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SHEILASHUSBAND
I am semi-retired and when I’m not ‘working’ I buy, clean, catalogue, list, pack and post china, turning my hobby into a small eBay business.
Details and Conditions of Trading
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LISTING DETAILS
I prefer to keep my listings as uncluttered as possible so that the potential buyer can see the pertinent details ie. make and pattern, condition and photograph, all on the one page (screen).
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SOURCES
All of my pieces are sourced from local sales, second hand shops and auctions. They are all ‘previously owned’ and, unless specifically mentioned in the listing, will exhibit some signs of usage.
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MANUFACTURERS
Most pieces have stamps on their base giving details of the manufacturer and possibly a pattern name or number and these are used when listing the item.
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DESCRIPTION & CONDITION
Bearing in mind that all of the items that I list are second hand, I make a determined effort to describe the wear and tear and other visible signs of usage in such a manner that the buyer will be in no doubt as to the condition of the piece that they will receive.
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DIMENSIONS
All dimensions mentioned in listings are approximate or average. Experience has shown that similar pieces within a batch can differ in size by a millimetre or two.
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DESPATCH TIME
The majority of parcels will be despatched the next business day following payment, however due to occasional work commitments this may sometimes stretch, at the very latest, to the Monday following the week in which payment is received. Local buyers are welcome to collect by prior arrangement.
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PACKING CHARGES, CONSOLIDATION AND COSTS
Proper packing is an extremely important part of any eBay transaction, especially so with china. The use of appropriate materials and methods is critical to ensure that your purchase arrives safely. Almost all deliveries are shipped in a box made from 25mm thick expanded polystyrene specially constructed to suit that particular consignment. The box and outer packaging for a simple item such as a saucer can take around twenty minutes to half an hour to complete and a multi-item package or large awkwardly shaped piece such as a teapot or gravy boat can take at least an hour.
Whilst I use re-cycled materials where possible, the cost of labels, adhesive tapes, wrapping paper, bubble wrap, polystyrene, my time and, not to forget, the PayPal fee (for the P&P part of the overall payment), all have to be accounted for over and above the actual postage price.
Due to the relatively low sale value of most of my items, I need to make some financial recovery for these costs.
I currently allow an average of £1.50 over the estimated postage cost for items in a single parcel.
HOWEVER, should the postage cost charged exceed the actual stamp price by more than £2.00 I will automatically issue a PayPal refund for the saving.
Where appropriate, I will always consolidate the packing of multiple items from one or more listings, the exceptions being those items of radically different shape and size or where there are weight limitations.
To clarify this policy for all buyers I have, during May 2009, started to add the following statement to all new and revised listings.
PACKING & POSTAGE PRICE PROMISE . . Great care is taken to ensure that your fragile items are shipped in such a manner as to arrive with you without damage; to this end I try to recover an average of £1.50(GBP) towards the cost of packing them, regardless of how many pieces, from one or more listings, that may be consolidated into a single package. However, should the amount charged for any finished parcel exceed the actual ‘stamp’ cost by more than £2.00(GBP), the saving will be refunded to you via PayPal.
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DISTANCE SELLING REGULATIONS 2000 (UK)
eBay advises that ‘Buy it Now’ items are covered by the above regulations which stipulate that a buyer has up to 7 days after the goods have been received in which to cancel the contract. Should a buyer wish to exercise that right, they will be expected to inform me, preferably by email, prior to the 7 day limit. The buyer would also be expected to pay the full return postage ensuring that the item arrived back within 14 days, in the same condition as it left and preferably in its original packaging.
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ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED
If a buyer is not entirely satisfied that the item has been described correctly, the buyer should contact me within 7 days of receipt, preferably by email. If the problem cannot be resolved to our mutual satisfaction, the buyer may return the item in its original packaging for a full refund upon its safe receipt.
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REFUND OF POSTAGE COSTS
Due to the generally low price of the items supplied, relative to postage charges, any refund of postage costs, if agreed, will be restricted to a value no greater than that of the goods invoiced.
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LOSS OR DAMAGE IN TRANSIT
A Postal Receipt (Proof of Posting) will always be obtained and the buyer will always be advised of the date and method of despatch.
Most UK parcels are sent via 1st Class Post and, as such, are automatically insured for loss or damage to a value of £39.00.
If a parcel does not arrive within the expected timeframe, the buyer should contact me and I will initiate the Post Office loss or damage procedure.
Should a parcel or its contents arrive in a damaged condition it would be prudent to take photographs of the damage to both the parcel and contents at the earliest opportunity. (Parcels are packed so carefully that it would be highly unlikely for the contents to be damaged without some visible signs on the outer packaging.) Please contact me and I will initiate the Post Office loss or damage claims procedure. The wrapping and contents should be retained as the Post Office may wish to examine it as part of their investigation.
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INTERNATIONAL PACKAGES
The Royal Mail (UK Post Office) does not offer a suitable package tracking or signature service for Surface Mail or Air Mail without a very substantial increase in price. I regret that I cannot accept responsibility for items once in transit. However, I have shipped hundreds of packages to international destinations worldwide using the standard services with no serious problems.
If a tracked service is necessary please enquire for a price and details prior to completing your purchase.
Royal Mail automatically include insurance of up to £39.00(GBP) to compensate for lost or damaged international mail, however I have not yet had the need to find out how useful this service is.
For North America and Australasia, Air Mail usually takes around a week. Surface Mail normally takes 4-5 weeks but can occasionally stretch to 12 weeks or more.
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PAYMENT
Whilst PayPal is the preferred method of payment, for UK buyers by prior arrangement, I’ll accept cheques, Postal Orders or even cash, if the buyer is prepared to risk it. Cheques normally take around 10 working days to clear.
For international buyers PayPal is the only acceptable method of payment.
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REPLACEMENTS
Due to the ‘second user’ nature of the items being sold it is very unlikely that a replacement would be available for any piece lost, damaged or returned.
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WARRANTY
Other than to do the utmost to ensure that the item is described correctly in the listing, is despatched as quickly as possible and that it arrives with the buyer having been suitably packed for postage, no further warranty can be offered.
Chris Jordan
10 Wellmeads
Chelmsford
Essex CM2 9QB
UK
jordan_c_j@hotmail.com
chris@sheilashusband.com
044(0)1245 251552
Details last updated 22nd May 2009
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