Posting your purchase

Posting and Shipping

I am away until mid-October, walking the Camino de Santiago ~ The Pilgrim's Path ~ in Spain. If you wish to purchase cookbooks while I'm away, visit The Bookshelf of Oz but please be aware that they won't be posted to you until after October 15th.

We post via Australia Post and Fastway Couriers within Australia, and via SkippyPost and Australia Post to overseas locations. 

Posting within Australia

We post items through Australia Post as a standard parcel, or via Express Post. Neither option includes insurance, however Express Post is tracked. We have posted several thousand items through Australia Post over the last couple of years - most via Standard Post - and loss of anything in the mail is very very rare. We do however recommend that you have your parcels sent to a location where there is someone available to accept it.

The safest addresses to post to are PO Boxes, work addresses or other addresses where people are available to receive parcels during the day. If your letterbox is not secure, or isn't checked regularly, you are at risk of having mail stolen from it.

The shopping cart gives the option of having an item sent via Regular Parcel Post, insured (via Registered Post) or sent by Fastway Courier, who deliver to major cities and towns around Australia. They do not deliver to PO Box addresses.

I prefer to send heavy, expensive books via Fastway Couriers and will do so if they are able to deliver to your location. It's around the same cost as sending via Australia Post's parcel post, but gives the added benefits of online tracking and insurance. I may send your purchase via courier or Registered Post even though you select Regular Parcel post. This is to give your purchase the best chance of reaching you in the same condition as I sent it.

How Much does it Cost?

It depends on the size and weight of the book, and where it is being posted to.

Thin books which weigh under 500g and are less than 2cm thick are sent as 'large letters' in Australia Post Tough Bags. They are placed in a plastic bag to protect them against water damage. Cost is $ 3.95

Regular-sized books such as paperback or hardcover books are posted as parcels. Price depends on weight. Up to 500g costs $ 5.95 ($ 8.95 Express), up to 3kg (and this can be more than one book - whatever will fit into a 3kg satchel) costs $ 8.95 via Australia Post, $ 9.95 via Fastway, $ 11.95 by Express Post or $ 12.95 by Registered Post. For parcels over 3kg, cost depends on the packed weight of the parcel, method of postage and where it's being posted to.

All postage costs include the protective materials used to ensure they reach you in the same condition as they left us. I use cellaire, bubblewrap and cardboard to protect books against damage. I love the books I sell and try as hard as I can to protect them so they're not damaged.

Giftwrapping is available for the small extra charge of $ 1.95 per order, with a choice of either 'standard' or Christmas giftwrap. We can also include a gift tag, just let us know in the Comments section of your order what you'd like us to write on it. If you have any preferences for colour or type of giftwrap, either write in the Comments section of your order, or email us - judyoz@gmail.com. 

How Long Does it Take?

I post every weekday and send items to their new owners as soon as I receive payment. For Credit Card payments via Paypal, I post either the day I receive payment or the next day if payment is made after 4.00pm. Bank deposits can take up to 3 or 4 days to be processed into my account if made over the weekend, books paid for by personal cheque are posted when the cheque is cleared into my account, books paid for by bank cheque or money order are posted when I receive the bank cheque or money order. If you want your purchase quickly, I suggest you pay by credit card or bank deposit. Personal cheque payments can take up to 14 days by the time I receive your cheque, bank it and wait until it clears.

Delivery times depend on Australia Post. Postage times to capital cities are usually 2 - 3 days, to major towns 2 - 4 days and to rural areas can be up to 2 weeks.

If you are in the Australia Post Next Business Day Delivery Network and choose Express Post, you should receive your parcel the day after it was posted. Click here to visit the Australia Post Express Post information pages.

Shipping Worldwide

We post to New Zealand, United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe via Skippy Post twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. These parcels are sent Economy Airmail, and postage costs are very reasonable, but please note that this service does not offer any tracking. Normal postage transit times are:

New Zealand : 12 - 15 days

USA and Canada : 21 - 28 days

UK and Europe: 14 -21 days

A faster, tracked service, Skippy Tracker, is offered and insurance is also available via SkippyPost - it varies according to the value of your order and the country it's being sent to. The shopping cart is set up to offer Skippy Tracker or insurance, or if you want more information email us at judyoz@gmail.com, and we can quote you a price.

If you want it faster we can send it Australia Post Airmail - at a higher cost. Email us at judyoz@gmail.com, and we can give you a cost.

Express Post International is also available, for an even faster, tracked service, at a much higher cost. Prices for Express Post International start at around $ 50 for a 500gram parcel, so it's an expensive option to consider.

All prices quoted on the website are in Australian dollars. For an approximate current conversion to a wide range of currencies you can visit http://www.xe.com