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| Packaging |
| We
always ship in sturdy boxes with bubblewrap and, if needed,
filler unless requested otherwise. A printed invoice will be
included with each shipment. |
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| Shipping
to US locations |
| Our
items are set up to use the eBay Shipping Calculator to check on the cost of
shipping of your order by US Postal Service to your location.
Because most people want either media mail or priority mail,
that is what we quote, but if you would prefer some other
shipping option, let us know. We will be happy to quote you a
price for that option. Priority mail usually takes only a few
days to get anywhere in the US. Media mail usually takes from
less than a week, if not going far, to one week or two weeks if
going all the way across country and from four to six weeks if
going to Hawaii or Alaska or to a foreign destination at an APO
type address.
Note: New Fixed Rate
Priority Mail Boxes - The post office has now introduced Fixed
Rate Priority Mail Boxes. Anything that will fit into either of
the two post office supplied boxes (11" x 8.5" x
5.5" or 13.625" x 11.875" x 3.375") is one
flat rate of $7.70 anywhere in the US. We are glad to ship by
this method for $8.70, charging $1 for bubblewrap and other
packing material; this represents half our usual shipping and
handling fee as we don't have to pay for a box. E-bay's shipping
calculator doesn't handle this yet, so if you want us to use
this method of shipping, wait for us to invoice you. We will not
quote it in cases where normal priority mail would be cheaper.
As many items as will fit into either of the boxes can be
shipped for the same price. |
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| Shipping
internationally -- under four pounds |
| Please
use the eBay Shipping Calculator to get some idea of the cost
of shipping to your location by USPS. EBay lets us set up only
three shipping options, and so we have chosen the three most
frequently selected by customers: Global Priority Variable Rate,
Airmail Letter Rate, and Economy (surface) Letter Rate. Typical
delivery times quoted for these options by USPS are 4-6 days for
Global Priority, 4-7 days for Airmail Letter Rate, and 4-6 weeks
for Economy Letter Rate although these times are not guaranteed
and sometimes take longer. Unfortunately, insurance cannot be
added to these rates. The two letter rates and Global Priority
are only available for up to fours pounds in weight; that will
handle most single book shipments but often not multi-book
shipments of larger hardback novels.
Upon request, we are also
happy to quote Global Express (very fast and very expensive but
includes up to $100 in insurance), Airmail Parcel Post (4-10
days, insurance optional, quite a bit more expensive than
Airmail Letter Rate even without insurance), and Economy
(surface) Parcel Post (4-6 weeks, insurance optional, at typical
single book weights often as expensive as Airmail Parcel Post).
If your order includes multiple books, we can also quote Airmail
Mail-bag and Economy (surface) Book Rate Mail-bag rates which
can be quite economical compared to the other rates but do not
allow for insurance and the minimum charge is for eleven pounds
in weight.
Finally, we can also ship
thin items by Global Priority Fixed Rate Envelopes which can be
fairly economical but doesn't provide much safety from damage in
transit and can't be insured. |
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| Shipping
internationally -- four pounds or more |
| Please
use the eBay Shipping Calculator to get some idea of the cost
of shipping to your location by USPS. EBay lets us set up only
three shipping options, so we have chosen the three most
frequently selected by customers for packages over four pounds:
Global Express, Airmail Parcel Post, and Economy (surface)
Parcel post. Typical delivery times quoted for these options by
USPS are 3-5 days for Global Express, 4-10 days for Airmail
Parcel post, and 4-6 weeks for Economy Parcel Post although
these times are not guaranteed and sometimes take longer. Global
Express comes with $100 of insurance coverage, additional
insurance can be added. Insurance can also be added to both
Parcel Post rates. Because the item will go over fours pounds in
packaged weight, the less expensive Global Priority, airmail,
and surface letter rates are not available.
If your order includes
multiple books, we can also quote Airmail Mail-bag and Economy
(surface) Book Rate Mail-bag rates which can be quite economical
compared to the other rates but do not allow for insurance and
the minimum charge is for eleven pounds in weight.
Important note on non-US
Shipping: We reserve the right to require Registered or Global
Express shipping to countries where the US Postal Service does
not offer insurance on Parcel Post rates, even if you elect one
of the non-insured rates. If the USPS is so uncertain of
delivery in your country that it doesn't offer insurance on
parcel post, then we will require you to use a shipping method
that can be tracked and does offer insurance. So far the only
country we've encountered this problem with is Mexico, but there
are probably others. |
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| Multiple
items going to the same address |
| If
you buy more than one item, shipping charges will be less than
the total for each item; please wait then an invoice before you
pay. E-bay's automatic combining of multiple items just adds up
the shipping and insurance for each separate item and will
charge you too much. Note:
Combining shipping for foreign shipments can cause quite a jump
in cost as the three most reasonable shipping options are only
available up to four pounds in weight. For example, two heavy
hardback books with packaging will put the weight over four
pounds; shipping both together, however, should still be less
than shipping the two items separately. |
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| Insurance |
| Insurance
is optional and extra. We pack very carefully, but we cannot be
responsible for uninsured packages that are lost or damaged by
the Post Office. Domestic insurance is $1.30 up to $50, $2.20
for $50.01 to $100; add $1 for each $100 (or fraction there of)
after $100.00. I recommend insurance for expensive purchases and
for those who will be upset if the post office loses a package.
Non-US insurance:
Insurance on shipping to Canada is pretty much the same cost as
within the US. Insurance to other countries typically runs $1.85
for values up to $50, $2.60 for insurance up to $100; after that
add $1 for each additional $100 (or fraction) of coverage.
Insurance is not available to all locations worldwide, and there
are upper limits on what the maximum amount that can be insured
in a single shipment; cost may vary by country. I do not mark up
insurance; you will pay only what we do.
So far we have only had
one package lost by the post office (a domestic shipment), but
it is only a matter of time before another is lost. For US
shipments, delivery confirmation is included in the shipping
costs quoted (except APO- type addresses). The US post office
does a pretty good job of delivering the mail. Foreign buyers
probably have a better idea than we do on the reliability of
their local postal system. If in doubt, please pay for
insurance. |
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| Customs
forms |
| Customs
forms for international shipments will be filled out honestly,
listing the item and the cost. Some countries do not require
duty on books while others do. It is the buyer's responsibility
to pay the duty, if any, assessed in his or her home
country. |
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| Returns |
| We
make a sincere effort to describe the condition of books
accurately and to pack books for safe shipping. If you do not
believe that the book you purchased is in the same condition as
or better than our description, please contact us about
returning the item for a refund that will include return
shipping charges. |
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| Shipping
history |
| Click
here to view a chart showing
where we have shipped items to so far and the methods that were
used. |
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