Shipping & Delivery
Last updated: July 20, 2026.
How shipping is calculated
Playground equipment is heavy and bulky, so freight is priced on three factors: weight, dimensions, and destination. A replacement swing hanger and a full cedar playset are very different shipments, and a delivery to rural Montana costs more than one to suburban Ohio.
Your exact shipping cost calculates at checkout once you enter your address. You'll see it before you pay — no estimates, no separate invoice afterward, no surprise charge once the order is placed.
We ship throughout the continental United States. Alaska, Hawaii, and destinations outside the U.S. are quoted individually — contact us for a rate before ordering.
Order processing and confirmation
Here's what happens after you click buy.
1. You'll get an order confirmation email. This confirms we received your order and that your payment method has been pre-authorized. Pre-authorized means the funds are held but not yet captured.
2. We verify availability. Playground equipment ships from manufacturer warehouses, and stock changes. We confirm your items are available before we take your money.
3. If something is unavailable or backordered, we release the pre-authorization and contact you to talk through options — a substitution, a revised timeline, or a cancellation. You won't be charged for something we can't ship.
4. If everything is in stock, we capture payment and release the order to the warehouse.
5. You'll receive a shipping confirmation with tracking once your order leaves the facility.
In-stock orders typically ship within [3] business days. If you haven't received tracking information within [4] business days of your order confirmation, email us at [support@bigsmileplayground.com] and we'll chase it down.
Delivery estimates
Once shipped, freight orders generally arrive within [10–14 business days]. Parcel shipments are faster, usually [3–7 business days].
Delivery estimates are estimates. We provide them because they're useful, not because they're guaranteed. Big Smile Playground isn't responsible for delays caused by freight carrier backlogs, weather, natural disasters, labor disruptions, government action, or anything else outside our control.
If a delivery date is critical — a birthday, an event, the start of a school term — tell us before you order and we'll give you a realistic read on whether it's achievable.
Freight (LTL) delivery: what to expect
Most playsets and all commercial structures ship by LTL freight — a semi truck with a liftgate. This works differently from a parcel delivery, so here's the full picture.
The carrier schedules with you directly. They'll call to arrange an appointment window. Freight deliveries run Monday through Friday during business hours; weekend delivery generally isn't available.
An adult 18 or older must be present. Someone has to be there to inspect the shipment and sign the delivery receipt. The driver can't leave a freight shipment unattended.
Missed appointments cost money. If nobody's available during the scheduled window, the carrier may charge a redelivery fee, which is passed on to you.
Delivery is curbside only. The driver brings your shipment to the end of your driveway or the edge of your property and sets it down. That's where their responsibility ends. Drivers will not move boxes into your garage, backyard, or house, and they will not take packaging away.
The driver decides what's safe to attempt. Narrow streets, steep or unpaved driveways, low branches, tight turnarounds, and soft ground can all stop a tractor-trailer. Carriers won't risk damaging their equipment or your property. If your access is difficult, tell us before you order so we can flag it and look at alternatives.
Plan for the weight. A playset pallet can weigh several hundred pounds and typically needs two or three people to move. Arrange help before delivery day rather than during it.
Please note: if you choose to help the driver unload, you do so entirely at your own risk. Big Smile Playground is not responsible for injury or property damage occurring during unloading.
Inspecting your delivery
This is the most important section on this page. Freight carriers only honor damage claims that are documented properly and promptly. A few minutes here protects your entire purchase.
At delivery — before you sign
Walk around the shipment and look at every carton. Count the pieces against the delivery paperwork. Check for crushing, tears, punctures, water stains, and shifted or broken pallet wrap.
If you find damage:
- Minor or isolated damage — accept the shipment, but write the specific damage on the delivery receipt and Bill of Lading before signing. Be precise: "carton 3 crushed on corner, carton 7 torn open" is a claim. "Damaged" is not.
- Severe or widespread damage — refuse the shipment, note the reason on the Bill of Lading, and call us immediately at [(XXX) XXX-XXXX].
Either way, photograph everything before the truck leaves, and contact us the same day at [support@bigsmileplayground.com].
Signing a clean delivery receipt tells the carrier the shipment arrived in good condition. Once that's signed, our ability to recover anything on your behalf drops close to zero.
After delivery — within 48 hours
Even if everything looked fine outside, open every box and inspect all components within 48 hours of delivery. Damage that only becomes visible once packaging is opened is called concealed damage, and carriers impose a strict window on it.
Report any concealed damage within 48 hours of delivery at [support@bigsmileplayground.com].
What we need for a damage claim
Send photos of:
- The damaged component itself
- The outer carton or packaging
- The internal protective packaging
- The shipping label on the box
Plus your order number and a copy of the signed delivery receipt if you have it.
Claims made more than 48 hours after delivery, or after assembly has begun, generally cannot be covered — not because we don't want to help, but because freight carriers won't accept them and we have no way to recover the loss.
Damaged vs. defective
These are different things and they're handled differently.
Damaged means the item was harmed in transit — cracked, crushed, bent, broken. There's usually corresponding evidence on the packaging.
Defective means the item arrived physically intact but doesn't work correctly — a hardware piece machined wrong, a moving part that binds, a component that doesn't match its specification.
Either way, contact us with photos and we'll make it right. Neither one requires you to ship the whole product back.
Damage caused during assembly or after installation isn't covered by either category. That includes over-tightened hardware, dropped components, and weather or wear after the set is up. Manufacturer warranty may still apply — see our FAQ.
Returning damaged or defective parts
When we send a replacement, we may ask you to return the original component. If we request it and you don't send it back within a reasonable window, we may invoice you for the replacement or withhold credit for it.
We'll always provide return instructions and cover return shipping on parts we've asked for.
Once your order is delivered
When the carrier marks a shipment Delivered, responsibility for it transfers to you.
We aren't responsible for:
- Theft after delivery
- Shipments sent to an incorrect address that you provided
- Damage discovered after the 48-hour inspection window has closed
- Damage that occurs during or after assembly
Address accuracy
Please double-check your shipping address and phone number at checkout. Freight carriers need a working phone number to schedule your appointment — orders with bad contact information sit in a terminal until we track you down.
If an order has to be rerouted, stored, or redelivered because of an incorrect address or because the carrier couldn't reach you, those charges are your responsibility. Storage fees in particular add up quickly.
Refused or undeliverable shipments
If you refuse a delivery for any reason other than visible shipping damage, you're responsible for return freight charges, and a restocking fee may apply. Original shipping charges, including any oversize or freight surcharges, are not refundable.
The same applies if a shipment can't be delivered because the address was wrong, the carrier couldn't reach you, the delivery site wasn't safely accessible, or scheduled appointments were missed.
If you're refusing a shipment because it arrived damaged, that's a different situation entirely — note it on the Bill of Lading, call us, and you won't be charged.
See our Return & Refund Policy for full return terms.
Before you assemble
Inventory and inspect every part before you pick up a wrench.
Once assembly begins, the shipment is considered accepted and free of shipping damage. Freight carriers will not honor a claim on equipment that's been partially or fully built, and neither manufacturers nor carriers can distinguish transit damage from assembly damage after the fact.
Lay everything out, check it against the parts list in your manual, and confirm you have all your hardware. If something is missing or wrong, contact us then — not three hours into the build.
Outside the continental U.S.
Our equipment is manufactured for the United States market and built to U.S. safety standards — ASTM F1148 for residential equipment and ASTM F1487 plus CPSC guidance for commercial installations. These products are not certified to Canadian, European, or other international standards, and may not satisfy requirements in those markets.
We ship to Alaska and Hawaii at quoted rates. For international inquiries, contact us and we'll tell you honestly whether we can help.
Questions
Email: [support@bigsmileplayground.com] Phone: (510)898-8032 Hours: [Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Pacific]
We answer every message, usually within one business day.