How long does it take to ship my item?
We understand that once you place an order, you want your item ASAP, and so do we! Generally, we ship the next business day when the post office is open. On occasion, we ship the same day, and on occasion, it takes us two days although that is very rare.
The sooner we get your item sent to you, the sooner eBay releases funds and we get paid. Trust us, we want our money just as bad as you want your item so we absolutely do not waste time 😉
How do you ship?
We almost always ship USPS as this allows us to consolidate all of our orders. This means we spend less time dealing with multiple shippers and more time getting your order out.
When shipping media such as books, DVDs, USBs, etc, we ship USPS Media Mail or Ground Advantage.
For non-media items weighing 15oz or less I use Ground Advantage.
For heavier non-media items I usually still use USPS Ground Advantage but may choose to use UPS if it is notably cheaper.
Why are your shipping rates so high?
Our shipping rates are calculated and set by eBay/Paypal/Etsy (depending on where you purchased your item), we have no control over any of it other than setting the shipping service we want to use, the weight of the package, and its dimensions.
We select Ground Advantage or Media Mail when those services are applicable and reasonably cheaper than other services. If Priority is only a little more, we opt to use that service. (for example, if Media Mail is $3.19 and Ground Advantage is $3.39 then we may opt to use Ground Advantage)
We do not charge handling fees except for expensive items where insurance is purchased, and then the handling fee is always approximately the cost of the insurance. We do everything we can to keep the price of shipping as low as possible. If you have any tips on cheaper shipping practices, PLEASE contact us and let us know!
Why do you not offer returns?
We sell items as inexpensively as possible and as a general rule make very little off each sale. If we offered returns then the cost of one single return would eliminate the profits from many sales and we simply can not afford that.
Note that this policy does not apply to defective products or products that are not as advertised. Those are always replaced or refunded as per the policies of eBay/Paypal/Etsy.
How will my item be packaged?
We do our best to package all our products in such a way that they will arrive undamaged using plenty of bubble wrap, cardboard backing, and padding material where applicable. Fragile objects are marked with tape that clearly notes the package contains a fragile item and can be seen from virtually any angle.
In addition, we sometimes pick a shipping service based on the item being shipped. Some services seem to encounter less problems than others. If you wonder why your item could easily be sent Parcel Select yet we opted to send it Priority Mail, this is probably why.
Why do you not ship outside the United States?
Two reasons:
First, for the very few orders we have ever needed to do outside the US the difficulty and expense at offering this service ourselves is just not warranted. We operate on very small margins (low profits per item) so filling out customs forms etc is just not something we want to spend our time on. Sorry.
Second, we are aware that eBay offers a service where they handle everything for the seller, which takes all the hassle out of international shipping. We are also aware that sellers can get shafted by this service with no recourse. You can guess how we know this. So we opted out of this service and will not be resuming it.
You can use an international parcel forwarding service such as Forward2Me to order packages from any US seller, including us, and have them sent to virtually anywhere in the world.
How long will it take to get my item?
That depends on USPS mostly. We usually ship the next business day, then most of our items are sent in one of the following ways:
- Ground Advantage – 2-4 days
- Priority Mail – 2-3 days
- Media Mail – 3-14 days
- Parcel Select – 3-7 days
These date ranges are based on our experience and not what USPS says. Longer times can be expected outside the continental United States such as Guam, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. You can also expect longer times during the Holidays.
What if I do not get my package?
The first thing to do is to track it if you have a tracking number. You most likely received a tracking number when your item was shipped. Use this number on usps.com to track your package. This often also gives you an expected delivery date.
Before you contact us, please remember that all we can do is do the same tracking you can do. We have no special contact at the post office and have no more control over their operations than you do. While we absolutely want to help when we can, just please be understanding about the limitations we have.
If it has been more than three business days and your tracking shows that the package was never received by USPS, contact us immediately.
If you are past your expected delivery date, or your package says it was delivered and was not, contact us so we can start the process with USPS of finding your item.