How the site works
FAQ
This is the map for using Excessive Sounds: the login gate, the cart, checkout, what we take for payment, shipping and tax, your orders, the ride wall, and the forum. Open a question. Close it when you are done. Nothing here is a one-line shrug.
How do I actually use this website?
Treat the top bar as the map. Home is the front of the shop. Services is screen print, embroidery, promotional products, varsity jackets, and fundraising. Resources and Schools point at catalogs and spirit wear. About is who we are in Ithaca. Shop is the live line. FAQ is this page. Cart is what you are taking to the counter.
You can browse without an account. Checkout and some forum writing sit behind a shop login. The chat in the corner is a site helper — it cannot place an order or refund anything. People questions go to Contact or 989-875-4793.
Do I need an account, and what does it actually do?
You need a shop login to check out and to post a ride. Create an account with an email and a password of at least eight characters. We also ask for a voice PIN for the phone line. After you are in, Account is where you keep name, ship-to, phone, password, avatar, and the forum signature. That ship-to is what checkout starts from, so fill it like you mean it, not like a placeholder.
Forgot the password? Use the forgot-password link on the login page. If the email matches an account, we send a reset. Messages are private notes between members, not the shop ticket system. Orders is the receipt list for paid checkouts on this login. If you asked us to merge two logins, that is a shop-side job — write Contact and tell us which handles to keep.
How do Shop, the wishlist, and the cart work?
Shop is AlleyT’s own categories and products — tees, sweats, hoodies, hats, monogram gifts, and promo. Open a product for size (XS–5XL on garments), quantity, garment color, and a hero upload. Add to cart from there. Logged in, you can heart a product onto a wishlist.
Ground shows in the cart. Michigan ship-to is taxed. Call 989-875-4793 for a custom quote when the run, colors, or locations go past the published guide.
How does checkout work once I am ready to pay?
Checkout is gated on the same shop login as posting a setup. You confirm ship-to on that page. It should match the account address unless you are shipping somewhere else this time, because that address is what we send to the warehouse. Pick ground or express, then pay on this page. We do not bounce you out to some other branded pay window to finish the sale.
An order is not a real shop job until payment is captured. If you start a pay and walk away before capture, we do not write an unpaid invoice into the books for that attempt. After capture you land on a thank-you with the order reference, and the job shows on Orders. Cash is for when you are paying the bench in person and the shop has the passcode on. That is not a public pay-later button.
What can I pay with?
When checkout is open we take card, US bank account, and Klarna, all on the checkout page. Card is the usual debit or credit path: number, date, and CVC in the pay fields on this site. Card numbers never hit our server. They stay in the pay form.
Bank account is the routing-number and account-number path. You enter the bank routing number and the account number in the pay fields the same way you would on a paper ACH slip, except it stays in the checkout form. Do not email those numbers to the shop. Do not put them in Contact, the forum, or Messages. If the form is asking for them, that is the only place they belong.
Klarna is the pay-over-time option on that same checkout. If Klarna is offered for your total and your ship-to, it shows as a choice next to card and bank. Approval, schedule, and any Klarna account work happen through Klarna in that flow. We still only see a captured payment on our side, not your Klarna login. If a method does not show, it is not available for that cart, that address, or that amount — pick one that does, or write Contact before you try to force it.
How do shipping and tax work?
Ground is $25 when the merchandise subtotal is under $500, and ground is free at $500 and above. Express is a flat $65, chosen on checkout. The cart preview is ground on purpose so you are not staring at express until you mean to buy it. Shipping is not merchandise; tax math in the cart is on the goods, for Michigan ship-to at 6%.
Set country and state in the cart so that estimate is honest before checkout. If you change ship-to on checkout, the tax and shipping on that page are what we charge. Install coverage is a different question from parcel shipping: Matt covers Gratiot, Isabella, Clinton, Midland, and Saginaw counties. Shop hardware can ship. Installs are local. About has the coverage map.
Where are my orders, and how do I refund or cancel?
Paid checkouts on this login show under Orders after payment is captured. That page is a list: shipping, tracking (with a link to the carrier), total, and paid or pending. Actions on the left is Create PDF and Refund / cancel order. Invoice on the right opens the HTML receipt. It is not a register you punch. There is no self-serve refund button there, and there are no warehouse tools on a member account. That is shop-desk work.
If you no longer want the product, use Refund / cancel order on that paid job. It opens Contact with the order number already in the subject and the message so we are not guessing which ES- number you mean. We handle the actual refund from the sales desk after we read the note. A short “cancel it” with no number is how jobs get lost. Put the number in and write what you want done.
What are your business hours? Are you open Saturdays?
We are open Monday–Thursday 8 am–5 pm. Friday 8 am–5:30 pm, Saturday 9 am–1 pm. We are closed on Sundays. Hours change during the Christmas holiday season.
What is your turn-around time?
Standard production is usually 7–10 business days. Rush options are usually available, and depending on the time of year production can shorten. Calling ahead is the best way to check.
Can I bring in my own goods to be decorated?
Yes. Clothing and accessories purchased outside AlleyT can be brought in for decoration. Some items are not made to be decorated. Most outside items need to be checked first. AlleyT is not responsible for replacement of third-party goods lost, stolen, or damaged due to machine or operator error. Supply spoilage when needed; unused spoilage is returned undecorated.
How do I supply art for my order?
AlleyT has a graphic designer on staff. Premade or camera-ready art can go to [email protected] or a flash drive. Screen print: vector preferred (AI CS5.5 legacy, EPS, PDF, Corel). Fonts outlined or supplied. Sublimation: AI, Photoshop, EPS, PDF, Corel, or JPEG. Embroidery: PDF, JPEG, or DST. We do not accept Microsoft Publisher files.
Do you do alterations there?
Yes. We offer some clothing alterations. We will ask to see the garment before we quote and agree.
How does the forum work?
The forum is boards under headings. Some boards, including Updates, are written by the shop. Updates is where we post the long notes about what changed, not a one-line shrug. Other boards are for members. Log in to post where posting is allowed. Pictures on a post are capped; they show at a decent size and open larger. Official shop news lives on Updates. Do not put card numbers, routing numbers, or account numbers in a thread.
I am stuck. Who do I talk to?
Contact is the shop mailbox: name, email, and a real message. If it is about an order, put the order number in the subject or the body. Phone and install questions can go there too, or use the number on About. The forum lobby is for talking in the open with people. Ask ES will walk catalog and site questions; it will not pretend to be Matt, take a payment, or issue a refund.