Placing An Order
- Add the items you want to your cart. Make sure quantities are correct.
- Click "Proceed to Checkout" from the cart page.
- If you're not already logged in, log into your account, or just continue for checkout as a Guest.
- Verify the correct shipping address is entered or selected.
- Select a shipping method.
- Are you tax exempt? If so, please follow the prompts to establish your tax exemption prior to completing checkout.
- Click the Payment Options button to proceed to select a payment method.
- If applicable, enter a discount code, gift certificate or purchase order number in the appropriate field.
- Make sure you've reviewed the Terms of Service and Shipping Policy.
- Verify that all information is correct. If not, edit your information to ensure the correct details are provided for your order.
- Once your order is ready to be placed, click the “Place Order” button to complete checkout. When your order has been successfully placed you will see your 9-digit order number.
That's it! We'll take it from there.
Placing your order through our website is the most efficient way to get your stuff. If you are unable to use the website, please email our Support Team for additional assistance.
Purchase Orders & Payment Terms
We offer Net30 terms to approved customers. We do not offer any other terms. To apply, download and complete the Net 30 Request Form and email it to exemptions(at)sparkfun.com.
For approved Net30 customers: SparkFun offers two Purchase Order processing options, and customers are able to switch between the two. Our Same-Day Shipping guarantee does not apply to Purchase Orders. If you are not approved for terms when your PO is received the processing time provided below does not apply until you are approved.
Fast Track Processing:
- Place an order via our website that corresponds to your PO, and email or fax us a copy of that PO referencing the SparkFun Order Number.
- Please be sure to enter your Purchase Order Number in the appropriate field during checkout.
- POs received via this method will be processed within 1 business day from the time of receipt.
Traditional Track Processing:
- Email or fax us a copy of the PO. Please include the account number or email address where this order needs to be processed.
- If any items are out of stock, we will provide this information and the approximate lead time.
- POs received via this method will be processed within 1 to 3 business days from the time of receipt.
Submit your Purchase Order document (and your SparkFun Order Number if applicable):
email - support(at)sparkfun.com
fax - 303-443-0048.
Please make sure that a contact name and email or phone number is listed on the Purchase Order.
Minimum Order Quantity
There are no minimum orders! If you are willing to fork over shipping costs, we will gladly send you a $0.15 diode.
Order Status Information
Normal Statuses
- Processing - This indicates we've received your order.
- Pending - This status will generally indicate an existing quote.
- Pending PayPal - We are waiting for a payment to be completed via PayPal.
- On Hold - Your order has been placed, but is in hold status for review by a SparkFun team member. No action is needed from you unless we reach out to you directly regarding your order.
- Complete - Your order has been completed and shipped or is ready for pickup! Please note once your order has been completed we cannot make any changes.
- Canceled - This status will appear if an order has been canceled prior to the order being shipped.
If you ever have any questions on the status of your order don't hesitate to reach out to our Support Team.
Verifying Your Order Status
If you placed your order under a registered SparkFun account simply login to your account, click on the "My Account" link at the top right and then navigate to your order history. If you placed your order as a Guest and would like to check on the status of your order you can do so here.
Changing or Canceling An Order
Need to change something about your order or just need it canceled? Any order modification or cancellation requests should be directed to our Support Team. Customer Support will get back to you via email within one business day regarding your request.
If you need to modify the contents of your order we will cancel the initial order and create a new order for you with the adjusted items. Please note, if you need to modify your order, it, it will no longer necessarily qualify for our Same-Day Shipping guarantee.
Pre-Orders and Backorders
Pre-Orders
Pre-orders are items that have never been in stock, but will be soon. There are different reasons for items being pre-ordered. Sometimes we like to gauge public interest in specific products before we order from our suppliers. In other instances we would like to know how many items we should build in-house before releasing a SparkFun Original product. Pre-ordering is beneficial for guaranteeing your place in the order queue, and stock will be set aside for you.
Please note: Once you have completed the checkout process with a pre-ordered item you will be charged immediately and your item will ship as soon as it is in stock. Since pre-ordered will ship at a later date they will require separate shipping charges from in-stock items within the same order.
Backorders
Not all products can be backordered when they go out of stock. If an out of stock item can be backordered it will clearly display a "Backorder" button, otherwise it cannot be backordered by any means.
Please note: Once you have completed the checkout process with a pre-ordered or backordered item you will be charged immediately and your item will ship as soon as it is in stock.
There are two types of backorders: Intentional and Accidental.
Intentional Backorders
This is when you, the customer, add an out-of-stock item to your cart by clicking the "Backorder" button. We do not charge for intentionally backordered items until they are ready for shipment.
If your cart contains only backordered items, there will be no charge submitted at checkout. When everything is in stock and the order is ready to be shipped, a charge will be submitted via the payment method you selected at checkout.
If you have some in-stock and some backordered items, you will see a checkbox on the shopping cart page that says "Ship Complete Order." If you check this box, no charge will be submitted at checkout, and we will hold all in-stock items for you while we wait for the backordered ones to arrive. Once all your items are in stock, the full charge will be submitted and the order shipped.
If you do not check this box, we will charge for all in-stock items and the initial shipping/handling upon submission of the order. Once your backordered items are available, we will charge for the products, and a second shipping/handling fee if applicable. You will receive notification of 2 separate orders: one for the in-stock items and one for the backordered items.
Please Note: If you choose to have in-stock items ship now and backordered items later, a shipping charge may apply to each shipment.
Accidental Backorders
This is when our website indicated that there was stock available for your order, but we were actually out. D'oh!
We work very hard to keep our stock numbers accurate. This type of backorder is rare, but there are a variety of issues that can lead to inaccuracies. We apologize for any inconvenience. We will ship all in-stock items right away, with the backordered items shipping as soon as they are available. They will ship via the same shipping method you selected during checkout. You will not be charged additional shipping. An additional order number will be generated to accommodate the accidentally backordered items.