FAQ

TAOthings’ mission is to create a peaceful, happy experience for each stationery lover who visits, browses, or shops with us.

Every order is prepared mindfully and wrapped with love. I strive to brighten your day through happy mail, packed just for you with a personal touch.

If you have questions or encounter any issues with your order, please contact the shop owner, Kim, and I'll do my best to assist you!

As an enthusiastic collector myself, I enjoy sharing exciting finds with other collectors. Let me know if I can help you find something on your wish list.

What is the shipping timeframe?

  • I typically ship in under four days. Large or custom orders may take a few extra days.
  • I can accommodate at most about 15-20 orders per week. If the number of orders in a given week exceeds that threshold, I may require extra time to prepare your order with care. Thank you for your understanding and patience!
  • Tracking is included. If you want a signature required, let me know.
  • Note: Apart from sometimes using decorative sealing tape, I generally do not decorate shipping boxes, in the interest of respecting your privacy.

Do you offer free shipping? 

  • I am not able to offer free shipping at this time.
  • Instead, repeat customers have the option to purchase and put items on "hold" until you're ready to ship. That way, you can buy desired items before they sell out, then combine more than one order to ship together.  See below for instructions.

    Can I reserve items or combine multiple orders to ship together?

           Yes! Here's how it works. If you don't want to miss out on an item, but don't yet have enough in your cart to warrant the shipping fee, you can follow these steps to add items to your package at your own pace:

    1. Enter "tao-hold" as a Coupon Code on the CHECKOUT page. This places your purchased cart contents on hold for you, with no applicable shipping fee yet.
    2. When you place another order later and are ready to ship it together with any held orders, enter code "tao-send" in the If any additional shipping is required (i.e., if the earlier items from your held order(s) are large in size or quantity), then I'll create a supplemental shipping fee listing for you.

    Can I buy whole rolls instead of tape samples?

    • This online shop is a very small, low-margin business. I acquire extremely modest quantities (1-3 rolls per tape), with a quite small profit margin.
    • I rarely offer whole rolls of imported tapes for sale, except in the case of prearranged special orders. I do not currently have the financing to import large numbers of rolls.

      How do the Trump tariffs impact pricing?

      • The newly imposed tariffs of 2025, unfortunately, mean rather upsetting price increases on much stationery imported from around the globe, and especially from East Asia. As a very small business owner, I am still learning about the impact of tariffs on pricing going forward. It is my aim to continue bringing in new and interesting stationery finds and rare items for collectors, to the best of my ability in the currently unpredictable market climate.
      • As a courtesy, listings will now indicate if a particularly high tariff has raised a sample price significantly. However, it's safe to assume that just about everything now costs considerably more to import, due to tariffs and carriers' hidden handling fees.

      Can I purchase something from your other websites?

      • For several years I maintained a stationery collection blog site, supplemented by a browsing gallery cataloguing tapes I acquired over the years and sharing detailed photos and reviews. Rare samples were available from those sites on request. I've dismantled those since opening this webstore small business. If you wish to purchase something you previously spotted on those sites, if still available, I can arrange a custom listing for you here in my Shopify store.