Order Info Direct Ordering & Shipping Information

YOU CAN ORDER OUR PRODUCTS FROM YOUR HOBBY DEALER

Many of our proprietary products are available at your local hobby dealer. However, in today's economy it is difficult for some of the dealers to have the financial resources to stock actual model building products such as the items we specialize in. They seem to concentrate only on ARF products. Also, some hobby dealers do not handle our products because many only deal with two or three of the major hobby distributors. Those dealers may not be interested in dealing with alternative distributors such as ourselves. As a result of their business practices, our products are sometimes not available to their customers. Unfortunately some of those dealers will simply tell customers who are interested in our products, that our products are not available, even if those items are available for him to sell to his customers. 

A list of hobby dealers who actively sell our products is shown on our Dealers List section as indicated on the upper horizontal title bar of our web site.

OR YOU CAN ORDER DIRECT USING OUR SHOPPING CART

All NELSON Hobby Products can be ordered directly from NELSON Hobby Direct, our direct mail division. We will be glad to process your order, no matter what size the order. You can order online with our shopping cart or contact us directly.

Offered is a professionally designed ordering system that is very user friendly. An email ordering form is also provided for special non-stock orders such as custom paint colors and specially designed servo arms and bellcranks. Both the shopping cart and email orders will feature a secured credit card system to insure credit card confidentiality.

Up to 20% Shopping Cart Discount.

(Subject to changes as we gain experience with the new discount structure.)

Revised July 29, 2004

Offered is a significant discount for shopping cart orders. We are pleased with the initial results of our shopping cart ordering system. There is a major cost savings for us to process the shopping cart orders and our cost savings is being passed on to our shopping cart customers. A varied discount structure is offered. The larger the order the greater the discount. This discount only applies to orders placed in our shopping cart.  Orders by Phone, Fax, and Letter, our standard 10% discount is offered for orders over $100.00.

Shopping Cart Order

Discount Schedule:

(Only applies to orders placed with our shopping cart.)

Orders over $49.90 and under $99.90 a 5% discount applies.

Orders $99.90 and under $149.90 a 10% discount applies.

Orders $149.90 and under $199.90 a 15% discount applies.

Orders over $199.90 a 20% discount applies.

No discounts for net price items.

The discount if applicable, will be shown in the summary at the end of the shopping cart order process. The discount is shown as a Price break Discount. Discount is not shown as the individual items are ordered or placed into the shopping cart.

Exceptions to discount: Items that are listed as a net price in our web site and shopping cart catalog do not have any additional discount. This would include items such as our HVLP spray equipment and Sherline Lathes, Mills, and accessories. Other items may be added at a later time when those special items are offered.  If a net price item is ordered in the shopping cart, the final cost presented for that item will be zero. However the net price is listed in the description of the item so that the customer will know what the net price of that item is.

At time our shopping cart does not allow a net priced item to be invoiced in the normal manner. The order subtotal will not be correct since the net priced item is shown as a 0.00 cost. Also our low order fee is applied. The freight cost is correct. We suggest that if you are ordering a net item, use the email form for special orders listed in the contact us section on the horizontal title bar at the top of the page.

If there is confusion with the placing an order for a net price item, please contact us by phone, fax, or by email.

BACK ORDERS:

Unfortunately back orders will occur from time to time. Sometimes the products are difficult to get or we simply sold out of the product before we could replenish the inventory of those items. If an order is shipped and charged to the customers credit card and there is a item back ordered, we will not charge the customer for the item back ordered. If the back order is processed approximately within the 30 days from the order was received, then the credit card will be charged for the shipment of the back order.

Back orders will be held for approximately 30 days. If the product is back in stock after that time, we will contact the person to see if the item is still needed.

PAYMENT:

Payment can be made by Money Order, credit card (American Express, Master Card, Visa, Discover) or by check. Please allow 10 days for check to clear. We only ship COD by UPS Cash/Money Order.

Foreign payment by credit card is best. Check drawn on a USA bank, or wire transfers can also be used. Add $15 to wire transfer amount to cover our bank fees.

TEXAS SALES TAX:

A 6.25% sales tax is applied to all retail orders shipped within the state of Texas.

SHIPPING COST AND METHOD:

Shipping costs are charged to the customer for all orders under $200. USA Orders over $200 for shipment within the 48 states are sent freight paid by surface UPS. This does not apply to Alaska or Hawaii orders which can only be sent either by UPS Air delivery or by US mail depending on customer's request.

Items over $200 priced as a net item are not sent freight prepaid. Those items will charged shipping costs.

The discount we offer on shopping cart orders under $200 reduces the shipping cost and many times actually exceeds the shipping cost.

USA Orders under 1 pound of weight and under $75 are usually sent by US Postal Priority Mail at $3.85/pkg. Larger orders are usually sent by surface UPS.

We do not choose to use parcel post for orders over $75. The orders under $75 are sent without insurance and we can drop the packages off at a near by post office distribution center. In order to charge insurance we have to physically take the package to the post office. That is a minimum of a 15 minute drive each way. Then we usually have to wait in line. Our direct cost in labor is significant for this process. If UPS shipping is not possible (shipping to a PO box for example), then we can ship the order via parcel post but there will be a $5 handling charge added. In addition, we will not usually make a special trip to the post office just for one package. We will wait until we have several other packages to send. 

USA Orders within the 48 states are sent by surface residential rate UPS with the appropriate rate charged by UPS. UPS shipments by Next Day, Second Day, or Third Day Air can be made at customer's cost. Other means of shipping can be arranged for.

We can invoice orders to a residential address and ship the order to a commercial business address. The saving in shipping cost can be significant. The shipping cost savings does not apply to a business operating at a residential address.

Orders sent to Canada are sent by US Mail Air Parcel or Air Mail Letter Post, which ever is cheaper. Orders can be sent via UPS upon special request. As a courtesy for our modeling neighbors in Canada we do not add a service charge for US Postal shipping.

FOREIGN ORDERS:

We can not, and will not indicate a lower cost on any customs forms. We will indicate the actual cost and basic description of the order that the customer is paying for. It is against our government laws for us to falsify the value of a shipment so the customer will perhaps pay less duty or taxes. If this policy is unacceptable, we can ship the customer order to someone or address designated by the customer here in the USA and that person can ship the order to the customer.

We assume most foreign orders will be sent by surface or air parcel post. Because we generally have to physically go to the post office to fill out insurance and custom forms, there will be a special $5 handling fee (except for Canadians) for all foreign orders. Our regular post office is located on the other side of town and there is a minimum of a 20 minute drive each way, plus waiting in line at the post office.

Since we ship to Canada on a regular basis, we have enough experience were we can put on the proper postage and prepare the necessary documents and bring the Canadian packages to a nearby Post Office Distribution Center, thus greatly lowering our cost for processing. Therefore we do not charge a special handling fee for Canadian orders.

HANDING CHARGE:

There is a $5 low order charge added for orders under $10. There is an 6% additional fee applied to all UPS shipping costs to help cover the cost of shipping supplies and accounting costs.  There can be additional special shipping costs on some unusual size  or possibly hazard products (the shipping of our paint does not require a hazardous fee charge) and those costs will be passed on to the customer. Customer will be notified on such costs.

 

RETURN OF MERCHANDISE &

SHIPPING DAMAGE:

Please contact us for information on any questions of return of merchandise or shipping damages.

SHOPPING CART ON-LINE

ORDER SYSTEM:

Our shopping cart software is one of the latest types. Offered is a few comments to help make the use of the shopping cart easier.

Shipping charges quoted in shopping cart.

The shipping charges presented after the order has been selected and placed into the shopping cart are only estimates. Each item ordered has an individual weight, but when those items are combined with other items, the total shipping cost will usually be less than what is shown on the completed order form. Insurance cost and COD fees are not factored into the shipping costs presented. The additional cost for insurance is a small amount, but the UPS COD fee is $6.00.

Selecting method of US Postal Service.

When the items ordered are placed into the shopping cart, and have been verified by the customer that they are the items wanted, then the next step is to select the method of shipment. Two shipping methods are offered, United Parcel Service and United States Postal Service. As previously mentioned, Priority Mail shipping will normally be used for orders under one pound and less than $75. Small somewhat unbreakable items (a servo arm for example) may be shipped in a first class mailing pouch. Orders over one pound and are over $75, will be shipped by surface rate UPS. The UPS selection is simple, either by surface or various levels of air service. Orders by US Parcel Post are more difficult to chose from.

Orders that cannot be shipped by UPS (foreign orders and PO Box addresses, or for personal reasons) the customer will select which method of US Postal Service to be used. Before selecting which method of shipping is used, the customer should contact the US Postal Service web site at www.usps.com and determine which types of service are offered for the items to be shipped. There are size restrictions that control which type of shipping method can be used. For example, a roll of LiteFAB which will be shipped in a 30 inch long box, may only be shipped by air parcel post and not by the cheaper air mail post. If the customer selects a method of shipment that is not allowed for the shipment size, weight, contents, etc., then we will select a method of shipment that is similar that can be processed.

Acknowledgement of order and time to process orders.

When a customer's order is placed, there will be an email acknowledgment sent to the customer stating that the order has been received.

NELSON Hobby doesn't have a large group of workers standing by to immediately ship orders soon as possible. Depending on what is going on at the time orders are received, it can take up to a week to fill a order. You can email us any time in regards to the status of your order.

Since we manufacture several of our products, we may not have inventory sitting on the shelf packaged and ready to be shipped. Those items perhaps have not been packaged yet. Even if we have the product components in stock, we can have a delay due to retail packaging of that product.

Therefore, please allow about two weeks before you can expect to receive an order placed with us. Custom orders such as special control linkage and custom paints could take longer. We will make every effort to process your order as quickly as possible.

We understand that this shipping delay is not desirable for our customers, but at times there is nothing we can do about it. We just do the best we can. Your patience is appreciated. As our business grows, we hope to be able to speed up our order processing.

If you have a question about the availability of any orders placed with us, please e-mail that request in the spaced noted on your computer screen order acknowledgement.

SPECIAL ORDERS:

To order any items that are not listed in our shopping cart, typically custom paint colors and linkage, go to our shopping cart to the Information box at the lower left corner of the main page. Click on contact us and a blank form comes up where you can type in what you would like to order. When you click on, continue and it will automatically be emailed to us.

When you write up the information to be custom ordered, be sure to explain in detail what you need. It can be helpful for us if you let us know how you are going to use the item ordered. If it a special paint color, tell us what kind of airplane, what size, what type of covering will be used, what kind of primer will be used, will clear nitrate or butyrate dope be used prior to painting, will it be sprayed on or brushed, and any other information you can share with us? This information will indicate perhaps that too much or too little paint is being ordered, maybe the wrong type of primer has been applied, perhaps white should be ordered as a base if it red, yellow, and orange type paints ordered, or the type of primer being used may not be compatible with our paint.

If you are ordering special linkage, the same kind of information is helpful for us. What kind and size of airplane, what kind of engine, type and brand of servos with servo part numbers if possible, are servos slaved together, pull-pull cables going directly to a servo or will a bellcrank be used, and any other information you can share with us. If the linkage being ordered doesn't seem to be practical or will work satisfactory, we would like to have the opportunity to perhaps suggest something different from what you have ordered.

Notes on special orders.

A confirmation of your order will be sent to you by email for your records.  Custom paint orders have a $5 handling charge per color and minimum quantity is a pint. Allow two weeks for processing.

Custom servo arms and bellcranks have no handing charge. Width for a single servo arm is from center to outside attach point. Width for a double arm is from the outside attach points. Offset required for double arms and bellcranks is from the center of the pivot point of the servo or bearings to the distance between the two outside attach points. Allow two weeks for processing.

Special Orders

Click here for blank email form.

Revised 07/24/05

(Possible changes in our policies may occur as we gain experience with our shopping cart ordering system)