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Shipping Information
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Contents:
Shipping Options
International Orders
Free Shipping
Shipping Charges
We have had several questions regarding the shipping charges
that may applied to an order, so I thought that a bit of explanation might
be appreciated...
Shipping Options
We've investigated all the shipping options available. These options
include the US Post Office, UPS, DHL, and FEDEX. Each service offers
something different, and each service has its own set of fees and
charges.
At this time, the
domestic shipping option we recommend is FEDEX GROUND for a business
address and FEDEX HOME DELIVERY for a home address.
They offer the best rates, and include tracking and a reasonably low fee
structure for insurance. With rare exceptions, packages are delivered
in 4 business days or less.
We've had people ask if domestic shipping via the US Post Office is
less expensive
than via one of the other "name" services. The answer is that they are
NOT less expensive. Furthermore, their insurance rates are the
highest of any shipping service, and their tracking capabilities are
effectively non-existent.
Now it just so happens that ON OCCASION, the USPS is a better choice than
FEDEX. Sometimes the delivery time is significantly faster, and sometimes the
shipping fee is significantly less. Please note that we reserve the right to
use the best shipping option for each package.
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International Orders
Having just dissed the US Post Office for its value on shipping
domestic packages, we hereby
shamelessly do a complete about-face and STRONGLY
recommend either the US Post Office USPS International Parcel
Post or the USPS International Express Mail
option for ALL international orders. This includes APO and FPO addresses.
Please note that of these two options, only the USPS International Express Mail
option includes a tracking number.
The USPS has the best international rates of any shipping service,
and their service provides excellent value. At this time, most shipments to
Canada take between 4 and 6 business days and cost between $15 and $25 USD.
Shipments to the UK take between 6 and 10 business days and cost between
$20 and $35 USD. Shipments to the European mainland
take between 8 and 12 business days and cost between $25 and $40 USD.
Be aware that the USPS has size restrictions on their various services, including
Express Mail International.
The overall regulations regarding intenational package size are listed
here
under the expandable menu item on the left labeled "Conditions for Mailing".
While you are certainly free to use any shipping service that you deem
appropriate, be warned that the "name" service shipping fees
are astronomical, AND there are additional fees and charges that
they will add to the shipment when you innocently arrive to pick up
your package from them. So unless there is some overwhelming
need for a speedy delivery, stick with the US Post Office.
One last point to remember on all non-US orders: Customs happens.
This means that sometimes the Customs Department of your country will
intercept these shipments and impose an Import Fee on
your order. Whether or not such an event occurs depends entirely
on the Will of The Gods on any particular day,
and if applied the amount charged depends on your specific country.
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Free Shipping
We offer free shipping on all of our products EXCEPT the shields to all destinations
within the continental United States when the order total equals or exceeds $30 USD.
So HOW do we ship your order? I hear you cry....Well, if you are spending the kind
of money that you need to in order to purchase these products, it seems
to us that you'd probably appreciate having your order arrive safe
and sound.
All of our shipments are made in a cardboard box, and the contents of
each package are padded such that the product has no chance of damage
due to it rolling around loose in the box. Plus, each shipment we
send is insured, so even if by some freak occurrence the box gets
damaged in transit, your order is guaranteed to be replaced
at no additional cost to you.
Our default shipping method for US-based destinations is FEDEX Home Delivery,
and for international shipments our default preference is
USPS International Express Mail. Please note that we
reserve the right to choose any carrier we deem appropriate for any shipment.
Even though for those packages sent via Free Shipping
that usually means FEDEX, it will ocassionally mean the US Post Office; sometimes
the USPS can get a package to point A faster and/or way less expensive than FEDEX.
Shipping Charges
Whenever an order is placed that incurs a shipping fee, the shopping cart calculates
the expected actual cost for that shipment. Usually the shipping calculator does an
excellent job on determing the actual cost, but on occasion - and mostly this happens for
international orders - the calculated cost exceeds the actual cost of the shipment.
Most businesses simply absorb any excess shipping charges that are imposed, but we do
not believe that such a policy is acceptable.
When the calculator ends up charging more than the actual cost of the shipment, one
of two things will happen:
- If the excess charge is $20 or less, we will issue you a
coupon for the difference good towards your next purchase
- If the excess charge is more than $20, we will refund the
difference to your credit card.
Please note that in most cases the amount issued will be rounded to
the next whole $5 increment.
We believe that this is both the honest and the honorable thing to do, and we want
to provide the best possible service to our customers along with the best possible
product at the lowest possible price - which includes the cost of shipping if it is applies
to your order.
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