VirtualSurvivorShipping

SHIPPING ADDRESS AND LABEL LIMITATIONS:

FOR SECURITY, THE ONLY ADDRESS I WILL SHIP TO IS THE SHIPPING ADDRESS PROVIDED WITH YOUR PAYMENT DURING THE CHECKOUT/PAYMENT PROCESS. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY. It is the shopper's sole responsibility to ensure that the shipping address sent with their order's payment is correct and completely matches the required addressing syntax for their country. The forwarder is not responsible for misdirected mail sent to the shipping address provided with the shopper's order. The order’s official delivery address is the shipping address provided during its first successful checkout. Additional checkouts ordinarily retain that address without collecting it again. For security, VirtualSurvivor may require shipping-address collection again when an additional payment exceeds a previous payment or when the shopper requests an address change. The same shipping address should be used. To change the delivery address, the shopper must contact the forwarder directly for review. A conflicting address received with a later Stripe payment is recorded and flagged for the forwarder; it does not automatically replace the official delivery address. The shopper also needs to ensure that no line of their shipping address exceeds 35 characters in length. For label compatibility, the shopper should use unaccented Latin letters and avoid special characters wherever checkout permits. For example, enter "Strasse" instead of "Straße". Values required by Stripe, including local-script region or prefecture selections, must be retained; the forwarder will review their label-compatible presentation. These label preferences do not override Stripe’s required payment fields. If you're unsure about anything in this policy, please feel free to ask.

UNDELIVERABLE / REJECTED OR REFUSED DELIVERY:

Since the shopper is solely responsible for ensuring their payment's shipping address is correct, the forwarder is not responsible for shipments that are undeliverable as addressed. Similarly, the forwarder is not responsible if a package is rejected by any carrier for any reason along its route or if acceptance of the package(s) is refused at the time of delivery. The shopper is responsible for arranging redelivery by the carrier if a delivery attempt is missed. If any shipment is returned to the forwarder for any reason, the shopper will be responsible for return shipping & handling costs, and for shipping & handling costs to re-ship the package(s). Shopper-caused delays in arranging payment or shipment are subject to the No Storage Service & Unplanned Storage Charges section below. Original shipping & handling costs and fees paid to the forwarder for services already rendered are nonrefundable.

DELIVERY ESTIMATES:

Days for delivery are provided by the carrier and/or my label provider and are only an estimate. Delivery estimates are not guaranteed. These estimates refer to business days, not calendar days, so weekends and holidays are not included in the estimates. The forwarder is not responsible for carrier delays.

FORWARDER AVAILABILITY:

The forwarder generally prepares offers, replies to messages and processes shipments on most days except some weekends and holidays. Upcoming unavailable dates are posted on the Availability Calendar. On desktop, select Availability under Shipping details in the left-hand navigation. On mobile, open Explore the site, then select Availability under Shipping details.

Even when unavailable to ship because of travel, the forwarder can generally receive new requests and messages and will reply as soon as possible. Please account for the time difference; the clock below shows Michael’s local date and time.

CUSTOMS:

The forwarder is not responsible for any customs delays or import fees/taxes that the importer may be charged by their government. Unless the forwarder agrees to any and all changes before accepting your order, all customs forms will accurately reflect the contents and value of your shipment. Packages will always be accurately marked as 'Merchandise', not a 'Gift'. (If you requested the 'Customs Value Modification' service, please note that altering the value on a US customs form is risky and possibly illegal. It could devalue or even invalidate shipping insurance, or result in additional fees/taxes, legal trouble, or shipment seizure at customs. This is beyond the forwarder's control and the importer assumes all risk and responsibility. Remember: YOU are the legal importer!) The 'Customs Value Modification' service does not require the forwarder to misrepresent the contents of the package or mark the contents as a 'Gift'. If you'd like the 'Customs Value Modification' service anyway, it is the shopper's responsibility to give a reasonable and believable value for the forwarder to put as the value of the shipment's contents.

TRACKING:

I will always provide tracking for your shipment. I never ship with plain stamps or any other method that can't be tracked. If choosing USPS Priority or Express shipping, some countries will show end-to-end tracking all the way to delivery (see Exhibit 252.22 at http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc2_022.htm#ep2899642 for a list of participating countries). For USPS First-Class shipping, or for any USPS type to other destinations, tracking may only be provided until the shipment leaves the USA. In any case, you agree that the forwarder has fulfilled their duties (except assistance with insurance claims or Shopping Assistance, if requested in your order) once your shipment is accepted by the carrier and/or scan activity shows it has entered the mail stream.

INSURANCE OVERVIEW (FOR ALL CARRIERS):

Important reporting deadlines apply. See Conflicts / Disputes / Deadlines below.

The forwarder is not responsible for loss, damage, theft, or any problem with any shipment once it is accepted by the carrier and/or scan activity shows it has entered the mail stream. Effective immediately, shipping insurance will be mandatory with each order. If your order cannot be insured for any reason, I will not be able to offer my services at this time. I will not ship uninsured or underinsured shipments. THE SHOPPER MUST INITIATE ALL INSURANCE CLAIM REQUESTS THROUGH THE ORDER HUB WITHIN 12 CALENDAR DAYS OF CARRIER PICKUP OR WITHIN 24 HOURS OF DELIVERY, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. The shopper is responsible for monitoring tracking, promptly inspecting delivered packages and contents, and reporting any possible loss, theft, damage or missing contents to the forwarder. A claim is not initiated automatically merely because tracking is delayed.

If a package has not been delivered by day 12 after carrier pickup, the shopper must initiate a precautionary missing-package claim request through the Order Hub by that deadline, even if tracking still shows the package in transit. Do not wait for delivery, for tracking to stop updating, or for the carrier to declare the package lost before notifying the forwarder. Include the tracking number and a description of the problem; retain all available photographs, packaging, invoices and other evidence. The forwarder is not responsible for the shopper's delays in inspecting delivered packages or reporting delivery problems.

Once the shopper has initiated a timely request, the forwarder will assist with the required carrier and/or insurer filing. Reporting a problem to the forwarder does not itself extend insurance coverage or guarantee that a claim will be accepted. Coverage periods, formal filing requirements and reimbursement remain subject to the policy applicable to the selected shipping service; some policies end coverage 14 calendar days after pickup. There is no set time frame for the processing and payout of insurance claims, as it is up to the 3rd party insurer and/or carrier to investigate and pay as they determine the appropriate outcome of the claim. Approval or denial of the claim is solely the 3rd party insurer and/or the carrier's decision. Your understanding and patience is appreciated throughout the entire process. If you have specific insurance needs or requests, it is the shopper's responsibility to ask the forwarder for an adjusted offer reflecting any changes in price this may cause prior to accepting an offer. Adjustments may or may not be possible at a later time at the forwarder's discretion based on the carrier, coverage availability, types of item(s) being shipped, and other factors.

INSURANCE DETAILS FOR FEDEX, UPS, OR DHL SHIPMENTS:

Insurance services for FedEx, UPS, and DHL shipments are provided by a 3rd-party insurer, or a combination of the carrier and a 3rd-party insurer (for deductible, shipment value, or other purposes), or the carrier alone (at the forwarder's discretion, based on several factors). Minimum insurance prices and restrictions on declared customs value(s) apply when using the carrier's insurance. Please ask for details if you're unsure if this applies to your order.

INSURANCE DETAILS FOR US POSTAL SERVICE ("USPS") SHIPMENTS:

Insurance services for USPS shipments are currently only available directly from the US Postal Service. This restriction is hopefully temporary. Insurance is available in varying values to varying destinations. There is currently no destination to which USPS First-Class International can be insured, so this shipping type will not be avilable for any shipment until a 3rd party insurer can be hired that insures USPS First-Class again. USPS Priority Mail International ("Priority") and USPS Priority Mail Express International ("Express") will be offered for any shipments for which they can be properly insured. For destinations that allow insurance, maximum values for Priority and Express typically range from $200.00 USD to $5,000.00 USD. For insurable destinations, the first $200.00 of coverage is an indemnity policy, with any insurance added beyond that. Keep in mind that USPS will only cover the value that is declared as the value on the customs form. This means that the entire amount to be insured MUST be declared on USPS customs form, even if that amount is more than that the item(s) alone. The minimum insured value for USPS (and therefore, the declared customs value) must be enough to cover the amount paid to VirtalSurvivor in your checkout payment(s), even if you've requested the Customs Value Modification service. If you have NOT requested the Purchase Assistance service (meaning, you purchased the items from the store(s) yourself), I will permit you, at your own discretion, to leave the items themselves uninsured as long as what you've paid during VirtualSurvivor checkout is insured. Doing so is NOT recommended! I must point out that this will likely result in a higher duty/tax at import either way, which defeats the purpose of the Customs Value Modification service, if selected. It's better to select either FedEx, UPS, or DHL, where a 3rd party insurer can be used to insure the item, regardless of what shows on the customs form!

CLEARED PAYMENT:

I will only take action on a cleared payment. If you asked for Purchase Assistance, your item(s) will be purchased once the payment processor clears your payment and completely transfers the funds into my possession. No items will be purchased or shipped while the payment status is 'pending', 'uncleared', in the process of transferring, or otherwise held for any reason. If you are purchasing the item(s) yourself without the 'Purchase Assistance' service, you may proceed with your purchase at your convenience without waiting for your payment to clear. In this case, a valid payment will usually clear before your purchase is delivered to me so I can forward it to you without any additional delay.

PURCHASE ASSISTANCE SERVICE AND MAKING PURCHASES:

In addition to the cleared payment policy above, this forwarder will only provide purchase assistance for merchants who securely accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or Apple Pay as a form of payment. For my own protection, I'm unable to provide Purchase Assistance for age-restricted items, such as tobacco^🚫, alcohol^🚫, weapons or weapons parts^🚫, or cannabis-derived products^🚫 (but will be happy to forward allowable shipments containing these items if you're able to make the purchase[s] yourself). Under no circumstances will Purchase Assistance be provided for a merchant who requires banking information (routing/account numbers) for ACH payments, checks, money orders, bank transfer, MoneyGram, Western Union or any other wire transfer, or Bitcoin or any other virtual or cryptocurrency as the only payment options, or from a store with a questionably-secure environment. If an order includes an item being ordered or shipped from outside the United States, and its import into the USA requires the payment of customs duty and/or tax, these fees are the responsibility of the shopper and must be collected in full from the shopper BEFORE they are paid to US Customs officials. If they are not, the item may be forfeited, rejected, returned, or destroyed pursuant to US Customs rules and regulations. If Purchase Assistance is NOT selected as part of a shopper's order, the shipping address supplied by the forwarder will be available in the Order Hub only after checkout payment is confirmed. This address is to be used only for the purchases included in that order. This list of Purchase Assistance restrictions is not exhaustive.

🚫 PROHIBITED ITEMS:

It is the importer's sole responsibility to know the laws of your country before ordering any items to import there. If 'Removal of Prohibited Items' is requested, it is the shopper's sole responsibility to tell the forwarder what items are specifically prohibited in shipments to their country, and what items to remove from their shipment. Only certain types of tobacco can be shipped (cigars, for example, but not cigarettes), and only SOME types of vaping-related products. Items containing alcohol (like perfumes OR the kind you drink) are prohibited in international air shipments, as are some classes of hazardous materials, especially in larger quantities -- and are therefore may have to be excluded from my services. Please ask for details about your specific item(s). US federal law prohibits me from shipping any cannabis or marijuana products and any items made with Δ⁸, Δ⁹, or Δ¹⁰-THC, THCP, HHC, and some other isomers and derivatives, although most CBD products are fine depending on YOUR country's laws. Please keep in mind that US law allows CBD products to contain up to 0.3% Δ⁹-THC, so please take care when choosing your CBD products to make sure it will be allowed to enter your country. ITAR regulations prohibit the export of certain weapons and their parts from the US. Prohibited items may risk the entire shipment rejected, returned, or destroyed, even if it has already been accepted by the carrier (especially if attempted in FedEx, UPS, or DHL shipments), and may not be eligible for a postage refund. This list of Prohibited Items restrictions is not exhaustive.

SHOPPING ASSISTANCE:

Requesting refunds from any store, or other after-purchase store assistance, falls under the Shopping Assistance service. (If you'd like to add this service at a later time after your order is complete, please write me for details.) If I made the original purchase for you under the Purchase Assistance service, the return request MUST fall under the store's return policy and be approved for return. If the store does not approve the return, then a return will not be permitted. The shopper is responsible for any fees incurred, such as any return postage (back to my location and/or back to the store, if required), as well as any restocking fees or other charges imposed by the store. Refunds, minus any charges kept by the store and any processing fees, can be returned after funds are returned (and cleared) to my original payment method used at the store.

SHIPPING WEIGHT / DIMENSIONS:

All offers which include specific shipping types in advance are based on the total shipping weight and dimensions provided in the shopper's Order Forwarding Request as it is presented to the forwarder, and will need to be adjusted accordingly if the actual item(s) total shipping weight and/or shipping dimensions do not match. It is the shopper's responsibility to ensure the accuracy of their order weight and other details. There are also maximum allowable weight and dimensions for shipments to all locations, with dimensions usually calculated in maximum length and "length plus girth" measurements (explained at https://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/Q201e.htm as "length" being the longest side of the parcel, and "girth" being the measurement around the thickest part perpendicular to the length, or "2 x height plus 2 x width"). This measurement is usually in inches, not any metric measurement. Maximum allowable "length plus girth" measurements vary by country and by shipping type. For US Postal Service shipments, read about your country's weight and dimensional limitations at https://pe.usps.com/text/imm/ab_toc.htm. Other carriers, such as FedEx, UPS, or DHL, may have different weight and dimensional limits.

DIMENSIONAL WEIGHT & SHIPPING CHARGES:

A carrier may base its shipping charge on the greater of the package’s actual weight and its dimensional weight. Dimensional weight is calculated from length × width × height divided by the divisor for the selected carrier and service, using that carrier’s measurement units and rounding rules. There is no single divisor that applies to every carrier and service. See FedEx’s explanation of dimensional weight for an example.

The reviewed shipping quote uses the applicable service’s rules. This shipping calculation is separate from the cubic-foot calculation used for unplanned-storage charges.

DROPSHIPPING:

If no conflicting services are requested as part of your order, the forwarder reserves the right to use dropshipping from any worldwide location to fulfill your order. (A 'conflicting service' would be any service that would require the forwarder to inspect or otherwise handle your order after it leaves the seller and before it is shipped to you, such as Product Photos, Contents or Electronics Check, Package Consolidation, Additional Packaging, and/or Removal of Prohibited Items.)

TRANSACTION CURRENCY & LANGUAGE:

For the purposes of clarification, all offers, invoices, statements, bills, checkout pages, payments, and transactions of any sort are listed in United States Dollars (USD) and take place in English. The currency symbol for the US Dollar is "$". Although this symbol is shared with some other international currencies, "$" will be used to refer to the US Dollar when discussing VirtualSurvivor transactions, unless specifically noted otherwise. Optional automatic translation, including chat translation, is provided for the shopper's convenience but is subject to error and should be treated with caution. The English version of these terms and the English offer, invoice, and transaction records should always be considered the source of truth. Translation does not change the transaction currency; all payments are made in USD regardless of the shopper's location.

CHECKOUT METHOD

Stripe.com checkout will be used for VirtualSurvivor orders. A personalized checkout link will be provided so you can complete checkout as you would at any other store after accepting your desired offer. For additional security, a postal code, billing address, and/or 3D Secure Authentication may be required by the issuing bank for credit, debit, or prepaid card transactions on Stripe. For those using mobile devices and/or compatible browsers, mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay may also be offered and secured with any biometric protection you have enabled. Additional payment methods may available through Stripe, if eligible. All payments are processed in US Dollars. Please check with your financial institution regarding any conversion fees that may apply.

PAYMENT LIMITS:

The forwarder reserves the right, at the forwarder's discretion, to limit each payment to $500.00 before payment-processing fees, and may allow a single payment or the final payment of an installment plan of up to $599.00 including payment-processing fees. These limits apply only when the forwarder expressly requires them for an order; otherwise, the reviewed amount shown in the offer or Order Hub applies. Payments are not automatically split or capped. If separate payments are required, the forwarder will confirm the amounts and payment schedule before checkout. Splitting payments does not reduce the order subtotal. Payment-processing fees are calculated separately for each payment using the calculation disclosed in the offer or Order Hub.

PAYMENT-PROCESSING CALCULATION:

A payment-processing charge is added separately to each checkout, including a later invoice for unplanned-storage charges. For a reviewed subtotal of x US dollars before that charge, the current calculation is round((x × 0.046025) + 0.313808, 2). The resulting charge is added to the subtotal. The final amount is shown before payment.

Any change to this calculation must be disclosed before the shopper pays. See Refunds & Nonrefundable Costs for how payment-processing charges are treated when a refund is requested.

NO STORAGE SERVICE & UNPLANNED STORAGE CHARGES:

Item storage is not offered as a service, and the shopper cannot place an order on hold. When purchasing from different stores, the shopper should coordinate purchases and delivery estimates so the items arrive as close together as reasonably possible.

Once processing is complete and the forwarder has notified the shopper of the payment and/or shipment approval still required, the shopper has 7 calendar days to complete those actions. If the shopper causes a further delay, the forwarder reserves the right to assess an unplanned-storage charge of $0.50 per cubic foot per day across the packed order, with a minimum charge of $0.50 per day. Volume is based on the combined external dimensions of the packed packages. This is a charge for an unplanned delay, not an option to purchase storage or reserve space.

Charges apply only to delays attributable to the shopper, not the forwarder's processing time or carrier transit. Any such charge is subject to the accepted offer's terms, manual review and a separately presented invoice; no automatic card charge is authorized by this clause.

Payment-processing fees also apply to unplanned-storage invoices. See the payment-processing calculation immediately above for the calculation and the cubic-foot calculation immediately below for the volume measurement. Storage charges are based on cubic feet, not dimensional weight.

CUBIC FEET & STORAGE VOLUME:

For each packed package, multiply its external length × width × height. If measured in inches, divide that result by 1,728 to obtain cubic feet. If measured in centimetres, divide by 28,316.846592. Add the cubic feet of all packed packages in the order.

For each chargeable day, the unplanned-storage charge is the greater of $0.50 or $0.50 × the combined cubic feet. The seven-calendar-day period and the conditions in the unplanned-storage conditions above still apply. Payment-processing fees are added at checkout.

REFUNDS & NONREFUNDABLE COSTS:

Each checkout includes the payment-processing charge shown in the offer or Order Hub, using the disclosed gross-up calculation for the current 4.4% plus $0.30 USD processing allowance, subject to change as disclosed before payment. Processing charges retained by the payment provider are not refunded by the forwarder. Fees for services already rendered and nonrecoverable retailer, carrier, insurer, and other third-party costs are also nonrefundable.

Unless applicable law requires otherwise, a refund is limited to the unused, refundable funds actually retained by or recovered by the forwarder for that order, after the nonrefundable costs above and any previous refunds. Amounts paid to a store, carrier, insurer, or other third party cannot be refunded unless and until those amounts have been returned to, and cleared for, the forwarder. The forwarder does not advance refunds from personal funds or replace funds that a third party has not returned. Combined refunds for an order cannot exceed the net payments actually received by the forwarder for that order after payment-provider deductions; previous refunds reduce the remaining refundable balance.

CONFLICTS / DISPUTES / DEADLINES:

The shopper and forwarder agree to complete the transaction and cooperate with any covered shipping-insurance claim in good faith. Mandatory insurance is the agreed first route for covered transit loss or damage. The shopper must supply required evidence and meet claim deadlines, and may not recover the same loss twice. Refunds remain subject to the Refunds & Nonrefundable Costs section.

Insurance reporting deadlines

The shopper must manually submit any missing, delayed, lost, damaged, or missing-contents report through the Order Hub no later than 12 calendar days after carrier pickup or collection, or 24 hours after delivery, whichever comes first. A package still in transit must be reported by the 12-day deadline as a precaution; the shopper must not wait for delivery or for a carrier to declare it lost.

The shopper is responsible for monitoring tracking, inspecting the package and contents promptly, and submitting the report with tracking details and available evidence. Reminder emails, tracking updates, and chat do not submit this report or file an insurance claim automatically. The forwarder must separately review the report and submit any insurer claim.

The forwarder is not responsible for the shopper delaying inspection or reporting. Late reporting can prevent a claim from being filed within the insurer’s deadline and can result in loss of coverage. Reminder availability does not extend these deadlines or guarantee coverage. Refunds remain subject to the Refunds & Nonrefundable Costs section.

OTHER TERMS:

The forwarder reserves the right to deny shipment of any order for any reason, including but not limited to an unwillingness to risk purchasing from a suspicious online retailer, suspicious actions or requests from a shopper, or tracking and/or insurance not being available to the shopper's location. In these cases, a full refund of any payment for unused products or unrendered services will be provided, minus any nonrefundable costs incurred by the forwarder from the payment processor or any retailer (such as shipping charges or restocking fees) in connection with the shopper's order.