Email  M.Dean@FineGames.com   -or- Phone  (541) 756-4711  10am-9pm PST  (-8 GMT)

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This page details Fine Games standard shipping methods and charges for shipments to addresses within the United States, its colonial possessions, and APO/FPO addresses. A procedure allowing you to accurately anticipate shipping charges is included. And expedited shipping methods are offered.

 

Note that our beloved US Postal Service (USPS) imposed its latest rate change in May 2007 . Our rates are built upon those and those of UPS and were last revised on 7 January 2008 .

 

You may download an Acrobat PDF of our shipping rates here.

Shipping Methods Offered

Fine Games routinely ships orders by USPS Priority Mail  (for flat rate shipments & those of  1-2# weight) and UPS Ground services (for most shipments of 2# or more). Such service is covered by our standard shipping charge of $12.50 within the continental U.S.   Upon request, and for additional charge, we can expedite your order by shipping by any of these services: USPS Express (next day); USPS to APO addresses; UPS 1, 2 or 3 day; or FedEx 1, 2, or 3 day. We can also ship by your specified method (USPS or UPS Ground) where we would not ordinarily do so, typically for an additional fee.   Currently, we do not ship via FedEx Ground, DHL or any other courier service. We also do not deal in third-party billing.

Above: Meet Connie, our UPS driver during our stay in Portland.  He handled thousands of our packages thru 2004.           Yours truly, just before shipping at the end of our biggest shipping day ever, and the last day of the year, 22 Dec. 2005.  It was a busy day.

Standard Shipping Charges

Fine Games uses a simple, flat rate shipping rate system. This allows you to easily, intuitively anticipate the shipping charge for any assortment of items you may be interested in.

 

The rules are these:

1. The standard shipping charge is $12.50 per shipment. This includes Priority Mail or UPS Ground shipping within the continental US, using the service of our choice based on weight such that it minimizes our shipping costs.

2. Bulky or weighty items are surcharged $1.50 per item in addition to the standard amount above. Our catalogs indicate bulky items with a "LB" (Long Box type). Weighty items, those weighing 3.0# or more, are indicated with an asterisk "*" beside the box type code.

3. Shipments to rural zip codes are surcharged $2.00 per order. If your package is such that it will be shipped via UPS, and your destination zip code is one that UPS defines a "rural", your order is subject to a surcharge of $2. 

4. Up to three (3) flat, UNboxed items can be shipped for $8.00 total. These must be "n", "zl", or "Fo" box types that fit in a flat rate Priority Mail envelope and weigh no more than 4# collectively when shipped. In most cases, any 3 unboxed items will meet this condition. (See the Key to Codes page for an explanation of box types, and which are boxed or unboxed.)  Note: some unboxed items are too large or bulky to fit in a flat rate mailer.

5. Shipments weighing more than 2 lbs to Alaska, Hawaii, any of the U.S.'s colonial possessions (such as Guam and Puerto Rico), and all APO/FPO  shipments, do not qualify for standard shipping rates as they must be shipped via USPS Priority Mail and may require customs documents. Instead, such shipments are charged on a per-pound basis. See Expedited Shipment for rate info.

How to Calculate the Shipping Charge for Your Order

1. If you're ordering 3 or fewer qualifying items (see #2 above) AND none are boxed (i.e. all have a "n", "zl" or "FO" box type), AND you are not at an APO/FPO address, then shipping is $8.00 total. You're done.

2. Otherwise, count up (1) the total number of items ordered, and (2) the number of items with a LB box type and/or an asterisk ("*") beside the box type. These are surcharged $1.50 each.

3. Standard shipping is $12.50 . Add to this the number of LB or asterisked items multiplied by $1.50 each. This is the total for shipping.  Most orders do not have any LB or asterisked items, so shipping would simply be $12.50 . 
   
   Example: An order including 1 heavy item and 1 LBoxed item would be charged $15.00 shipping ($12.50 + $1.50 + $1.50 ).

4. If UPS defines your destination zip code as "rural", add $2.00 to the order shipping total. This is the final total. 
   
   To check how UPS regards your zip code, see UPS's listing of Surcharged Zip Codes (PDF format). UPS has been rather aggressive in adding zip codes to this list since it was introduced in 2000. Our own zip code is itself within a surcharged area despite being in a town of 25,000.

5. Any shipment that is expedited, or that must be shipped via a specific method (such as shipments to APO/FPO and  non-continental US addresses which weigh 3# or more) are charged based on actual shipping weight. Standard shipping rates do not apply in this case. See Expedited Shipment for rate info.

Expedited Shipping Methods & Charges

Upon request, we can speed up delivery of your order by using an expedited shipping method. All of these options are charged based on shipping weight, and are quoted per the specific order.  Please make us aware of any special need you have for a delivery deadline or method.

We recommend you email or phone us to discuss your specific needs. Realize that most options will substantially increase the shipping charge you pay compared to our standard shipping charge. Based on your needs, we'll recommend the best service under the circumstances from among these options:

• USPS Priority Mail - 2-7 day; see rate chart below.

• USPS Express Mail - 1-2 day, relatively inexpensive.

• UPS Red - 1 day, order must be placed by 1pm PST; expensive.

• UPS Blue - 2 day; modestly expensive.

• UPS Yellow - 3 day; modestly more..

• FedEx Overnight - 1 day, order must be placed by 1:30pm PST

• FedEx 2-day, order must be placed by 1:30pm to ship on a given day

• FedEx 3-day, order must be placed by 1:30pm to ship on a given day

Expedited USPS Priority Mail Rates

Shipping Weight	First Class Rates	Domestic Priority Mail Rates		APO Priority Mail Rates		Express Mail (1-day) Rates
	~ 4-7 Days	~ 2-3 Days		Varies		~1-2 Days; order must arrive by noon
1 Pounds	$9.00	Flat Rate $8.00	$8.00	Flat Rate $10.50	$10.65	Flat Rate $21.00	$24.50
2	$11.00	$11.00		$13.50		$26.50
3	$13.00	$15.00		$17.50		$30.00
4	$15.00	$19.10		$22.10		$33.50
5	$16.25	$21.75		$25.75		$37.00
6	$18.25	$22.50		$26.50		$42.00
7	$19.68	$25.00		$29.00		$45.50
8	$21.25	$27.50		$31.50		$49.00
9	$22.50	$30.50		$35.50		$53.50
10	$24.25	$33.00		$38.00		$56.25
11	$25.50	$34.50		$39.50		$59.00
12	$26.50	$36.00		$41.00		$61.35
13	$27.50	$37.25		$42.25		$63.75
14	$28.60	$39.00		$44.00		$68.75
15	$32.25	$42.20		$47.20		$70.75
USPS Shipping Rates, based on May 2007 postal rates, last revised 7 January 2008 .

 

Shipment Delivery Times

We advise you of both when we expect to ship your order, and how long it will take to reach you, as part of our routine of acknowledging all phone and emailed orders. We will contact you in the exceptional circumstance where shipment will be delayed significantly.

 

In additional, all shipments by UPS or FedEx are acknowledged by email on the day of mailing. This acknowledgement will include tracking info and estimated date of arrival.

 

In general, USPS Priority Mail takes 2 days to most people in the US, 3 days to rural areas and US colonial possessions, and 7-10 days to APO/FPO or remote Alaskan addresses.

 

In general, UPS takes 6 business days to reach the east coast, 5 days to reach the mid-west,  3 days to reach southern California, and 1-2 days to reach western Oregon or Washington. The map below provides a good idea of transit time via UPS Ground to you. 

 

Delivery Time to Your Door, Shipped via UPS

Other Shipping Surcharges

There are a few other shipping-related charges you should be aware of and, hopefully, avoid.

• If the address information you provide is incomplete or inaccurate, or you redirect delivery to another address, UPS imposes an address correction surcharge which will be passed on to you. This is $7.00 for ground shipments, $15.00 for air (1, 2 or 3 day). Please tell us where to deliver the package when you place your order.

• UPS imposes a surcharge on each shipment to most rural zip codes. As of 2004, we pass this along to those customers shipping to such a zip code by surcharging your order $2.00 . 

• UPS also imposes a $2.00 per shipment surcharge on every package delivered to a residence. We currently include that in our stated shipping charge. But you can help us keep shipping costs and rates down by arranging delivery to a business address where convenient.