On this page:
- When will my purchase arrive?
- Will I get a tracking number?
- Who is UPS ? Who is USPS ?
- Would you be willing to ship USPS instead of UPS ? (AK, HI, PR, VI)
- What about shipping insurance?
- Will you ship to a P.O. Box?
- What is the difference between UPS Ground and UPS 3-Day Select?
- There is damage or other problem with my order, now what?
- Void-space in the packing-photos … can’t it shift and get damaged?
- Can I pay using a paper check?
- Non-US address with my payment account,
Am I a “US buyer”? - Paypal / What is a “Confirmed Address”?
- Paypal / What is a “Verified” account?
- Paypal / What is “Instant payment”? What is “eCheck”?
- Why No Returns?
- Is international shipping available?
- Which carrier for international?
- What about duty/taxes?
- Canada / What is the UPS brokerage fee?
Q: When will my purchase arrive?
A: Unless noted otherwise in its listing, we’ll ship your order within one (1) business day of cleared payment — add to that the Business Days In Transit. To determine the Business Days In Transit, either:
Copy/paste our Shipped-from
Zip code 08542
UPS –› Maps
… or enter Zip codes into
UPS –› Calculate Time and Cost
FYI: “within one (1) business day” means that if we receive payment on Monday we will ship that day or Tuesday; if we receive payment on Friday we will ship that day or Monday; “business days” are weekdays, legal holidays excluded. The UPS map is spot-on to most locations — but know that occasionally, in a given color block, a tucked away town may be 1-day more, a large city 1-day less than shown on the map.
If you need faster service (UPS Next Day, 2nd Day Air) or if timing is critical to your purchase, please contact us.
More info: Shipping info / Terms of Sale
Q: Will I get a tracking number?
A: Yes, you will receive the tracking number from UPS on the day that we ship your order; you’ll also get another email from UPS after delivery. Please be sure that you are not spam-blocking mail sent from UPS; add the following to your address book or email white-list: auto-notify@ups.com
Q: Who is UPS ? Who is USPS ?
A: UPS is United Parcel Service, a private carrier. USPS is the United States Postal Service, the US government sanctioned mail and parcel service.
Q: Would you be willing to ship USPS instead of UPS ? (AK, HI, PR, VI)
A: All domestic (US bound) packages are shipped UPS; all Zip codes in the 50-states plus DC/PR are embedded in our shipping calculator and are available for immediate checkout with UPS Ground as the shipping method; please inquire regarding faster UPS services. Shipping of international-bound purchases is considered on a per-order basis.
That said, we are aware that certain US-destinations (Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands) may realize substantial savings if shipped USPS instead, so for these destinations only, we’ll consider offering USPS as an alternative — it depends on the exact item and its value. Please inquire before you buy; likewise for U.S. Armed Forces APO/FPO.
Q: What about shipping insurance?
A: All US-bound items ship with UPS, fully insured with UPS against loss or damage in transit. International-bound shipments are also insured, pursuant to the insurance-limit set by the carrier, and, for USPS-International, the maximum insurance available varies by country and can be quite limited.
Maximum insurance coverage for USPS International:
Germany $500, France $650, UK $650, Switzerland $650. USD
Q: Will you ship to a P.O. Box?
A: Sorry, but we can not ship to a Post Office Box — we ship using UPS, and UPS will only deliver to a street address.
Q: What is the difference between UPS Ground and UPS 3-Day Select?
A: Available to the 48 contiguous US states, ‘UPS 3 Day Select’ is described on the UPS website as “An ideal mix of economy and guaranteed delivery by the end of the third business day.” You could think of it as UPS Ground service with a time in transit of three business days. UPS does not offer 3-Day Select to destinations where UPS Ground is just as fast. By the way, we can also can ship via the faster UPS services of 2nd Day Air and Next Day Air; inquire as to cost before you buy.
Q: There is damage or other problem with my order, now what?
A: We pack very carefully, and take every precaution to ensure that your item reaches you exactly as described. All items are insured with the carrier against loss or damage in transit. Upon delivery, please immediately inspect your item; if there is any issue, problem, or damage:
- Stay calm. We will work with you to resolve the problem. Contact us immediately, and await our response.
- Save all packing material — Yes, ALL, as in every-piece-of packing material.
- Please DO NOT file a Paypal dispute or credit card claim, doing so will only lengthen and complicate resolution. Give us the chance to resolve the issue first; you will still have the option of filing a dispute afterwards.
- If your item arrived damaged: Contact us immediately; we prefer to notify the carrier ourselves. But, in the unlikely event that you do not hear back from us within 24 hours: Notify the carrier via UPS Claims. We will, of course, also be in contact with the carrier and with you to assist this process. DO NOT simply return the item, since that will void insurance coverage.
Again: If you are not happy with your purchase, for any reason, please contact us and we will work with you to resolve the issue.
Q: Void-space in the packing-photos … can’t it shift and get damaged?
A: Ahh… good question — you noticed, perhaps, in the packing-photos, some empty void-space in the box. We usually photograph the packing at a stage where you can see the item, and some of the packing material around it, but before we add additional packing material so that there is no empty/void space in the box. Please know that ready-to-ship boxes are always fully stuffed with packing material to prevent any shifting or settling. We double-box just about everything and pack both inner and outer boxes such that there is no void space. We tend to go overboard on packing — we want to be certain that your purchase arrives safe & sound.
Q: Can I pay using a paper check?
A: We much prefer electronic payment, but if you really (really) want to snail-mail us a money order, personal check, or bank cashier’s check, please email us from any item page.
Q: Non-US address with my payment account, Am I a “US buyer”?
A: No, not for us. You are only a “US buyer” if your Billing and Shipping address are both within the United States.
Q: Paypal / What is a “Confirmed Address”?
A: Generally speaking, a Paypal Confirmed Address means that your registered address at Paypal is the same address where you receive your credit card billing statement. Here is how to tell if your Paypal account has a Confirmed Address: Login to your Paypal account, click Profile (in the links-bar above your name), click Street Address in the Account Information column, the status for your address is shown on that page.
Q: Paypal / What is a “Verified” account? Does that count as a Confirmed Address?
A: No, a Paypal “Verified” account and a “Confirmed Address” are two different things. A Paypal Verified account is a Paypal account which you have linked to your (bank) checking account, and completed a short verification process. We do NOT require buyers to have a Verified Paypal account.
Q: Paypal / What is “Instant payment”? What is “eCheck”?
A: Funding your Paypal payment with a credit card or debit card is what Paypal calls an “Instant payment”; it generally will clear to our account within a few seconds, and we can get your item shipped right away. If you are funding your purchase using a credit/debit card, the next paragraph is of no concern to you.
Very rarely, a payment will arrive with a notice from Paypal to NOT ship the item until further notification, which is typically 5 business days later — this because the buyer has funded the transaction using an “eCheck”. An eCheck is a Paypal payment that you fund using your bank account via ACH when — this is important — when you either have no credit card on file at Paypal or when some piece of the credit card info on file, like the expiration date or the billing address, is incorrect. Please make every effort to avoid this unfortunate occurrence, so that we can ship your item right away. Funding the Paypal transaction with a credit/debit card avoids the possibility of this delay; if you choose to fund via ACH please check that your credit card info at Paypal is up to date.
When will your item arrive? See above: Transit Time
Q: Why No Returns?
A: Several reasons…
- We take great care in the manner that we pack for shipping, and we generally pre-pack each item, at the time that it’s photographed. For you, the buyer, this means that our goods are not sitting on shelves in a brick-and-mortar store being handled where they perhaps might over time pick up a new minor scratch or two, likewise with returns — as we’d have to go over any return inch-by-inch, comparing it to its pre-sale photos.
- Some items (especially original drawings, posters & etc.) have value in the “stock photos” marketplace (Getty Images, for example, typically charges $500. for editorial use of their stock photos) and we don’t care to be a source of material for buyers who might purchase a vintage item simply to take some professional photos, and then return it.
- Other items (such as vintage cameras, tech & etc.) buyers often plan to service or restore, and we’d hate to accept a return and perhaps find out much later that it had been opened up and then re-assembled incorrectly or returned missing some part.
Q: Is international shipping available?
A: For many items, Yes! Please return to the item-page and click on the email link; send us your complete shipping address and we’ll reply regarding international shipping. Should you decide to purchase the item we will also need your local telephone number, since that is required for the customs document.
Q: Which carrier for international?
A: UPS is our default carrier, but for most items we’ll offer USPS Priority Mail International as a less expensive option.
Q: What about duty/taxes?
A: The buyer is responsible for all duty, taxes, brokerage fees, and customs-clearance fees. These charges are payable directly to the appropriate carrier, broker, or customs agent, upon delivery.
Q: Canada / What is the UPS brokerage fee?
A: Canadian-bound parcels shipped UPS Ground, called “Standard to Canada” service by UPS, incur an added fee for clearing customs, which UPS calls a brokerage fee (by the way, this fee is NOT incurred for their faster services). This brokerage fee is in addition to the shipping charge that you paid us. The buyer is responsible for this fee; it is payable directly to UPS upon delivery of your package.
