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| Shipping |
With many online purchases shipping charges eat into the money saved on the purchase, sometimes to the point of not making it worthwhile to buy online in the first place. However, G-Mart offers an option for subsidized shipping of comic books to save money on the shipping charges; for large subscription orders shipping becomes free! This economy option is very popular with our customers who order mostly comic books; the service is described in more detail below. Customers choosing expedited or express do not receive subsidies. Customers who order a significant amount of items other than comic books should read the notes below to understand how these items are handled.
It is important to note that shipping charges are calculated per shipment, not per order. This means if you are a subscription customer and choose weekly shipping then the shipping charges and subsidies are calculated based upon the contents of the shipment for each week, not upon the original order. This also means that shipping charges for subscriptions are not calculated in advance. However, for back issue purchases shipping charges are calculated in advance so the final cost can be determined at the time of purchase.
Economy shipping costs are subsidized if the box contains mostly comic books. G-Mart does not subsidize shipping of non-comic items (posters, toys, novelties) unless they easily fit into a box already required for shipping comic books. If a separate box is required for non-comic items then the customer is charged fully for that box (shipping cost + $2.50), although the comic book box is subsidized. If the comic books require multiple boxes the same subsidized rate applies to the entire shipment, not to each box individually; the customer is rewarded not penalized for a big shipment of comic books! (NOTE: remember subsidies apply only to Economy shipments!)
G-Mart offers an extra level of subsidy to subscribers with large orders as a reward for the regular business. Comic book shipments are free for subscribers if the value of the comic books (not counting non-comic items) is $85 or greater. (NOTE: remember free shipping applies only to Economy shipments!)
| Service Level | Carrier | Delivery Time | Tracking | Insurance | Shipping Charge | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | US Post Bound Printed Matter (Book Rate) or UPS Ground | 3-10 days | UPS only | UPS only | See table below | Preferred by most customers who order mostly comic books |
| Expedited | US Post Priority Mail or UPS 3 Day Select | 3 days | UPS only | UPS only | $8.00/box + $1.00/lb See table below |
For customers who require faster delivery |
| Express | US Post Express Mail or UPS Next Day Air | 1 day | YES | YES | $20.00/box + $2.25/lb See table below |
For customers who require fastest delivery |
A useful estimate for shipping charges is that $12 of advance order comics (after G-Mart discount) will weigh approximately 1 pound. For back issues, $25 of back issue comics will weigh approximately 1 pound (obviously this varies with how expensive the back issues are).
| Weight (lbs) | Economy, subsidized, subscriber, comics >= $85 | Economy, subsidized, subscriber, comics < $85 | Economy, subsidized, not subscriber, value < $30 | Economy, subsidized, not subscriber, value >= $30 | Economy, not subsidized | Expedited | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FREE | $5.00 | $6.00 | $8.00 | $7.25 | $9.00 | $22.25 |
| 2 | FREE | $5.50 | $6.50 | $8.00 | $7.50 | $10.00 | $24.50 |
| 3 | FREE | $6.00 | $7.00 | $8.00 | $7.75 | $11.00 | $26.75 |
| 4 | FREE | $6.50 | $7.50 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $12.00 | $29.00 |
| 5 | FREE | $7.00 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $8.25 | $13.00 | $31.25 |
| 6 | FREE | $7.00 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $8.50 | $14.00 | $33.50 |
| 7 | FREE | $7.00 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $8.75 | $15.00 | $35.75 |
| 8 | FREE | $7.00 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $9.00 | $16.00 | $38.00 |
| 9 | FREE | $7.00 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $9.25 | $17.00 | $40.25 |
| 10 | FREE | $7.00 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $9.50 | $18.00 | $42.50 |
| 15 | FREE | $7.00 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $10.75 | $23.00 | $53.75 |
| 20 | FREE | $7.00 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $12.00 | $28.00 | $65.00 |
G-Mart decides whether to ship UPS or US Post based upon availability of service and value of shipment. You may request one service over another in the membership shipping notes field, however if your request is different from our decision then no subsidies are given and extra charges for tracking and insurance may apply.
| Shipping Address | US Postal Service | UPS |
|---|---|---|
| Contiguous 48 states, District of Columbia | YES | YES (except for P.O. Boxes) |
| Alaska, Hawaii | YES | NO |
| Armed Forces | YES | NO |
| American Somoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands | YES | NO |
G-Mart regrets that there is no cost-effective method for international shipping. International shipping is either expensive or unreliable. G-Mart recommends international customers choose expedited service (air mail); if the customer chooses economy service (surface mail) to save money he also takes on the increased risk of a lost package. Tracking and insurance are included with express service; insurance is included with economy and expedited services when the risks merit it.
It is important to note that shipping charges are calculated per shipment, not per order. This means if you are a subscription customer and choose weekly shipping then the shipping charges and subsidies are calculated based upon the contents of the shipment for each week, not upon the original order. This also means that shipping charges for subscriptions are not calculated in advance. However, for back issue purchases shipping charges are calculated in advance so the final cost can be determined at the time of purchase.
| Service Level | Carrier | Delivery Time | Tracking | Insurance | Cost | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | Surface Mail | 6-8 weeks | NO | YES, where appropriate | Subscribers: cost + $2.50/box non-subscribers: use table below |
Extremely slow, packages occasionally lost; recommended only when cost is absolutely critical |
| Expedited | Air Mail | 1-2 weeks | NO | YES, where appropriate | Subscribers: cost + $2.50/box non-subscribers: use table below |
Reasonable speed and reliability, somewhat high cost; recommended for most customers. |
| Express | Express Mail International Service | 1 week | YES | YES | $25.50/box + $4.50/lb See table below |
For customers who require fastest delivery |
A useful estimate for shipping charges is that $12 of advance order comics (after G-Mart discount) will weigh approximately 1 pound. For back issues, $25 of back issue comics will weigh approximately 1 pound (obviously this varies with how expensive the back issues are).
| Weight (lbs) | Economy | Expedited | Express |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20.70 | $25.00 | $30.00 |
| 2 | $22.40 | $28.50 | $34.50 |
| 3 | $24.10 | $32.00 | $39.00 |
| 4 | $25.80 | $35.50 | $43.50 |
| 5 | $27.50 | $39.00 | $48.00 |
| 6 | $29.20 | $42.50 | $52.50 |
| 7 | $30.90 | $46.00 | $57.00 |
| 8 | $32.60 | $49.50 | $61.50 |
| 9 | $34.30 | $53.00 | $66.00 |
| 10 | $36.00 | $56.50 | $70.50 |
| 15 | $44.50 | $74.00 | $93.00 |
| 20 | $53.00 | $91.50 | $115.50 |
At all levels there are weight limits on boxes; large shipments will be split up into multiple boxes so that each box is under the weight limit.
If the shipment requires multiple boxes the boxes are marked appropriately "1 of 3", "2 of 3", and "3 of 3", and the customs paperwork is put in box 1 and every box is marked to indicate the paperwork is in box 1.