"Our country is in great peril, demanding the loftiest views, and boldest action to bring it speedy relief. Once relieved, it's form of government is saved to the world; it's beloved history, and cherished memories, are vindicated; and it's happy future fully assured, and rendered inconceivably grand."
Abraham Lincoln
Emails without the word "typewriter" in the subject go directly to my SPAM folder and are not answered.
10.17.2021
First, let me say Thank You to all of my customers! I truly appreciate each and every one of you. Your business, patience and companionship. On that last, I receive phone calls, emails and mailed letters/cards/clippings/etc. from dozens of customers throughout the year. I cherish each email, conversation and item. They make my day in many cases. I thank you for your thoughtfulness :-)
Moving on to business. I know there are many waiting on machines. I've been working 7 days per week and balancing between outside refurbs and requests. I had to give up listing on the site (temporarily) in an attempt to finish all these machines (over 37 in the past 8 weeks) and get back to listing. I hope to have some new listings in the next two weeks and then start listing weekly each Friday. Due to the exponential demand this year, I may not have as much to offer. Typically, I sell 65+ machines in November and December. While I could easily sell that many this year, I'm not sure I can have that many finished. I'll do the best I can :-)
Shipping delays and price increases were announced by UPS and USPS last month. They're very real and you can expect delays of several days moving forward. Express Mail and UPS 2nd Day are no longer being honored by either company. Shipping prices have also increased to bordeline shocking amounts. Shipping a typewriter within North Carolina now costs $32 insured. Shipping to the West Coast is now running $85 insured. North East is $65 insured. HI and AK is $125 delivered. This is for portable typewriters and does not include the packing expense. Wow! And, as with all things inflationary, the prices I pay to receive shipping supplies, cleaning products and ribbons has also increased significantly. Last week I paid double the shipping for an order of shipping boxes and materials. The exact same order I placed 5 months ago now cost $112 more. Same with the ribbon order I just placed on Friday. I have raised the prices of the ribbons to help cover the increase in shipping on both ends but will continue to offer free shipping for my products.
On to some good news! I'm launching a new VTS Lay-Away Plan. I've had a lot of interest but it just took some time to work out the details. In the past, I've always struggled with people completing the process. When they couldn't finish, they filed chargebacks with their CC company for non-receipt of goods. This damaged my reputation with Paypal so I pulled the program. The CC companies didn't care that the item had not shipped because it had not been paid for in full. They only wanted to make their customer happy. With the new program, I am protecting myself from a repeat of these issues. I'll be adding the VTS Lay-Away Plan webpage to the site this week. Here's the gist; You pay 50% down via check or money order, the remaining balance is due within 6 months of the mailed payment. You can pay sooner if you want. I'll email a Paypal invoice for the balance when you're ready. Since those using the VTS Lay-Away Plan may have a tight budget, I'll be offering a 10% discount on your purchase. Say there is a typewriter listed for $1000.00. You go through checkout and choose the Check/Money Order payment option. Print the page and mail your $500.00 payment. When you're ready to complete the purchase, I'll email a Paypal invoice for $400.00 and ship within 48 hours of cleared payment. Your typewriter will be marked as "On Lay-Away!" and remain visible on the site. This should make buying one of my typewriters easier and more affordable for many!
Well, that's all for now. Just know I'm working hard and hoping to get new listings up soon. Again, many thanks to you all. Couldn't do it without you! Warm Regards :-) Scott
