FAQ
Q: Could you recommend some aged sheng puerh teas for a beginner like me?
A: Have you tried '7542' from Dayi or '8653' from Xiaguan tea factory? We offer samples from various years, including 2012 and 2014. These teas are benchmarks in the world of puerh sheng tea, renowned for their historical recipes and blending expertise. While many new and established brands, including ours, may offer teas of equal or superior quality, these benchmark teas form the foundation of today's puerh tea. For newcomers, it's easy to gravitate towards famous teas and regions, but without sufficient knowledge, it's risky to set these as your only standard. If you try a less acclaimed tea later, you might unfairly dismiss it.
Q: Do you personally store all the teas you sell?
A: Many of our teas are stored by our partner suppliers and collectors rather than by us personally. We inspect every item before dispatch, and we photograph your items and send the photos with your tracking number where possible.
Q: How long does it take to ship an order?
A: We process orders within 24 to 48 hours. Parcels sent via China Post are collected on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. That is our usual schedule rather than a guarantee — it can occasionally shift, for example to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, or change around Chinese public holidays. Tracking information usually appears online on the day of dispatch, and occasionally on the following day. Orders placed late on Friday or that need extra procurement time may take a little longer to dispatch. If your tracking has not appeared after a few days, please contact us and we will check it for you. If we cannot dispatch your order within 7 days, for example because an item is out of stock, we will let you know, and you may choose to wait or accept a substitute, with double reward points on the order (equivalent to a 10% discount, even if the order already received other discounts), or cancel for a full refund. The 7 days run from the date we receive your payment (for payment methods other than PayPal or Shopify Payments, the date we confirm receipt) and exclude Chinese official public holidays only; delays for any other reason — including stock shortages and force majeure such as war, changes in international trade rules, customs restrictions or carrier suspensions — count toward the 7 days. Points are subject to our rewards program terms; see point 1 of our Shipping Policy.
Q: How long will my order take to arrive?
A: After dispatch, most international orders arrive within 10 to 30 days, and delivery to the United States averages around 20 days. These are estimates rather than guaranteed dates: customs clearance, weather and the local carrier can all make the journey shorter or longer. Our Shipping Policy explains the estimates in full.
Q: My order is going to an EU member state and the DHL or PostNL tracking has not moved for days. Is it lost?
A: Almost certainly not — a silent tracking page is normal on this route. EU orders first travel with a partner carrier (about a day within China, then out of China to customs in the Netherlands or Germany), and DHL or PostNL tracking only starts to update after customs clearance in the EU, which takes around 10 days on average. The parcel is in transit during that time even though nothing shows online.
Q: Will I have to pay customs duties or taxes?
A: EU member states (DDP): VAT and import charges under the EU-wide rules are prepaid by us and included in the checkout price. If, however, an individual EU member state charges additional fees under its own national rules, beyond those EU-wide charges, those additional fees are the customer's responsibility: the EU-wide taxes are already covered by us, and we have no means of collecting or paying such member-state surcharges on your behalf. United States: import duties and taxes are prepaid by us and included in the checkout price. For EU member state and United States shipments, the duties and taxes described above have already been paid by us; if customs or the postal service at the destination charges you separately, that charge is not our responsibility. All other destinations (including the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, etc.): duties and taxes are payable by the recipient unless stated otherwise at checkout. We declare the contents and value of every parcel in accordance with the carrier's and destination country's customs requirements. If you need a specific declaration (e.g. for a gift), please note it at checkout; we cannot make declarations that are false or unlawful.
Q: Can I cancel my order?
A: Yes — and the refund depends on when your order was placed, when your written cancellation request (by email or written message) reaches us, both in Hong Kong time (HKT), and whether we had started preparing your order (e.g. weighing, packing or photographing items) at that time, as shown by our order-processing records and confirmed in our reply. If no tracking number has been issued and either your order was placed between 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM HKT and your request reaches us within the same overnight period (before 7:00 AM HKT on the morning immediately following the order), or we had not yet started preparing your order, we refund the order total, less only the payment provider's processing fee as shown on the transaction (that fee is charged by the provider and is not returned to us); if you paid by any payment method other than PayPal or Shopify Payments, we refund the order total in full. If we had already started preparing your order and no tracking number has been issued, we refund 85% of the product amount (the items subtotal, excluding shipping), plus the shipping fee in full (90% of the product amount if you paid by any payment method other than PayPal or Shopify Payments). Once a tracking number has been issued, we refund 70% of the product amount (75% if you paid by any payment method other than PayPal or Shopify Payments), and the shipping fee is not refunded; a parcel already visible in tracking cannot be recalled, so please refuse the delivery if you can — if it is delivered before you can refuse it and you post it back yourself, the return postage is yours, so you would be paying for shipping in both directions — and the refund follows once the parcel is back with us and inspected. For PayPal or Shopify Payments, the processing fee is not refunded in any of these cases — in the 85% and 70% cases it is already covered by the retained portion, not deducted again. Full details are in our Refund Policy.
Q: What happens if my parcel is delayed, held by customs, or lost?
A: If a problem in transit (such as a customs hold) affects your parcel, we will reship your order automatically and as soon as possible, without asking you to confirm again — a reshipment simply continues your original order. If the tracking shows no movement for 45 days, or the carrier confirms the parcel is lost, we will reship it or refund you in full, including the shipping fee.
Q: What criteria do you use when sourcing tea or selecting suppliers?
A: We select teas that I would enjoy with my family and friends, from suppliers who are reliable, professional, and responsible.
Q: What are your views on storing Puerh tea?
A: For me, aging potential is 80% of the essence of puerh tea. The aging process involves the tea's interaction with moisture, oxygen, and time. Optimal conditions include humidity around 60-70%, temperatures of 20-25°C, avoidance of direct sunlight and air flow, and maintaining a clean environment. It's also important to let the tea 'wake up' after being removed from storage – usually, 24 hours is sufficient. For tight tea chunks, I recommend waiting 8-10 minutes after rinsing before steeping, ensuring each leaf is adequately soaked. However, be cautious not to rinse out too many essences.
Q: Do you have partners in my country or nearby?
A: Yes, please feel free to ask for that information.
Q: Why does the waybill sometimes show different cities like Wuhan or Shanghai as the sender's location, even though you're based in Guangzhou?
A: We are based in Guangzhou, and our parcels are dispatched under our registered shipping location, King Tea Mall (Guangzhou, China). Before reaching China Post, parcels travel through various channels, which is why other cities — such as Wuhan or Beijing — may appear in the tracking along the way. (Please note that our returns address is in Foshan, Guangdong, which is different from our dispatch location.)
Q: Are your teas genuine?
A: We guarantee that every product we sell is genuine. This guarantee is based on our sourcing, reputation and expertise. We do not accept return or refund requests based on doubts, opinions, taste, appearance comparisons or third-party claims about authenticity. An authenticity claim will only be considered if it is supported by a written verification issued by the brand owner (e.g. the official manufacturer) for the specific item received, and the item is returned to us unopened and unaltered for inspection.
Q: Have you personally tasted all the teas listed on your site?
A: It's not feasible for me to taste each tea year by year. The tea descriptions are typically based on official information or market consensus.
Q: Can I get your opinion on tea or teawares I purchased from another supplier?
A: I respectfully decline to comment on products from other suppliers. Thank you for understanding.
If you have any further questions, please email us at john@kingteamall.com. I'll respond as soon as I can.
