All major credit cards accepted at NO fee or surcharge to you -

1. All major CREDIT CARDS are cheerfully accepted.  Yes you can use REAL Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards at NO fee WHATEVER to you.  If your invoice is $A1,000 and Registered Air Post overseas is $A16 for small lots - I charge $A1,015 to your credit card plus insurance.  No tricks, no traps, no hidden extras, no surcharges.  You know EXACTLY where you stand. Unlike some methods like PayPal which can often incur you (and I!) hefty fees in real life - and I do accept PayPal - see point 2.  Earn Frequent Flyer miles whilst buying nice material from me! Unlike most auctions and MANY dealers, there is NO surcharge from me for using a credit card - in fact, I FAR prefer clients to use credit cards direct with me or option 4, as it makes all transactions quick and convenient, and transparent for both parties involved. If you wish you can use this website link to pay me quickly and easily and SECURELY for lots via your credit card, using this SAFE AND SECURE https link - https://www.glenstephens.com/order.html

2. PayPal ..  Use my PayPal email address - glen@glenstephens.com to remit.  If you use PayPal to pay me, the fees to me are terrifying as PayPal slug me not only the 3.75% plus the flat fee, and use outrageously bad exchange rates (they slug 2.5% for that!) and add another 1% or so, as I am a "Foreign" customer.  I just got whacked by PayPal over $US15 fees on a $US250 sale.  So I will add most of these extra fees to your invoice if you do not use option #1/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10 - i.e. you need to add 3% to the transaction.  OR, PayPal me the sum in $US/Euro/STG at the rate shown that day on www.xe.com and there are NO fees, as I use that for when I make Foreign purchases.  You also pay zero fees if you send the funds for the goods via the PayPal "Gift" or “Family and Friends” option, where there appears to be near zero fees to either of us!  Near all PayPal buyers do that, as I am a trusted supplier.  You would NEVER do that on an ebay purchase.          

3.  Bank cheque in $Australian, or Australia Post Money Order allows shipping the day I receive it.  Australia Post recently introduced online Money Orders. You go online, send me $700, they take it from your bank account or BPay, they email me it has been done, and “job done” in a few minutes.  Well worth reading up on - www.tinyurl.com/APostMO

4.  Bank transfer.  My bank account detail is Westpac Banking Corporation, Northbridge NSW branch, Glen Stephens - BSB - 032199 Account – 824096    You MUST be specific on order form about your name and Lot - i.e. 'James Jones, 5/- Mint Bridge $300' or better still ' Jones, 5/- Roo, Stock 692WQ' - and not just 'Stamps - $300' or I'll have no idea who paid me!  Transfer from anywhere on earth the EXACT sum (nett to me) in $A owed for lot(s) plus shipping, and we are good to go - remember YOUR bank will charge a flat $25 or whatever.  If you transfer funds to me in a currency OTHER than in $A, my bank uses terrible rates several % worse than what you see in newspapers, to convert them to $A, so be forewarned. (See point 6.)  UK or NZ buyers can do online transfers in £Stg or $NZ saving you “foreign” transaction fees - email me for account details.

5.  $A personal cheques are fine.  Unless you are known to me these will be banked, and WHEN and only when, they are cleared, will I get around to mailing goods.  My address to mail them to is Glen Stephens Stamps -  PO Box 4007, Castlecrag. NSW. 2068. Australia.

6.  Foreign (Non Australian) CASH or Traveller Cheques.  ONLY if mailed in a totally secure fashion (at your risk) will I accept this. i.e  Registered or Insured mail to me - PO Box 4007, Castlecrag. NSW. 2068. Australia.  Currency banknotes only - NO coins accepted.  $A currency cash is simple to deal with of course.  If you want to mail me current banknotes of Euros, Sterling, $US, Laotian Kip, Cuban Pesos, or Mongolian Splats etc - go right ahead.   HOWEVER - what I receive from my bank is what your account credit will be.  Goods will NOT be mailed until after I have received and banked this form of payment.  Banks screw us all on currency exchange - each and every day, and this fact of life is your problem if mailing me Cuban Pesos - i.e. NOT my problem, if they give me around half the newspaper exchange rate!  $US, Sterling and Euros the bank does not play games with too much, and “only” part us with 3% or 4%, (and of course they never pay for currency notes anything like newspaper figures) but as for those Cuban Pesos ....  

7.   Mint "postage".  Mint full gum post 1966 Australia and AAT stamps (i.e. all Decimal currency issues)  I can always use for sending out parcels etc.  I accept them at 50% of FACE value if in usable condition. i.e. if you owe me $A50 for a lot, I will accept $A100 face of full gum stamps in payment.  Toned, or scrappy or messy or 'bitsy' junk I will allow only 40% face.  ONLY if mailed in a totally secure fashion at your cost will I accept these. i.e  Registered or Insured mail to me at PO Box 4007, Castlecrag. NSW. 2068. Australia.  Overseas buyers and dealers seem to love using this system.  You MUST attach a list or tape print out of the face value of stamps you send me, so I can quickly double check your counting and mathematical skills!  And you MUST contact me first for face value sendings over $1,000, so I can advise on correct wording for customs form etc.  Failure for YOU to do so may mean I get levied on them, and waste an hour on paperwork, and that shall be at your expense.  Sorry, no gum unused Australian stamps are usually NEVER accepted as payment.  However, I may consider them, at about 10% face value - please enquire on the current buying rate.

8.  Foreign Cheques - Please note - I do not accept foreign (non Australian) cheques or money orders of ANY kind as 'collection' fees are terrifying and take months to clear. Sorry.  Americans in particular assume the entire globe has a US checking account - it does NOT!  

9.  Western Union money transfers are fine As LONG as I receive the NETT amount owed to me - i.e. any fees for using this method are to be paid in advance at YOUR end..

10.  Layaway or 'Lay-By'.  No problem on purchases over $A300 as LONG as we agree on this in writing up front.  If you buy a lot that converts to $A400 and want me to debit your credit card $A100 a month for 4 months - no problem to me if this balances your books better than one large debit, or keeps you out of the divorce courts!  Or you can use PayPal in accordance with point 2 above. There is no charge or surcharge whatever from me to use this system if you complete payment in the time agreed.  Goods will be sent only after final debit or payment is made.  Any default in completing this, and any and all previous payments are forfeited, as I'll need to re-offer item(s).  OR, if you are having payment problems, and if I agree, interest will added at 10% compound p.a. on unpaid balance.  I often sell goods on commission and pay the vendor fast, so your defaulting costs me money.  Any Lay-By NOT completed 12 months after the agreed time, shall have any and all payments forfeited, and you lose all claim and title on the goods. By requesting Layaway, you accept and fully agree to these conditions.

WHICHEVER payment method above suits best - you MUST tell me via email within 3 working days after ordering WHAT method it will be.  If you plan to be away from home on business for several days after the sale please advise me in advance.  I am not much obsessed with speed, but I do like to be fully in the loop, and I cannot read your mind.      

Postage and Insurance and Shipping Costs:

I do not charge silly prices for 'packing and handling' - just a small nominal cost, if anything, and add that mainly on larger non-standard size articles. Sometimes I can spend 20 minutes securely packing a large carton, buying the exact correct size sturdy box or packaging, adding packing/chocking inside to stop books and albums moving around, and using lots of expensive fibreglass filament strapping tape etc for safety from bursting in transit.  In such cases I add $5 or so for my time and messing about!  Just completing all the customs and insurance forms for overseas insured or Registered parcels, and lining up at my busy PO counter to have it all entered up, takes 10-15 minutes minimum on top.

You pay for postage (at the current Australia Post rate) and for the Registered Post fee, and for insurance of the goods.  Insurance for goods up to $A10,000 per single shipment is only $A2.00 per $A100.00 coverage to most countries in the world, or part thereof, to most major countries. Some "high risk" countries like India/Pakistan/Columbia/Indonesia/Mexico etc are clearly excluded.  Sending insured there is a GUARANTEE the items will be stolen or tampered with, pretty much.  

This insurance is added to ALL invoices over $100 unless you specifically advise in writing that you do NOT require this, and that you of course assume total risk for loss or damage in that event.  i.e., a $A500 domestic order will only cost you $A8 Insurance charge in addition to postage and Registered fee.  (Registered Mail compensation coverage is only VERY minimal, but being Registered ensures a signature upon arrival.)  Remember, mail travels by trucks, and is delivered on motor bikes, and trucks and bikes and mailbags get wet in transit when it rains. So does mail in your letterbox when it rains quite often.

I have had countless sendings over the decades arrive either still wet, or with mint stamp stuck together inside, as they were once wet in transit somewhere. Totally ruined and worthless in many cases. The PO does NOT compensate you in this event as they correctly say the mail was safely and quickly delivered!  A Mastercard bill or junk mail getting wet in your letterbox is no big issue, but a set of $800 mint stamps IS a headache!  A few $$ to cover transit insurance is very inexpensive peace of mind.

The good news is that I ALWAYS use attractive Australian postage stamps, NOT frank or meter labels for the postage component of your order, and have them lightly cancelled at my local post office.  Not only do you get the stamp lots you ordered, you get fine used frankings as well - if they are not damaged in transit!  Registered labels within Australia cost about $A4 each, and stamps cannot be used for that component.

Generally, this light cancelled franking has a retail value around (and sometimes more!) than what you are charged for postage costs.  The only exception to using nice stamps on mailings is for small lots sent overseas by Registered Mail.  (For larger packets and parcels stamps can still be used.)

REGISTERED INTERNATIONAL - Australia Post now insists that a pre-paid "Registered" envelope must be used for this, for all goods under 500 grams (about 1 pound - i.e. 99% of my overseas sendings!), and insists that stamps CANNOT be used to pre-pay it.  Their rules, not mine.  A small size (130 x 240mm)  pre-paid envelope that covers most stamp sendings is $A17 and the far larger one (353 x 250 mm) is $A28.  So the cost is very nominal really.  500 grams allows me to enclose a small collection on leaves or a few Hagners etc. And is cheaper than most Europeans and Canada and Americans need to pay to mail ME Registered mail.  However a new Registered overseas system now allows me to use stamps on parcels over 500g up to 2kg, which is only $A12 or so over postage cost, and in this case stamps can be used for the TOTAL cost oddly.  So about $A28 to North America, Reg’d Air using stamps for up 500g.  I can send a single stamp this method if asked, and if you want STAMPS used.

Any overseas sending heavier than 2 kilos MUST be sent by Insured Post which costs $A10 over actual postage costs for the initial $A100 covered.  I use nice stamps for this postage cost and the $10 fee, which offers a nominal cover to $A100. The $A2/$100 private insurance is additional to this, based on value of the shipment, this being a separate cover to the PO cost.  I have found that mailing goods marked like: "value $1,000" on the outside often causes the recipients hassles, delays and costs upon entry re GST/VAT/import duties and taxes etc.  Not to mention it can make the article a prime target for theft or tampering en-route as it looks "tempting" to some postal staff.  

If I mark parcel "Book, printed matter" (which of course all stamp albums and catalogues truly and honestly ARE!) and insure it for a nominal $A100, my long experience shows that the packet arrives quickly, without incident, and in 99% of cases no duties/taxes/VAT/GST/HST/MOMS etc are added or collected your end.  If you wish I will enclose no invoice in with the goods - it makes no difference to me, and you have your on-line order receipt.  So on a $A600 parcel, if I send PO insured for $A100, you still need to sign for it at your end, hence it is quite safe, and usually a low value packet like that passes without comment via foreign Customs Bureaux etc. 

If I choose to cover the other $A500 by private insurance, you can sleep easily knowing you are covered for loss or theft, and the extra insurance cost is only $A10.  Countries like United Kingdom with a 20% VAT will charge you $A120 VAT TAX if I were to mark parcel as $A600 value, and they add a hefty “collection/processing fee” as well. (And I know Canada certainly does too.)  And if Australian customs are any guide, they will hold up your parcel for a week in the bureaucratic process!

I can mail things of low value - but which weigh over 500 grams - like Gibbons catalogues etc and of only nominal value via un-insured post if asked specifically, and assuming that you of course assume 100% to all risk for loss or damage in that event.  To countries like USA, Canada, NZ, GB and most of Western Europe etc, these are generally delivered without incident, and have been for 30 years.  I find these OFTEN go air as PO here is lazy.

All of my material is priced in $A and of course that exact $A figure is debited to your credit card.  Buy a lot off me for $A100 from the USA - and $A100 plus $A17 Registered post and any insurance will go on your credit card.  If our lovely friends the banks screw you overseas a percent or three in the exchange rate shuffle - well that's life, and a trade-off for convenience.  I do NOT charge you my 4% merchant fees etc on American Express - that is 100% absorbed by me, and you are charged your purchase price only, plus shipping/insurance.  On a $500 purchase this saves you a LOT of money. Sometimes in lot write up I’ll type “$AX or approx $USY right now” and that is a guide from when I lotted it - DO check it on www.xe.com first if you wish to be 100% sure.  Currencies move al lthe time.   

I do NOT ship quickly as a general rule as I am a classic one-man business, and have NO staff or helpers to add to the cost of YOUR stamps.  I also travel the world an awful lot.  I travel way over 100,000 miles each year on vacation.  When I am away the office door is closed tight!  And when I am here,  I am real busy. So - goods may OFTEN - take a week or so after your order to be shipped from here.  And WHEN I ship to Canada or many parts of the USA, my mail takes 2 weeks to arrive airmail from date of posting - not my doing, but the respective Post Offices and today’s loopy “Heightened Inward Mail Security Screening”.

****   All buyers ACCEPT AND ACKNOWLEDGE this when buying from me and agree they will not harass me for expecting your stamp order "yesterday"!   ****   

If you truly want same-day shipping might be best to go elsewhere - it is not, and has NEVER been the way I do business.  Sorry.  Hey - you may get lucky .. and I may ship in a day or so after you order, but do NOT expect or assume this. NEVER!  My clients and I have a business friendship - they like me, they like my prices and my material, and they tolerate my shipping eccentricity. This is a symbiotic relationship. AND trust me - it will NEVER change.   

I have been a large dealer for near 40 years, and getting raised blood pressure rushing to the PO after a sale is just not usually on my radar screen.  I do not need that kind of business.  Of course I do accept at times you do need something REAL fast for whatever reason, (stamp show, Gift, going on vacation etc) and if you are genuine let me know, and certainly I'll try to oblige 100%.      

Deal ONLY with the Business Owner!