Shipping Costs and Time Estimates
NOTE: These prices reflect recent increases in postage as of may 2007
ABOUT THE RED CODE AND WEIGHT/SHIPPING
ABOUT THE STANDARD $4.50 SHIPPING AMOUNT (AND SHIPMENTS OUTSIDE THE u.s.)
All orders are sent by the U.S. Post Office via surface mail unless you specify what form of shipping you prefer. Surface mail takes from 6 to 10 days or more inside the U.S., with certain locations up to 3 weeks occasionally. Certain packages of light items may go out airmail at no extra charge. Standard shipping in the U.S. is always $4.50 for any order with surface mail. Shipping overseas varies widely, depending on weight of package, country, manner of shipping and time taken to get there. As a rule we charge $.50 to $1.00 over actual cost, for shipping materials and handling. Outside of the U.S., most all orders are shipped airmail due to poor service and long waits for surface mail. We at Free Minds, Inc. with over 23 years of shipping experience, prefer to send things airmail, especially around the holiday seasons. Global Priority mail is available for smaller parcels of 1-2 books and costs a flat $11.00 ($9.00 to Canada and Mexico), with 50 cents charge for handling. Global priority mail takes only a few days, but some countries are not serviced. Feel free to email Randy if you have a question.
DOMESTIC ALTERNATIVES: (shipped to destinations inside the U.S.)
Airmail is also known as Priority Shipping in the U.S. With many orders (unless you have ordered heavy books - some books can weigh 2.5 pounds each), Priority Shipping is only around $2 more. Feel free to say how much you will spend extra for airmail in the comments section of the shopping cart. Or, you can request an estimate at the email link below. Most Priority mail items arrive within 2-3 days of completing the sale (in the U.S.) In contrast, the default Surface mail may take 1-2 weeks.
OVERSEAS AND CANADA ALTERNATIVES
Overseas, airmail takes 5-10 days usually, and surface mail may take anywhere from 3 weeks (Canada) to 4-6 weeks (Europe) to 6-12 weeks (Australia, Asia, etc.). Airmail charges range from Global Mail flat-rate envelopes (hold one or two books, etc.) for $12 to by-the-pound rates at about $12 per pound to any destination. Some exceptions apply due to weight limitations in certain countries. The weight on some items is already listed at the end of the item description. Add about a pound for most packaging. INTERNATIONAL RATE CALCULATOR
Why it is safe to shop in the Free Minds Store and Free Minds Antiquarian
email Randy with order questions (prompt reply)