Announcement    NOTICE!!!!! USPS just raised postal rates again on 1/21/24. The only way to combat ever-increasing shipping rates is to combine ship. I am happy to hold your box to allow added buttons to travel with no additional fee. I have many customers who take advantage of this. Postal rates are a necessary part of buying and selling online. But, we can save money by combining orders. Please consider doing this when you order.

SHOP POLICIES:
With the new Etsy system, this is the only way I know to let potential buyers know my shop policies. I don't want any unhappy customers. I do my very best to make sure that doesn't happen. I want you to know what my expanded shop policies are.

RETURNS & EXCHANGES:
Generally speaking, I do not accept returns, so please be sure to read my descriptions carefully and view all the pictures for a listing. I am very careful in my descriptions to point out any flaws or damage I see. I consider myself your eyes and nose in pointing out anything that might be off-putting. I will point out things that you would probably never notice without the magnification of the item. I am human, though, and IF I misrepresent an item in any way, I will happily refund your purchase.

RESERVES: I am happy to look for items if a customer wants me to, but I do NOT place reserves on my listings. If I reserve for one customer, I would need to reserve for all customers. I don't like to see RESERVED because I wonder what I am not being given the chance to buy. I want all of my customers the have the same opportunity to order. I list every Saturday night at 9:00 EST USA. When I have misplaced an item for an order, I will do a listing for that customer ONLY, but that's just to make something right that went wrong. I appreciate everyone's understanding.

PRICE DISCOUNTING: I don't discount my prices. I ask for a fair price from every buyer to take advantage of, not just those who ask for a discount.

SHIPPING (A frank discussion):

The USPS continues to raise its prices for postage. Sadly, that means I have to increase my shipping fees too. Etsy tells me I am asking too much, but the truth is I lose money on every box I ship. Etsy charges a 6% fee on every label I process. If they would eliminate that fee, I could reduce what I charge. Etsy wants me to give FREE shipping. Everybody loves FREE shipping, me included. Many of my orders are for a $6.00-10.00 item. Shipping a box costs 4.50-5.00. I think you can do the math and know that giving FREE shipping would put me out of business. I do not make money on shipping.

One possible solution to reduce the higher cost of shipping in the USA is to combine ship. I am happy to hold your box, allowing future purchases to travel without an additional shipping fee (I refund any additional fee paid). I will process your shipping label on the first order allowing for additional items. All you need to do is request this service. I have many buyers who take advantage of this. Quite frankly, it saves you money and saves me labor. Up to 12 small items like buttons and charms can travel for the same fee as 1.

International shipping fees have also gone up. I am sorry to have to increase the cost, but it is necessary to match what the USPS charges me. Etsy uses a Global Shipping Service for all international orders outside North America. I have no idea why the company decided to do this, but it is the only way I can ship an international package.

For international shipments, I have listed a flat shipping fee which may be too high for shipment to your country. I will immediately refund any excess shipping charged beyond the actual cost of shipping. As to customs, that is the buyer's responsibility, so be sure to know what your country's laws are. Please buy your choices in one order. I haven't figured out how to combine and ship multiple orders internationally due to customs.

As to damage or loss in transit, I am very careful in sufficiently wrapping each item. My boxes can withstand 200 pounds - I can stand on my boxes without crushing them. I take each shipment directly to the USPS window and get a receipt for each item shipped. I have no control over what happens once it has been scanned into the USPS system.

Insurance is up to the buyer. It is my understanding that If the USPS shows it as having been delivered to your address, insurance will do no good. I had this happen to me once. The scanning showed it as delivered to my address, but I did not receive it. Perhaps it was stolen out of my box, but the bottom line, USPS did not honor the insurance. I will say, that in 35 years of shipping online purchases, I have had two go missing and one damaged in transit.