Frequently
Asked Questions
On-line since 1994
How do I know if this is the piece I want?
Amberica West carries a variety of tools and learning resources. We
offer detailed
descriptions of each item. You can see the actual piece of amber and
a ruler next to
it so you can judge the size of the specimen. Many of the specimens
are identified to
the Order, Family and a few are even identified to the Genus level!
This is done by
a professional entomologist. This way you can be confident you are
getting only what
you want. If you have specific questions, ask us! And remember, we offer a complete
money back guarantee, so if something turns out not to be just what
you want,
you may return it, no questions asked.
Back to the Top
Is it safe to use my credit card at Amberica West?
Our Card Service uses encryption with
the highest levels of secure socket layer technology (SSL), and is
guaranteed against fraud
(see next paragraph). It encrypts all of your personal information,
including
credit card number, name, and address, so that it cannot be read as
the information
travels over the Internet.
The
Amberica West Safe Shopping
Guarantee protects you while you shop
at Amberica West, so that you never have to worry about your credit
card safety.
Back
to the Top
How do I shop at Amberica West?
From the main shopping area on the right of most pages (or the
footer at the bottom), choose a category from the 'categories menus'
on the right. This will will take you to the next page. If a product
looks interesting to you, click it's image to see what it looks like
as a larger picture. If you think you might want to buy this product,
click on the "buy now" button.
When you're finished adding products to your shopping basket, and
you're ready to
buy, click on checkout near the top right of the screen. This will
begin your
secure checkout process, where you will fill out ship to and bill
to addresses,
choose your shipping option, see the total cost of your order, and
enter your
credit card number for real-time credit authorization.
After placing your order you will receive a receipt of your transaction
on-screen
and through email. Within 24 hours you will receive an acknowledgment
of
"specimen sent".
Back to the Top
Can I order by regular mail?
The easiest way is to utilize our shopping basket system, and
go through the 'Checkout' process. But yes, you can order by
mail!
- Mail:
For mail order, you can either print that page out or simply
write the information down, and then send it in with your check
or money order Our postal address is Amberica West,
15270 Pleasantview Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921.
Since we are paying the high commission for credit cards, we actually
encourage checks or money orders.
- Everything can be done by e-mail also. There
is a form for this.
Back to the Top
Do you keep all of my personal information private?
Yes. We consider the information you choose to share with us confidential.
We will not
share, rent or sell any of your personal information.
Back to the Top
How long will it take to receive my order?
When you place an order, your credit-card transaction is processed
in real-time, and your order is completely processed within one business
day. All orders are shipped within three days of when we receive them,
more often than not, they go out the morning after you place your
order. We must admit that we sometimes go away for a weekend or a
few times a year, for a week. So the day we receive them isn't always
the same day you order....but it is nearly all of the time. The amount
of time it takes for your order to arrive once it has been shipped
depends on shipping. We normally send items out "Priority Mail" which
means that it should take 3 to 5 days to arrive. For overseas orders,
we often ship "Global Priority" which is just a few days longer that
"Priority mail". If you have ordered books, they are mailed 'media mail' which takes
longer.
Back to the Top
What about sales tax and shipping charges?
Internet sales are not subject to sales tax (yet). So you can enjoy
shopping
without the annoying sales tax add-ons!
We can ship to virtually any address in the world. We use the United
States Postal Service to ship items. For United States and Canadian
orders, the postage is $4.05. International orders postage is
still $4.05. There are a few exceptions to this such as heavy
books and other very heavy items.
What is your return policy?
Amberica West offers a Money Back Guarantee. If you are dissatisfied
with your
purchase for any reason, return your purchase to us and we will refund
your money
immediately. Is this any way to run a business? We think so, and its
worked well
for us for over 10 years.
Can
I contact you?
Yes,
you can contact us in Colorado, 719-488-2654.
Can I call the order in?
No
problem, we can take your credit card over the phone (rather than
using the web.) Please realize that if you call, your are calling
my place of residence, not a store. But there is no problem with that,
I can run the credit card from the home terminal. The telephone number
is 719-488-2654 - this also is our fax line.
1
1b
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Blue Amber
| Green Amber |
Feather |
Millipedes
| Spiders
| Books
| Loupes
Expensive Amber
| Unique Amber
| Pseudoscorpions
| Botanicals in Amber
Candy Amber
| Amber Cam
| Baltic Amber
| Black Lights
| Amber Chunks
Amber Medicine
| Chiapas Amber
| Malaysian Amber
| Kauri Gum
| Specials
Mounted Bugs
| Jewelry
| Fake Amber
| Bug Specials
| Newsletter
| FAQs
| Copal
Free Screen Saver
| Gift Certificate
| Field Guide
| Unpolished Kauri
| Weather
Testimonials
| General Info
| Amber Poster
| Rough Amber
Postage for amber will usually cost $4.60 (USD) per order, anywhere in the world. There may be exceptions to this. We will get your sample
to you as soon as possible (usually mailed the same day or at worst, the next day). U.S. orders
go out by Priority Mail, overseas as Air Mail. Books are normally mailed "Media Mail", unless they are light, in which case they are mailed first class.
Overseas books are air mail unless the weight is prohibitive, in which case you will have the option of surface (ship) or paying a bit extra for air mail.
All prices are in U.S. dollars. If you are overseas and want something other than normal air mail - contact us when you make the purchase.
For any questions, please contact us at sales@ambericawest.com.
Our emails are sent immediately, so if you don't receive it, it is likely caught in a spam filter. You will receive another email when your order ships which will contain the shipping information.
You
can pay 3 ways, either by credit card (located on each page as the 'buy now' button), a personal
check,
or purchase order.
Finally, if you feel more comfortable, feel free to call us at 719-488-2654 (this is in the United States). This number works as a fax if you would like to fax your request or purchase order.
sales@ambericawest.com
Interested in a gift certificate for your daughter or son or that
special person? Why not try our gift certificates?
