Important information about shipping times

In addition to reading the general information on this page, please look for any special notices concerning possible delayed order processing at the top of the main ordering page.

About Sundog Publishing

Sundog Publishing is a home business with no separate editorial, marketing, or order fulfillment staff.  It is this fact more than anything else that allows us to keep our book prices extremely low compared with the prices charged by large commercial publishers for comparable textbooks. The tradeoff, of course, is that you cannot expect the same speed and efficiency in the handling of orders as you have come to expect from large online merchants like Amazon.

Processing of orders

Books are mailed as quickly as possible after orders are received, typically within 2-5 days of receiving the order.  However, there will occasionally be longer delays due to travel, illness, or other circumstances beyond our control. Whenever possible, such delays will be noted at the top of the main online ordering page.

When time is of the essence and/or you need tracking information, then you should order your copies through Amazon.com. However, you will pay significantly more per copy.

Shipping to U.S. addresses

Our default shipping method for US addresses is Media Mail.  This method is inexpensive and allows us to include the shipping cost in the price of the book.   But it is also a relatively slow method of delivery -  2 to 9 days according to the USPS web site. Since it may additionally take a couple of business days (excluding weekends) for us to process your order (see above), you should allow up to two weeks for delivery of a book you have ordered without upgraded shipping.

By upgrading to Priority Mail (U.S. orders only), the transit time after mailing is reduced to 1-2 business days.  This is in addition to the time it takes us to package and mail the book after receiving your order (see above).  You should therefore allow up to one week for delivery of a book you have ordered with shipping via Priority Mail.  

If you require your copy more quickly than the times indicated above, you have three options:

• Contact us and discuss options for expedited shipping and handling.  In addition to any higher postage rates, there will also be a special handling fee of $5.00 per order.
• Check whether your university bookstore has ordered copies.  They will probably charge full list price, however.
• Check the listing at amazon.com to see if the book is in stock there (see the "availability" line under the price).  If it is, you can probably choose an expedited delivery service. The drawback, of course, is that you will not only pay their rates for shipping but also the full list price for the book.

Shipping to foreign addresses

The primary shipping method for a few copies (or less) is International Priority Mail. Larger orders may be sent via M-bags or some other method, depending on weight. In some cases, it is more cost-effective to split up larger orders between a number of Priority Flat Rate envelopes (max two books per package).

Regardless of method, it can take extra time to ship foreign orders because of the need to prepare appropriate customs forms.   Furthermore, there may be a delay on the receiving end due to customs processing. We have no reliable statistics concerning typical delivery times to foreign addresses, although one week to Europe appears to be within reason.  

Note that we declare the full cost of the books ordered on the customs form.  The recipient will be responsible for any customs duties assessed.  No refunds will be issued for orders not claimed in customs.

If your order doesn't arrive

If you don't receive your order within a reasonable period of time, please follow these steps:

1. Did your online order actually go through?  If so, you should have immediately received a copy of your order details via email.  If you did not, either the order was never properly submitted or else you supplied an incorrect email address.  In the latter case, you will still receive your book as long as the shipping address was correct.
2. Re-read the above guidance on delivery times and verify that the order is truly overdue.  Many of us have become accustomed to rapid delivery from large online vendors and do not allow for Sundog Publishing's less efficient order handling and our use of less expensive shipping methods like Media Mail. 
3. If you think you ordered the book with the upgrade to Priority Mail, check your electronic receipt that was sent to your e-mail address and see which shipping option was actually transmitted.   
4. Contact us so that we can confirm that your order was received.  If it was not received, we can take your order and discuss options to get a book to you quickly, if needed.  If your order was received, then we can decide whether the book is indeed overdue or even lost.