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FAQs:
How long will it take to get order my order? Can I come and visit your shop? What is the benefit of a distributor? How does this differ from a publisher or a shop? How will you deliver my order? Can I have it sent to another address? |
Frequently asked Questions |
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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.
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