, once we receive your refused package back at our headquarters, you will only receive a refund for the products that were purchased, as long as the product arrives undamaged. You will NOT receive any refund for shipping or fees charged to us, as these are non-refundable costs to the carrier. If you qualified for Free Shipping on your order, we will deduct the shipping cost we paid from the refund amount.

*Please note: for International orders that are refused, the return fees we are typically charged are around $90. It may take a couple of weeks for the actual fee to be invoiced to us via UPS or USPS. Once we receive the actual fee charged for the refused package return, a refund will be issued if the product arrives undamaged AND the fees are less than the total paid.

Straws

Our Stainless Steel Straws are made from the highest food grade stainless steel. They are dishwasher safe, durable, scratch resistant, rust proof and will never fade. Due to their high quality, our straws do not have that yuck metallic taste you will often get with less quality straws. 

Our Glass Straws are made from durable borosilicate glass. They are dishwasher safe.

Our Ceramic Straws are made from the highest food grade stainless steel with a ceramic coating on top. We suggest handwashing for longevity of the color.

Our straws, drinkware, and silicone accessories are responsibly made in China, in facilities that specialize in eco-friendly products. Once manufactured, our products are sent to our headquarters in Valparaiso, Indiana where our team processes, sorts and organizes them so they are ready to be sent out to our customers. 

Our Zipper Pouches, Keychains, and Essentials Bags are lovingly made in-house at our headquarters in Valparaiso, IN by our Seamstress and Seamstress Assistant.

Our 22oz Cups pair best with Long straws.

Our 30oz Cups pair best with XL straws.

Yes, we have a Lifetime Warranty on our Glass Straws! While borosilicate glass is durable, accidents happen! If your Glass Straw breaks, please fill out this form to apply for a replacement. Please allow 14 days for us to review your request. If approved, you will receive a discount code for a free replacement. You will be responsible for placing the order on our website, entering your discount code, and paying for shipping your replacement. No refunds will be issued.

**Only applicable for orders placed on mermaidstraw.com.

Please note: a photo of your broken straw displaying our logo is a requirement for approval.

Care/Cleaning

We recommend hand washing all of your Mermaid Straw Drinkware with a soft, non-abrasive cloth, soap, and water and not in your dishwasher. We also sell a Drinkware Brush for the inside of your cup or bottle.

Yes! Our straws can be hand washed using the cleaning brush provided with soap and water, or you can put them in the dishwasher. 

To maintain longevity of your Ceramic Straw color, we do recommend handwashing.

Please wash before first use. We've made it SUPER SIMPLE by including a cleaning brush for FREE for every single straw you purchase. All that's needed is some soap and water and a couple passes with your cleaning brush and voila! All clean! 

You can treat a reusable straw same way you do any other utensil in your kitchen. For example, when you use a fork, you clean the fork before using it again. It should be same with your reusable straw! 

Pro tip: We suggest rinsing them with water between uses if you're out and about before putting back in your travel pouch. If you drink something other than water, drink a bit of water through it before putting it away to "clean" it! Of course, we suggest a proper cleaning once back at home!

P.S. the cleaning brush will ALWAYS be inside of your straw! Please be sure to remove before use.

Please wash before first use. We recommend hand washing all of our drinkware with a soft, non-abrasive cloth to maintain the vacuum insulation seal as well as to protect the gorgeous color.  We've made it SUPER SIMPLE by including a straw cleaning brush for free to clean the straw lid on your bottle. You'll want to ensure to use the brush to clean inside of the straw as well as the mouth piece on a regular basis. To clean the lid and straw, remove the straw by gently pulling down on the straw while holding onto the lid. It'll slip off so you can clean it from both ends. Use the brush to clean inside of the straw attachment area on the lid. Clean the mouth piece with the brush as well. Don't forget to periodically clean under the silicone ring as well!

We also sell a reusable Drinkware Brush that is part sisal, part cotton to be gentle yet sturdy at the same time. Its long handle will help get into all of the nooks of your Drinkware!

We will not issue a refund or replacement for any piece of drinkware that has been damaged in the dishwasher, or if any abrasive material is used to clean them (steel wool, rough sponge, etc). 

Please wash before first use. We recommend hand washing all of our drinkware with a soft, non-abrasive cloth to maintain the vacuum insulation seal as well as to protect the gorgeous color.  


The Silencer (silicone your straw fits through) is removeable for cleaning. Carefully pinch up the slide and slide it through the hole. Remember to periodically clean this piece and the silicone ring inside of the lid!

We also sell a reusable Drinkware Brush that is part sisal, part cotton to be gentle yet sturdy at the same time. Its long handle will help get into all of the nooks of your Drinkware!

We will not issue a refund or replacement for any piece of drinkware that has been damaged in the dishwasher, or if any abrasive material is used to clean them (steel wool, rough sponge, etc). 

Please wash before first use.

If your Bento Box has a stain:

1. Generously sprinkle baking soda all over your bento box (concentrate it in the spot of concern).

2. Fill up your sink or a bowl with hot, soapy water.

3. Submerge your bento box into the soapy water and leave it for 10 minutes.

4. Once the time is up, take your bento box out and rinse it off right away (room temperature water will do)

5. Dry off.

Repeat if necessary!

If your Bento Box has a smell:

Wash it in the dishwasher on a high temperature. Repeat if necessary.

Bento Box Care Tips:

- Stains are more likely if a dark colored substance is in the bento box for over 24 hours.

- Smells are more likely if a potent substance is in the box for over 24 hours.

- We recommend rinsing out your bento box after every use.

- We do not recommend storing your bento box with food in it in the fridge over night (higher chance of staining or smell).

- Silicone molecules expand with heat so that is why the smell can get trapped in the material. Heating it up again and washing it in the dishwasher helps release the smell when the molecules expand.

- The baking soda can penetrate the molecules and get rid of the stain and most of the time it helps with the smell too.

Please wash before first use. Silicone Tips & Silencers are dishwasher friendly, but please be sure to put them in something that stops them from freely moving around the dishwasher during its cycle. You can also use your straw cleaning brush to clean inside them.

Warning: Silicone Tips & Silencers may be a choking hazard to children under 3 years old.

Every Telescopic Straw comes with a Telescopic Cleaning Brush inside of it! Before emailing us about a missing brush, please double check inside your straw by extending it all the way out and looking through your straw. If you cannot see through it, your brush is still inside your straw. To retrieve your brush, simply collapse your straw all the way back down and push on the silicone tip to help assist in grabbing your brush from the bottom of your straw.

We recommend hand washing your Telescopic Straw Case. Your cleaning brush works perfectly with soap and water to help you wash inside of your case. 

Safety

Overwhelmingly, YES! But please use common sense. Stainless steel straws are essentially a metal tube that you place near your face. Silicone Tips greatly increase the safety of stainless steel straws, because they allow a softer material to come in contact with your mouth. Just like with anything you place near your face, watch your eyes and teeth.

WARNING - CHOKING HAZARD FOR CHILDREN UNDER 3. Please use with caution!

Use with supervision in children over 3, as Silicone Tips & Silencers are tempting to chew on!

Yes, Glass Straws are very safe and durable! However, they are glass and can break. If broken, please dispose of immediately and safely.

Payments

Mermaid Straw accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal, Diners Club, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, JCB, Shopify Pay, and Afterpay.

AfterPay is a payment system that offers 4 interest-free installments, versus paying your entire total upfront. This links to your bank account or debit card. Each payment will be taken out every 2 weeks.

AfterPay accepts payments from the following countries: USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Spain, France, Italy, New Zealand.

If you are experiencing issues paying with AfterPay, please contact them directly at info@afterpay.com.

Our site adheres to the highest industry standards to protect your personal information when you checkout and purchase from our online store. 

Your credit card information is encrypted during transmission using secure socket layer (SSL) technology. Your credit card information is only used to complete the requested transaction and is not subsequently stored.

Orders

Sorry, no returns or exchanges. Not all products are individually wrapped to avoid unnecessary packaging waste. Therefore, we cannot accept returns due to sanitary reasons. As for apparel, please be sure to check our sizing charts before placing your order, as these are provided on each apparel item to ensure the correct size is purchased. 

Due to the nature of our product, we only replace items if they are defective or damaged. Please send us an email within 5 days after you receive your package with photographic evidence of how you received the damaged product. 

A replacement or refund will also not be issued for any items that are dropped, knocked off a counter, break during use, etc. Customers take full responsibility of caring for their items after the package has been successfully marked as delivered. 

IMPORTANT - PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR PURCHASE BACK WITHOUT COMMUNICATION WITH OUR SUPPORT TEAM.

Orders may only be canceled if requested via email before order has been fulfilled. We do our best to catch every request, but we cannot make any guarantees that your email will be seen before fulfilling your order.

We are unable to make any adjustments to your order once made due to our fast order fulfillment speed.

Giving Back

Mermaid Straw is a supporter of Plastic Bank®, an organization committed to stopping ocean plastic while improving the lives of collectors in vulnerable coastal communities. We proudly donate to Plastic Bank every month.

We organize and participate in beach cleanups regularly to help clean our world and help raise awareness about plastic pollution and its devastating effects on our planet. These cleanups involve picking up plastic, garbage, microplastics, nurdles, straws, cigarette butts, bags etc. from the beach and properly disposing or recycling them. 

Doing your part can be as simple as picking up a plastic bottle you see while walking along the beach, to as involved as bringing rakes and sifters and collecting buckets full. 

However big or small, we invite you to give it a shot next time you're out and about. Every little bit helps. 

*If you happen to pick up litter, be sure to take a photo and tag us @mermaidstraw and use the tag #mermaidcleanup!

We host a cleanup event on the last Saturday of the month from April - September! We clean the Indiana Dunes State Park and the Indiana Dunes National Park on Lake Michigan. 

Please see our Facebook Events for more details: https://www.facebook.com/pg/mermaidstraw/events

Wholesale

Yes, we do! We love partnering with businesses and helping them go plastic straw free. 

As a Mermaid Straw Wholesale partner you will gain access to our special highly discounted pricing, be added to our store locator on our website, and be featured on our social media pages.

Interested in becoming a Mermaid Straw Wholesale partner? Please apply here

We have wholesale pricing available for a wide range of Mermaid Straw products. For a complete catalog of all products we offer for wholesale, please email our Wholesale Team at wholesale@mermaidstraw.com.

YAY! So do we! Please send us their name and email if you have it and we will be sure to reach out to them! 

Another way you can see Mermaid Straws make it into your local coffee shop/juice bar is to suggest that they start carrying them. The more demand for our straws, the more likely they are to carry them!

Yes, we do! Planning a party? A wedding? Or even a family get together but you want to be eco-friendly? Go plastic straw free and take advantage of our bulk order discounted pricing. 

Our minimum order to qualify for bulk order pricing is 25 straws. 

Please email our wholesale team at wholesale@mermaidstraw.com for more info and pricing.