How does the Group order work?

Our orders are collected on a pre-order form.  Open orders are announced on the Facebook group and sent to our email notification list.  Individual orders are collected, and the money is pooled and sent to a supplier overseas to purchase a bulk order of vanilla beans. The beans are sent to Sara where her team re-packages the vanilla beans for each individual order and ships them to everyone via USPS. A tracking email is issued to individuals when the packages leave Sara’s house. 

How do I place an order?

Ordering with the group is a 2-step process:

1. Follow the link at the top of this page to Order Now.  You will be taken to the current group buy being offered.  If there is no order currently open, you can find a listing of upcoming orders and when they will open by clicking on the link that says Group Order Status. If the Google form is accepting responses, the item is available.  
2. Send an electronic payment for your order total (product+shipping).  This is not an automatic process - you must manually open your payment account, fill in the amount due, and send in your payment.  Directions for how to pay are on the order form.   
   1. PayPal: indrivanilla@gmail.com, PayPal.Me/VanillaBeanCoOp (will be linked on the form).
   2. Square: A payment link will be listed on the form; you will enter your total due and your credit card information.  Square takes most credit cards.  You can also find the “Square” payment links on the Order Now link. 
   3. Facebook Messenger Pay: by messaging Sara Fifield Anderson
   4. Email Invoice: A 5% invoicing fee will be charged for this service. You may pay your invoice with a credit or debit card.

NOTE:  The only payment methods we have for international orders are Square, PayPal, or requesting an invoice.  Etransfer, a common payment method in Canada, is not available in the US.

 

How do I know if my order went through?

After you have submitted your form, Google should send you a copy of your order form (check your spam email). This is confirmation that your order has been submitted. Your payment method (PayPal/Square/FB Pay/Invoice) should also give you a payment receipt.  Those two items are your order confirmation. 

You can also use the individual Order Lookup link at the top of this page.  The link updates twice a day so you might need to give it a little time to catch up.  Don't get stressed if your payment doesn't show up right away.  Sometimes the system takes a while to cycle and update all the information, especially for orders that are large.    

What if I made a mistake on my order?

If you typed your address wrong or submitted too many order forms, you can make corrections through the Order Lookup link at the top of this page.  Click the box by an incorrect address and choose “edit.”  If you have a duplicate unpaid order (it will be white) that you want to cancel, you can also do that there.  If you have not paid enough, go ahead and submit the balance by the same method you used before.  If the payment is not matched or overpaid, you can reach out to Kathryn Fifield Espenschied or Kristin Husbands Fifield for help getting that solved.  Overpayments of more than $5 are refunded, but overpayments of $4 or less are listed as credits. You can use these credits toward future orders, donate them to one of our favorite causes, or reach out to an administrator for a refund.  We ask you to reach out because it's a lot faster for us to manage it this way.  We are absolutely NOT "keeping" your money and will issue a refund at any time, we just need you to request it. 

 Go Back to Top of Resource Page