How does the shopping/shipping actually work?

[MamaT]

I'm trying to write up some shipping policies and don't want them to totally contradict how the cart works!

Here's what I had so far.....

Shipping:

All "stock" items are usually shipped within 24 hours of receipt of payment for domestic orders and within 3 days of purchase for international addresses. Exceptions naturally are weekends, and/or holidays. Beyond that, there’s always the chance of any other unavoidable extenuating circumstance in which we may need to be away from the computer for a short span of time. You can be assured that if there were anything fitting into that category, we would do our best to alert you of that status on our homepage.

Our standard method of shipping is USPS priority mail with delivery confirmation. If you would prefer another shipping option, please contact us prior to purchase for a quote.

Also, please consider purchasing postal insurance. Once shipped, your items are no longer in our hands and we cannot control what happens to them. We cannot be responsible for lost/damaged items. Keep in mind that the insurance rates quoted in our listings are for US shipping only. Insurance is available for international orders but is significantly more expensive. Please ask if you would like a quote.

*We are happy to include a gift card, free of charge, if you are shipping as a gift. Simply request one in the notes section, and let us know how you would like it to read.

Packaging:
We do what we can to help the environment and keep costs lower for you, therefore we use recycled boxes and packaging materials when we can. What does that mean? The box your order comes to you in may be recycled so don’t be alarmed if it shows up bearing what we like to call "character marks".
We will also re-use packaging materials that we receive such as peanuts, bubble wrap, etc….instead of throwing it into the garbage.

Payment Options:
We accept all major credit cards through PayPal. You DO NOT need a PayPal account to use a credit card, and your financial information is never revealed. To use this option, once you are at the Paypal screen, simply click on the link that says "Don't have a PayPal account? Use your credit card or bank account". However, WITH a PayPal account, you also have the option of paying with an echeck, or your checking account. All transactions are handled completely and securely though PayPal.
Upon purchase, payment is expected immediately, unless other arrangements (such as layaway or alternative payment options) have already been made. If there is no communication, or payment has not been received within 24 hours of the purchase, we reserve the right to restock the item.
Money orders or checks may also be accepted, if you ask before purchasing and send payment right away. If paying by check, the item will not be shipped until the check has cleared.


Returns:
If you are not satisfied with any product, you may return it, in new condition, within 14 days of receipt of the item, and receive a full refund. Prior to your returning an item, please contact us to let us know that the product will be on its way and the reason for your dissatisfaction. Upon our receipt and inspection of the product, you will be refunded your payment, minus the cost of shipping. Any items returned to us that are not in new condition will be returned to you at your expense.

All items sold as "seconds" are sold as-is and carry no guarantee.

Is any of this way off base? Is there anything else I'm forgetting to address?

[stevesh]

Looks good to me. I like policy pages that are written by the site owner, rather than pasted in from some sample text.

Mentioning that you recycle packaging materials is a good idea. That's important to a lot of people these days.

The only thing that would give me pause as a potential customer is the part about your 'being away from the computer' in the first paragraph. I'm uncomfortable with catch-alls like that, and it suggests to me that there may (will) be times when I'll have to wait for my order, through no fault of my own. I don't like to wait.

Actually, there's another thing that would scare me away, but my position on PayPal-only sites is well known around here, so I won't beat that dead horse.

[MamaT]

Thanks. I wondered about that "being away" portion. I guess I wanted to have an "out" for things such as family emergencies, vacations, etc. but I guess anyone who is shopping on our site is going to see that we're not a big corporation with a host of employees. How would you suggest I handle that?

I'm not familiar about your paypal only position. I WAS considering adding a google checkout option though....would that be a good thing, or is there something else that you would suggest?

As far as things with priority shipping, or international quotes.....does that all seem accurate? I guess I'm just not sure how much of this is programmed into the cart and how technical I want to get versus personal service.....

[chris32882]

I'm trying to write up some shipping policies and don't want them to totally contradict how the cart works!

Here's what I had so far.....


Is any of this way off base? Is there anything else I'm forgetting to address?

Looks good to me.

PayPal is fine to use, there isn't anything wrong with using PayPal, some people hear horror stories and read about them very few actually have them, but I'm sure it will be nice to offer more than one payment solution. This link describes what ppl have encountered. http://www.aboutpaypal.org/

[stevesh]

I guess the 'being away' and Paypal things are part of my overall ecommerce philosophy, which is "do it right, or don't do it". I can't quite get a handle on what you'll be selling, since you only have one product set up, but if your products are actually made by your family, you might get away with PayPal only, and being offline when you go on vacation.

If you're selling products you're buying from others, which is to say, you're competing with other sites selling the same products, as a customer I'll expect you to be available 24/7/365, mainly because your competitors will be. I'll also expect to be able to use my credit or debit card without going through PayPal.

The cost of entry into ecommerce (thanks in large part to the Zencart devs) is very small, but it isn't zero. I think $40 a month or so for a proper credit card merchant account is a reasonable and necessary expense.

The above is just my opinion and there are those here who will disagree (and have done so).

Various shipping options are built into the shipping modules, and it'll be up to you which you want to offer.

One thing everyone here will agree upon is that the one product image you've uploaded so far is waaay too big, file-size-wise (almost 1Mb). You'll want to check the tutorials about images and consider the Image Handler 2 mod, to nip that in the bud before you go wild adding products.

[MamaT]

Thank you for your opinions.

Yes, these are items made by our family. There is nothing big, competitive, or corporate about us =)

As far as having a merchant account, that is something we would like to do, and, if things go well with the store, we will add it on later.

Can you tell me where I need to go to see the shipping modules? It looks like I also need to somehow set the search options? What else do I need to do, besides add some product? I know that picture is huge! I plugged one in, just so I could see how to do it and how it would look. Where do I find the image handler that you are speaking of? Would that be easier than just resizing each item in photobucket before I upload them?

[MamaT]

Looks good to me.

PayPal is fine to use, there isn't anything wrong with using PayPal, some people hear horror stories and read about them very few actually have them, but I'm sure it will be nice to offer more than one payment solution. This link describes what ppl have encountered. http://www.aboutpaypal.org/

That free merchant account looks like something I wouldn't touch with a 10' pole. Isn't there something about being too good to be true? What's the deal there?

[chris32882]

That free merchant account looks like something I wouldn't touch with a 10' pole. Isn't there something about being too good to be true? What's the deal there?

I just pointed you to a site about horror stories about paypal.

I'm sure that link is pretty much legiit, I checked it out.


You should go to the link thats on every page here on the site labeled "Free Software Add Ons" and search for Image Hander 2, also there is a link to look at all the shipping modules and other contributions

[MamaT]

I just pointed you to a site about horror stories about paypal.

I'm sure that link is pretty much legiit, I checked it out.


You should go to the link thats on every page here on the site labeled "Free Software Add Ons" and search for Image Hander 2, also there is a link to look at all the shipping modules and other contributions

I know....it's just that ON that link they are talking about "the better option"....

Thank you =)