FIREWORKS FAQs

Ordering Questions  |  Shipping Questions  |  General Questions

Customers frequently ask us questions pertaining to fireworks, shipping, order status, and many other topics. Below are just a few of these common questions. If you do not find the answer here, please feel free to contact us by phone, email, or regular mail. We will attempt to answer your questions as quickly as possible.

Ordering Questions

Q: Why do Pennsylvania residents have to pay 6% sales tax on all orders?

A: We are a Pennsylvania company and the law requires us to collect tax on all sales to Pennsylvania residents that do not possess a valid Pennsylvania wholesale permit.

Q: Why do I have to be 18 years old to purchase fireworks?

A: This policy is in effect for several reasons. First, we do not believe children should have access to fireworks without adult supervision. Second, in order to be bound to our Terms and Conditions, you must be an adult. Minors cannot legally enter into contracts, and our Terms and Conditions become part of the contract between FIREWORKS BY DONNORA and you, the purchaser of fireworks.

Q: Do you take telephone orders?

A: Yes, we do take orders over the phone. Please call us at 1-866-833-3135 (Toll Free). However, please keep in mind that it is important that you have downloaded our price list, know what you want, and there is a margin for error. We prefer orders via e-mail or fax at 570-833-4875. This saves time and money. The higher our overhead, the more we need to charge. So to keep your costs down, please know exactly what you want to order. We prefer to receive orders in "hard copy" form -- either online from our website ordering system, via FAX at 570-833-4875, or by email to INFO@fireworksbydonnora.com. We find that this method of ordering is less confusing, faster, and less prone to errors than taking orders directly over the phone. If you must place orders over the phone, please have your order ready so we can complete the request as accurately as possible. All phone and fax orders MUST be picked up at our showroom.

Shipping Questions

Q: Why don't you ship?

A: Because of the various laws pertaining to different states, we've opted to not ship. If you would like to order novelty items online, you may do so by going to Sparklers in-CyberSPACE.

General Questions

Q: I purchased a bundle of 1280 firecrackers. When I set them off, some of them did not explode. Shouldn't I be able to get some of my money back?

A: No. We try very hard to deal with the most reputable manufacturers in the world, however there is still the possibility that there may be a dud or malfunctioning component in a fireworks item. When we discover items that appear to exhibit a high failure rate, we remove them from our inventory. Although most fireworks items have a better than 99% success rate, the occasional dud is a consequence of buying and shooting fireworks.

Q: What are the differences between "consumer fireworks" and "display fireworks"?

A: Consumer fireworks are regulated by the Federal Government through the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), while the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE) regulates commercial fireworks. In order to be considered consumer fireworks, the items must be tested for various attributes. For example, the items may not be made with compounds containing chlorates, the total amount of composition cannot exceed 500 grams, and there are limits on the amount of flash powder that is used to make something explode (50 mg for firecrackers, 130mg for aerials). Anything that falls outside of the CPSC guidelines is automatically classified as commercial fireworks.

Q: What do the numbers 1.4G and 1.3G mean?

A: These are numbers assigned by the Department of Transportation for the shipment of fireworks. Items classified as 1.4G are consumer items, while items classified as 1.3G are commercial fireworks. All fireworks items allowed for shipment must have an EX number in order to be shipped. See the Department of Transportation (DOT) for more information on this topic.

Q: What do I need to do to be able to buy and use commercial fireworks (1.3G materials)?

A: You will need a license from the BATF. There are several different types of licenses available. You will want to check out the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) website to learn more about this. FIREWORKS BY DONNORA does not sell commercial fireworks.

Q: I am trying to find big firecrackers, like M-80's, cherry bombs, Silver Salutes, quarter sticks, and block busters. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find these anywhere. Do you sell these? If not, do you know where I can buy these items?

A: The Federal Government issued a law banning all of these fireworks products in the 1960's. A deadline of 1972 was given to allow anyone that had an inventory of these items to be able to sell it before the ban went into effect. Since then, all of these items have been banned by Federal statute. It is also illegal to sell the components in "kit" form to build these items. An exception was granted for agricultural and marine use, so these items still exist as "pest control" items. You may want to check with your local agricultural supply store for more information on these items.

FIREWORKS BY DONNORA offers a line of firecrackers that look like the old fireworks, but contain only 50mg of flash powder (the maximum amount of flash powder allowed under Federal law). The original M80's contained more than 2 grams (2000mg) of flash powder in the 1960's. The days of powerful firecrackers are long gone. You can still find the original M80's and cherry bombs in Mexico and some other foreign countries. However, they cannot be legally imported into the United States.

Q: I am looking for one of those rockets that the local fire department shoots at our city's display on the Fourth of July. Do you sell those?

A: What you are probably referring to are shells, not rockets. Shells are launched from mortar tubes and come in a variety of sizes from 1.5" all the way up to 16" and more. Anything over 3 inches is considered commercial fireworks and requires a permit from the BATF to be able to purchase and use it. Commercial fireworks may also need a display permit from your Fire Marshal, and liability insurance. Your local fireworks club should be able to fill you in on the details when it comes to commercial fireworks.

Q: Do you have a busy season?

A: Yes. The month before the Fourth of July and a few weeks before New Years Eve is exceptionally busy. The closer to these dates orders come, the greater the likelihood of a delay in our ability to process orders. For orders for the Fourth of July, we recommend receiving the order no later than June 22 to ensure on time delivery. However, we cannot guarantee delivery times. We encourage you to order your fireworks as early as possible.

Another side effect of busy season is that people purchase large quantities of our inventory. We can run out of something at any time. To keep up with out of stock items, we update the products on our regularly. The earlier you order, the better your chances of getting everything you want in your order. FIREWORKS BY DONNORA does reserve the right to limit the number of cases of any item sold to allow all of our customers to have the chance at new merchandise. We also reserve the right to substitute for any items not in stock. Such substitutions will be of similar items and of equal or great value.

Q: I usually purchase fireworks at roadside stands. I noticed that you sell many of the items I like to purchase for less than half of what I would pay at a fireworks stand. How are you able to do this?

A: We rely heavily on automation and distributed shipping. We also do not have to pay for stores, insurance on stores, and excess inventory that sits on store shelves for eleven months out of the year. Our online business model saves us money, which we pass on to our customers in the form of savings.

If you have a specific question that you think should be included in our list of frequently asked questions, please send an email to us at service@fireworksbydonnora.com. If we find your question is generally useful, we will add it to our FAQ page. Thanks!