Here are some details about our product shipping practices. Many of these are noted on our order form. International customers — that is, outside the US — please read that section
- Shipping rates shown are per item ordered. Shipping cost for additional items are half off. We will calculate total charges for shipping and confirm with you prior to shipping.
- Items ship from Massachusetts in the northeastern United States.
- Note our business policy regarding products damaged in shipment.
Domestic (within US) Shipments
- Please note that Media Mail is ground shipment, and shipping time depends on distance from Massachusetts. East coast shipments should take 2-4 days, but shipments to the west coast can take a week — or more.
- Priority Mail shipments typically take 2 days in the continental US and 3 days to Alaska and Hawaii. Tracking is included.
- We have found the US Postal Service to be a very reliable shipper over the years at reasonable cost. We have never had a shipment within the US get lost, and only occasionally has the shipment time been unexpectedly long — and only for Media Mail.
- We ship internationally using the United States Postal Service (USPS) for both pricing reasons for clearing customs.
- The quoted price on our order form is for their “Priority Mail International” service or First Class service.
- For some countries this service may not be available or may require charges beyond what is quoted. In that case, we will contact you by email before shipping to get your approval.
- International shipments made through the USPS leave the US by air within 24-48 hours. They are then transfered to the destination country’s postal service to complete delivery (after passing through customs). We have learned the hard way that some countries have better postal services than others. Unfortunately, no tracking is available since the different countries’ postal services are not integrated. Typical delivery times we have found are:
- Canada and Mexico: 1-2 weeks. That is NOT a typo. That is based on our experience. In fact, we have had packages shipped to Mexico never arrive at their destination, and we’ve had shipments take 2 weeks to get to major Canadian cities, such as Vancouver.
- Europe: 4-7 days
- Africa: 2 weeks
- Asia & Pacific Rim: 2 weeks
- We can offer more expedited shipping internationally, but we will quote you the price. This can get very expensive! For example, shipping our book (which is about 1 1/2 pounds, less than a kilo) to Western Europe:
- USPS Express Mail International, 3 day delivery for about $65.00
- FedEx International Economy®, a 7-day delivery for about $120.00
- We have never found anyone interested in paying those shipping prices. We do not mark up shipping costs, just cover our costs. We wish there was a way to ship internationally with a high level of service at a reasonable price. If you know of ways to do so, please let us know.