Frequently Asked Questions
Outline
Below is a list of commonly asked questions. Should you have a question that is not on this list, feel free to contact me by email.
Ordering
Are your products priced in Canadian or US dollars?
All my prices are in US dollars. Prices in other currencies are provided for reference only. You will be billed in US dollars when you make a purchase.
I am in Canada and would like to pay in Canadian dollars. Is this possible?
Absolutely! Just contact me by email and we will set up a payment by eTransfer.
How much do you charge for shipping?
The easiest way to determine the shipping cost is to place the product in the shopping cart, view the cart, and use the shipping calculator.
Argh!! I need to change or cancel an order. How do I do that?
Send me an email ASAP! I tend to process orders as they come in, so the sooner I hear from you, the better. Once your order is with Canada Post or FedEx/UPS, I cannot call it back.
Shipping
How will my order be packaged?
Most orders ship in bubble mailers. I use the mailers that are made from (nearly) indestructible plastic. They tend to hold up well in transit. If you order many boards or partially populated boards, I add a foam pouch to protect the board in transit.
Orders of fully assembled modules, and orders that include larger parts, such as binding posts, output inductors, etc. will ship in cardboard mailers. The mailers I use are rated for 200 lb (~100 kg) load (i.e. they can sustain 200 lb load without collapsing).
To summarize: Your order will be packaged well to ensure that it arrives to you safely.
How soon will my order ship?
I generally ship orders of items in stock within one business day. Most orders go out the day the order is placed. I do my absolute best to get express orders shipped the day the order is placed (or first business day thereafter if the order is placed on a weekend or holiday).
How about preorders and backorders?
I open for preorders when I put the first batch of a new product into production. I do my best to provide an accurate estimate for when the product will ship, but please note that this estimate is subject to change, and in some cases the ship estimate is changed significantly.
A backorder is an order of a product that is in current production, but is temporarily out of stock. My estimate of the ship date tends to be significantly more accurate than for preorders, but is subject to change.
For both preorders and backorders, your order will ship as soon as I receive the product from my assembly folks. Preorders and backorders will ship in the order they were received.
Do you ship on certain days of the week?
Canada Post, UPS, and FedEx operate Monday through Friday, thus, I can only ship on those days. Canada Post, UPS, and FedEx do not operate on statutory holidays.
What on Earth are statutory holidays?
In Alberta, Canada, we observe the following holidays:
- New Year's Day (January 1st)
- Family Day (third Monday in February)
- Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
- Victoria Day (the Monday preceding May 25th)
- Canada Day (July 1st)
- Heritage Day (first Monday in August)
- Labour Day (first Monday in September)
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30th)
- Thanksgiving (second Monday in October)
- Remembrance Day (November 11th)
- Christmas Day (December 25th)
- Boxing Day (December 26th)
There will be no outgoing mail on those days.
Is there a cut-off time for express orders?
Yes. If I have your order by 0900 (MST/GMT-7), it will ship the same day. If you place your order between 0900 and 1200 noon (MST/GMT-7) it will probably ship the same day (no promises or guarantees). After 1200 noon odds are the package will ship the following business day.
I am located outside of North America but will be visiting North America soon. Will you ship to my hotel or to my friend where I will be staying?
I'll be happy to. However, I would greatly appreciate it if you would contact me well ahead of time and let me know of your intent. I also highly recommend using an express service to ensure timely delivery. Note, however, that I cannot be responsible for packages that arrive late, or for packages that disappear in transit or at the destination, as those events are completely outside of my control.
Customs
Will you declare a lower value on the customs forms?
Um... No!
But really... I receive stuff all the time that's declared at a lower value. Are you sure?
Yes. I'm absolutely sure. I run an honest business. Falsifying the customs forms is fraud. If caught, I stand to lose my business and everything I've worked for. That's not my idea of a good time. All it would take, is for a customs officer to check my website for the prices of my products – and they do check! So, no. I do not falsify the customs forms.
How will the product be declared on the customs forms?
Orders of unpopulated circuit boards and partially assembled boards will ship declared as "circuit board" or "circuit board assembly". HTS code 8543.90.
Orders of Modulus-186, Modulus-286, or any of the Modulus-686 options will be declared as "audio amplifier". HTS code 8518.40.
The full price (i.e. the price you paid) will be declared on the customs forms.
Will the customs value be visible on the outside of the box?
If the order is shipped by Canada Post, the customs value will be on the shipping label. It's in very small print, so it is not obvious, but it is visible upon close inspection. DHL uses electronic customs forms, so the value of the contents is not shown on the outside of the package.
Sales
When is your next sale?
My policy on sales is simple: I do not have sales. It may seem counter-intuitive, but sales actually increase the prices for everybody. I have never had a sale that resulted in higher revenue, so to make up for the loss of income, I have to increase the price for everybody else. Those who buy before the sale will end up feeling cheated, and those who just miss the sale will ask to get the sale price anyway. I would much rather avoid this mess and have reasonable prices every day.
My only exception is pre-order sales. I do reward the early adopters of my products with a good discount. I generally open for pre-order sales when I put a new product into production. The discounted price is my way of saying "thank you" to those who are willing to wait 2-3 months for delivery.
Contacting Neurochrome
Can I call you on the phone/Skype/WhatsApp?
The absolute best way to reach me is by email using the Contact form. While I am awake, I check my email at least hourly and often more frequently than that – way too frequently, in fact. So for the fastest response, I strongly encourage you to email me.
If you really, really, really want to talk to me by phone/Skype/WhatsApp, please email me, so we can schedule a call. This way we can hopefully avoid an endless game of phone tag, which wastes your time as much as it wastes mine.
Can I contact you by direct message or PM on any of the forums you participate on?
Sure. I tend to check diyAudio and The Neurochrome Forum at least daily. I check other forums much less frequently. Also, please note that I do my best to check my email while I am travelling or on vacation, thus am more likely to respond in a timely fashion if you send me an email. Checking the many forums will be a lower priority for me when I am out of the office as well.