The following information is intended for those who want to buy books from me, presented in a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) format. You can contact me via e-mail by clicking on this link.
How can I buy books from you?
You choose the item(s) you want and after e-mail between us confirming availability and price, you send me the money. Upon receiving your money, I send you the item. I don't do C.O.D., and I don't send you the item first, and then you send me the money.
Why isn't your address here somewhere so I can send you the money now?
The prices for books do not include shipping charges, which have to be determined in advance for your location based on the weight of the package.
Where are you located? Do you have a store?
I am in Vancouver, Canada. Sorry, I don't have a store you can visit to buy books.
What kinds of payment do you accept?
If you are in the U.S.A.:
Payment is accepted in the following formats:
- Non-postal money order. You can use the money orders that you can buy at drugstores, supermarkets, 7-11, and Wal-Mart. These are from companies like Western Union and Traveler's Express and often have a very cheap service charge. They do not have to be "international" money orders. The kind you would get to send to someone else in the USA is just fine. Or you can get a money order at your bank.
- Postal money order. You can use either the green domestic ones or the orange coloured international ones ... but the green ones are much cheaper. Don't tell the clerk you are sending it to Canada when you buy a green one.
- Cashier's check. This is a kind of money order which you can get at a bank.
- Cash (well-wrapped). Please send to the nearest dollar amount above, do not send coins. There are certain risks with sending cash ... see below.
- Credit card. You can pay with a credit card through Paypal -- see below.
- Personal check.
If you are in Canada:
A personal check, money order or well-wrapped cash are preferred. The total price will be calculated by me in Canadian dollars.
Under some circumstances, Paypal can be accepted, but this will involve a surcharge to cover Paypal fees and the exchange rate.
If you are outside the U.S.A. and Canada:
Sorry, no personal checks. Payment must in one of the following formats:
- Money order/cashier's check in American dollars drawn on a U.S. bank or a postal money order which reaches me through the Canadian Post Office (this will be in Canadian dollars -- the total price in Canadian funds will be calculated by me first). Inquire at your Post Office or bank on how you can do this.
- U.S. cash (well-wrapped). Please send to the nearest dollar amount above, do not send coins. There are certain risks with sending cash -- see below.
- You can also pay with a credit card through Paypal -- see below.
Is it safe to send cash in the mail?
A lot of people do this ... but I can't be responsible for cash which is lost in the mail. If you are worried about this happening, use a money order or send it by registered mail. However, sending cash via registered mail may not be a good idea since there may be certain "limitations of liability" imposed by the Post Office if you do this.
Can I pay with a credit card?
I don't take credit cards directly, but you can use a credit card to pay through Paypal. If you need help on how to do this, please see the help links at the Paypal site.
How do you mail parcels to people?
I only use the Post Office. Parcels to US destinations are couriered twice a week to Point Roberts, WA where they are shipped via the US Postal System (USPS) by media mail, first class or priority mail. This is cheaper than sending through Canada. Parcels to Canada are sent either via Canada Post or via USPS (the latter is often cheaper.). Parcels to US addresses have delivery confirmation.
Items sent outside of North America have a variety of shipping methods. Most common is "small parcel" by surface or air mail. Items weighing 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) or less can be sent by this method. Anything over 2 kilograms is sent by parcel post, either surface or air mail. Wherever possible, parcels will be sent via USPS (for example, by Global Priority Envelope) where the cost is cheaper than sending through Canada Post.
How long does it take for what I've purchased to get to me?
When I receive your payment, the item is normally sent out within 2 business days.
Packages sent to the U.S. by media mail normally take 5-7 business days (Monday-Friday). First class mail or priority mail normally takes 3-5 business days. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, it can sometimes take much longer. One worst-case scenario had a parcel going from me in Vancouver to California by air mail ... it took exactly 31 days. (People living in the eastern U.S. who had their packages shipped the same day received them long before this.) Going in the other direction, payment to me from someone in the eastern U.S. took 6 weeks because the computerized machine which puts a postal bar code on the bottom of the letter made a mistake and the letter was sent to Birmingham, Alabama where it sat for a while until someone sent it on to me in Vancouver. Another package which I sent by first class mail to Toronto (which normally takes a few days) took six weeks.
Parcels sent overseas by air mail should reach you in 7-14 days. Surface mail going overseas is very slow ... 2-3 months is typical. It is actually cheaper to send by USPS Global Priority flat rate box than by Canada Post surface mail overseas if you are buying a certain number of books.
I'm worried about receiving my parcel, what can I do?
I can't be responsible for parcels sent to you that get lost in the mail or arrive damaged if they are sent by untraceable or uninsurable methods. Although based on my experience, the chance of something of this nature happening is extremely minimal, this is "based on my experience." If this is a concern, then you may be able to insure or register the parcel. Registration means that you have to sign for the parcel when you receive it and it is accounted for at every step of its journey. Normally this is used for jewelry, important documents and other extremely valuable items.
How much this will cost depends on the method being used to send the parcel. For further information, please send e-mail to me for further details.
Insured or registered parcels which are sent from Canada to destinations outside North America will have the value declared as the total price in Canadian funds (including shipping) ... the point of insuring/registering a parcel is to recover your money if the parcel should disappear. Thus, if you send me $20 U.S., the declared value will be in the area of $27 Canadian (given a rate of $1.35 Canadian to $1 U.S. ... this fluctuates). If you don't want the value to reflect the total price, please be aware that the value for insurance/registration purposes is equal to the declared amount.
Why is postage within Canada so expensive?
Don't ask me! The only reason I mention this is because some Canadian customers have been very shocked by the fact it costs $8.00 or more to ship a parcel across the country. Even considering the exchange rate, it is actually cheaper to mail some "small parcels" to Florida than eastern Canada. If your package (such as a book) will fit through a 20mm slot at the Post Office in its envelope, then it can be sent as a first class letter, which typically costs between $2.00 and $3.00, depending on weight. Otherwise, the higher rates apply. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, if you're a Canadian and want to know what it will cost to mail your package to you, send e-mail to me.
Updated February 18, 2008