ORDERING, SHIPPING & REFUNDS

All PRICES on this website are in Australian Dollars (AUD). Goods & Services Tax (GST 10%) is applicable to domestic Australian orders only.

NO CATALOGUE

The SPECIMEN SEASHELLS pricelists (SPECIMEN SHELLS page) we publish online are formatted for easy printing. We also offer DECOSHELLS for arts, crafts, decoration & interior design projects - plus a huge range of BOOKS about seashells. Our stock requires constant updates, as it changes frequently. Unfortunately we can't offer you a hardcopy catalogue, as it would be obsolete as soon as we can get it printed!

NO ONLINE ORDERING FORMS

We do not use a preset online ordering form and prefer standard e-mail messages instead. This enables you to add your own comments to your order (i.e. your colour or size preference re. your specimen shell order).

ORDERING BOOKS

Please send us an e-mail, fax or letter with the name and number of titles you wish to order. Please include your mailing address, so we can send you a quote including shipping cost to your destination. All BOOK prices are listed in AUD and include GST, as we mainly sell/distribute seashell books within Australia. Overseas customers will receive a GST-free quote. We'll reply to you with an offer incl. available payment options. Done!

Please send us an e-mail, fax or letter stating the number and type of shells or starfish you would like to order. Please include your mailing address, so we can send you a quote incl. shipping cost to your destination. Note: All DECOSHELLS items are listed in AUD (incl. GST), as they are mainly intended for the domestic Australian market - but we also sell overseas. We will reply with an offer incl. available payment options. Done!

ORDERING SPECIMEN SEASHELLS (MINIMUM ORDER VALUE: $ 30.00)

Please send us an e-mail, fax or letter stating the number and type of shells you would like to order and include your mailing address and a contact phone number in case of any queries. Note: All SPECIMEN SHELL items are priced in AUD (NOT incl. GST), as they are mainly intended for overseas collectors (GST is not applicable for export).

All Australian customers will receive a quote incl. GST. Specimen seashell ordering requires additional descriptive text per item. To help you order exactly what you want, we have established the following 3 steps:

3 EASY STEPS VIA COPY & PASTE (You're welcome to send us a handwritten fax or letter instead, but this method will save you a lot of time!)

1 - SELECT: Open any pricelist and scroll down to your desired shell listing. Select the NAME & AUTHOR box plus all rows below featuring location, description, grading and price of the species you want. To select, keep your left mouse-button pressed and drag your cursor down and across until all you want is highlighted, then release the mouse button. You will find the text you just highlighted still selected. If you make a mistake, no problem! Just left-click your mouse again elsewhere on the screen to de-select and try again.

2 - COPY: Right-click your mouse on the highlighted text. From the pop-up menu, select COPY with a left-click of your mouse. This copies only your highlighted text.

3 - PASTE: Go to our contact page and click on the e-mail link. A new e-mail window will open on your screen. Type a subject (i.e. "Specimen Order") in the subject bar. Put your mouse cursor in the message space. Right-click your mouse, select PASTE from the pop-up menu with a left-click of your mouse. Your selected bit of text will now appear in your e-mail window. Add any comments or questions for your order as you like.

Repeat these steps for additional items from our lists to paste into the same message. Please include your name & mailing address before you send your message. We will reply to you with an offer incl. shipping cost ASAP that will include all available payment options. Done!

- You can use WORD or EXCEL programs for STEP 3. Open a new document and paste all your rows of text into that. Add your address details and comments, then save the file. Attach the file to your e-mail.

- If you want to order only ONE or SOME form / location / size of species listed with several different rows for various locations, descriptions, grades & prices: Select & copy ALL the info (name & author row PLUS all rows below including the one you want) & paste these into your e-mail or file. Remove the text you don't want EXCEPT the info for the item(s) you wish to order. Select the text you want to remove, right-click your mouse and choose CUT from the pop-up-menu.

- If you want to order a lot of species from a single pricelist, simply copy the entire list into your e-mail or file. Then just MARK the species you want (i. e. add the number of items you want and/or highlight each item), then save & send via e-mail or print and send as a fax - very quick & easy!

- Any problems with formatting? No worries! Never mind if your email or document looks a bit strange - we can usually work it out!

DISCOUNTS & WHOLESALE ORDERS

SPECIMEN SEASHELLS

We do not produce specific wholesale price lists, as we prefer to offer discounts for large orders in general. This approach will also help to lower your delivery cost per item. We can offer the following discounts:
    - 5% discount for orders of AUD 1000.00 and above in value.
    - 10% discount for orders of AUD 2000.00 and above in value.
There are also substantial discounts available for selected species that apply also for small orders. Please find them described as "wholesale offer" in our pricelists. We may grant additional discounts if you purchase 10 or more of a listed item. We will generally grant free gifts with each order, which will add up to another considerable discount and which will usually increase over time as we continue our business relationship with you.

DECOSHELLS

Most items in this category already offer a DISCOUNT BUYING OPTION. We can offer further discounts for large orders, which will certainly help to lower your delivery cost per item.

    - 5% discount for orders over AUD 300.00 (or additional extra items if you prefer this)

    - 10% discount for orders over AUD 500.00 plus numerous free gifts and samples (which further help to offset postage cost)
Additional discounts will largely depend on the conditions and prices we have to pay when buying our stock (many different sources). If you are purchasing for a shop / business, we will generally grant you free shells or starfish per order = additional discounts, which usually increase over time. Please advise if you require a constant supply of any particular item.

BOOKS

Seashell reference books require first-class image reproduction and target only a very small worldwide market of connoisseurs. As such, they are produced in low (expensive) print runs, which result in extremely low profit margins for publishers and distributors alike (if any). We proudly distribute for the following publishers (NOTE: There are small discounts available for booksellers for orders of 2 - 10 copies per title)

    CONCHBOOKS.DE, Germany

    ODYSSEY PUBLISHING, USA

Re. discounts for books and magazines from all other publishers / suppliers: Please contact us for more information.

DOMESTIC SHIPPING

Prices are valid as of July 2009. More info: http://www1.auspost.com.au/pac/aus_parcel.asp

We do not charge packaging / handling fees.

Before we ship your order, a pro forma invoice will be posted, faxed or e-mailed to you with an itemised invoice and total amount incl. shipping quote to your destination.

AUSTRALIA POST

If not indicated otherwise, Australia Post is the default shipping method for all domestic orders; prices for delivery will be quoted in AUD (incl. GST).

For regular deliveries of small/medium volume orders:

- Australia Post 500g satchel (prepaid - up to 500g  = AUD 6.27 (incl. GST), anywhere in Australia). The most economic shipping option for parcels up to 500g within Australia. Delivery time approx. 5 days outside WA.

- Australia Post 3kg satchel (prepaid - up to 3 kg = AUD 10.89 (incl. GST), anywhere in Australia). The most economic shipping option for parcels over 500g and up to 3 kg within Australia. Delivery time approx. 5 days outside WA.

For EXPRESS deliveries of small / medium volume orders:

- Australia Post 500g EXPRESS satchel (prepaid - up to 500g  = AUD 8.80 (incl. GST), anywhere in Australia). Same size as the regular Australia Post  500g satchel, incl. bar code proof of shipping/delivery. Delivery max. 3 days outside Overnight Network.

- Australia Post 3kg EXPRESS satchel (prepaid - up to 3kg = AUD 12.43 (incl. GST), anywhere in Australia). Same size as the regular Australia Post 3kg satchel, incl. bar code proof of shipping/delivery. Delivery max. 3 days outside Overnight Network.

- Australia Post 5kg EXPRESS satchel (prepaid - up to 5kg = AUD 20.35 (incl. GST), anywhere in Australia). Unfortunately Australia Post does not offer a regular 5kg satchel. Includes bar code proof of shipping/delivery. Delivery max. 3 days outside Overnight Network.

For all medium / large volume orders, we also recommend Australia Post as the most economic shipping option and will happily pack a box for you.

TNT

Courier TNT delivery to your door is also available Australia-wide, but this service is usually more expensive. Prices for delivery will be quoted in AUD (incl. GST). We will provide an alternative TNT quote if :

1) You request this

2) You require EXPRESS delivery of a medium to large volume shipment (we will automatically quote delivery via TNT Overnight First Class)

3) Your packaged order exceeds Australia Post 20kg volumetric weight or requires multiple packages (we will automatically quote delivery via TNT Road Express)

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Prices valid as of July 2009. More info: http://www1.auspost.com.au/pac/int_parcel.asp

We do not charge packaging / handling fees. Before we ship your order, a pro forma invoice will be posted, faxed or e-mailed to you with an itemised invoice and total amount incl. shipping quote to your destination.

NOTE: PARCELS TO DESTINATIONS IN CHILE, ARGENTINA, PHILIPPINES, RUSSIA, ITALY, ISRAEL and SPAIN by INSURED AIRMAIL / COURIER ONLY

AUSTRALIA POST

If not indicated otherwise, Australia Post AirMail is the default shipping method for all international orders, prices will be quoted in AUD (not including tax). Proven to be the most efficient, reliable and economic service in the past 15 years, deliveries to most destinations in Europe and the US will only take about 7 business days or less from date of mailing.

INSURANCE / EXTRA COVER

For insured Intl. AirMail Shipping / Extra Cover, add approx. AUD 8.75 (per AUD 100.00 of value) to the total postage amount for more careful handling and faster delivery against signature only. Please advise if required.

COURIER

You can request to have your order shipped via courier (TNT / EMS / DHL - 4 business days to most destinations worldwide). Please note that the cost of courier service is approx. 2-3 times higher than Australia Post AirMail postage. Shipping merchandise via courier is incurs extra fees for fast-tracking customs and quarantine services. Do you have a courier account? If you already have a preferred courier or shipping company, please advise your account details, so we can facilitate pickup.

PAYMENT METHODS (AUSTRALIA)

CREDIT CARD

We accept domestic Australian VISA or MasterCard payments. Please contact us via phone, fax or e-mail with your card details. We will acknowledge receipt of your data, process your payment immediately as a standard internet order and will get your shipment incl. tax invoice/receipt underway for you at once - if possible on the same day.

EFT / BANK TRANSFER

We accept bank transfers of your Australian Dollar payment directly into our business account at the NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK. Please contact us for our bank details.

CHEQUE

We accept Australian personal or bank cheques (Australian Dollars only) made out to AUSTRALIAN SEASHELLS PTY. LTD. 

MONEY ORDER

We accept Australia Post money orders (Australian Dollars only) made out to AUSTRALIAN SEASHELLS PTY. LTD. 

CASH

We accept cash payments (Australian Dollars only).

NOT ACCEPTED Diners, AMEX, BankCard, EFTPOS, PayPal, B-PAY, Western Union (or any other payment methods not listed above)

PAYMENT METHODS (INTERNATIONAL)

CREDIT CARD

We accept international VISA or MasterCard payments. Please contact us via phone, fax or e-mail with your card details. We will acknowledge receipt of your data, process your payment immediately as a standard internet order and will get your shipment incl. tax invoice/receipt underway for you at once - if possible on the same day.

EFT / BANK TRANSFER

We accept international EFT bank transfers (AUD - Australian Dollars ONLY) to our business account at the NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK.

To convert your invoice amount (AUD) to your own currency, we recommend the following converter website: The XE.com Universal Currency Converter

Please contact us for our bank details and detailed information.

CHEQUE

We accept personal or bank cheques in AUD and EURO, made out to Australian Seashells P/L.

We accept personal or bank cheques in USD (value at least 200.00 USD and above!), made out to Mr. Hugh Morrison.

We can only accept cheques with bank legible machine encoding on the lower edge (NO non-encoded cheques, sorry!).

MONEY ORDER

We accept Intl. money orders (via Post Office only - NOT including Western Union payments) made out in Australian Dollars to AUSTRALIAN SEASHELLS PTY. LTD. Please send money orders to our mailing address - contact. Please be aware that the post offices will charge you (and us) substantial fees for this service, which is however both secure and reliable.

CASH

We accept cash payments (AUD, USD or EURO)

NOT ACCEPTED Diners, AMEX, BankCard, EFTPOS, PayPal, B-PAY, Western Union (or any other payment methods not listed above).

REFUNDS / MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

WE DO NOT SEND SHELLS ON CONSIGNMENT. HOWEVER, WE OFFER A FULL MONEY BACK GUARANTEE FOR ALL OUR SPECIMEN SEASHELLS.

IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE SHELLS WE HAVE SELECTED FOR ANY REASON, YOU CAN SEND THEM BACK FOR A FULL REFUND OR EXCHANGE IF YOU WISH.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Please find additional information on classification, grading and exchange of specimen shells on the information page.

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Copyright © 2002-2009 Australian Seashells PTY Ltd.

Last modified: 17-01-10