Frequently Asked Questions

There are lots of considerations that go into ordering a zipper. We've written a step-by-step guide which you can follow. Please check out our Guide to Ordering Zippers.

You need a replacement zipper slider! Please see our Guide to Replacing Zipper Sliders for step-by-step guidance into selecting the correct slider.

Yes! In fact, many of our customers do just that. Any product listed on our
website does not have an order minimum.

Absolutely not. We serve both individual customers and business customers.
Anyone can buy from us.

We are happy to help take your order over the phone. Our customer service phone hours are Monday-Friday from 8am – 3:30pm MST. If we are unavailable, please leave a message and we will call you back.

We monitor our email inbox 7 days a week, so you can send an email to info@zippershipper.com for assistance. Please note, however, that we won’t be able to assist over the phone until our normal Monday-Friday business hours.

Please email us as soon as possible at info@zippershipper.com. We will do our best to make the change for you, however we cannot guarantee that requests for order changes or cancellations will be granted after your order has been submitted. Please check your order details carefully prior to placing your order.

Shipping varies based on your order subtotal, country, and service selected. You can estimate the shipping from the Shopping Cart page.

Zipper Shipper ships out orders Monday - Friday, excluding federal holidays.

If an EXPEDITED shipping option is selected (Rush, Express. Express, FedEx Overnight), your order will ship the same day as long as the order is placed before 12pm PST.

If standard shipping is selected, the order will be shipped within 1-2 business days. This means that your order will leave our warehouse within 1-2 business days from the time the order is placed.

Delivery time is based on the method of shipping selected at checkout. The below information reflects the estimated time it will take for you to receive your order once it’s left our warehouse:

Domestic Shipping (USA):

• Standard: 3-6 business days
• Rush: 2-3 business days
• Express: 1-2 business days
• FedEx Overnight: next business day

*Please note that delivery times are NOT GUARANTEED and may be subject to carrier delays due to weather and unforeseen circumstances. Zipper Shipper does not refund shipping costs due to delivery delays

Please refer to our Shipping Policy page for additional information.

For the most part, yes! The only exception is FedEx Overnight shipments - FedEx shipments must be made to a physical address.

Most items are returnable, provided that they are in their original condition and returned within 30 days of purchase. Items that have been customized or custom-cut, such as shortened zippers, zippers made reversible, zippers made left-handed, continuous zipper chain, monogrammed buttons and more have been customized to your specifications and are therefore non-returnable. Please see our return policy for further details on our return eligibility and how to return eligible merchandise.

We are an online only business and do not offer exchanges. If you'd like to return an order and get something else instead, the fastest way is to place a new order and return the items you’d like to exchange (following the return policy guidelines). 

The way ordering works for wholesale customers is pretty simple - as a wholesale customer, you can order via our website in the usual way. You don't need a separate account, and you don’t need to be a business to receive wholesale pricing. Prices are published on the website, and as a wholesale customer, you will receive discounts automatically by ordering bulk quantities - typically ordering 10+, 50+ or 100+ of an item qualifies for additional discounts. If you do not see discounting for a particular item, or if the discounting stops at 10 pieces online, please let us know and we can usually set up an additional discount for an order over $1,000.

Yes. To qualify for quantity pricing, all zippers must be of the same length and color. Sliders must be the same size and color. In other words, they must be identical to one another. That being said, in many cases, you can receive quantity discounting on as few as 10 zippers, so you can mix and match a variety of colors and lengths at a discount by purchasing in multiples of 10.

Sometimes the product page (the page where the photo is shown in a large size) does not automatically calculate your discounted price. To check the actual discounted pricing you will receive, simply view your Cart. The Shopping Cart icon at the top right of all pages will always lead you to a page where you can view pricing prior to entering your payment information.

The easiest way to get samples is to order the product you’re interested in directly from our website. Due to the high number of requests we receive for samples, we do not offer free samples. On select occasions (volume dependent), we can credit your account if you do buy samples from us and end up placing a bulk order. Please contact us for more information if interested.

We do not have a physical color card that is available for order. Instead, we recommend purchasing one of our Zipper Sampler Packs. These packs include 1 of each zipper color that we stock for that particular zipper. 

We do offer more color options (over 600) outside of our stock colors, however these color options are only available for custom orders with high minimum order quantities. Please contact us for more information if you’d like to discuss.

The vast majority (over 99%) of our zippers are made in the United States. These are all tagged with a “Made in the USA” icon on their individual product pages. There are a very small amount of zippers that we are unable to source within the United States, and these products do not have a Made in the USA icon on their product pages.

Almost every one of our in-stock zippers can be customized to your individual needs. Our most popular customizations include: zipper shortening (we will tailor a zipper to your desired length), making a zipper reversible and making a zipper left-handed. 

Absolutely. If you are interested in ordering something we do not carry in stock, we can most likely supply it. We offer over 600 colors and a wide variety of styles and configurations.

Please visit Request a Custom Quote to supply us with the information we need. We will respond to your inquiry within 12 hours.

Please note, however, that minimums will apply for custom orders.

If you’re looking for a particular color that we don’t carry, we aren’t able to accommodate a custom color order for just one zipper. In these cases, we encourage you to consider a neutral color like black or white in lieu of the custom color.

If you’re looking for a particular style of closed-end zipper that we don’t stock (i.e. a bag-style zipper), we may be able to create a custom zipper for you in some situations. Please refer to our Zipper Style Guide and send us an email with your requirements. 

It depends on the style of zipper.

Metal and plastic zippers: We remove the teeth just above and below where your zipper will end, install new top stops, and cut off the excess material, leaving 1-2" of bare material at the top for sewing. The finished product looks nearly identical to a stock zipper.

Nylon coil and invisible zippers: We install new top stops (which are actually bottom stops), and cut off the excess material, leaving about 1-2" of material with nylon coil zipper teeth above the stops for sewing. Please note that nylon coil zipper teeth cannot be removed by hand, and this is why the nylon coil zipper teeth remain above the new stops.

We wish we could have a different answer for this conundrum, but unfortunately, if the retainer box and/or insertion pin at the end of a zipper are lost or damaged, the zipper will need a complete replacement. The box and pin are manufactured onto the zipper in the factory under high heat and high pressure and cannot be replaced by hand. It is for this reason that we do not sell pin and box components.

The length of a zipper refers to the measurement from the bottom stop (or retainer box) to the top stop of the zipper. Do not include the measurement of the fabric at the end. Please view How to Measure a Zipper for additional information.

You can make closed-end zippers from leftover zipper chain, provided that you have the correct zipper slider to match. You can NOT make a separating zipper, however, from the leftover chain. Separating zippers require a pin and box at the bottom, and those parts cannot be applied by hand.

Here are some common gauges for common zipper uses:

#2 & #3 (light weight) – Zippers for dresses, skirts, slacks, pillows, purses and handbags

#5 (medium weight) – Zippers for jackets, jeans, robes

#10 (heavy weight) – Zippers for chaps, motorcycle jackets, construction clothing, tents, awnings

Keep in mind this is simply a list of popular gauges and uses. Occasionally, you might want to go with a lighter weight or a heavier weight zipper depending on your preferences.

Please see our Guide to Ordering Zippers for additional information.

The number of the gauge refers to the width of the zipper teeth, in millimeters, when the zipper is zipped.

#3 = approximately 3mm

#5 = approximately 5mm

#7= approximately 7mm

#8 = approximately 8mm

#10 = approximately 10mm

For more information on zipper gauge – including how to measure zipper gauge when the zipper is unzipped, please refer to our How to Measure a Zipper guide.

Still have questions? Email us!

Here is a side-by-side comparison of a #3, #5, and #10 zipper for reference: