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Payment Terms and Policies
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note that I create displays out of hundreds of different items. Some are one-of-a-kind - such a rare Baron von Richthofen signed photo - and others are similar - such my fossil and mineral displays. On those items which I have created similar displays, the one pictured is representative of that particular item. You may or may not get the one pictured, but the one you get will be every bit the quality of the pictured item.
Important Change as of October 1, 2007 -
As of October 1, 2007, my daughter, Elisabeth "Happy" Grimes, is taking over all of the part of our business that must be done in a timely manner - billing, shipping, etc. Since I am often away, this will make for a much smoother operation with minimal delays. I will continue to do all of the "fun" stuff like research, creating my displays, writing descriptions for auctions, etc. This change should be transparent to all customers. eMail may be responded to by either or both of us. Bottom line is that I will have nothing to do with the shipping, billing, or anything that must be handled in a timely manner. Happy will take care of all of that. It got to the point where I was simply not able to operate as smoothly as I should with no help. Splitting up the responsibilities will relieve me of a great deal of pressure and will only take Happy and my grandson 2-3 hours a week to do their part.
Payment -
Payment methods acceptable are: PayPal (preferred), Discover (preferred), MasterCard, Visa, Money Order, Certified Check, Company or Personal Check, or Cash. I do not ship COD. NOTE: I do not yet have my secure ordering software working yet for all items on my site, but you can safely e-mail your credit card info by sending the first group of numbers and the expiration date in one message and the remainder of the messages in a second message. I do not recommend sending the entire credit card number and expiration date in a single message. The dual message routine is completely safe. Our PayPal user ID is "happygirl1975@pcpeople.com" . For additional info on PayPal, please click here. I am in the process of totally re-vamping my website with a secure PayPal shopping cart.
Electronic Bank Transfers - My bank's outing number is Commercial Bank of Texas, NA - 113102714 and the account number is 3400508977. Name on the account is Cy Stapleton. My bank requires pre-authorization for a bank transfer). Phone number of of bank is 936-715-4100. Address of bank is 215 E. Main St., Nacogdoches, Texas 75961. NOTE: Foreign banks will have a bank in the US that they use for electronic transfers. They will have the IBAN and Swift Code for the bank they deal with. That bank then forwards the funds to my account when they receive it. It normally takes about three days.
Shipment -
Shipment normally is made on Friday of the week payment is received. Occasionally I am out of town for a few days and shipment may be delayed. My e-mail autoresponder will respond to an e-mail message and let you know if I am out of town. Stamps are shipped via 1st class mail. Other items are shipped either via USPS or by United Parcel Service. Tracking is not available on foreign shipments.
Shipping Charges -
If you place your bid 4 days prior to closing or earlier, shipping to the US is free and foreign shipping is discounted 50%.
My shipping charges are actual shipping charges plus up to $2 to cover insurance and packaging. Shipping charges can be figured by clicking here for USPS or here for UPS. My zip code is 75915 (US). Actual charges will be quoted prior to shipment. I do make foreign shipments via USPS. The best rate for foreign shipments is either Air Letter Post or Economy Surface Post. Packaging material will have an average weight of 12 oz. USPS foreign postage can be found by clicking here. Enter your country's name and shipping weight. Upon request I can give you the exact shipping weight. Insurance and/or tracking is not available on foreign shipments. On foreign shipments all I can provide is the confirmation that I shipped the item and the date shipped.
Insurance...
All of my shipments except for foreign shipments are either self-insured or insured through a third party. If item(s) is not delivered within 30 days of shipment, a replacement will be shipped (if available). If a replacement is not available, a full refund will be sent. Insurance claims cannot be filed until 30 days after shipment date. I handle all insurance claims for the buyer.
Packaging -
Except in rare cases, packaging and insurance is included in the extra $2 added to the USPS or UPS fee. All items are carefully packaged and, where appropriate, shreaded paper and newspaper or bubble wrap is used for packaging material. Individual items are wrapped and secured with rubber bands rather than tape. Stamps are shipped in a #6 baronial envelope in HECOs at a flat $2 shipping fee unless otherwise noted. Tracking is not available on these envelopes.
Foreign Orders -
All foreign orders must be paid is US$ by credit card, PayPal, or wire transfer only. For info on PayPal, click here. My PayPal username is "cy@hotlinecy.com". For a currency converter, please Click here. Tracking and insurance is not offered on foreign shipments.
Certificates of Authenticity...
A COA is available on any item at an additional charge of $10. A COA will delay shipment by two (2) days since it must be created for the specific item. The COA has a picture of the item, description, and guarantee of authenticity. Under no circumstances will a COA be issued after an item has been shipped.
Return Policies
Software -
Software is not returnable. In the case of defective media, replacement will be made immediately upon my being notified that the media is defective. I must be notified within 30 days of shipment.
Books -
Books, except for signed books and books that were improperly described, are not returnable. See "General" below.
Displays -
Stock displays may be returned for credit for any reason providing request for return authorization is received within 10 days of shipment. Custom display sales are final if you have approved the jpeg of your finished custom display. There is a 15% re-stocking charge on any returned items.
Auction Items
Unless otherwise noted in the auction description, all auction sales carry a 10-day money back guarantee that the item is as described. If you have any question about an item, please e-mail me at cy@hotlinecy.com before bidding. On the rare item that is noted "as is" in the description, no return will be authorized. In the case of any refund, except for an item being improperly described, refund will be in the form of a credit that can be used on any of my other items. For signed items, please see "General" below.
General
While my deadline for request to return an item is 10 days after shipment, the absolute deadline for any kind of return autorization is 30 days after payment is received. Many items are consigned and the consignor is paid on the 30th day after I receive payment from the buyer. No return requests are considered after that date. This extended deadline is primarily for signed items to give the buyer time to check the item, if desired.
Refunds
Please allow up to 30 days after authorized return is sent to receive your refund.
