Contriques: DELFTinitely Unique (TM)

DESCRIPTION: This sale for a highly collectible platter in a flow blue pattern called strawberry. This measures approximately 13 5/8\" long by 10 1/4\" wide. It is designed on a white ironstone octagon platter with everted (raised) ribs and is marked Elsmore, Forster & Co. dating this between 1850 and 1865. There are no chips, cracks or stains....brilliant white with wonderful penetrating flow blue. There are losses of green cold paint on leaves and a few spots of red loss on strawberries. I could have this professionally \"repaired\". Good luck...Have Fun...GO NUTS!!!!

PAYMENT, SHIPPING & INSURANCE: This 2 lbs. 12 oz. so will be a 6 lb. package with bubble wrap, peanuts and box. New York residents pay 8% sales tax unless a tax exempt form is mailed to me (read \"Not So Small Print\" box for further information and instructions). All forms of U.S. payment accepted. I have included all, appropriate, warranted shipping formats for this sale based on the type of item or weight. Click on the blue \"see details\" directly under the blue offer window to see the ACTUAL, most cost effective shipping format to your zip code. All listed shipping formats will appear on the PayPal invoice so you can choose. I pre-weigh all items for ACTUAL shipping weight, NEVER flat rate \"guess-timates\". Why should someone on the east coast pay shipping rates of a west coast buyer, and why should anyone pay exaggerated, made-up costs? I ship goods for another home based business so NYS sales tax is added to the invoice. Shipping also includes a nominal handling fee of $1.50 to cover \'s \"shipping commission fee\". The USPS now covers the first $50.00 of insurance value on PRIORITY mail packages. UPS covers the first $100.00 of insurance value on packages. If the purchase value comes to $50.01/$100.01 or greater, or is shipped non-priority, then additional coverage is needed. I will no longer add insurance to my sales unless I expect the total to exceed $50.00 or expect a breakable or fragile package to be shipped by non-priority means. So, rest assured, I will not be pocketing extra funds at your expense. Domestic non-priority mail shipping quote(s) on breakable or fragile items will include actual $.79 ShipSaver insurance coverage per $100.00 final value increment. First-class international shipping quotes on breakable or fragile items will include actual $1.00 ShipSaver insurance coverage per $100.010 final value increment, only allowed to countries not excluded by U.S. law or customs. I usually do not add insurance to less expensive, non-breakable or non-fragile items anyway because USPS delivery confirmation is now added to ALL shipping formats since I print shipping labels offline. The shipping label WILL NOT say \"INSURED\" but you will receive email confirmation to prove the extra ShipSaver insurance coverage and that I did not \"pocket the funds\". I will combine multiple items and send new invoices if you purchase more than one item.

Notice that shipping is for calculated weight, NOT flat rate shipping (A seller who uses flat rate shipping typically charges \"local buyers\" an outrageous shipping fee as they calculate for shipping items the furthest from them). Insurance is listed as included or not included in the description and quotes exact ShipSaver insurance coverage at $.79 per $100.00 of sales. The shipping label WILL NOT say \"INSURED\". You will receive a separate email about insurance coverage so that you know I did not \"pocket the funds\". I pack conscientiously showing diligent care and effort. I will continue to use the CHEAPEST, most appropriate shipping method for each item listed; First-Class, Media Mail, Standard Post or UPS for larger boxes, and of course Priority Mail as those boxes are free. I also calculate after an sale and do refund buyers if I can send the item cheaper. I also combine shipping on multiple items won and will wrap, pack in one box and send you an invoice with the calculated, weighed total. I strive to obtain 5\'s on all my dsr\'s (detailed seller ratings). If you feel you cannot leave me all 5\'s then please contact me BEFORE you leave response so I can resolve the problem. By you leaving timely response and including the 5 STAR DSR RATINGS, I can continue to maintain calculated shipping and not change to flat rate shipping.

BUYER DISCLAIMER: Be sure to look at all the pictures and read the title, description and return policies carefully. \'s rules and policies are clearly followed. I never mind having new ers offer on the merchandise I sell, mostly antiques, but please be sure you know what you are offerding on or ask questions ahead of time. I cannot be held responsible if you don\'t understand the clear, comprehensive description or precise terminology. My response clearly shows I take care of my buyers and business in every regard and, in those rare occurrences, that I work with my buyers to amicably settle any misunderstandings or questions. is also consulted when it is necessary and their rulings are used to help resolve and finalize disputes. I am easy to work with so please do not hesitate to look at my merchandise and offer with confidence 12/15/2011.

DOMESTIC BUYERS: Copy and paste http://postcalc.usps.gov/ into a new browser address bar to figure shipping of this package to your zipcode. ( doesn\'t allow for imbedded links or urls.) Put 13743 in the \"From ZIP Code\" window and your zipcode in the \"To ZIP Code\" window. At the bottom of the page click on the circle for a package and then put the above listed package weight in the window for pounds. Click continue and you can then view the \"Priority Mail Options\" for shipping. \"Media Mail\" and \"Standard Post\" are listed under \"Other Options\".

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: Copy and paste http://postcalc.usps.gov/ into a new browser address bar to figure shipping of this package to your zipcode. ( doesn\'t allow for imbedded links to urls.) Find your country listed in the pull down bar \"1. Select a Destination\". At the bottom of the page click on the circle for a package and then put the above listed package weight in the window for pounds. Click continue and you can then view the two shipping options. If the package weighs 4 pounds or less, the shipping will be the \"First-Class International Options\". If the package weighs 5 pounds or more OR sells for $400.00 or more OR the final package is longer than 24\" (61 cm) on any one side then the shipping will be the \"Priority Mail International Options\". That price will be added to your PayPal invoice along with a handling fee of $3.00 and insurance of $.79 for each $100.00 of sale price and shipping charges. You will receive a detailed invoice with a complete cost breakdown.

HANDLING FEE :-) : has changed its \"final sale value fee\" policy, or \"commission fees\", to include charging sellers on the shipping cost, insurance fee portion, and handling charges of a total invoice. PayPal, which is an owned company, also takes more out of online payments because of its parent company fee changes. These two mandated changes are something that sellers have no control over, never made money on to begin with, and now in fact get charged TWICE for on a sale and online payment when listing shipping and using PayPal for payment. This is something that sellers have to take into account to continue using and PayPal as a way to sell merchandise and receive payment. I charge no fees for my time taking copious photographs, writing detailed and thorough descriptions, or time spent securely wrapping items for safe delivery. My high dsr ratings give me slight listing and final sale value fee discounts, and that is what I count on so I do not have to charge a handling fee, or buyer\'s premium. ((Please read the \"Shipping Tutorial & Philosophy\" third colored box for a comprehensive explanation about \'s policy changes and statement of handling fee philosophy.))

INSUREDBAY INSURANCE - WORTHLESS!! : This is a message to all other sellers, and buyers, about InsuredBay being used for insuring packages. BEWARE... they are a worthless company. After two years of paying their fees, I found that they simply do not honor claims because of ridiculous requirements about packages that are received with broken contents. If the box doesn\'t show damage, and/or if the shipping service doesn\'t write on the box that there is package damage, and/or if the buyer doesn\'t get written confirmation from the shipper about the damaged package...they will not honor the claim. In the instance of the shipper losing a package, they only honored a claim after I kept after them FOR SIX (6) MONTHS!!! (6 months to the day in fact, Dec. 15, 2011 to May 15, 2012) I had to get paper after paper and form and form everytime I turned around. I would email or fax something and all of a sudden they would need another form or proof or documentation. DO NOT use this company as you simply will be out all of your money once you do have a claim. No shipping service here in the U.S. gives out the documentation they require for a claim and they have set up their system like that on purpose so they do not have to honor claims.

LIST OF COUNTRIES EXCLUDED FROM INSURANCE: Due to U.S. law and foreign policies the following countries are NOT covered by insurance! Shipments sent to Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Burma, Congo, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast (Cote d\'Ivoire), Liberia, Mexico (Truck/rail shipments to and within other than as a connecting conveyance), Nigeria, North Korea, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela. Any location that would be in violation of any U.S. economic or trade sanctions including OFAC Restricted Countries. For shipments to Russian and other Commonwealth of Independent States countries (includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan) coverage ceases upon touchdown of the aircraft at the airport of destination or upon discharge from the overseas vessel at the destination discharge port. < /font>

QUESTIONS: I do post all relevant, important questions and answers. I have been selling on since 1998. Please do not ask me to put a \"buy it now\" option on an item once it has been listed or to sell it outside of . I use the \"buy it now\" option when I am sure of an item\'s value, when I feel the item(s) are not as popular having a small client/sale base, or when I have purchased it/them for a significant amount and have to at least cover that cost by the final sale price. Every time someone has made an offer to buy an item outright, the offer has been below the item\'s actual final sale price, usually significantly. You are welcome to leave a proxy offer on \'s system and allow to make offers for you up to your top offer, or you can make arrangements for someone else to make a offer for you. Thank you for your understanding about these policies. I am member of the White Ironstone Collectors Association, Inc. (WICA), the Transferware Collector\'s Club (TCC), the Royal Delft Collectors\' Society and the New York State Art Teacher\'s Association (NYSATA).

BUSINESS PRACTICES: This is a side business and I try to list new sales weekly so take a look at the new sales to see if I have similar items of interest. I will wait on packing for as long as you want to continue adding to your order. Please contact me to let me know you are watching and may offer on upcoming sales so I do not send you an nonpayment notice. If you pay the automated invoice then I will assume you are not interested and will pack and mail your won item(s), usually within 3 days. I mail packages on my way home from work but often do not get out of work before 5:00 p.m. I will do my best.

So Small PrintI have been selling on since 1998. I do combine shipping on multiple sales won to save buyers money. All merchandise will be bubble wrapped and/or FIRMLY packed with peanuts. I never use newspaper... awful packing material and everything gets dirty...YUCK!!! Also, for your information, mail services have started to decline insurance claims if items are received broken wrapped only in newspaper. Shipping institutions recognize how unstable crumpled paper is as a packing material. It\'s basically like packing in wood....HEAVY, compressible and shifts in shipping.

Other forms of payment can be arranged, and local pick-up and pay is an option. Non-PayPal payment means your item(s) will be mailed after your payment clears my checking account (usually 2 to 3 days), no matter how much positive response you have. It\'s just sound business, nothing personal. There is a $25.00 charge for bounced payments as that is what my bank charges.

I will NEVER use flat rate USPS shipping as my only shipping method. Sellers who do so are not working for their buyers, are not worried about their sales in this economy, and are simply taking the easy way out. USPS flat rate shipping can DOUBLE the shipping cost to buyers, especially for lighter weight items being shipped in close proximity between a seller and buyer. I generally do list USPS priority mail as the main form of shipping as the boxes are free and I do not have to charge buyers for purchased packaging. On top of that, I use recycled boxes as much as possible that I have on hand along with recycled packing materials when viable. If I know I can ship an item cheaper at the beginning of an sale, I will list that as an option (first-class, media mail, parcel post, UPS, etc.). Be assured that at the end of an sale I will do my best to ship as economically and safely as possible, especially for multiple sales won in heavier boxes or extremely lightweight items. I will either send you a new invoice showing the more economical option, OR I will refund you the difference. I am an internet buyer as well so I treat my customers the way I hope to be treated by other internet sellers. < b>

NY state residents must pay 8.00% sales tax or have a valid tax number for exemption. Please go to to download the form and mail that to me. Once I have the certificate, I will refund the sales tax either through the original PayPal payment or in the form or a personal check. International buyers MUST pay by PayPal, cash, POSTAL M.O. in U.S. funds or by check from a U.S. bank account. < /b>

SHIPPING TUTORIAL & PHILOSOPHY

Let me start by saying that I am not affiliated with or compensated by any shipping company or service. The following information is offered as knowledge I have learned since 1998 when I started selling on and includes know-how based on current research, policies and law. recently changed their commission policy in response to sellers who were listing items for $0.99 and then charging huge amounts in shipping. This way, sellers could still make a \"reasonable\" amount on the items but only have to pay commission on a $0.99 sale. Some sellers were also adding costs after sales, like insur., when they invoiced the buyer. This would place surprise costs on the buyer. Rather than going after those sellers for unscrupulous selling practices, it changed its policy to affect all sellers. An unrelated change now makes buyers search for how packages will be shipped. \'s old system was clear as it posted precise shipping methods directly under the offer window. Now it reads with the statements \"Economy Shipping\", \"Standard Shipping, \"Expedited Shipping\" or \"One-Day Shipping\". Buyers needs to be aware to click on the blue links in the \"Shipping\" and \"Delivery\" lines under the offer window and then will be forwarded in the listing to the precise shipping modes. Basically, \"Economy Shipping\" covers USPS Parcel Post and USPS Media Mail. \"Standard Shipping\" covers UPS Ground. \"Expedited Shipping\" covers USPS Priority Mail, all USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate services, USPS First Class Mail, UPS 3 Day Select and UPS 2nd Day Air. (I personally think USPS First Class Mail should be listed under \"Economy Shipping\" as it is a more economical shipping method.)

Since the new \" commission policy\" and \"shipping disclosure rules\" were implemented, more and more sellers are now using flat rate shipping services. While philosophically this makes sense for sellers, it puts a financial strain on buyers. FIRST, flat rate shipping allows sellers to add insur. and other mysterious \"handling\" costs. While insurance is an understandable charge, what else is \"handling\" truly covering? SECONDLY, flat rate shipping is usually figured for packages being domestically shipped the furthest they could be shipped from sellers\' addresses. This way, sellers do not lose money no matter where packages are domestically shipped. Unfortunately, \"local\" buyers are also charged that amount! Think about those practices buyers!!

While new \"listing information requirements\" fulfills \'s shipping disclosure of being up front about total costs buyers will pay for sales, it fails to take into account several glitches. FIRST, sellers are not required to post a breakdown of their \"handling costs\" anywhere in the listing. While some sellers do purchase boxes and packing materials, they charge mysterious costs as part of the flat rate shipping to cover those items. Some sellers also use the \"handling costs\" to charge additional amounts for their time invested in listing and packing an item. Sometimes sellers will include an additional $5.00 or more for that. I\'ve had experiences with sellers who have charged $10.00, $15.00 and even more for handling!!! SECOND, while insurance is truly a preference and often practical based on the worth, fragileness or contents in a package, sellers are not required to post the actual insurance amount or the insurance company being used. Some sellers \"self-insure\" which means they pocket the insurance paid and will pay for an item out of their pocket if it is lost or damaged, minus of course original shipping costs. Most mail companies do refund shipping as part of the \"total cost\" paid. These sellers are also probably using \"flat rate\" shipping rather than \"calculated\" shipping so buyers are already paying for larger and heavier than necessary packages that would not require needless insurance added. This is another pocketing of funds by unscrupulous sellers. There are also “third party insurance companies” as options to using higher charging UPS and USPS insurance costs. The \"third-party companies\" offer reduced rates as an incentive for sellers to use their service as they know it is a profitable service. Despite paying for claims on damaged packages, they are making money on most packages that are delivered safely. THIRD, when listing items, sellers do have the option of using \'s \"calculated\" shipping feature to cover true package weights and can then post insurance costs for the sale by using the \"Handling cost:\" window on \'s selling page. This way insurance does not come out of their pocket, especially for less expensive selling items. < p>Also because of \'s new policy of posting CERTAIN shipping information, for ease of packing and shipping some sellers have gone to UPS or USPS Flat Rate shipping methods. FIRST, UPS shipping automatically covers insur. for packages that are valued up to $100.00. While packages valued up to that amount are a convenience for sellers, it fails to take into account additional costs to the buyers, usually unseen and unknown costs. UPS rates are higher for light weight packages including most packages that weigh up to 8 or 9 pounds, depending on the zone being shipped \'from\" and \"to\". Zones cover geographical areas of the country. Shipping costs are calculated based on shipping between those zones, the seller\'s and buyer\'s. UPS rates also add \"fuel surcharges\" to shipping costs of items if a residential delivery address is more than 16 miles from one of their warehouses. This is definitely true for a residential address but I am not sure if it is true for a business address. Even if sellers use calculated shipping based on a package\'s true weight, those surcharges can add an unseen $4.00 to $5.00, sometimes more, to shipping costs for buyers. To alleviate the fuel surcharges, buyers can have packages mailed to their workplace (a business address), or they can have them mailed to and held at a UPS warehouse for pick-up. However, these options come with implications and stipulations. The shipping address will be different than what is posted on so buyer protection will not be applied or covered for damaged packages. If packages are shipped to a warehouse for pickup, then they need to be posted with the warehouse address c/o the receiver\'s (sendee, customer, or buyer) name, and the receiver\'s phone number MUST be placed on the shipping label so UPS can call when it arrives. Buyers must be willing to drive to the warehouse within a certain number of days to pick it up or the package will be returned to the sellers. SECOND, USPS Flat Rate shipping is a convenience for sellers but the higher shipping costs to buyers can be significant. If the package is heavy then it saves buyers money. However, most things mailed in flat rate boxes could be shipped in regular priority mail boxes at a cheaper rate, sometimes almost three times less than flat rate. Both types of boxes are FREE for sellers. A simple meat scale or digital scale could be used to weigh a package. While there would be an initial cost to purchase one, in the long run, sellers\' sales would increase and final sale prices would be higher as it would reassure buyers of realistic shipping costs and that sellers are being conscientious.

Ultimately, sellers could be more \"green\" in their selling practices and use recycled boxes and packing materials. This would save the environment, cut down on their costs, and cut down on costs that would have to be passed on to buyers. \'s system could also be further revised to be clearer for buyers and truly make sellers think about and revamp their shipping practices. Finally, there is the blue \"Ask a question\" link at the bottom of all items. If shipping charges seems high or unusual then buyers should find out more information. If more buyers would take the time to ask questions ahead of time, there would be less neutral and negative comments being posted, and \"uninformed\" sellers would change their questionable selling practices. This might also alleviate and PayPal from imposing policies that cost both sellers and buyers more money in the long run.

ShipSaver