Antique Black Forest Bear Inkwell

Our Service Pledge

We endeavor to ship all purchases within one to two business days, and take great care in all of our item descriptions.

Payments we accept:

Other Information

I try and wholesale most of my shop prices, but am open to considering slight discounts on some items, or for orders from other shop owners. (other than on newly listed merchandise - first 10 days) Where discounts are offered, I routinely require payment by check or money order, so as to avoid PayPal seller fees.

On purchases of $100 or more, (excluding items already on sale or during the above referenced vacation period) layaways can always be arranged for up to two months time (up to three months for purchases exceeding $400). On layaways, or desired customer returns, where such desired returns are because a customer just changed their minds rather than because of any inadvertent error in our descriptions of the merchandise, customer will be responsible for payment of a 10% fee to compensate for Payapsl seller fees which are not refundable to sellers as well as seller expended postage costs. On any returned merchandise where customers changed their minds rather than relating to any inadvertent error in the listing descriptions, customers will be responsible for the postage costs both ways.

Shipments within Florida are subject to a 7% sales tax unless a valid resale number is provided.

We are always happy to combine shipping charges, where possible, on multiple purchases.


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** NOTE - As an encouragement to any customers that might wish to consider paying for purchase orders via postal money order, I will offer a 5% reduction off the listing price of merchandise for any such payments. Obviously, our shop's no fault return policies will still apply, regardless of what payment methodology customers might choose.
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If placing a purchase order with payment by PayPal, payment is normally expected within 24 hours of the order placement. (If paying via credit card invoicing, payment is normally expected within 24 hours of your receiving our payment invoice). If there is some problem which prevents such timely payment, please contact us and we'll be happy to try and work with you.

If you wish to cancel an order after being placed, and before payment is tendered, I have absolutely no problem with that, but timely advisement to that effect is expected, in fairness to both ourselves and other potential customers. We always try to give customers the benefit of the doubt to allow for exigencies which might arise, Accordingly, we routinely email reminders if expected PayPal payments are not received within that 24 hour period, and are happy to offer any customer assistance that might be needed.


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*** Not withstanding the above, I am too frequently encountering customers who place orders with noted payment via PayPal, but don't subsequently remit PayPal payments for same, do not request cancellation of their orders (which as indicated I have no problem with), do not respond to follow up inquiries from our shop, and routinely do not provide any telephone contact information. In those cases, customers can expect to be barred from any further business dealings with our shop, which could also possibly impact their future standing on Ruby Lane. I don't believe I'm being unreasonable in that regard.
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Obviously, if referenced payment on orders is to be by money order or personal check, the referenced time-frames don't apply. Any payments intended to be made from a non-U.S. source, requires advance approval from our shop. Also, if paying via an unverified PayPal account, please remember to note a contact telephone number either on the order page or on your credit card payment submission (or contact us at our referenced shop telephone number - (570-862-8785) so that the legitimacy of your order and desired shipping address can be verified, for the protection of both yourself and our shop.

I've increasingly been receiving inquiries from outside of the United States, asking for information regarding overseas shipping rates. I don't mind completing customs paperwork and responding with detailed shipping calculations, however it becomes a bit exasperating when I almost never receive any customer follow-up to those responses.----Accordingly, NOTE, on out of country shipments, PayPal requires full tracking / delivery confirmation, and insurance, and that effectively dictates that shipment be via express mail international, or in some cases, priority mail international. As of 2020, minimal charge (packages under 1 pound) for express or priority mail mail international is in excess of $40.00, which may be cost prohibitive except for more expensive shop purchases. I don't profit on any referenced shipping costs, but have no control over USPS charges (see USPS web site for more specifics on shipping cost). If wishing to pay for merchandise needing out of country shipping, via western union money order, in U.S. funds, I'm always happy to obtain private insurance, and ship via regular airmail, at a substantially lower customer cost. I try and maintain most of my shop merchandise at wholesale levels, so given the current postage rates and additional customs paperwork and other additional burdens associated with out of country shipments, I will respectfully decline to accept such out of country orders where the total of such orders is less than $100.00. Additionally, effective August 2021, PayPal will be charging an additional 1.5 percent seller fee on all out of the U.S. purchase orders, which I have no control over, and postage costs (somewhat expensive on out of country shipments, as previously referenced) are included in the computation of PayPal seller fees). Accordingly, where I agree to out of country shipments, I will tack on an additional 3% to the referenced item listed prices, to partially offset these additional seller fees which I will incur. On U.S. shipments where payments are being made from a non-U.S. PayPal account, I reserve the right to charge customers an additional 2% above the listed item prices or decline such sales.

If you will not be home to receive purchases within a few days after placing an order, we would ask that you not place orders until you are able to receive the merchandise. (I have encountered customers who have had their mail put on hold for several weeks and then place orders from our shop - thereby hindering our ability to track the shipments). Since all of our merchandise is by its nature one of a kind, and purchase orders effectively bar other customers from ordering the same items, any requested returns made more than a week subsequent to receipt of ordered merchandise by customer's local post office or delivery address,, will be responsible for any PayPal fees which our shop has been charged on that merchandise. We strive to be comprehensive and honest in all our item descriptions and to treat customers with the same respect and courtesy we would like to be shown. Unfortunately, we find that not all patrons share our values. Accordingly, although we do not charge any restocking fee on timely returns (excepting layaway purchases), and gladly accept returns for any reason that customers may see fit, we will video document any returned merchandise, for the full protection of our shop as well as the customers. Note also, On more than a few occasions, I've had customers order merchandise and then not make payments or effect any further contact with our shop. I really don't mind customers changing their minds after placing orders, however in that case etiquette would require prompt advisement to that effect. Accordingly, where repeated requests for clarification from us subsequent to order placements are ignored, without good reason, customers can expect to be barred from further business dealings with our shop. Also, on several occasions, I've had customers make inquiries about shop items and concurrently place purchase orders on those items to "hold" the items until we had the opportunity to answer their inquiries. Since placement of purchase orders effectively prevents any other customers from purchasing the same items, this is really inconsiderate of other customers, so we would appreciate customers refraining from that practice.

Return Policy

You may initiate a return of this item within 3 days of delivery. More Details

Shipping, Handling, Insurance Policy

Buyer pays for shipping and mandatory full insurance coverage. On items slightly over over $100, if insurance is listed as optional and declined by a buyer, the buyer assumes any risk of loss or damage in transit beyond the $100 insurance coverage automatically provided by the USPS on all priority mail shipments. Quoted shipping cost includes tracking on all USPS shipped items. We normally ship via USPS priority mail, unless size or weight makes priority mailing cost prohibitive, in which case this will be specified in the site listing. We have always tried to ship out orders within 1-2 business days of receiving payment. Allow 5 business days for clearance if payment is by a personal check. We pride ourselves on our careful packaging, so you can rest assured your treasured purchases will arrive safely. We do not charge any handling fees, so your shipping costs will always be at or below our actual shipping costs.