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Ordering your transfers How to pay Calculating postage costs Packaging advice

Quite simply, all you need to do is carry out the following two steps:

1) Email first. In your email you can describe your order and confirm your instructions to me. Emailing also gives me the opportunity to alert you to any potential delays or difficulties with your proposed order.

2) Send off your records or tapes. Once you have received my reply, pack up your records or tapes and send them to me along with any further instructions as to what procedures you wish me to carry out. See below for advice about payment, UK postage costs and packaging.

If you haven't yet looked at the details of the services I offer, they are to be found on other pages: the vinyl page, the tapes page or the 78rpm page. And if you're not sure what you need done - how much noise reduction, for example - you only need to say what kind of result you're looking for, and I will be happy to assess your records or tapes and contact you with my advice and an indication as to cost. It's not necessary to send any payment with your order. Advice about payment, UK postage costs and packaging is given below. Please note the minimum order value of £15.

Send your order to:

Record Restorations Laurelbank 14 Banff Road Keith Banffshire AB55 5HA UK

There are three main payment options - direct deposit via internet banking, cheque or credit/debit card via PayPal. Bearing in mind that for most orders the total cost plus return postage is not usually known in advance, my normal practice is to request payment once the transfer work is complete (or nearly complete) prior to returning the order. If either the direct deposit or cheque option is chosen, there is less (or no) cost to me, but I have to allow time for the payment to come through or clear. With the PayPal option, payment is virtually instant, but I am charged a significant percentage of the transaction amount by PayPal. So the PayPal option is suited to smaller orders (say, below £20) which may be returned reasonably quickly. For larger orders direct deposit or cheque are preferred, as payment would usually be through by the time the transfer work is complete. At the present time, direct deposits effected via internet banking are usually free to both parties.

Direct deposit via internet banking
This is the preferred option for larger orders (say, above £20). (If you don't yet have internet banking, a cheque is just as welcome - see below.) To make a direct deposit into my bank account you would need my bank details (eg sort code and account number) which I can provide by email. If you use a different bank to mine, payment would normally take three working days to arrive in my account. If you use the same bank as I do, it may be quicker.

Cheque
This time-honoured payment method (payable to "Iain Carr" is preferred) is welcome as there is little cost to me, but it is the slowest, as, once the final cost is known, you have to put the cheque in an envelope, walk or drive to the post box, wait for the cheque to get to me, wait again for me to pay it into my account and wait yet again (three working days) for it to clear. You also have the cost of a stamp. Customers frequently ask if they can send a cheque with their order. The problem with that is that there are very few orders where the final cost is known before the records or tapes are sent to me. At that stage I don't know how much packaging you are going to use (which influences return postage cost*), and in many cases there are decisions to be made regarding processing options once I have received the material and evaluated it. The only way you can send an accurate cheque with your order is if you know the exact cost of your transfer work (you might) and the exact cost of return postage (some people find this confusing). Of course, if you wish to send an estimated cheque with your order you are welcome to do so. If it turns out to be short I can always request the balance via the PayPal option.

* (I have previously had the occasional order where there was so much heavy packaging used that the cost of the return postage was more than the transfer fees.)

Credit or debit card via PayPal
This is the quickest way to pay; there is no delay in my receiving your payment. However, as PayPal's charges (to me) amount to a significant proportion of fees paid, online payment with the PayPal system is now the preferred option only for smaller orders (say, below £20) which usually do not take long to process. If you choose this option, I can send you a link which will enable you to pay using a credit or debit card. Some customers have indicated that as they do not have PayPal accounts they believe they cannot pay by this method. In fact, clicking the payment link in the email will take you to a page where you are given the option of paying without having to open a PayPal account.

For UK orders I normally return packages using First Class Recorded Signed For. The Recorded part includes a signature on receipt and up to £34 compensation. Unless you have good reasons for using another service, you may find that this is the best option for sending your order to me (it's certainly faster than Standard Parcels). If you are sending records, you can work out how much your package will cost to return to you. Firstly you will need to weigh the package - you can use your kitchen scales for this if they are accurate. Next add 25 grams for each transfer CD you expect the package to contain. Then use the table below to find the postage cost.

0-100g 101-250g 251-500g 501-750g 751-1000g 1001-1250g Each additional 250g or part thereof

£1.79 £2.08 £2.54 £3.08 £3.62 £4.95 +£0.75

The figures in the table above include both postage costs for First Class delivery and the additional £0.70 cost of Recorded Signed For. The only difficulty you may have is if the weight borders two adjacent ranges, but at least you'll have some idea of the cost. If your package is quite small - containing a single tape, say - the postage cost may well be considerably less than that shown in the table, because size now matters to the UK postal service.

Depending on the weight of the package, it sometimes costs only a small amount more to use Special Delivery, which guarantees you'll receive the package by noon next day and includes more insurance. If you would like to use this option, please make it clear with your initial instructions or by email communication.

Please note that I do not normally provide packaging. The advice given in this section is my list of suggestions regarding appropriate packaging levels you should use.

You, the customer, decide how much protection your records need in transit to and from Record Restorations. More packaging means more protection but greater cost to send. I normally use the same packaging to return your records and CDs as that in which the records arrived. If I have to provide alternative packaging for the return journey, your costs go up. So the cost of postage - both directions - is decided by the nature of the packaging that you use.

The descriptions below should be used as a guide only. I would recommend level 2 packaging as a minimum for overseas orders. I would recommend level 3 packaging as the only option for 78rpm records, which are very fragile, wherever they are sent from.

Level 1 packaging
This is the type used by many Record Restorations customers, and tends to consist of a simple slim padded envelope (eg Jiffy bag or PostPak type). No problems have been experienced using level 1 packaging, though I would recommend using two pieces of light card for added rigidity, and marking the package 'Records - do not bend'. Vinyl records are actually quite robust - most of the damage they suffer takes place at groove level. Use level 1 packaging if your vinyl records are not particularly valuable (either financial or sentimental value) or rare. (Level 1 is not recommended for 78rpm records.)

Level 2 packaging
This tends to consist of thicker wrapping with layers of packing material such as bubblewrap, or a thick padded envelope. I would still recommend using two pieces of light card for added rigidity, and marking the package 'Records - do not bend'. A novel approach is to use a (clean!) pizza box with some bubblewrap. Use level 2 packaging if you feel that your records require greater protection against possible damage. I would recommend level 2 packaging as a minimum for overseas orders consisting of vinyl records. (Level 2 is not recommended for 78rpm records.)

The advice given by the UK Post Office for posting vinyl records is a close match for level 2: "Place between thick card and surround with cushioning material at least 2.5cm longer than the item. Wrap in strong paper, seal with tape and clearly mark package RECORDS - DO NOT BEND."

Level 3 packaging
This is the safest type and consists of a large box with light filling material holding the records centrally, away from the edges, and is best suited to records which are fragile, valuable, rare or irreplaceable. The records themselves should be wrapped in protective material with the addition of pieces of light card for extra protection. I would recommend level 3 packaging as the only option for 78rpm records, which are very fragile, wherever they are sent from. Please remember that a couple of 78rpm records - or three or four vinyl records - is quite a heavy bundle, and that the filling material, though light, should be strong enough to resist their excessive movement inside the box, when a postal service employee (in an uncharacteristic lapse of judgement, of course) decides to throw it into his van. Marking the box 'Fragile - records - handle with care' is recommended.

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