TERMS & CONDITIONS*
Effective May 1, 2026
NEW CUSTOMERS
Chicago Importing Company ("CIC") is wholesale only. Our New Customer Registration Form is available here Registration. Fill out this form completely including federal EIN or non-profit exemption number along with a copy of your actual State resale certification. Upon receipt of the completed form and State resale certificate, your application will be reveiwed and, if approved, we will email you a Login and Password to access our website for online ordering. New customers must pay by credit card or ACH when placing their first order. Customer application approval is not guaranteed.
PLACING AN ORDER
Shop 24/7/365 at www.chicagoimporting.com.
If you are new to ordering online with us, please call Customer Service at 800-828-7983 or email sales@chicagoimporting.com to set up online ordering access.
Our minimum order is $300 net of all discounts and promotions. Backorders are by request only with the exception of pre-orders, which are automatically backordered. All backorders are subject to freight charges. You may add Everyday items onto your seasonal order to meet the minimum, however those Everyday products will ship with your seasonal order.
All sales are final. We do not guarantee the sell-through of merchandise. Seasonal Pre-Orders are non-cancellable. In the event a pre-order is cancelled, you will be charged in full for all seasonal items ordered, or assessed a 50% restocking fee, whichever amount is greater.
Cancellation of Everyday orders will result in a 25% re-stocking fee. You are responsible for any spoiled product and freight charges for undeliverable orders.
Special Orders are non-refundable and may require pre-payment.
EVENT ORDERS & PRE-ORDERS
If your order or pre-order is for a special event, you must provide the event date at checkout or when placing your order. We do not guarantee the availability of all items by your event date; however, we will monitor availability and ship as many items as possible in time for your event to the address provided. Please note that delivery of perishables cannot be guaranteed by a specific event date.
PRICING
Prices printed are FOB Huntley, IL and are subject to change without notice.
PRODUCTS
Our products are sold by the case and cannot be mixed or split. Pack sizes are subject to change.
Most products ship from our warehouse with approximately six months remaining shelf life. Due to our products being imported from various European countries, some products will have best by dates noted in European date format DD/MM/YYYY. We guarantee we will not ship product with less than 90 days remaining shelf life. Ship dates are subject to product availability.
Goods purchased are not to be sold to customers outside the United States without prior written consent from CIC.
Please check with the laws in your state before purchasing alcohol-filled products. It is unlawful to sell alcohol to persons under the age of 21.
PAYMENT
New customers are required to pay for their first order with a credit card or ACH at the time of sale. After the first order, we welcome an application for Net 15 credit terms and will advise as to determination within five business days from receipt of application.
We accept Visa and Mastercard debit cards, and the following credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. There is a 2% surcharge, where permitted by law, on all credit card transactions to cover the cost of processing.
These terms and any transaction conducted between the parties shall be governed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois. The parties agree that any dispute between the parties shall only be instituted and prosecuted in the Circuit Court of McHenry County, Illinois, and each party irrevocably waives the right to change venue therefrom.
A service charge of $50 will be collected for all NSF or failed ACH bank payments. NSF checks, credit card rejections, or ACH failures will result in a delayed shipment of subsequent orders to allow payments to clear.
Customers shall pay interest on all past due invoices at the lesser of the rate of 1.5% per month, or the highest rate permissible under applicable law, calculated daily and compounded monthly. All past due invoices must be paid in full before product will be allocated to a sales order, or any new orders shipped.
Customer shall reimburse CIC and be responsible for any all costs incurred in collecting any late payments, including, without limitation, attorneys' fees. In addition to all other remedies available under these Terms or at law (which CIC does not waive by the exercise of any rights hereunder), CIC shall be entitled to suspend the delivery of any products and stop products in transit or performance of any services if customer fails to pay any amounts when due hereunder and such failure continues for fifteen (15) days.
Customer shall not withhold payment of any amounts due and payable by reason of any set-off of any claim or dispute with CIC.
SHIPPING
Order lead time is 3 business days from P.O. receipt to pick-up with no revisions. Holiday season (Sep-Dec) is subject to longer lead times due to the large volume of orders. We do not blind ship.
Because there are so many variables involved in calculating a shipping cost, we are unable to provide shipping estimates.
We do our best to secure freight service from reputable carriers who provide competitive pricing. For smaller parcel shipments, our vendor is FedEx Ground and your charges will be added to your invoice.
For larger shipments, we can arrange the shipment with a reputable trucking company delivering to your area. Freight charges will be added to your invoice. Or, you may choose your carrier and arrange for pick up.
Some shipments may require a refrigerated truck or other special service if your destination is remote or difficult to access.
There will be an extra charge for rush orders, accessorial fees, and additional delivery services you request or that the carrier deems necessary (lift gate, inside delivery, limited access, appointments, notifications, etc.). When shipping to or through warm weather climates, if a cooler box is needed, there will be a $10 charge per cooler box.
PREPAID SHIPPING INCENTIVE
For Sales Orders $3,500 and over, after discounts and promotions, you will qualify for our Prepaid Shipping incentive. CIC will pay the cost of shipping up to 7% of the invoiced amount of shipped items to a single location, excluding accessorial and special service fees (e.g.: lift gate service, inside delivery, residential service, advance notification, limited access delivery, etc.). The portion of shipping cost over 7% of the invoice value will be added to your invoice. All accessorial and special service fees will be added to your invoice, as they are not covered under the Prepaid Shipping Incentive.
PERISHABLES & WARM WEATHER SHIPPING
Seafood, Meat & Cheese products must ship via temperature-controlled carriers (refrigerated or frozen) to ensure product quality and safety. Parcel freight is not permitted for these items.
—Refrigerated items must ship on a refrigerated truck; ambient/dry goods may be combined with refrigerated goods to reach the minimum order weight. Minimum order weight is 1 pallet, approximately 300 lbs.
—Frozen items must ship on a frozen truck and will be shipped separately. Please contact Customer Service or your Account Manager to review available shipping options.
—Delivery of perishables cannot be guaranteed by a specific date.
—Shipping to residential addresses is not permitted.
Chocolate products will be shipped in insulated cooler boxes with ice packs via a guaranteed 2-day service. If such expedited service for chocolate products during warm weather is declined, buyer assumes full responsibility for any melted chocolate products.
During summer/warmer weather, CIC may postpone the shipment of temperature-sensitive products, such as chocolate, to protect product integrity. We will gladly coordinate expedited options, like overnight or second-day shipping, if you approve the associated terms and costs in advance.
Items subject to the Perishables & Warm Weather Shipping policy are denoted with F, R, or W in our price lists, identified on our website, and marked with a Snowflake or Sun icon in the catalog 'By Category' index.
RETURNS & CREDITS
Returns are only accepted for the following reasons:
Shipping Damage: Report any shipping damage within 48 hours to receive a credit.
To process a quality or damage claim, you must provide the following, as requested by Customer Service:
—A copy of the Bill of Lading noting the damage, signed by the driver
—Photos of all damaged items
Note:For truck deliveries, damage must be recorded on the Bill of Lading at delivery or the claim may be denied.
Additional Requirements include:—Returns require prior authorization
—Approved returns must be shipped, or ready for pickup, within 48 hours
—Credits for damaged items are issued per unit
CONTACT US
Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm CT
Email: sales@chicagoimporting.com
Phone: 800-828-7983 or 847-669-2100
Fax: 847-669-2154
Mail: Chicago Importing Company, 11200 E. Main Street, Huntley, IL 60142
*Terms & Conditions differ for Distributors and other business types. Contact Customer Service for details. Terms & Conditions are also subject to change without notice. Not liable for printing errors and omissions or for packaging design changes made by the manufacturer. All catalog and website content is copyrighted by Chicago Importing Company. No images or copy may be used without permission.