A Summary of Information About the Supply Store

The Supply Store is not only a wonderful source for BC-related items, but a primary source of revenue for the site. If you haven't visited the store yet, you are in for a treat. You can find gorgeous labels and other release supplies, t-shirts, caps, several types of rubber stamps, notepads, postcards, earrings, backpacks -- and the list goes on and on! There are lots of great things to enhance your BC experience, and each order earns wings for 30 days. Consider this article a little “How To” regarding the Supply Store, and how best to get flying on BookCrossing!

Site Basics

First of all, the BookCrossing Supply Store is a secure site. Your personal information is protected and safe. The actual store is in Sandpoint, Idaho, and all purchases are mailed from that location. The current mail carrier is DHL/Global. Orders leave the store twice weekly (on Tuesday and Friday) to head out to members. The store is always searching for better, less expensive and faster ways to get your merchandise to you. You can always contact the Store Manager or submit an issue/question to the Support volunteers via the contact us link (be sure to check that your question/comment is Supply Store related.)

Wings and Things

Every Supply Store merchandise purchase entitles the purchaser to wings for one month. The system should automatically grant the wings, but if for some reason there is a foul up, let the Store know via support. If you have the order number, it makes it a little easier. Winged members see fewer, less obtrusive ads, and have access to some extra features. You can learn more about the benefits of wings by going to href="http://www.bookcrossing.com/wings">this page.

If you only want wings, there are several ways to do it. The first is by making a donation to the site. For as little as $5 you can have wings for a month. Donations are available in $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 amounts. If you wish to have wings for a year, you can purchase them for $50 by selecting the Wings for a Year Option at the Store. This is a 24% savings over monthly wings.

If you wish to help others fly, you can either grant them your wings from your donation or purchase by correctly typing their screen name in the space indicated when your order is being processed, or you can purchase wings for a flock in one of two ways. Wings for a Year + 6 gives wings for a year for you, plus wings for a month for six of your friends. Wings for 12 friends gives you the opportunity to purchase wings for one month for 12 of your favorite BookCrossers. When you get to the Order Confirmation page, scroll down until you find the BookCrossing wings box. Put one name in that box, yours or a friend's, and put the other names in the comments box. Both are another economical way to support the site!

A couple of important things to note regarding wings

At this time, wings are not cumulative - they are only good for 30 days. If one of your friends already has wings, your gift isn't tacked on to the end of their wings to extend them. So, it is a good idea to only wing either people with no wings, or people whose wings are fading.

If you order any of the wings options which require listing another person's name in the comments section (Wings for 12 friends or Wings for a Year + 6), it may take approximately 24 hours to get the wings to the right folks as those wings have to be assigned by hand. And while you're writing in the comments, a little "Thank You!" makes the folks doing the hand winging very happy.

Group Orders

As of today, the store has changed its policy and increased the number of wings that can be awarded with group orders of $150 or more. Now wings can be given for each $15 increment in the Group order! Thank you Heather, for hearing our concerns. As explained above, put one name in the wings box, and the others in the comments box. Be sure to spell all names correctly.

Gift Certificates

Don't forget about the gift certificates for special occasions! This might be a good time to point out that your loved ones can order from the store without being a member. My sister gave me my favorite Christmas gift this way. All of this information can be found on this
page. People need not be a BookCrosser to shop at the store, though their purchase will not earn wings for anyone unless they specify in the comments to grant the wings to a BookCrosser.

Ordering

Now that I have convinced you that you want to place an order, let’s go over ordering, paying, and shipping.

• Online:Visit the store and follow the prompts.
  
  
• By phone: You can call toll free in the US at 877-In-The-Wild (468-4394). International customers can call +1-208-265-4848. These numbers are posted on the top right of the Store home page. Phone orders require a credit card. The easiest way to place a phone order is to use the online Store to assemble your order. When you get to the Order Confirmation page, stop. This page lists your item numbers, quantities, sub-total and shipping charges. Stop here. DO NOT click on "Make the Order". If you have this in front of you when you call, along with your credit card information, it will go quite smoothly.
  
  
• Snail Mail: You can find information on this at the top of the href="https://secure.bookcrossing.com/store/orderinfo.html">Order confirmation page. Click on the link right below the words "Order Confirmation". You can fill a shopping cart online, and as with phone orders, you can stop once you reach the Order confirmation page. Print this page or handwrite a neat copy. DO NOT click on "Make this order". Mail it with a check or money order in US funds to
  BookCrossing.com
  
  323 Pine Street
  
  Sandpoint ID 83864
  
  USA
  

Be sure to include your name, address, phone number, email, BC screen name, the name you want to get wings (yours or someone else), item codes, sizes, quantities, and "ship to" information.

Payment

Now that you have picked out all the items you crave and are ready to pay, you have several choices.

• Credit card
  
  
• PayPal-There are special directions for using PayPal, but they aren't complicated at all. You can find them here or on my
  FAQ pages.
  
  
• Check or Money Order in US funds. There work quite well for snail mail orders. Be aware that if you send a personal check, it may delay the order a bit while it clears. I don't know that for a fact, but I know that it is customary for most places. The address can be found on the alternative methods page.

I wish I could give you information on alternative payment methods for overseas members. I understand that credit cards and paypal aren't workable options for many. I have asked our European/Australian members to research this for us. If I hear back from them, I will add the information when it becomes available.

Shipping

The software that the store uses is set up to figure shipping by order total rather than weight. Please keep in mind that the shipping charges cover more than just postage. Even a pack of labels requires secure packaging and someone has to spend valuable time to process the order, process the payment method, and pack the order.

Packages are sent DHS/Global mail from Idaho, USA. Please allow 4-5 days for processing, since the store only has one part-time employee. Once the order is processed, it takes 10-14 business days for delivery to the Continental US, and 16-21 business days for International shipping. Please count the days from the order shipped date. You can find this date by logging on to BookCrossing, going to the Supply Storeand clicking on "My Account".

Once the order leaves the store, it is up to the Postal Fates, and we all know how that goes. BookCrossing can't control the USPS or the postal service in other countries. I don't think they have much control over Customs, either. Any of these things can conspire to alter the posted delivery schedule. Expedited shipping for domestic addresses is available via FedEx for additional charges.

You can get free shipping on orders over $55 in the US and Canada, and over $60 outside of the US and Canada. This is when group orders are very handy!

You can find shipping information on the shipping pages.


If you have questions about your order, you can use the "Contact Us" link in the left-hand column of any BookCrossing page, under "Home". Choose the "Supply Store" option on the contact form. You can also reach them using the "Contact our Store Manager" link at the bottom of the page.

Please note that this information is correct as of May 10. Check out the links in the article for current information.

Now, let's go shopping!!

Thanks from the author to the Supply Store Volunteers in Support who helped her with this article. And thanks to this article, the editors are happy to announce a new Supply Store section on our Frequent Questions page!

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