5/14/07 UPDATE!
The post office has raised their rates and changed their international packaging...oh no!!

At Plum, we try very hard to keep our prices low and reasonable, and that includes our shipping and insurance. Recently, our insurance rates went up almost 50% and on May 14 postage will go up an average of 15%.

We will continue to optimize our shipping to offer you the best price, but will have to raise our rates a bit. We are NOT passing the whole raise onto you! We will absorb some of it ourselves. But, in the interest of getting you the best price, here are some considerations...hopefully, this will help you plan your purchases to take advantage of some of these methods. We know it is a lengthy read, but you may find it helpful! AND THE NEW INTERNATIONAL PLANS ARE MENTIONED BELOW!

DOMESTIC SHIPPING
(50 states plus Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and Guam)
(All times given are PO estimates and are not guaranteed. If you need guaranteed delivery, please contact us for rates!)
WE INSURE EVERYTHING!

MEDIA MAIL (MM) : 4-14 days...Slow but sure!
Media Mail generally takes 7-10 days to arrive within the contiguous 48 states (could be a little longer to Alaska, Hawaii, PR, USVI, and Guam). MM is a less expensive alternative to FC or PM, but it could take as many as 14 days to arrive! If you are not in a hurry, no problem! Just so you know.

FIRST CLASS (FC): 3-6 days...Good for up to 12 ounces; after that, Priority Mail (PM).
If you order 1-3 VCDs, or a couple of DVDs, or a very light book, it will be less expensive, in general, to ship first class. However, if your order is too heavy to ship FC, even if you select FC, we will charge for and ship it PM.

PRIORITY MAIL (PM) : 2-6 days...Flat Rate available, cost efficient and fast!
Priority mail offers some good Flat Rate options; this means, that if it can fit into a Flat Rate envelope or box it goes at one price no matter how many items you have. So, for example, 4 vcds and 8 vcds cost the same amount to ship!
The Flat Rate envelope will generally hold up to 10 vcds, or 4 DVDs, or a few books (of course, all dependent on size). The Flat Rate box can hold about 30 VCds or a number of books or DVDs...too many combinations to enumerate! If you choose PM as a shipping option, in most cases we will try to use one of these FLAT RATE envelopes or boxes, since it will save you money!

PLEASE NOTE: if you select PM with a lightweight order, we may charge you for and ship it FC instead, saving you about $1.00-2.00. FC may take an extra day longer than PM. IF YOU WOULD PREFER PM ANYWAY, PLEASE INCLUDE A NOTE WITH YOUR ORDER AND WE WILL NOT CHANGE YOUR SHIPPING METHOD.

EXPRESS SHIPPING (EXP) : 1-3 days...Fastest, but...
The post office offers an Express shipping option, even a flat rate envelope at about 2-3 times the cost of PM. And it does go fast. BUT! They do not guarantee times to ALL locations and we hate disappointed customers. So, if you need it there really fast, you can ask us for Express shipping and we will see if we think it will reach you in the time given. If we don't think either we or the post office can get you your package on time, we will probably recommend something else. Just hate to see you pay for a service that may not work!

OTHER METHODS:
In certain circumstances, we may be able to ship your package FEDEX. However, please understand this is a special request and we cannot always accommodate. We do not have regular FEDEX service, which means an additional trip and packaging and all that sort of stuff. If you need it for some reason, we do not mind you asking if you don't mind us giving a polite "no" if we cannot do it. Please limit your requests for this method to actual need!

APO/FP: YES!
Just ask! All packages of this sort follow regular domestic post office rates and we are more than happy to do it!

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
(All times given are PO estimates and are not guaranteed. REMEMBER! Your package will go through 2 postal systems and 2 customs offices...We have an astonishingly good record for getting packages to you quickly--we usually ship within 24 hours--but if there is a delay in delivery it is typically because the package is in customs and there is very little we can do about that. But do contact us if the delivery has exceeded its outside time estimate.)

A NOTE ABOUT INSURANCE: We STRONGLY recommend it! It costs you $1.25 for every $100 dollars ($.75 to Canada) and it's worth it! Plus, we use a private insurer so there is no indication on the package that it is insured, (this is a good thing...less possibility of theft!)

A NOTE ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CHOICES: We offer only two choices in our menu for International Shipping: Airmail and Express. If you choose Airmail, we will use the least expensive option (AML, GP or AMH). If you choose Express, again, we will select the option that will cost you the least amount of money. The Post Office has discontinued Surface Mail as an option. The categories below are offered to help you make your ordering choices with reference to shipping.

REGULAR AIRMAIL-LIGHT (AML) : 5-14 days
If you order 1-3 VCDs, or a couple of DVDs, or a very light book, it will be less expensive, in general, to ship regular airmail. However, if your order is too heavy to ship AM, we will charge for and ship it GP. Some countries do not offer GP; in that case, we will ship it AML up to 4 pounds, then AMH after that!

GLOBAL PRIORITY (GP) : 4-14 days; Flat Rate available, cost efficient and fast! May be trackable (NEW!) GP is not available to all countries (sorry, it's the post office, not us!)
Global Priority offers some good Flat Rate options; this means, that if it can fit into a Flat Rate envelope or box (NEW! Flat Rate boxes now available too!) it goes at one price no matter how many items you have. So, for example, 4 vcds and 8 vcds cost the same amount to ship!

The Flat Rate envelope will generally hold up to 10 vcds, or 4 DVDs, or a few books (of course, all dependent on size). The Flat Rate box can hold about 30 VCDs or a number of books or DVDs...too many combinations to enumerate! We generally try to use one of these FLAT RATE envelopes or boxes, since it will save you money!

REGULAR AIRMAIL-HEAVY (AMH) : 5-20 days; generally trackable
If your order exceeds the weight or dimensions of GP, then we will use this method. Sometimes, we have found that it is less expensive to send your order in two or even three Flat Rate envelopes instead of one Airmail box! In those cases, we will do that to save you money.

EXPRESS SHIPPING (EXP) : 3-10 days Fast, trackable, but still not guaranteed!
The post office offers an Express shipping option, even a NEW flat rate envelope! And it does go fast. BUT! They do not guarantee times and your package still has to clear customs. EXP generally clears faster than AM or GP but there is no guarantee.