Worldwide Shipping
Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly do you ship?
Dalkeith Press tries to ship every order quickly. Most orders ship in the next mail pickup, which means that 6 days a week your order is likely to ship within 24 hours or less.

Can you ship to my country?
Yes, every one in the world.

How do you ship book orders?
We ship everything by mail (post). Orders going to US addresses go by either Priority Mail or by Media Mail (book rate). Smaller orders going to other countries go by First Class Mail International. The Big Storm pack and the Skerritt pack (and larger) usually go by Priority Mail International.

Why Use Mail/Post and not private shippers?
Dalkeith Press tries to offer the lowest cost shipping we can. Since books can go into envelopes, mail (post) offers the lowest cost and best service, especially within the US. And post goes easily to all other countries. UPS, Fedex, etc don't operate on Saturday, USPS both picks up and delivers. The net result is that mail is often faster and always less expensive than the private carriers. By using only mail, our shipping process stays manageable.

I really want my books fast. Can't you ship overnight?
This is not practical for a small business. BUT... you can get the quick-pack edition of the Skerritt books and you'll get the e-book IMMEDIATELY; then the paper book by mail. And the quick-pack is $6/book additional, way less than you'd have to pay for overnight shipping. Just look for the quick-pack button anywhere you can "add to cart". 

How long should I wait if my order is late?
We will make sure you get your books. Please check you tracking info, if you are wondering where your package is.

• US Priority Mail: expected delivery is 3 mail days. Mail on Thursday; expected by Monday. If you don't have it by mail day four, generally there is a problem. Check your tracking; if it is en-route the usual course is to wait. Usually, problems occur after delivery, and envelopes mysteriously disappear even though the carrier scanned the envelope at the time of delivery. After you get your mail on day four, check the tracking. If it doesn't show delivered, then call or email and we'll explore. You will get your books.
• US Media Mail - MEDIA MAIL VARIES --- there isn't a performance guarantee on Media Mail. The average time to deliver is 6 days. Closer to Philadelphia: sooner; farther: longer. Most customers are happy with this shipping; only rarely an envelope sits in a processing center too long; occasionally they are misrouted. Check your tracking. After two weeks, something is at least unusual. Call or email if the tracking doesn't suggest you'll get it soon. Most losses occur AFTER delivery.
• UK - after two weeks, most likely your package is not going to come. UK post is quite reliable, but sometimes an envelope is torn open, and it may be many weeks before the shards are returned. Please call or email after two weeks.
• Australia; New Zealand - We are seeing slower delivery (2011) to Aus, so we will probably allow 3 weeks before we declare a shipment lost. We never hear complaints from New Zealand so customers there are very patient and/or the post is great. We prob would also wait 3 weeks for you, but you never complain.
• South Africa - is the most difficult destination. We have seen orders arrive after as long as 4 weeks. We always ask SA customers to check at the post office, because some packages have turned up there. There is no tracking once the envelope leaves the US, so you will have to be patient.

How do I know which mail class my order will ship by?
For US orders, you can select. Smaller orders going to other countries go by First Class Mail International. The Big Storm pack and the Skerritt pack (and larger) usually go by Priority Mail International. We use the least expensive option, and as rates change we adjust.

How long until my order ships?
Mail pickup for our business is at about 10am Mon-Sat (New York time). Generally, orders that come in before the pickup will be packed and sent in that pickup. On busy days, it is common for orders that come in before about 4pm to be packed and taken to the post office for shipment that day, but we don't promise this. Several of our titles we build here. Occasionally it may take an extra day to ship an order if we don't have the book(s) ready. We mark each order when it is turned over for pickup, and you'll recieve an email with the tracking number for your package(s) at that time.
We are small company, and occasionally we do not ship orders for a day, or part of a day.

Your shipping notice said I should expect my package by now, but it hasn't come.
You were sent a tracking number at the time your order shipped. Please check this. If your package is on track, you should wait a couple days. If the tracking doesn't show any movement for some time, or it is totally in the wrong place, then email (support@dalkeithpress.com) or call ((xxx)-xxx-xxxx). Sometimes customers have to chase down a package which was already delivered, but not recieved by the customer. Some customers make an error entering their address. Rarely, the USPS goofs. If you call, we can usually get a idea and often get a correction/reshipment going.

How long will the mail/post take before I get my order?
In the US, you have a choice of ship speed. Priority mail takes 3 mails days (sometime 2, but not promised). So if shipped on Monday, you should get it by Thursday; by Friday, then by Tuesday. Media Mail is a low priority ground shipping. It varies. To the east coast, a few days; to Florida, a week; middle US: a week; West coast: a week or more. Media Mail sometimes takes longer. But you are saving with it; it's a compromise.

Canada's customs seems to like the read the books before they send them on. Even though the envelope will probably enter Canada with 2 or 3 days, customers typically say it takes closer to two weeks for delivery. Canadian customers very rarely report their shipments lost, so they do get there.

UK customers sometimes get orders within 4 mail days; a week is probably average. Delivery is very reliable to the UK.

Australia has slowed recently (2011). Even though the packages leave the US in 2-3 days, it may be 2 weeks on average.  We ship to New Zealand, and don't get inquiries, so safe to say that packages arrive there in a time that most NZ customers expect.

South Africa is another country we ship to frequently. SA is the most difficult place for us to serve. Packages are lost, or sometimes take 3-4 weeks to arrive. Sometimes they have ended up at the post office but the customer was not notified. We re-send packages to SA more than any other country. You are entitled to get what you paid for; but you may have to wait to make sure your shipment is not just slow.

I never got my order. What can you do?
You are entitled to get what you paid for! If it was never delivered, we send a replacement. If USPS says it was delivered, but the customer doesn't have it, we try to ship a replacement to an alternate address that is more likely to be recieved. Whatever we do, you are entitled to get what you paid for, and we want to make sure you do!

I saw a page that said "ship for less than xx$" but shiping was more. Why?
Some of the older pages on the tearsandhealing.com site have some ship cost info which is out of date. The cost for mail increases at least once a year. We're sorry there is some old info. The shipping cost shown on the shopping cart page is always current and shows what you will pay.

I'm worried about someone seeing the package and know what's inside. How do you package books?
We either use a manilla bubble wrap envelope, or a US Postal Service Priority Mail smooth cardboard envelope. The return address says "Dalkeith Press, Inc." There is nothing on the outside that indicates what is inside.

I only got half my order.
We sometimes divide larger orders into two envelopes. Usually we put a slip into the books that say this. The enclosure also has a note at the bottom. Your shipping and tracking notice gives tracking numbers for two packages. Any of these means you need to wait for the second envelope. If your order is only 2-3 books, and none of these is present, then there might be an error. Call or email. We need to know exactly what you got.

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