Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why buy from us?
    We are able to provide you best quality Pure Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka. We guarantee best prices, at the same time we ensure clean, fresh & un-blended teas, as we source them directly from the best manufacturers and ship them directly from Sri Lanka.
  • How established are we to deal with?
    We have an acceptable customer base, with a lot of returning customers from around the world. We started operations in the year 2014. Also we have been operating on Ebay, with good feedback ratings for our products, which can be checked here – Ebay user : Ceylon Tea
  • Why do we use loose tea instead of bagged tea?
    We can offer a wide variety of tea grades as Loose leaf. While only a few smaller leaf tea grades can be offered with tea bags. Also loose leaf teas can be offered for a lesser price compared to bagged tea, due to lesser packaging and handling costs. Although it takes some effort to brew loose leaf, it is well worth the trouble, if you want to taste a proper cup of tea.
  • Why our prices are much lesser compared to other online stores?
    We source our products from Ceylon Tea manufacturers directly, which is the biggest cost-cutting factor. And the costly part for us is shipping, for which we use Sri Lanka Airmail (which costs around 50% of the price) but much lesser than conventional courier/freight services. So above procedures allow us to keep costs way lesser compared to other stores.
  • How do we ensure the quality of the tea?
    We source our products from best manufacturers in Sri Lanka, who produce teas in strict hygienic conditions for exporting while complying to proper modern industry standards. Even then, when we pack the tea, we make sure the teas are of good quality with an inspection by our team. Also our products are packed only once the order has been confirmed, so that we can supply you factory fresh products unlike the ones that have been sitting on warehouses/shelves for a long periods of time.
  • How do we pack our teas?
    We pack our teas when an order is confirmed. Sample packaging can be seen here. We use resealable Food-grade zip-lock bags, which can be used to keep the package air tight even after using the tea. And we use Padded envelopes with bubble wrap or Cardboard boxes to avoid damage while on post, because leafy grade teas tend to break at times. But it also depends on how the package is being handled by the postal service which cannot be predicted in advance.
  • Do we accept wholesale orders?
    Yes, please contact us. We could offer competitive prices for bulk orders and good quality teas. Also samples could be purchased from here.
  • What is the shipping method and how long it takes to deliver?
    Items will be dispatched within 2 to 5 business days on the receipt of payment. We ship from Sri Lanka. We use Sri Lanka Post International Airmail for the standard “Free Shipping” service for our orders. Usually it takes 7 to 20 days to reach most countries. We also offer other faster shipping methods which are listed as “Express Shipping” in the checkout page upon an additional cost, which uses services such as Aramex, UPS and EMS. These shipping methods usually takes around 4 to 10 days to reach most countries. Delivery time mostly depends on the Air & land traffic to the destination and customs procedures in the destination country.
  • What countries products are shipped to?
    We do not offer shipping to some countries due to higher shipping costs and customs procedures, but it can be arranged if the buyer agrees to pay the additional cost and agrees to be liable for any customs clearance issues.
  • How do we handle customs clearance issues or delays with delivery?
    We are not responsible for any custom duty taxes, import taxes, customs regulations or delays caused by customs procedures. Please do your own research before making a purchase, because some country’s require a permit or license to import tea. Also we are not responsible for delays caused by natural hazards/disasters in buyer’s destination/country. Please contact us if there is any other problem and we will resolve them for you.
  • How do we declare our products in the shipping package?
    In the Customs declaration, we declare products as “Gift” and the value of the item will be marked lower than actual value. We do this to avoid any issues with Customs clearance in the destination country. If a customer needs a different declaration please let us know in advance. It is customer’s responsibility to be aware of customs regulations and restrictions in their country and to make sure there won’t be any issues with custom’s clearance in their country for the package sent by us.
  • Is tracking offered for shipping?
    We offer tracking service for all order shipments. We will update the order notes section with the tracking code once the order has been dispatched, buyer will be notified regarding this with an email. In some instances, we have noticed that for some countries Sri Lanka Post (Free Shipping) tracking service is not functioning. All our Express Shipping Methods have better tracking services. We would recommend using Express shipping methods for accurate tracking services.

  • What is the currency used in our site?
    All products in our site are listed in United States Dollars (USD). If needed when you’re making the payment you could choose a preferred currency in the payment method you prefer among the ones we offer. Some payment processing services list out different currency types, which will be converted to USD when the payment will be processed.
  • What are our payment methods and how safe are they?
    We use secure HTTPS protocol throughout our site. We accept payments with 2Checkout payment gateway which uses Paypal to accept payments and Onepay Payment Gateway. Both are secure payment methods. When you make the payment using these Payment Gateways, your shipping and billing information will be encrypted and sent to those sites and there onwards a page will be loaded from those sites, which would accept and handle your card details to process the payments. We do not store any information regarding your payment methods in our servers. Please use following links to read more about our payment methods.
    Paypal – https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/merchantpaymentweb?cmd=xpt/Checkout/popup/SecureCheckout-outside
    2Checkout – https://www2.2checkout.com/static/checkout/why_2co.html

  • How do we resolve disputes regarding purchases?
    Please contact us. We will get back to you within 48 hours. If you’re not satisfied with our products or service, we are ready to offer a full 100% refund upon return of the product.
  • How do we handle returns?
    Item has to be returned within 30 days from the date received and buyer has to pay the return shipping cost. Once we receive the item we will refund the money. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions page for our Return Policy.
  • How to contact us?
    Please use the contact form in the Contact us page or mail to contact[AT]theceylontea.com and send us your inquiries, suggestions and complaints.