Terms and Conditions of Sale

Returns:

Any individual stamp (or groups of less than 5 items) is returnable for any reason within 7 days of receipt or within 30 days of purchase (whichever comes first,) unless the stamp was placed on "extension" or other mutually agreeable (written) arrangements have been made. Without prior written agreement or a valid extension request, all sales become "final" 30 days after the date of purchase.

"Convenience" Returns:  When the description and/or identification is not in dispute but a return is desired, I will refund the purchase price on individual stamps (or groups of less than 5 items.) Your purchase price (minus my listing/PayPal fees, shipping/handling/insurance costs, and any other expenses) will be refunded.  The lot must be returned within 7 days of receipt (or within 30 days of purchase) in the same condition as originally sent.

Returns due to Misrepresentation: Items not described properly by me are returnable, and the full purchase price and reasonable (first class mail or equivalent) shipping costs will be refunded.  The item must be returned within 7 days of receipt (or within 30 days of purchase), in the same condition as originally sent.  Any return without reason, or where the identification and/or description is not specifically disputed, will be considered a "convenience return".

Returns due to damage during shipment.  If a shipment is lost or damaged, please contact me and I will file the necessary paperwork to process a refund.  Insurance is included on all domestic shipments.  Foreign shipments are sent uninsured and all risk of damage, loss and non-delivery are the responsibility of the International buyer.

A Note on Collections, Accumulations, Groups, etc.: All collections, accumulations, groups, etc. (any lot containing 5 or more items) are sold "as is".  All such lots should be assumed to be in "mixed condition" with faults present on some items unless specifically stated otherwise. Higher value items should be assumed to have faults or poor centering unless stated otherwise.  If you have any questions about large lots or specific items within large lots, please ask before you buy.  I'm happy to answer any and all questions.

Please notify me if you're unhappy with something you purchase. I will try to reach an acceptable compromise. In the unlikely event you do return an item, I recommend you insure it for the full amount for your own protection.  The material is your responsibility until it's safely back in my hands.

No item will be accepted for a return, for any reason whatsoever (including extension returns,) 4 months after the sale date. Any exceptions to this time limitation must be agreed to in writing.

Payment Terms:

Payment must be postmarked (or sent, for PayPal purchases) no later than 14 days from the date of sale. For eBay auction purchases, I usually e-mail invoices out within 2 hours of the auction close so please check with me if you haven't received one shortly following the end of auction notice.

Acceptable forms of payment include personal checks, money orders, certified checks, bank checks, cash, and PayPal.  All payments must be made in US funds, drawn on US banks.  I reserve the right to hold shipments until funds clear.  In the case of PayPal payments, I usually ship items the next business day after funds are deposited in my account.

Ohio residents must pay the appropriate sales tax on all purchases (including shipping) unless a resale number is provided.  Current sales tax rate for Cuyahoga County (where the sale takes place) is 7.75%.

There is a $20.00 charge (or actual cost to me, whichever is higher) for returned checks or any other refused or rescinded payment.  In addition to the charge, you are liable for any other costs, losses or damages I may incur as a direct result of your non-payment.

Unless previous arrangements have been made, accounts are past due 30 days after the date of the sale and an interest charge (up to the maximum allowable by law) can be added, at my sole discretion, retroactive to the date of purchase.  The minimum finance charge on past-due accounts is $10.00, regardless of balance amount.

For any invoice more than 60 days old, costs related to the collection of funds are the buyer's responsibility. This can include, but is not limited to, non-reimbursable fees or commissions on the sale, non-reimbursable listing fees, non-reimbursable payment fees (i.e. PayPal), interest charges, attorney's fees, court costs, collection costs, plus any other related costs, losses, damages and/or expenses.

Layaways:

For customers in good standing, I may allow items to be placed on an interest-free "layaway" of up to 3 months, with payments and other terms to be mutually agreed upon in writing prior to the sale. Items on layaway will not be shipped until the final payment clears.  Longer layaways may also be available, with an interest rate of WSJ Prime rate plus 2% (minimum 8% annually.)

If the buyer does not comply with the terms of a layaway, interest charges up to the maximum allowable by law may be added at my discretion, retroactive to the date of purchase.   I also retain the right to void the sale and re-offer item(s), and may pursue other courses of action, including legal means to recover money owed or interest accrued.  In the event layaway items are resold and my net proceeds don't cover the balance due, the buyer is liable for the difference.

 

Postage, Insurance, Handling and Other Charges:

"Net price" items and eBay auction items include shipping and insurance to any US address. No other fees (shipping or otherwise) will be added, unless otherwise specified in the description (Ohio sales tax is added when appropriate, as mentioned above.) International shipping is available (unless otherwise noted in the description) although insurance is usually not available.

Foreign shipments of high value must be arranged and agreed to separately. In many cases, insurance for the full amount cannot be provided, or can only be provided at significant cost. Please contact me if you plan on bidding/buying and would like foreign shipping quotes / options.  I am required by law to declare the full value on all International shipments.  Please don't ask me to do otherwise.

Auction-specific Information:

Because my auctions are typically ABSOLUTE auctions (no minimum, no reserve,) I may declare an auction "void" with no obligation to sell the item in question, even if the auction site claims the auction is complete and a winner determined (my terms supersede any stated terms that the auction site may have). I will invoke this only if circumstances beyond my control may have affected the outcome of the auction or the final price realized.

Circumstances may include (but are not limited to) problems with limited, intermittent, or no access to the auction site or the website(s) where pictures or other information is hosted, other internet or site-related issues (that could prevent bids, access to, or the viewing of lots,) any other unplanned or unforeseen problem which may arise that could affect the outcome and/or final price.

I may also declare an auction "void" if evidence of any bidding practice exists which, at my sole discretion and determination, might adversely affect the outcome / final price realized of the auction (bid "shielding" is one such example.)  eBay also maintains the right to end and/or void auctions where suspect bidding practices have been detected.

Placing a bid in any of my auctions, ordering from my website, or purchasing items from any other venue I sell in constitutes full acceptance of all terms outlined on this page.

Storefront-specific Information

All items are one-of-a-kind.   Items ordered from the SRAIL.COM store must be placed in a shopping basket, and checkout must be completed.  When utilizing on-line payments such as PayPal or Google Checkout, checkout is not complete even though the payment portion may have been completed.  Checkout is only complete when the final checkout screen "Congratulations, your order is complete" is displayed.  When items are in your basket, they cannot be ordered by others, however, shopping baskets expire after 30 minutes of inactivity, and any selected items are returned to the list of available items.  Placing an item in your basket does not guarantee purchase of that item.  In the event multiple customers checkout with the same item, the item will be awarded to the customer with the earliest checkout time.  

Closing your browser window, deleting cookies, using anonymous surfing utilities, and numerous internet-, hardware- or software-related issues may cause you to "lose" a shopping basket (no longer assigned to a specific account/session.)  In such cases, items will be unavailable for purchase until the basket expires, at which time items will be returned to available inventory for anyone to purchase.  If you "lose" a basket, please send an email and notify me of the problem.  In the event of website issues, software issues, power outages, or any other unexpected occurrences  that interrupt the normal operation of the storefront or the SRAIL.COM website, action may be taken at my discretion to correct the situation and that that action could affect active shopping baskets. 

Request for Stamp Certificates/Placing a stamp on Extension

Any uncertified (single) stamp that I sell may be placed on "extension" while a certificate of expertization is obtained. In addition, stamps with existing certificates issued prior to January 1, 2005 may be placed on extension for a new certificate.  Individual stamps from a larger lot may not be placed on extension, unless prior approval has been obtained.  The following procedure must be followed for all extensions:

1) All lots must be paid for in advance and the lot will ship once payment clears. Upon receipt, please examine the item. If you agree with my description but want a certificate, please continue with step 2).

2) You must notify me (preferably at time of purchase) that you are requesting a certificate and we must agree on a 3rd party service (APEX, PSE, PF, PSAG & Bill Weiss are acceptable) to do the certification. This notification must occur within 7 days of receipt but in no event later than 30 days from the purchase date. The item must be submitted within 7 days of receipt, but in no event later than 30 days from the sale or close of the auction. 

3) You submit the item as the rightful owner and pay any certification and postage costs required at that time. Contact information on the major expertization services can be found on my LINKS page.

4) If the item comes back with a certificate stating "not genuine" or with faults not originally described, you may return the lot and I will reimburse your purchase price plus the cost of the certificate (up to 20% of the purchase price or $100, whichever is lower). The stamp must not be marked in any way, and must be returned in the original condition (not encapsulated). Express service premiums are not reimbursable.  Certificate costs are not refundable if the service cannot render an opinion, or if a graded certificate disagrees with any statement regarding grade or estimated grade. 

5) Upon receipt of the returned stamp and certificate, I will credit your account (as defined in (4) above) within 24 hours.

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