Ordering Information and Customer Service
2025 Holiday Lead Time For Made To Order Pottery
To receive handmade to order pottery by December 25, please place your order by TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18. To assure your order is delivered by December 25, the estimated ship by date we assign to our your order will be either December 9, 10, 11, or 12 – assigned based on the transit time (per UPS.com) from our studio to the shipping address. Handmade to order pottery ordered between November 1 and November 18, 2025 is returnable until January 31, 2026.
After Tuesday, November 18 orders for Winter Collection and other handmade to order pottery are welcome. These orders will be delivered after Christmas.
Ephraim’s annual Online Ready-To-Ship Holiday Pop-Up Shop full of pre-handmade gifting options opens November 13th! These pieces will ship within 5 business days. Place your order of Ready-to-Ship pottery by December 16 for free standard shipping* and delivery by December 24.
2025 Holiday Shipping Schedule:
FOR DELIVERY BY 12/24 –
Cutoff for free STANDARD shipping is 12/16 at 11am CST
*orders totaling $100+ to continental US addresses via standard shipping
Cutoff for EXPEDITED shipping is 12/18 at 11am CST. Choose expedited shipping at checkout.
AFTER 12/18 at 11am CST contact Customer Service for a shipping cost based on delivery date.
Unique Qualities of Hand-Made Ceramics
Our artists put their head, hands, and heart into each piece they work on. Because every item is made individually by hand, no two pieces of the same design will look exactly alike. Minor variations in size, decoration, color, and finish are intrinsic features of hand-made ceramics. Our goal is to create a high-quality, aesthetically pleasing work of art that will bring you a lifetime of enjoyment. Part of the magic and appeal of hand-made ceramics is that the piece you receive will be a little bit different than the examples pictured in our catalog and on our website. If you have very particular tastes, we invite you to view our work in person at our Wisconsin or California galleries.
RETURN POLICY
We guarantee that all items shipped will be first-quality, non-defective and substantially the same as the example pictured, though each piece is uniquely made by hand with individualistic qualities. We carefully inspect each piece for chips, cracks and glaze misses before it leaves our studio. Your satisfaction is very important to us. If you are unhappy with your purchase in any way, please call us within 30 days of receipt of your order. We will work with you to find a mutually agreeable solution to your concern (return, replacement, or exchange). Shipping and handling charges are only refundable in cases where we made an error. If your order was damaged in shipment, please save all packing materials and contact us within one week of receipt. All returns must be completed within 60 days of the original shipment. International customers will incur the return packaging and shipping costs at their own expense. International shipping costs are non-refundable. **Pieces ordered between November 1 and December 25 may be returned by January 31.
Important information about our art pottery
Ephraim art pottery vases and tiles are traditional earthenware and porous. To prevent damage to your furniture and extend the life of your piece, never put water directly into your art pottery vase. Ephraim art pottery is not food-safe. To clean, use only a dry, soft cloth; abrasives or oils of any kind may cause permanent damage.
Important information about Ephraim Elemental tableware
Ephraim Elemental is a functional line of tableware made by Ephraim Pottery. It is intended to be beautiful in both form and function. Pieces are handmade from stoneware clay that is fired to a higher temperature and finished with our food-safe, watertight glazes designed and created in our glaze laboratory.
Elemental vases require no additional liner. Mugs, tumblers, and bowls are microwave and dishwasher safe. For best results, hand wash using gentle, environmentally-friendly detergents. Avoid temperature shock by heating slowly and evenly.
We use third-party testing to ensure that our tableware exceeds food safety standards, including federal standards outlined by the FDA and California standards outlined in Proposition 65. We make all of our glazes ourselves and we do not use lead in our pottery or glaze formulas.
Shipping to Addresses in the United States
A miniumum flat fee of $12.50 per retail order applies, regardless of the number of pieces in the order. This flat fee applies to orders shipped to addresses in the contiguous U.S. only (includes APO/FPO). The flat fee for orders shipped to Alaska and Hawaii is $50 per order. Unless you choose a specific carrier at checkout, your order will be shipped by either USPS Priority Mail or UPS Ground service, whichever is the most economical. Please provide a street address for shipping whenever possible. If your contiguous U.S. retail order total is above $100, shipping is FREE.
Orders of any amount going to APO/FPO addresses are always shipped via the USPS Priority Mail.
U.S. Sales Tax
- State sales tax of 5.50% will be added to all orders shipping to addresses in Wisconsin.
- State sales tax of 7.25% will be added to all orders shipping to addresses in California.
- Any other sales and/or use taxes owed are the responsibility of the purchaser.
U.S. Delivery Time
Most of our pieces require anywhere from two to six weeks to produce. The approximate order fulfillment time for each item is shown in its description in our online store. Please contact us if you have any questions about delivery times.
Shipping to International Addresses
We currently ship internationally to most countries. Our pottery is handmade to order. Please allow 4 weeks for production. Following production, the shipping time is dependent on the destination country and calculated on the checkout page.
International shipping fees/additional taxes/duties/brokerage fees are calculated based on the shipping destination and paid at the time of purchase. These costs are determined by the destination country and can not be controlled by Ephraim Pottery.