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Most of the major shippers, and especially the U. S. Postal Service, are constantly revising their rates and services. Recently the Postal Service increased their rates dramatically. As a seller it's part of my job to keep track of the changes and do my best to make shipping charges as modest as possible for my customers. Frankly, it is one of the most challenging parts of selling online. As a buyer you can do a few things that will protect yourself from overcharging and assuring that your parcels will arrive in fine shape.This page has some links, ideas, and tips to make the job of shipping at least easy if not pleasant for us and for customers. If you have questions about shipping, please don't hesitate to send us an email.
Smart Shipping
There are a number of things every online shopper can do to save money on shipping and still be sure of their goods arriving undamaged.
First: Check with the seller about how they ship and pack. If you are buying from a good seller they will answer promptly with clear details the answer your questions. If they don't, then you may want to rethink buying from them.
Second: If you buy items of a certain type all the time for regular use or a collection and the items are hard to pack or just don't travel well, send specific instructions to the seller about how you want the items packed and marked. If the seller resent this, then, again, maybe another source is a good idea.
Third: If the item is heavy, oversized or an odd shape, ask the seller for the weight and dimensions and check for shipping rates using the links at the right. The new postal and UPS rates make some items that are light weight but oversized very, very expensive. Shipping rates can double the cost at times.
Fourth: If you do lots of buying online you might want to have an account with UPS, Fed Ex or DHL. You can then avoid paying the seller's shipping altogether by instructing your shipper when and where to pick up the goods. I have several customers who do this and it's very easy for me as I just hand it to the driver out the back door of my house and the buyer handles the rest.
Fifth: If you think the seller's charges for shipping are too high, ask them for an adjustment. They may say no, but then you can just buy somewhere else.
Sixth. When you decide to buy check the seller's other listings, stores and web sites for other items that you like or need. Make sure the seller offers combined shipping (or ask for combined shipping) and you can save a chunk of cash.
And Last: Don't buy until you known what the shipping cost is.
Ideas for Buyers about Shipping
There are several things you can add to your parcel that will help it arrive on time and in good condition:
Tracking: All services have tracking, and with the post office it costs extra (55 cents) and it's worth having if you are out in the country or during the holidays as you'll be able to see where you package is almost all the time.
Insurance: For a nominal fee you can insure your parcel with the post office for amount up to $1500.00. UPS provides $100.00 insurance coverage automatically with every shipment and for a small fee over that.
All services have a variety of delivery upgrades to speed your parcel along which are useful and also protect your parcel. And checking rates yourself can help you because with the post office very often the difference between parcel post (takes a week or longer) and Priority (takes 2-3 days) is less than 50 cents and worth the extra money.
If your seller doesn't mention or offer the extra services, check and ask to have them added and pay them the extra fees
What to do if your parcel is late
* If your parcel is late, send an email to the seller and make sure it was actually shipped.
Nine times out of ten that's the problem.
* If it has been, find out when and how and if there is tracking. If there's tracking then
put the number in the window at the right site and see where the parcel is. Sometimes it
will say it's on your porch....be sure to check there!
* If that doesn't work then make sure that the parcel is actually late. Priority usually
takes 2 -3 days, but I have known it to take five. Media Mail can take up to 30 days
(and the post office won't track it as lost until 30 days have passed. Many UPS ground shipment are victimized by bad weather and can be delayed, so if there's lots of snow or storms between you and your seller, wait for the weather to improve.
* If it passes these hurdles then you may have a problem.
* Ask the seller to go to the shipper and check to see what they have to say. UPS will usually run a check and the Post Office will have an eleven part form that traces the shipment.
* Ask your post office to check and make sure its not in their undelivered or hold
area. Sometimes a parcel is too big for the mail box and the parcel is returned to the
post office
* If your item arrives damaged, take it with the box it came in to your local post office
Claims under $50.00 can be settled on the spot. Over $50.00 there is a form (natch)
about 30 days. Bring something that substantiates the value of the item.
UPS takes about 45 days to send a check after that have seen the damage.
When you buy something online there are several exchanges of information that should take place. Here's what we do to keep our customer informed about what's going on with their purchase.
* We acknowledge the order and/or send an invoice
* We acknowledge payment and tell our customers when the item will be shipped (almost always within 24 hours).
* We send along any tracking and insurance numbers if included in the documentation.
* For unusual (like fine art or bicycles), extra large, or large international shipments we send a photographs of the parcel and mark it so that it is easy to identify in order to make it easy to find especially at customs.
* If there are special documents or numbers we also send those at the time of shipment.
We have made 12, 823 shipments to date:
3 were lost by the Post Office BUT insured
3 were damaged BUT insured
4 we sent to the wrong address, BUT paid for the return and redirection to get them to the right owners.
All the other were quick, easy and on time.
We pride ourself on careful packing to travel well in a timely way. We'll do the same with your treasures.
Thanks for shopping with us.
Most - probably 95% - of our shipments travel with the United States Postal Service. For paintings and large items UPS is a better carrier and the post office has size/weight limits. We pack very carefully so that we feel sure the goods will arrive exactly as they were shipped. If you have special need for shipping, we are happy to do our best to meet your request. We almost always ship within 24 hours of receiving payment.
How We Ship