Shipping & Delivery

Checking availability before you order

Every product page shows two separate statuses. One is for shipping and one is for pickup. They are worked out independently, so an item can be available to ship without being available for pickup.

Category, brand, and search pages show a shorter In Stock or Out of Stock badge. That badge refers to shipping only. The product page is the accurate one, and it is the one that applies to your order.

Processing and delivery times

Processing is the time between your payment clearing and your order leaving the facility. The estimated processing window is shown on each product page and is usually one to three business days. Orders placed on a weekend or a statutory holiday begin processing on the next business day. Orders that draw items from more than one facility can take longer.

After that, add carrier transit time.

About the dates you see on the site

Product pages show estimated windows and, in some cases, a specific date such as Pickup as early as Mon, Sep 14. These dates are calculated automatically from supplier, inventory, and carrier information that is current at the moment you view the page. They are recalculated as that information changes, so the date shown when you place an order may not be the date shown later.

Once your order is with the carrier

When Circuit Solar hands your order to the carrier, the shipment is under the carrier's control. Circuit Solar is not able to accept responsibility for delays caused by weather, road closures, terminal congestion, equipment failure, missed appointments, labour action, or anything else affecting the carrier's network. Shipping charges pay for the carriage of your goods and are not refunded on the basis of how long transit took.

If a shipment is running late, contact us. We will trace it with the carrier and press for information, and we are glad to do that, but it is help we offer rather than a service you have purchased.

Receiving a freight delivery

Freight is not the same as parcel delivery, and it is worth reading this section before your first pallet arrives.

Freight carriers deliver to the curb or to the back of the trailer. They are not required to unload the shipment, carry it onto your property, or bring it inside. For palletized orders, including solar panels, racking, and batteries, you need to provide either suitable unloading equipment or enough people to unload by hand.

Someone authorized to inspect and sign for the shipment must be at the delivery address when it arrives. If the carrier schedules an appointment, someone needs to be available during that window.

Additional services

Liftgate service, residential delivery, inside delivery, and limited-access delivery are additional services. Please request them before your order ships. They are charged to the order.

If a delivery cannot be completed

If nobody is available, the shipment cannot be unloaded, or the site cannot be reached, the carrier charges for storage, redelivery, or return freight. Those charges are passed on to you, and an order that comes back to us is treated as a cancellation.

Delivery address and site access

Please give us a complete and accurate delivery address, including unit numbers, a site contact name, and a phone number the carrier can actually reach.

Tell us before your order ships if the site has any access limitation. That includes the following.

• Narrow, unpaved, seasonal, or weight-restricted roads
• Gated or secured sites, and sites with restricted hours
• Low clearances, tight turns, or anywhere that needs a smaller truck

Address corrections, reconsignment, redelivery, storage, and return freight caused by an incorrect address or an access problem we were not told about are charged to you.

Shipping costs

Shipping is calculated at checkout. Oversized and bulk freight may carry a surcharge, and we will tell you about it before we accept the order.

If your order contains items from different facilities, it may arrive in more than one shipment. When we split a shipment for our own convenience, your shipping cost does not increase. You pay what you were quoted at checkout, and you receive tracking for each shipment as it leaves. If you would rather receive everything at once, tell us and we will hold and consolidate the order, which will take longer.

Freight terms

Shipments are made Ex Works, at the Shipping Point. This means that once we hand your goods to the carrier at whichever facility they ship from, title and risk pass to you. The next two sections explain what that means in practice.

Optional shipping insurance

Shipments are not insured by default. You can add coverage for four percent of your order subtotal at checkout.

We recommend insurance on every solar panel shipment. Some coverage carries carrier minimums, and panels in particular are subject to a minimum shipment quantity. If we cannot place coverage on your shipment, we will tell you before we accept the order and you will not be charged the premium.

Please note that this coverage is for physical loss or damage. It does not cover late delivery or any cost arising from a shipment arriving later than estimated.

If your shipment arrives damaged

This part is time-sensitive, and it determines whether a claim can be filed at all.

1. Inspect the shipment before you sign anything.
2. If anything is damaged, crushed, wet, or missing, write it on the Bill of Lading or delivery receipt before you sign. Wording such as DAMAGED, CRUSHED PALLET, or SHORT 2 BOXES is what a carrier acts on. If you sign for a damaged shipment without noting the damage, the carrier will usually deny the claim.
3. Photograph the outer packaging, the inner packaging, and the goods themselves.
4. Contact us within 48 hours with your order number, the signed Bill of Lading, and the photographs.
5. Keep all packaging and pallets until the claim is resolved. Carriers deny claims when the packaging has been discarded.

Damage found after unwrapping still needs to be reported within 48 hours. The full requirements are in Section 8.11 of our Sales Terms and Conditions, and we have a delivery checklist you can print before your freight arrives.

Pickup at Red Deer

Pickup is available at our facility.

Items held at Red Deer are ready within two business days of payment clearing. Items brought in from a distributor facility are ready once that transfer arrives, and the product page will give you an estimate. Please wait for your pickup confirmation email before you come in, because it contains the reference and the collection window.

Bring photo identification matching the order. If someone else is collecting on your behalf, send us written authorization naming them first. You are responsible for bringing a vehicle suitable for the size and weight of the goods, and for securing the load.

A small number of large freight items can be collected at a partner distribution facility instead. That has to be arranged in writing in advance, and you will receive a confirmation naming the facility and the collection window. Please do not attend any facility without that confirmation.

Where we ship

We ship within Canada only. Any order shipped to the United States, or collected in Canada for transport into the United States, is a cross-border transaction. Cross-border orders are final sale and are governed by Section 17 of our Sales Terms and Conditions.