Top Questions

Yes! Please contact us through the form on our homepage or by sending us a direct email at website@strangecargo.com and we’d be happy to help you out!

Our turnaround times have changed since pre-pandemic times! Single shirt orders typically take us about a day to complete once the order is finalized and paid for. Larger bulk orders take about 10 business days to complete once finalized and paid for. Turnaround times are subject to change, and during busier times are typically a little longer. Rush bulk orders may be available at an extra cost.

We do our best to respond to you as quickly as possible and you should receive a response within 24-36 hours!

We do our best to respond to you as quickly as possible and you should receive a response within 24-36 hours!

Yes and no. Our storefront is closed to the public for in store shopping, however we offer curbside pickup from 11am to 4pm and do still answer emails and phones so if you’re looking to place an order we are happy to help you out, you just aren’t able to come in to the shop those days.

Yes! We moved to our current Andersonville location a few years ago now, and are no longer in Wrigleyville. We only have the one location at 5216 N Clark St.

Sadly no, stock is no longer available and we had to stop carrying them. Our Bella and Canvas shirts are similar though!

We now primarily carry Bella and Canvas and Gildan brand shirts. Due to ongoing supply chain issues we may on occasion have to use substitute brands. If you are looking for a specific style shirt please contact us.

That depends! You’re welcome to bring your own shirt but it must be brand new, never washed or worn. We’ll also need to take a look at it in person to make sure we can print on it as well as what you’d like printed. Some materials like spandex and nylon we are not able to print on, and we can not print photos or full color images on your own garments.

Unfortunately no, our shop isn't able to offer either of those options.

We can print on trucker hats, the kind with foam front and mesh back. Unfortunately we aren't able to print things like baseball hats or knitwear hats.

Absolutely! Please just make sure whoever you send to pick up your shirts gives us the name on your order and knows how many shirts they’re picking up.

They are not! When we say business days we mean Monday through Friday. Weekends and federal holidays do not count as business days.

We can use just about any file type including jpeg, png, tiff, pdf, psd and ai! The higher quality image you have the better it will print, and we recommend a resolution of at least 300ppi. In general we don't recommend using anything that's under 500 x 500 px.

It can vary! In general if you’re ordering around a holiday like Christmas, Pride, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day our turnaround times for smaller orders and custom single shirts can be a bit longer than other times of the year. If you’re getting something custom as a gift we always recommend ordering well ahead of when you plan on giving it!

Ordering Questions

Not necessarily. Because of size constraints we allow only a certain number of characters per line. When we actually lay out your shirt we'll take a look at the overall content and space the words out so the shirt looks as good as possible.

We accept most major credit cards (Visa, American Express, Master Card), debit cards and PayPal. All prices are in U.S. dollars.

Illinois residents must pay a sales tax of 10.25%.

Strange Cargo takes your security very seriously. At no point in the ordering process do we store your credit card information. All billing transactions are done through secure servers to ensure your safety.

Sorry, but we currently do not accept checks or money orders online. You can contact us and we'd be happy to help you.

Please contact us with the change immediately. Because all of our shirts are custom made, you cannot change your order once the t-shirt has been finished.

You must contact us by phone or email by 5:00 pm CST to take care of the problem. There are no exceptions to this rule.

You can change the quantity in the shopping cart only if you want shirts of the exact same size and design. If you need the same shirt in a different size, you can just make another shirt. If you want a lot of shirts please contact us and we will help you.

Custom shirts are one-of-a-kind. They are made to your exact specifications, so please triple-check your order! As a rule we generally do not give refunds for custom shirts. If there’s a mistake with your order, contact us.

It's as simple as clicking "Your Cart" on the top right of any page and then clicking the "Add a Coupon" link in the cart. Type or paste your discount code into the text box and click "Update Cart".

Shipping Questions

Shipping rates are determine by the USPS. We use the United States Postal Service (USPS) Priority Mail as our standard shipping method. Flat-rate shipping applies within the U.S. only. See below for international shipping information.

We ship to any foreign country with service via United States Postal Service (USPS) Priority Mail International. Average delivery time is 7-10 days from the date of shipment but may take longer due to Global shipping delays. Please note that your country may apply duties and tariffs to your order when it enters your country. Sorry, we have no control over this.

We do our best to ship your items within 1-2 business days of receiving your order. You should receive your purchase within 5-7 business days, however we are still seeing delays within the USPS. If you place an order after 6:00pm CST on a Friday evening or during the weekend, your order will be processed and shipped no later than Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week.

No, but we do offer UPS 2nd Day Air. So for example, if you order your shirt on Monday, we'll make it and ship it on Tuesday, and you'll get your shirt by the end of the day Thursday. Please keep this timing in mind when ordering. Also note that UPS does not deliver on Saturday or Sunday, and some holidays can affect timing!

Yes! You can pick your shirt up yourself at our shop in Chicago. All you need to do is select In-store Pickup as your shipping method and wait for our email confirming that your shirt is ready. Please note:


• All in-store pickups are at our store at 5216 North Clark Street in Chicago, IL.

• Orders received before 5:00pm CST will generally be available for in-store pickup after 3:00pm CST the following day.

Returns, Exchanges, and Backorders Questions

Our return/exchange policy is simple: We want you to be happy with your purchase. If for any reason you want to return or exchange an item, please follow the instructions below, which are also on the back of your invoice.


• Please include your invoice in your package so we have your name, email address, phone number and order number. We will need this information to complete your request!

• All t-shirts to be returned or exchanged must have their original tags still attached! Strange Cargo will not accept returns or exchanges for any t-shirts that have been washed, dried, damaged, stained or which contain any odors, such as cigarette smoke or laundry detergent.

• T-shirts must be returned or exchanged within 30 days from date of purchase.

• We will refund your money on everything we sell except used goods, smelly goods, or custom letter or photo shirts.

• If a refund is due it will be made to the customer via their original method of payment (minus shipping charges).

• Shipping costs for any non-damaged or non-flawed returns or exchanges will be the customer's responsibility. We will pay the shipping for an exchanged shirt.

• Please send return packages via regular USPS mail with a completed return form to:

Strange Cargo Tees
Attn: Website Returns
5216 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60640

• If you have any questions please contact us.

We do not backorder items. We do our best to ensure that everything on the website is in stock. In event an item is out of stock, we will let you know we cannot fulfill your order at that time. If you order several items and just one of the items is out of stock, we'll contact you and you can decide what you'd like to do.

T-Shirt Questions

We print great t-shirts! Our own special ink formulas are soft and our t-shirts are of the highest quality. The feel of our vintage transfers varies, but are always high quality. With proper care our shirts will last a long time. For best results, wash them inside-out with cold water and hang to dry or tumble dry low. Please do not iron our shirts. Love them and they will love you back.

Check out our t-shirt facts page for everything you need to know about our brands, sizing charts and measuring methods.

Each shirt is printed on a per-order basis, which gives our customers the most choices possible. You pick whatever combination of t-shirt, print, image and color you want.

Random Questions

Sorry, no such luck. We do, however, update this site often with new designs. Check out our New Designs page to see more.

We sure do. Learn all about our brick and mortar institution.

We want to ensure that our retail store remains special and worth the trip, and some of our store offerings are limited in quantity. Rest assured, we try to put the best stuff on our site. If there's something you saw at our store and would like to purchase it online, just contact us.

Strange Cargo respects your right to privacy. We will never share, rent, sell or otherwise distribute your personal information to anyone!

When placing an order on our website we require information such as your name, phone number, email address, shipping address and billing information. This information is used to process your order and for no other purpose.

Strange Cargo respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our visitors to do the same. This website is made available for your personal, non-commercial use only.


All content included on this site, such as text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, audio clips, video clips, digital downloads, data compilations and software, is the property of Strange Cargo or its content suppliers and protected by United States and international copyright laws. The compilation of all content on this site is the exclusive property of Strange Cargo and protected by U.S. and international copyright laws.