Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Are your candles made of paraffin or soy?

Our candles are a custom blend of paraffin and soy waxes. Paraffin is used to hold the strong colors you see and scents you smell. Soy is used to create a product more eco-friendly to our environment. Together, a quality product is created and tested to be the best possible for you and your home.

When will I receive my order?

We are experiencing higher than usual sales volumes right now, especially of our Disney scents. What most people do not realize is that we are a two person company, and most products are hand poured at the time of order. We do our best to get orders out as quickly as possible, and will move up priority and gift orders when notified.

When you place an order, please review your shopping cart with our current production time estimate. This will show the estimate of when you can receive your order. Did you forget to check the status when you placed an order? Simply go to the shopping cart today to see an estimate of our current turnaround time. This should give you an idea of when you can receive your order.

Why is shipping so expensive?

Cost for shipping is determined by the USPS. Factors for shipping cost include weight of the order (unfortunately, candles are very heavy) and distance between our facility and the shipping address. Most orders arrive between two to three days between when they are shipped from our offices and when they are received.

Yikes, this is a gift! Can I get my order sooner?

If this is a gift, please contact us as soon as possible. Please include your order number. We will do our best to accomodate your request.

I've received my order but my candle has white spots on it. Is it defective?

No. White spots, otherwise known as "frosting", occur naturally with soy based waxes. As the seasons turn, our candles can develop more frosting than in warmer months. Your candle is not defective, and this frosting will have absolutely no impact on how your candle burns. This is simply part of the unique qualities of purchasing a hand made product.

What is the difference between the diffuser oil and the home fragrance oil?

Our diffuser oils are intended to be used with rattan reeds to pull the fragrance through the vase then allow it to evaporate. Home fragrance oils have more utility and can be used in fragrance warmers, to freshen potpourri, or in electric oil diffusers. More information on how to use our reed diffuser oils is available on our blog post, and we've written another post for recommendations on how to use home fragrance oils.

I'm sorry. Can you help me with a return or an exchange?

At The Columbia Fragrance Co., your satisfaction is our top priority. We want you to be thrilled with every purchase. Here’s how our Happiness Guarantee works:

Satisfaction Guarantee: If you're not completely satisfied with the scent you purchased, we will provide a one-time replacement at no additional cost to you. We want you to love your fragrance!
Returns: If you wish to return your product, we accept returns on unused products only. Once we receive the returned item, we will issue a refund minus the cost of return shipping.
Exchanges: Prefer to exchange your item for another product? You can do so within 30 days. The customer is responsible for return shipping costs.
How to Request: To request a replacement, return, or exchange, simply visit the order section in your account and follow the prompts. For personalized assistance, email us at happinesshotline@columbiafragrance.com.
Exclusions: Please note that some products, such as samples and the Jump to the Front of the Line rush processing option, are not eligible for refunds, as indicated on their product listings.

What if my order has been lost?

The Columbia Fragrance Co. offers order protection insurance through Navidium. In the unlikely even your order is damaged, lost or stolen, we will replace your order at no cost to you. Please contact us within 7 days of your parcel being delivered or reported stolen to qualify for insurance protection. For correspondences received after day seven, we will replace the order at 50% off the original purchase price.

If you item has been stuck in transit for more than 7 days, we will file a Missing Mail request to the USPS on your behalf. If the item has not been found or the Missing Mail request been resolved, we will replace orders with Navidium insurance protection free of charge.

If you choose not to purchase our insurance and your order is lost or stolen, we will replace your order at 50% off the original purchase price.

If you order has been damaged in transit, we request a photo of the damaged item so we can assess how to prevent similar accidents in the future. We will replace the product as soon as possible.

Items made by other vendors (such as the diffusers and warmers we sell) may require resolutions as outlined by our partners. Please contact us so we may initiate a claim on your behalf.

We’re here to ensure your fragrance experience is as delightful as possible. Thank you for choosing The Columbia Fragrance Co.!