Shipping

Here you will find information detailing our shipping policies, including local delivery and arranging pick-ups.

Shipping Costs

We ship with the United States Postal Service (USPS) unless otherwise specified.  Note that all prices are in US Dollars.

Shipping costs pertain not only to postage, but shipping materials, labor to pack up your items, and gas to get them to the post office; as well as other related costs. Please don’t be upset with us if we charged you $10 to ship a model but the shipping container clearly states it only cost us $5.34 in postage!

Generally speaking, White Metal Games (WMG) ships using 1st class or priority mail domestically, and 1st class international mail abroad. In certain cases, WMG may choose to use another shipping option (such as FedEx, UPS, parcel post, etc.) for particularly large or heavy items. Tracking comes standard with all our orders and is included for no extra charge in the shipping costs below.

While we make every effort to have our store accurately show you the proper shipping rate, we cannot guarantee that the rate is correct.  In some circumstances, we may have to charge more for shipping your items.  In the event that occurs, we will contact you first for your acceptance of the higher rate.  Should you decline, we will cancel the sale and refund your money.

Commissions

Shipping on most commissions is a flat rate of $7 in the USA, $15 to Canada, and $20 to the rest of the world.

Note: There will be surcharge for orders weighing more than 4 pounds, including the weight of packing materials.  In that case we charge by the pound:  $5.00 per pound in the USA, $10.00 per pound to Canada, and $15.00 per pound to the rest of the world.  For some orders, additional shipping costs may apply.

We may be willing to reduce or even waive shipping costs entirely for certain orders.  Check with us first.

Additional services, including but not limited to, Insurance and Delivery Confirmation are not included with basic shipping, however they can always be added. Simply contact WMG and inform us you want additional shipping services added to your order.

Insurance cost is $1.00 per $100 of insurance to be added to your order.  On any order over $100 we automatically add insurance.  It’s as much for your protection as ours.

Delivery confirmation is $1.00.

WMG Store

Items purchased in our online store have the following shipping costs:

The cost for orders weighting up to and including 4 lbs:

• USA $7
• Canada $15
• All other nations $20

For orders of greater than 4 lbs, the charge for each additional pound is:

• USA $5
• Canada $10
• All other nations $15

Orders over 20 pounds may include other charges, you will be contacted if so before the order is shipped.

Insurance cost is $1.00 per order.

Additional shipping costs may apply.

Shipping Speed

Most domestic orders will arrive within a week from the date of shipment (not including the day the package arrives at the post office, when it will be processed). This does not account for holidays. Also note that the USPS is currently going through a period of downsizing, and as such, shipping times may be delayed.

Larger or heavier than usual orders may be shipped Parcel Post at the discretion of WMG and in that case shipping may take longer. Please, be patient. We only ship via parcel post when the cost to ship via priority mail is prohibitive.

For international clients, orders often take 2-4 weeks.  Some countries, such as Russia, Italy, and France take longer, and Brazil has taken as long as 16 weeks!  We can provide you with a USPS tracking number, however this number will do you little to no good until the package makes landfall.

Lost Orders

Sadly, some orders do get lost.  For those orders deemed lost we will reimburse the client.  Please note that a refund will not be granted until sufficient time for the order to be delivered has been allotted.  Typically we ask for ask for twice the typical shipping speed (i.e., two weeks for domestic orders, eight or more for international).

Shipping Damage

The objective of packing is that the models arrive in a timely fashion to the correct client with no breakage. Address labels should be clear and easy to read. Models should not touch each other at any time during transit. Large, fragile, or unusual models are mummified in tissue.

Regular infantry models can be rolled in bubble wrap like a burrito with a few inches of padding between rows, more if needed. All gaps in the burrito must be sealed in some fashion (often rubber bands or tape) so that models cannot fall out. Unusual models should be individually bubble wrapped and taped shut.

Large and breakable models will be lightly wrapped in bubble wrap, taped, surrounded by peanuts and packaged in a small box. This smaller box goes in the larger main box. As needed they are reinforced with foam.

All open edges of the box should be completely covered with packing tape.

The packer should make a cursory inspection when finished and run the hand firmly over all edges of the box. The box should be marked fragile.

We cannot accept liability for goods damaged in transit. You are purchasing services from two different entities: WMG for your materials and service; USPS or another shipping service to get your package to you in reasonable condition. If your package is abused en route that’s an issue to take up with the carrier.

However, if you send a model back we often will repair, touch up and re-ship it at no charge. This service is discretionary, we will do it most of the time but it’s not guaranteed. It doesn’t matter how the model is broken. If you drop your model, we’ll try to take care of it.  It is not intended as a ‘refurbishing service’ for your entire battle force.

International Shipping

WMG is aware that clients receiving goods overseas, especially in the United Kingdom, are required to pay a tariff or fee to receive items from the USA. Many commissions may be valued in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.  Because of this, the fees for obtaining your parcels in the UK may be high.

This is sadly something that WMG has no control over.  We cannot declare your parcel for a lesser value than you paid for it.  In the event of a lost package, we will file a claim with the shipping service and use the money to rebuild your commission to the best of our ability.

Excluded nations

Disasters, war, civil unrest, and international sanctions are issues we have no control over. The United States government prohibits sales to some nations. For various reasons we do not sell or ship to the following countries:

• Afghanistan
• Brazil (too many packages lost)
• Crimea Region of Ukraine
• Cuba
• Iran
• Iraq
• North Korea
• Sudan
• Syria

In addition, there may other countries and areas that items can not be shipped to. In the event that issues arise, the order will be canceled and payment refunded.

As-Is

Unless otherwise stated, all products and miniatures are provided AS IS with no guarantee or warranties afforded. Although we do our best to ensure your items are handled delicately and shipped securely, the nature of shipping miniatures and models with delicate parts is that some items do get damaged during transit. Buyer be warned.

We use the best shipping methods available to ensure that the packages are secure and that your items remain unharmed during transit. To keep the cost of shipping as low as possible, we often reuse boxes for the purpose of shipping. Although this can give the impression at first glance that we just shove your models in a box and abscond with your hard earned money, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

We want your items to arrive safely and for you to enjoy them for years to come.

Local Pick Ups

We are sometimes asked by local clients to arrange for in-town pick ups. This is a convenience service intended for clients that wish to receive the models quickly and without risk of shipping damage; it is not meant to be a way to save on shipping costs at the expense of our time and gas. As such, we don’t waive the shipping charge for this option.

We can sometimes meet clients weeknights between 5:30pm and 6pm at Game Theory in Raleigh or The Gamer’s Armory in Cary. Generally these are the only stores we will deliver to, due to distance and convenience.

In some cases we can leave the item with the store staff. They will only hold packages if you are a regular, and if they know what you are doing (you must arrange for this yourself with the staff). We take no responsibility for items left in the store’s care.