Terms of Sale
Purchase of any products sold by APS shall be subject to and expressly limited by the terms and conditions contained herein. APS reserves the right at any time to amend these terms and conditions, and Buyer shall be deemed to accept such amended terms and conditions by ordering products herein offered after the date of such amendment. Additional special terms and conditions of APS may be applicable with respect to certain products.
Tax Information
All non-perishable items (clothing not taxed) sold to or shipped to a Pennsylvania resident shall be charged the PA state sales tax of 6%. Buyer must provide APS with a resale/exemption certificate prior to placing an order to avoid the applicable taxes. Proof of tax exemption should be mailed to: APS, ATTN: Administration Dept., 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823, or faxed to (814) 933-6128.
Payment
All items purchased through the APS website shall be paid for immediately through a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or Discover), PayPal, or through a member account balance. We do not accept check payments for online purchases (Mail-in orders may use a check or money order payable to APS).
APS secures payment at the time the order is placed and items are normally shipped within 7-10 days of your card being charged (with the exception of Expertizing Certificates and advance orders for items advertised as not yet available). If for any reason we will not be able to ship within 30 days we will contact you with an estimated shipping date. If the new shipping date is not acceptable we will refund your credit card. Although we ask for 90 days from receipt until return of Expertizing items, the average turnaround time is 45 days.
Money on Account
For your convenience you may deposit money on account to cover anticipated future purchases or charges. You may request a refund of your account balance any time. If you have a credit balance with us, we may use this to offset any outstanding debts to us.
Returns and Refunds
You may return most items sold and fulfilled by APS and StampStore.org within 30 days of the ship date for a full refund. You must contact APS to initiate a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) before returning. Expect your refund within 4 weeks of shipping your item (though in many cases you'll receive the refund sooner). When you return an item you have the option to receive a refund (if you paid by credit card, your refund will be credited to the credit card) or you may elect to apply the return amount to your APS account for future purchases.
Return Process:
- Call the APS to notify us of your wish to return an item 1-814-933-3803.
Dial Ext. 270 for stamp returns or ext. 210 for general item returns. - The APS staff will provide you with a "Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA)" number that you will need to write on the outside of the package as well as on a note inside.
- Attempt to return item(s) in their original product packaging or in something to protect the shipment.
- Stamp items should be returned via "Signature Confirmation" or "Registered" to protect yourself from the item being lost in the mail.
- General items can be returned first class/priority mail.
- Allow up to four weeks for the refund to be processed.
Exchanges
If you received a damaged item and need to exchange it for the same item, contact us to request a replacement (in most cases we will ask that you return the faulty item and we will send you a new one). If you would like to exchange an item for a different one, please return the original item as outlined above (you will be refunded your original purchase price once we receive the item) and place another order for the item you wish to purchase. You do not have to wait for us to receive the original item before placing the new order.
Please note that it takes us 3 - 5 business days to process returns once they arrive at our Returns Center. You can view completed returns and refunds by visiting Your Account.
Shipping Rates for Stamps, Non-Stamp, and Combined Orders
APS strives to keep our shipping rates at a minimum. Below is an outline of our shipping rates for stamps sold through our on-line StampStore and shipping rates for general items such as: books, hobby supplies, Sales Division supplies, apparel, etc.
Shipping Rates for Stamp Items (StampStore items)
Default Shipping Method | |||
US |
Canada |
Intl. |
|
First Class |
Under $200 |
Under $500 |
Under $500 |
Signature Confirmation |
$200 - $5,000 |
N/A |
N/A |
Registered |
$5,000+ |
$500+ |
$500+ |
Total Shipping Cost = "Per Shipment" cost + "1% handling and 1% insurance"
Note: The 2% charged is applied to the total of the stamp purchase (excluding tax and shipping charges) which covers insurance and handling of the item(s).
Stamp Order - Per Shipment Base Fee | |
Destination | First Class/Priority Mail |
United States | $2.95 + 1% handling + 1% insurance |
Canada | $3.95 + 1% handling + 1% insurance |
Foreign | $7.95 + 1% handling + 1% insurance |
Optional Registered | Add $10 to above |
Note: Orders may be canceled if items may not be legally sent to a country because of US restrictions, in cases of civil war or suspension of mail service, and to countries for which prior shipments have repeatedly been lost or stolen. Regardless of value, registered mail may be required to send items to other countries for which regular mail has proven unreliable. Buyers will be informed of any order cancellations or additional requirements before any items are sent.
Shipping Rates for General Non-Stamp Items
Total Shipping Cost = "Per Shipment" cost + "Per Item Extra Shipping"
Note: Extra shipping costs are applied to items that are larger/heavier (such as books). The fee may range from $1.00 - $4.00 depending on the size/weight. The amount will appear along with the description of the item.
Non-Stamp Per Shipment Base Fee | |
Destination | First Class/Media Mail |
United States | $3.00 |
Canada | $47.00 |
Foreign | $67.00 |
Shipping Rates for Combined Stamp/Non-Stamp Items
Combined orders of stamp and non-stamp items will be charged both shipping fees as noted above. All stamps are shipped separately from non-stamp items because they are shipped in special packaging and may require Signature Confirmation or Registered mail. While all non-stamp items are shipped together and sent regular first class/priority mail. Therefore, as two separate shipments are processed, both sets of rates apply.
General Site Usage
Links are provided without cost from the American Philatelic Society (APS) website to sites on the World Wide Web established by APS Chapters and APS Affiliate Societies to promote their groups and stamp exhibitions. Links from the searchable on-line APS Dealer Member Directory to websites maintained by dealer-listed members also are provided without cost.
Advertising links from the APS Dealer Mall on the APS website to websites established by commercial philatelic firms, a principal of which maintains individual APS membership, are provided at a cost of $120.00 per year. Such links imply no endorsement by the APS of any of the information or products offered on those pages or via subsequent links to other pages. All members of the APS do subscribe to, and are governed by the Philatelic Code of Ethics.
Accessing other pages from the APS website may lead to contact with individuals or firms who do not maintain membership in the APS and are not subscribers to the Philatelic Code of Ethics. To verify the current APS membership status of any individual, you may use our online membership verification form.
Links to the APS website established by other sites on the World Wide Web were provided by the originator to make the APS site accessible to more people. The APS does not endorse any information or products or other links offered on the originator's site. When deemed of value to its membership, the APS may establish links to other organizations or companies having no membership relationship to the Society.
The APS makes no warranty express or implied with respect to any information or products offered on other pages or via subsequent home page links. The APS makes no warranty with respect to fitness for a particular purpose. The "website" is distributed on an "as is" basis. The entire risk as to quality and performance is with the user. The user assumes and accepts the risk of any costs, damage, errors or consequences arising from the use of the APS "website", and agrees to bear the entire cost of any necessary servicing, repair, correction or charge related thereto. Neither the APS nor its officers, servant, employees, assigns or contractors shall be liable for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential costs or damages resulting from the use of the APS "website" or any link thereto even if they have been advised of the possibility of such damage.
Governing Law
All matters concerning or dealing with the APS "website" shall be governed by the Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and jurisdiction over such matters shall lie with the Court of Common Pleas of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
