On the other side, the price of gas has increased considerably so it is less expensive to sit at home to order items and have them shipped to one's door, not to mention the fact that some items that I stock are very difficult to find in a store.

Minimum order is $10.00 before shipping and any taxes where applicable.

With these considerations, this is my shipping policy

my minimum charge for shipping and handling for most orders is $5.50 in Canada and $6.50 in the U.S. and $7.50 for International.
my price for shipping will be determined by the actual price of the shipment plus a small charge for handling to cover my costs including packaging.
please do not ask for a price quote as it takes a long time to prepare and package the order, weigh it, measure it and go on line and enter all the data to get a price. I promise to be fair.
as parcels are sometimes lost in the shipment process, I prefer to ship by expedited parcel post that has a tracking number and insurance. If you wish to have an item shipped without a tracking number, I cannot be responsible for replacement if the parcel is lost. Please put a note in the comments section if you wish to
have your order shipped with tracking and insurance. Otherwise I ship by the cheapest method available to me.
shipments by courier, including UPS and Purolater, are available at a higher cost

Important shipping information:

I cannot guarantee delivery and will not replace orders unless you request expedited shipping with tracking and the order is not delivered. All parcels have my return address and should be returned to me if it is not delivered.

I want to be fair in my shipping charges but it is very difficult to use a chart based on the total value of an order, to calculate a fair charge for shipping and handling. e.g. a $20 book can weigh considerably more than $60 worth of lace so the shipping cost would be higher for the book.

Factors that determine the price of shipping include the weight and size of the parcel but also include the location of the customer, including whether rural or urban. In some cases there is a fuel surcharge that does not appear on the package in the pricing.

I cannot guarantee delivery and will not replace orders unless you request expedited shipping with tracking and the order is not delivered.
All parcels have my return address and should be returned to me if it is not delivered.