Frequently Asked Questions

NAVIGATING THE WEBSITE

How can I find an item on your site?

The search bar (above right) at the top of every page is the best way to find any item. You can enter a title, artist or author name, or keywords into the search field.

In addition, whenever you are viewing a list or gallery of products (list view or grid view), you can click on an artist's name above the title to bring up all the items by, about, or referencing that artist.

SHIPPING

How will you ship my order? How will you pack my order?

We ship domestically by USPS Media Mail, Priority and Express Mail. 
We ship internationally by USPS Priority and Express Mail, FedEx International Priority and FedEx International Economy. 

We ship our books wrapped in plastic and well-padded in sturdy new boxes.

One of the reasons we have so many repeat customers is that we take great care to insure your items arrive in the same condition it leaves our office.

Where is my package?

If you are in the US, we ship your package using US Postal Service Media Mail. Media Mail shipping “is a cost-effective way to send educational materials in 2 to 8 days.” You should have received an email from our website with the tracking number.

We ship all of our packages with Delivery Confirmation, which means that the Postal Worker delivering your package has to scan it and confirm its delivery.

Why haven’t I received my package?

There are a few different reasons. There could just be a delay. Media Mail shipping is 2-8 days. We’re in LA, typically packages to the West Coast take 4-5 business days while shipments to the East Coast take about 7-10 business days. If you haven’t gotten your package in 2-3 weeks please notify us and we’ll do everything in our power to find your package.

You should also check to make sure that we have the correct shipping address. We always ship to the address provided on our order form under the heading “Shipping Address.” If you have submitted the wrong address, please contact us and we will do what we can to correct it.

Sometimes packages are delivered to a neighbor or are held at the post office. Make sure you check with your neighbors if they collected something for you, with your local postal carrier if they have delivered anything recently, and your post office in case they’re holding it for you.

You should also try checking around your front door/mailbox/delivery room/porch. We had one customer find his package in the bushes and another told me that his package had been placed in the outgoing mail instead of incoming.

When do you ship?

We try to have the books shipped out within 3 business days, but there are only two of us who do all the pulling, packing and shipping. If there are many orders, it can take about 5 days to get everything packed and shipped. If we’re doing a show usually that means everyone in the office leaves to staff it. When we’re at a big show (like Comic Con) we’ll only have one person in the store. That will create a delay in shipping as well.

Why isn’t there any tracking information on my package?

USPS.com says electronic information received, but that the package may not have shipped yet or that it’s unable to track this package. If you see this, it means one of two things is happening. We print our shipping labels the night before and then send out our packages the next morning. If your label has just been generated, there won’t be any tracking because it is still in our office.

If it’s been a few days and you still don’t see any tracking information that means the package hasn’t been scanned. Typically a package is scanned when it is collected, when it is received at the first post office, when it hits any major sorting facilities, and when it hits your local post office. If it misses any of the first scans, it becomes less likely that it will be scanned at the later ones. This doesn’t mean that there is problem. It just means the package will have to work its way through the system and you won’t know when its being delivered.

Do you ship internationally?

We ship orders all over the world. About 20-25% of our orders are from our international clients. We frequently ship orders to Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

A partial list of countries to which we have shipped orders:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Croatia, Cyprus,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong,
Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay,
Phillippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,
Venezuela.

We ship internationally by USPS First Class, Priority, and Express Mail, FedEx International Priority and FedEx International Economy. 

What is the cost of international shipping?

Our shipping estimate for international orders is based upon the total weight of the books/items ordered. Our shipping charges are in one pound increments and separated into 17 zones (Africa, Australia & New Zealand, Canada, Eastern Europe, France, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, Western Europe, etc.).

We are sensitive to the expense of international shipping.

If you have any questions or concerns about shipping costs, please contact us. You can place your order and add your question to the note field at checkout; or send us a message via our Contact Us page.

SELLING YOUR BOOK(S)

Do you buy books?

We are always buying quality new and used books in our subject areas. Some of our best material is acquired when we buy a collection from an individual. Whether you have a single book or an entire library for sale, please consider offering it to us.

It is important to contact us in advance. If you are planning to bring the books to the showroom, you will want to call in advance to confirm that the buyer (that's me, Stuart) is in and that what you have is of interest to us. I will travel to look at bigger collections. You can email us a list of books or photographs of groupings of books. A photograph of book spines lined up on a shelf is perfect, as long as each title is legible.

Will you buy my sketchbook?

I am always interested in acquiring sketchbooks and art books that will appeal to our customers.

I am very selective and I will need to see your book or a sample.

You can submit your book in person, by mail, or email.

How do I get my books to you?

Unless you can deliver the books in person, you will need to mail or ship the books.

It is imperative we receive new books in mint condition--and no one wants to see books damaged in transit. To that end, I offer my packing instructions: http://stuartngbooks.com/packing-for-shipping.html