Shipping and handling charges include much more than just the current postage rate.

We are a legal United States corporation and have been in business since 1986.  Our shipping and handling charges are reasonable and lower than those of most other catalog and mail order businesses.  These charges are plainly stated, so you will know the total cost of an item before purchasing or bidding. If you feel that these costs are too high, please do not purchase or place a bid.

1) Postage & handling charges are expenses over and above our other retail store costs and cover:  postage, shipping container, packing materials, labels, insurance, meter expenses, and an employee's time & expenses necessary to deliver packages to the shipping dock at our city's postal facility.

2) Remember, we include DELIVERY INSURANCE at no additional cost - it is included in your shipping & handling charge.  Also, even those shipments that are sent in a padded envelope are charged the higher parcel rate by the U.S. Postal Service.

3) And we always ship by FIRST CLASS MAIL, never by parcel post.  Even for our international customers, we ship by INTERNATIONAL FIRST CLASS AIR MAIL, and postage & handling charges include all expenses associated with the required customs documents.

FREE "PEACE-OF-MIND PARCEL INSURANCE":

We use a private parcel insurer for delivery in the United States, so you neither have to hassle with the Post Office, nor endure any delay in replacement, if your item gets lost or arrives damaged. This eliminates the need for you to process any claims, which sometimes takes months to resolve. We handle any claims paperwork from our end after you have received a replacement.

THIS IS OUR GUARANTEE to you, or YOUR MONEY WILL BE REFUNDED:
1) If your package does not arrive at a U.S. address within 14 days, we will reship immediately. (Foreign address are guaranteed delivery within 45 days).
2) If you item arrives damaged, we will reship immediately and include a prepaid postage label for the return of the damaged item.

We ship within 48 hours after payment is received (Monday - Friday).

This is what eBay states about shipping times:  Sellers are not responsible for service transit time.  Delivery time is dependent upon the carrier and excludes weekends and holidays.  Note that transit times may vary, particularly during peak periods.

OTHER INFORMATION TO CONSIDER

We apply the higher p&h price to the first item and then each additional item ships for $1.25 each. This is fair, because the bulk of the shipping cost is for packaging; you should not have to pay large amounts to ship additional items in the same package to one address.

About APO/FPO Addresses

We are happy to ship to APO & FPO addresses anywhere in the world. We appreciate all our military and government employees and the service they provide for our country, but we must follow the federal laws required, including the requirment to ship to a specific name. Also...

APO/FPO POSTAL REGULATIONS DICTATE: ...mailers must properly complete required customs documentation when mailing any potentially dutiable mail addressed to an APO or FPO regardless of weight...after the mail has left the jurisdiction of the U.S. Postal Service®, the matter is referred to the Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA). The Department of Defense liaison agency with the Postal Service and has overall responsibility for postal operations at military locations overseas.

And, please read the information below, concerning possible delays, because of customs processing. This process is beyond our control.

More About Foreign Shipping

• We only list product value (not shipping cost) on customs documents.  Some countries place additional fees or taxes, if product value is over a certain amount. These fees, if any, are beyond our control; please contact your country's import department, prior to bidding, to determine if any fees are required. 
• Please allow extra time for customs processing and mail delivery. First Class International Mail delivery to some countries takes 5 to 10 days AND inspection/customs departments sometime hold packages for 2 weeks or more. The process can take 3 to 5 weeks in some countries.

• Due to customs issues and many lost packages, we ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT SHIP to the follow countries/regions:  Mexico, Central and South America, Italy, Spain, Russia (and other former USSR countries), Africa, Middle East, and Asia.  If in doubt about delivery to your country, please write before bidding.  If your country isn't shown, please write.  But, we DO ship to APO/FPO addresses all around the world.

• WE WILL NOT MARK THE CUSTOMS DOCUMENTS IN A WAY THAT WILL AVOID FEES/DUTIES/TAXES IN YOUR COUNTRY.  We are a legal business in the United States and we follow all postal & export laws in shipping products out of the country.  We are rated as an A-1 exporter and will not put false information on customs documents.
• We ship only to confirmed addresses outside the United States.

This is What eBay Says About Shipping

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