SHIPPING POLICY
Thank you for shopping with Mother-in-Law’s! We are working hard to get your fermented deliciousness to you just as fast as we can.
Order Processing and Cut Off Times
All online orders are processed weekly on Fridays and packed and shipped out the following Monday. The cut off time for new orders to be processed is 10am ET on Fridays. Orders ship via USPS Priority Mail. In the event of a nationally recognized holiday, orders will be processed the following business day.
Tracking Information
You will receive your tracking number 24 hours after your order is processed. Please refer to your tracking information for the specific delivery date.
Tracking information will be sent in a separate email. If you don't receive the tracking information, please check your junk or spam folders. If you have placed a large order, it may arrive in more than one box and you will receive tracking information for each one of those boxes.
Refrigerate Your Kimchi Upon Receipt
Please ensure to refrigerate your kimchi package upon receipt to stabilize the fermentation. We are not liable for damages caused by unattended packages.
Please note that we are unable to ship kimchi in the hot summer months (July-September). No shade, but kimchi can’t take the heat! Fermented foods are sensitive to high temperatures and begin to rapidly ferment, which can result in over-fermented product, and we want you to experience our product at its best.
During times of extreme cold or heat, we reserve the right to hold your kimchi order until we can ensure safer shipping conditions. If you opt to have your order shipped during such extreme weather, Mother-in-Law's cannot be held responsible for the condition of your kimchi once delivered. If you cannot receive your package in a timely way, please contact us at customerservice@milkimchi.com so that we can reship your packages at a later date.
Due to the sensitive nature of our kimchi, we cannot ship to PO Box addresses and require a street address. At this time we are also unable to ship to APO addresses or outside of the USA.
My kimchi did not arrive cold, is it ok?
We ship all kimchi orders with cold packs, as maintaining a cool temperature during transit slows fermentation, helping to prevent the kimchi fermentation from becoming too active and causing leakage as this living food creates gases that try to escape from the jar. However, your kimchi may no longer be cold to the touch by the time it arrives. Despite this, we can assure you that the kimchi is still safe to eat. Kimchi is not a perishable food, as the healthy fermentation bacteria lactobacillus that make kimchi so good for you is also keeping the food safe and preserved. The only thing that will happen if your kimchi arrives not cold to the touch is that fermentation will have accelerated somewhat. Simply place the jars in your refrigerator upon receipt and the fermentation will slow back down.
My package of kimchi is stinky and leaking, is it ok?
We do our best to prevent breakage or leakage during shipping, but as kimchi’s active natural fermentation continues during shipping, there is a possibility of leakage. This is normal and a result of active fermentation, and we can assure you that the kimchi is perfectly safe to eat.
Use caution when opening kimchi jars.
Use caution when opening jars of kimchi, as some of them will be under high pressure. Open the jars slowly over the sink as the contents may spill out and overflow due to active fermentation.
The lid on my jar of kimchi jar is protruding and looks puffed. Is it safe to eat?
Your kimchi continues to ferment during shipping. As the pressure builds through this natural fermentation process, it is possible that the jar lid will swell, and sometimes leak. This is perfectly natural, and caused by the gases that gut healthy lactobacillus bacteria produce inside the jar. As these gases get trapped, they can cause the lid to swell or leak. It is actually desirable to have lactobacillus bacteria highly active inside a jar of kimchi, so when you see lid bloating or leakage, you know that the kimchi is good quality.