Willow's Place Shopping FAQ

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Willow's Place Store

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I'd rather pay by check or money order instead of PayPal. How do I do this?

A: Keep track of your desired purchase and email me your complete order. I'll tell you how much shipping and any tax is, then you can send your written order plus payment to Willow's Place, PO Box 60, Big Oak Flat, California, 95305.

Q: Is PayPal easy to use and secure?

A: Yes, it's easy to use - you can link your credit card or bank account to a PayPal account for instant electronic payments. And yes, it's extremely secure -PayPal developed the world's most advanced proprietary fraud-prevention system to ensure the security of any personal or transactional information in their payment network. Additionally, they promise never to share your personal account information with anyone. PayPal accounts are also completely free for any buyer to use no matter where you shop. If you have any other questions about PayPal, please visit their website at https://www.paypal.com.

Q: Why don't you take credit card payments directly instead of using PayPal?

A: It's extremely expensive to be able to process credit cards, requiring a special merchant account and a special security service for encrypted and secure processing, so in the interest of keeping costs down, we have opted at this time to take advantage of the simple fee-based PayPal services instead. In the future we anticipate being able to take credit card payments directly and have already investigated how to do this smoothly and with the least expense. I understand that filling out all that PayPal information the first time can be a hassle, but once you've done it, it's easy to make instant online payments on my site or any other vendor that uses PayPal, like eBay or your favorite charity. And of course there's always the option of sending a check or money order instead (see above).

Q: Why is shipping so much?

A: I know the shipping cost seems like a lot, but I'm breaking even, and in some cases losing a dollar or two, with each package that goes out depending on where it's being sent and how much it weighs. Basic shipping for a 2-pound package via UPS or USPS can be from $4.50 up to $8.00, and when you add in the shipping costs to get the items from my supplier, any packaging expenses, fuel surcharges from the shipping company, etc... well, you see how quickly it adds up. I'm truly sorry it can't be less, but unfortunately the cost of shipping a package is really high these days.

Q: Do you accept orders from outside the US?

A: Yes, I'm happy to serve you, no matter where you're from! But be aware that there can be foreign tariffs that, in some cases, can be as high as an additional 60% depending on what the item is (clothing is one of those hardest hit). Some people and businesses attempt to get around the high tariffs by lying on the customs form and marking the shipment as a "gift". I won't do this because a) it's illegal; b) it's lying and IMO unethical; and c) if customs opens the box and sees the sales receipt inside, not only will they reject the entire order, I could be fined. Thanks for understanding why I don't do this and that there could be additional tariffs out of my control placed on your order.

Q: What if I have a problem with my order?

A: If you receive a broken or damaged shipment, notify your carrier (UPS or USPS) immediately to file a claim with them. If we blew it and your order is incorrect, please notify us by email immediately (within 7 days) so that we can correct the problem in a timely manner. You will be asked to send back all incorrect merchandise, in its original packaging and in saleable condition (within 14 days), and you will then be credited for the cost of shipping the mistake back to us. If you simply change your mind or otherwise wish to return something you have ordered, notify us by email immediately (within 7 days) and send the item back in its original packaging and in saleable condition (within 14 days) and you'll receive a store credit for the amount of the item.

Q: How will my order be shipped?

A: We usually ship USPS Priority Mail (2-3 days in the US). If you have a special rush request, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. Occasionally, an item may be backordered or we may order it directly from the wholesaler, so please allow 1 - 2 weeks for us to ship your complete order out from our mailing center. If your order will take longer than 4-6 weeks, we will send you an email or post card notifying you of any delay.

Q: Will I get an order confirmation and receipt?

A: Yes. If you use PayPal, you will receive an email from them that is your itemized order confirmation and receipt. If I send your package via UPS, you will receive an additional shipping confirmation with tracking number. However your order is processed, I will send an automatic email confirming my receipt of your order and your package will contain a printed receipt for your records.

Q: Do you have a printed paper catalog?

A: We don't have a paper catalog because we update our website so frequently that it would instantly be out of date. It's also very expensive to print paper catalogs (especially when they constantly need to be updated!), so this is another way we can keep our costs as low as possible and pass the savings on to you, our valued customer. Also, we think that the high-quality color images on the site are better than catalogs in many ways. Aside from being printed on dead trees (many printshops don't have 100% recycled or tree-free paper, or soy inks, and those that do generally charge extra for these), some color inks contain heavy metals and other chemicals that contaminate our Mother Earth. So, in a nutshell, to produce a color catalog it would be prohibitively expensive and not very Earth-friendly, two things that are of critical importance to us.

Q: Do you use Earth-friendly shipping materials?

A: Willow's Place uses recycled and reused packing materials whenever possible, including paper products and cardboard made with recycled materials, reclaimed packing peanuts and air pillows, shredded waste paper, newsprint press ends from the local newspaper, and other green packing materials. In fact, if you'd like to send us your clean, unwanted packing peanuts and air pillows, we'll gladly reuse them!

Q: Do you donate to charitable causes?

A: Absolutely -- a portion of the profits of Willow's Place goes to a "charity of the month" which can be anything from the American Indian College Fund to the local feral cat rescue organization. I do NOT use any Willow's Place funds for any political causes, ever. Past recipients include (besides those mentioned above): Isaac Bonewits, a local Pagan food bank, the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, and my son's classroom for basic supplies like pencils and glue sticks. Feel free to send me information on charities you think I should donate to and I'll be happy to check them out.