Terms

Terms, Payments, Shipping, and Other Stuff

Updated April 03, 2003

Preferred Payment Method

By far the best way to handle payment is VISA or Mastercard. This provides protection for both of us. I am able to insure that I will be paid. You will also have some recourse in the event for some unforseen reason, I do not complete the transaction.

If you think about it, sending someone a check or money order isn't a good way to do business over the internet. You have released your payment with no way to recover it in the event of a problem. With your VISA card, you can write to VISA and have the payment investigated. It is the safest way to pay.

I no longer accept wire transfers for payment. I have had many problems with this method, and can no longer honor requests for this type of payment. Wire transfers are extremely expensive as the banks take large fees for doing so. Some transfers have eaten up to 35% of the wired amount in fees.

Shipping Costs

	Typical US Express Mail shipping costs are $18.00 domestically. Federal Express runs around $28.00 for overnight service. International shipments are discussed here.
	I am not setup to ship via UPS. I can do FedEx or US Postal Service only.
	I can ship using your FedEx account. The normal $6.00 shipping and handling fee is still applied to your order.
	Note that I usually ship on only on Tuesdays. That means if your order is placed, I will usually ship it overnight on the next Tuesday.
	All of the express shipment methods require your phone number to be on the package. You must include your daytime phone number with your order.
	You are responsible for paying all shipping and handling costs. If your shipping charges are substantially over my quote, I will notify you of additional charges before sending the package.
	In some circumstances, shipping costs are higher based on incorrect information provided by you. For example, if you ask Federal Express to change the delivery address, they charge me $10.00 US for this service each time you do so. Other increased charges include redelivery attempts, duty/custom collection, each having its own particular charge. You will be responsible for paying the additional charges. I won't find out about the additional charge for at least a month. This added cost may not appear on your charge card for up to 60 days after shipment.
	I may, at my option, change the terms of shipment using equivalent delivery methods (ie Express Mail vs FedEx vs UPS). This is sometimes done to either meet the quoted shipping price, or to provide the requested service in a timely manner. I may also choose to self insure delivery of your package.

FOB Point of Origination

FOB is a legal definition of a shipping term called Free On Board. That means my responsibility for the package is released once the package is given to the post office or shipping company. This is important to you since if the package is lost, it is your responsibility to find it. I will help if I can, but I have no legal responsibility to replace or refund for lost packages.

If you are concerned about this, then you should request that I ship your package using Federal Express or US Express Mail, which are tracked and insured.

Purchase Orders

What is a purchase order: Its when you want to place an order and have me bill you later for it. They are expensive and time consuming for me to process, so I don't like doing it. Please consider using a VISA or Mastercard instead.

Here are my Purchase Order terms

Security

The most secure way to order is to send me a FAX. The FAX number is answered by my NT workstation, which is password protected.

The second most secure way is US Mail. Send your order to

Kevin Ross
PO Box 1714
Duvall, WA 98019

I can also accept PayPal payments. My ID is kevinro@kevinro.com

If you wish to send your order via email, you can send me your order at kevinro@kevinro.com . I have been accepting email orders for several years, and have never heard of a problem doing so.

If you would like to encrypt your message, I have a digital ID from Verisign that you can find at:

http://www.verisign.com/client/index.html

Look for kevinro@kevinro.com in the registration database. Or, you can send me mail and ask for a signed reply. If you wish, you can get a free digital ID for 90 days from Verisign.

International Shipping: Customs and Duties

You are responsible for paying any taxes or duties on the goods I ship you. It is illegal for me to mark my packages as gifts or samples when it is really merchandise. Each country has its own rules about customs and duties. I do not keep track of what each country requires in the form of duties, so you will have to determine this on your own. My products are all labeled 8542.70 or 8542.90 for their Harmonized Tarriff Codes.

In addition, Customs requirements require a certain level of documentation. 98% of the packages I send internationally arrive on time and without problems. There are, however, that last 2% that seem to cause problems. The following list are the countries where I have had a few problems sending packages using the US Mail

Germany

Italy

Sweden

Though I and the US Post office have carefully checked to insure that we are following the published rules, these countries have rejected and/or 'lost' at least one or two packages sent using the US Mail. Unfortunately, they do not explain why the package was rejected, nor have they ever found the 'lost' packages. I strongly suggest FedEx to these countries. I have had a 100% delivery rate using FedEx.

There are several options with regard to shipping Internationally (anywhere but the US and Canada). Unfortunately, shipping costs are out of my control, and can be expensive. Here are the alternatives I can provide you. Note that the prices here are estimates, and will depend on the size and weight of your order.

Federal Express - FedEx is extremely reliable, fast, efficient, and packages are insured and tracked. FedEx is also expensive. Most orders cost about $45.00-$55.00 to ship internationally. I would prefer that you used Federal Express, because of their reliability. Shipping usually takes 2-3 days.
US International Express Mail - Normal costs are $22.00-$29.00 depending on the weight of the order and destination. These are tracked and insured up to the point that the package leaves the United States. After that, they are often not insured, depending on your countries postal policies. The maximum insurable value is $500.00. While most packages arrive in 3-5 days, the amount of time varies greatly from 2 days to 15 days or more.
Air Parcel Post - Most orders cost about $18.00 to send. They are insured but not tracked. Orders shipped via Air Parcel Post have had a good record for arriving in a reasonable amount of time. They are not individually tracked. If the package is lost, you will be entitled to the refunded insurance amount minus $20.00. The refund will be credited to your account when I receive funds from the post office. The maximum insurable value is $500.00
Air Mail - This is not insured and it is not tracked. There are no refunds for lost shipments. Costs range from $10.00 to $14.00. Most countries Air Mail takes 7 to 14 days.