|
Please explain your postage and
handling charges. Why do you have a flat rate charge for small orders? What
are “handling costs?”
BACK
TO TOP
We try and
keep things simple by having a flat rate charge. There is no correlation
between the weight of an item and its price. A system, which recharges exact
costs, would be expensive and difficult to administer and create uncertainty
for the customer as to what the total cost of a transaction will be. In some
cases the charge made does not even begin to cover the actual postage costs,
let alone handling charges. On other occasions it may more than cover both.
It’s a question of swings and roundabouts, which should balance out, over a
number of transactions.
Our postage and handling charges have
remained unchanged for over five years despite rising costs. The profit we
make on a small transaction is simply not enough to cover the cost of
postage and all handling costs. These “handling costs” include packaging and
the percentage we pay to the bank on each credit card or cheque taken. We
also have to be realistic about time costs, as we must pay at least a
minimum wage. These time costs do not change much between a single purchase
under £35 or one of £50. Each transaction must be individually invoiced,
picked and packed and payment allocated to an individuals account and
reconciled. All of this takes time and the amount of money made on a small
transaction is simply not enough to cover this.
How long will it take to get order my
order?
BACK
TO TOP
If an item is in stock your
order will
typically
be on its way to you within
2-3
working days
and frequently faster. If
an
item is not in stock it
may
take
anywhere from one week to three months to supply. It is difficult to
generalize,
as we order from
many
suppliers,
most of whom
are based outside the UK.
Our on-line
catalogue gives you a general estimate for availability of each item. In practice the overwhelming majority of orders are filled in full within 28
working days.
Once an order
leaves our warehouse, it typically is delivered to a UK address within 2
working days.
Next day delivery is available on orders received by noon, at a payment of
an additional express service charge of £9.95.
Can I come and visit your shop?
BACK
TO TOP
We do not operate a shop. We are a
distributor who has an office with warehousing which is not set up or
insured for public access. Our primary work is as a wholesaler and we supply
bookshops throughout the U.K. and Europe. A list of stock holding
booksellers who you can visit is found on this web site. We also set up
exhibits at conferences and shows open to the general public. Information
about these
will
be found soon
on the web site. These provide an
opportunity to come and browse our stocks with a greater in depth selection
in a single location.
Can I
have a discount?
BACK
TO TOP
Discounts are given to resellers as a way of
recognizing their contribution to marketing our books and the associated
costs of premises, staffing and display, which this entails. We do
occasionally offer selected discounts to all customers such as set purchase
offers and multi-buy discounts. Further details can be found elsewhere on
this site. Furthermore, all direct customers are given free postage and
handling on a single purchase of more than £35 which equates to a discount
of over 11%.
What is the benefit of a distributor?
How does this differ from a publisher or a shop?
BACK
TO TOP
As a distributor we bring together
7000+
items from over 300 different publishers and producers so that
both shops and individuals can access these in one transaction. This saves
both time and transaction costs just as we all do by buying most of our
groceries from a supermarket. Almost all bookshops now purchase through
wholesalers as the transaction costs of dealing with
thousands of publishers makes such a course of action unrealistic. We also
do marketing on behalf of small church publishers through advertising,
exhibitions, database listings etc.
Why is there a minimum order?
BACK
TO TOP
A minimum order is required because the
amount of profit made on a low value transaction is simply too small to even
begin to cover our costs in fulfilling the order. (See question 1 above) We
are not a charity and have to be pragmatic about our costs.
How can I pay for my order?
BACK
TO TOP
We accept all major credit and debit cards
except Diners Club. Payment can also be made by sterling cheque, postal
orders or bank transfer. Please do not send cash through the post. By prior
arrangement payment may also be made in U.S. dollars or Euro.
How will you deliver my order? Can I
have it sent to another address?
BACK
TO TOP
Orders are
dispatched
with the Royal
Mail or Parcelforce. Delivery to a third party address (such as a place of
work or local Post Office) can usually be arranged and set up as either a
permanent or one–off delivery address.
Where is my closest Orthodox Church?
BACK
TO TOP
There are now more than 200 Orthodox places
of worship in the U.K. and Ireland. An annual directory of these is
published by the Fellowship of St. John the Baptist and can be purchased for
£3.50 as part of a larger order.
Do
you have a catalogue?
BACK
TO TOP
Our web site contains a full and regularly
updated product listing.
Downloadable catalogues on different
themes will soon be available. Four times a year we mail out seasonal catalogues featuring new
items and those particularly appropriate to the season. We also send out
full catalogues on behalf of some of the publishers we represent such as St.
Vladimir’s Seminary Press and Conciliar Press.
|
