What is consolidated shipping?

Consolidated shipping is what makes this market different from most online markets. It is also one of the reasons this event is limited to 4 days.

In short, shoppers will be able to add items from all makers to their cart and check out in one transaction – and only pay one (flat-rate) shipping fee (or selection FREE local pick up). The items will then be collected in the week following the sale, sorted into orders, and shipped out in one package per order.

This saves on shipping costs (and the environmental impact) – encouraging shoppers to buy from multiple vendors, as they do not incur additional shipping or handling fees for doing so.

Why do you charge tax on most items?

Simply: because we are required to by law and on the advice of our accountant.

More expansively: due to the fact we consolidate shopping carts for check out and then items for shipping and pick up, from a tax perspective, we are the final vendor that you purchase from. We are then purchasing items from each vendor. The main takeaway from this is that we do not keep any of the taxes charged – they are remitted to the CRA each year. We are happy to pay taxes knowing that they contribute towards social programs and society at large.

That said, some items are tax exempt – in our case this largely applies to select categories of food items. That is why some items do not have taxes applied.

What efforts does PNP make to be environmentally conscious?

One of the reasons we structured our fair around consolidated shipping and local pick up is to help reduce the number of shipments while still supporting local.

We ensure that the bags and packaging we use for local pick up are fully recyclable kraft paper.

Any boxes used for orders with shipping are reused boxes from shipments or vendor drop-offs. For smaller orders, curbside recyclable mailers provided by Sustainably Packaged.