Ordering Procedures, Policies and Terms of Sale
A Little Background -
Our company's agricultural roots here in the United States date back to
the mid-1620s. Our direct lineage, although often working another
trade, has always lived on farms.
The farm on which we currently operate was established by our founders
Great-grandfather in 1909. For decades our family farmed and sold
our goods and services into our local community before we ventured onto the Web in
1996. Our goal is to make shopping easy and secure for you, our
friends and customers.
For the purposes of legal
clarification, when you reside in another state and purchase from us, you
are participating in an interstate commerce transaction protected under
Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States of
America. Your purchase is concluded in the State of Oregon and bound
by this state's law. Along with Federal Seed Act compliance, as a
seed company licensed by the State of Oregon, we comply with its rules and
regulations. We do not have a physical presence outside of Oregon,
nor do we sell through any third parties or affiliates,
and therefore maintain no other state seed licenses nor do we collect any
sales taxes. Oregon is one of the last sales tax free states in the
Union.
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Business Hours
Our standard business hours are Monday through Friday from
9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. PST. Depending on the time of year, we may be in the
office before and after hours filling orders or out in the fields and gardens.
We are a small
company and for technical
and financial reasons, we presently have one, unstaffed phone line. Therefore,
using our online CRM system or electronic mail
tends to be the most efficient way for us to handle general communications.
Click here for our "Contact Us"
page
Shopping online at VictorySeeds.com
is easy, safe, and private. We use SSL encryption to ensure the
security and
privacy of your order
information. The information you provide is encrypted (scrambled) as it travels
over the internet. You can read more detail about our security measures by
clicking here.
You do not need to create an account to
make purchases at Victory Seeds®. You may shop and complete your
orders as a guest. We do require your email address so
that we can confirm receipt of your order, notify you when the order ships, or
contact you if there are any problems with the order.
However, we recommend that you do create
an account the first time you place an order with our store. The next section
below explains the many benefits of creating an account with us. If you
don't already have an account, you will be given the option to create one when
you checkout. You can also create a new account by clicking on the
My Account menu button in
the header at the top of every page.
Please make a note of and safeguard the
password you created but if you do forget it, you can have it emailed to
yourself.
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There are many advantages to you for creating
an account with us. It is safe and we do not store credit card
information. As a matter of fact, we have our site configured in such a
way that we do not see your card information at all. The transaction
occurs, over a secure connection, between your computer and the credit card
processing company. Here are a few more of the benefits:
Using accounts allows us to do order tracking on your orders. You will be able to keep a shipping address and a billing address on file so that you dont need to enter
that information each time you order (remember, no credit card information is stored). You will be able to see a record of all your previous orders with us when you log in
to your account. For items that you order regularly, you will be able to easily reorder from your My Account page. Having an account will qualify you for special promotions and savings for our members. (You will need to join our email / newsletter list to receive the notifications.)
Tell the world what you think! You will be able to review and rate products with our Review this
item feature. Or you can use our Email a friend feature to tell your friends about an interesting product that you came across
on our site. Important we just want to emphasize that we do not collect or store credit card
information. When you enter your credit card number to place an order over our very secure connection, it is good for that transaction only. This also
means that once you review your order for completeness and accuracy, we cannot add items to that order as the total is already calculated and paid for.
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It is really pretty easy and intuitive.
Place items you would like to purchase into your shopping cart by clicking on
the Add to Cart link below the displayed product or click on
the product to reach the product details page and you can order from there.
Once an item has been put into your Shopping
Cart, you can view the contents of your cart at any time by clicking on the
View Cart button in the upper-right of the page header.
For items that are in the Shopping Cart you can
change a quantity or remove it from your basket. Just be sure and click the
brown Update Cart button at the bottom of the cart each time
you make a change. You can also remove an item from your Shopping Cart by
clicking on the brown X to the right of the item. From
any page, you can always see how many items are in your Shopping Cart and their
total amount by looking at the right side of the header bar the top of the page.
Once you are done shopping, you can apply any
gift certificates or coupon codes that you might have and then click the Proceed
to Checkout button from within your cart. You then have the
opportunity to calculate and choose the shipping and handling and then make
payment using either
Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express cards. If you are
uncomfortable using cards online, please
CLICK HERE to read
about the security measure we have taken.
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Mail Order:
If
you prefer mail order, place your order as if you were going to complete
it online, calculate the shipping, print out the page, and mail it to us, along with
full payment, using a money orders or check drawn in $US. Refer to "Terms
of Payment" below for more detailed information.
Do not
send your credit card information. We only accept card payments
online. It is simply much more secure.
Mailing
address:
Victory
Seed Company
P.O.
Box 192 - Molalla, Oregon 97038
Terms of Payment
We accept
VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express for online purchases.
For
years we struggled with the
philosophy of
accepting credit cards. Our credit society, and the vicious cycle of
debt that some people get trapped into, causes our dilemma. However,
in our electronic economy, the use of "plastic"
has become a necessity.
If you
use credit cards, please do so responsibly.
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Check Policy
We
have experienced an increasing amount of check fraud. If you are in a
hurry to receive your order, you need to understand that although
checks are still being accepted, orders paid by check will be held
until cleared. Even in this electronic age, this typically taking two to four weeks, depending on the number of routing nodes the check must travel.
Additionally, our bank automatically submits returned checks to a debt collection service. By using a check for payment, you agree to the following terms: In
the event your check is dishonored or returned for any reason, you
authorize us to electronically (or by paper draft) re-present the check
to your bank account for collection of the amount of the check, plus
any applicable fees as permitted by state law.
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Purchase
Orders and Federal EIN
We
do not accept purchase orders. They are expensive and time consuming
to process. Most
times the costs associated with processing a purchase order would be more
than the seed order itself.
Additionally,
we do not give out our Federal EIN. Some institutions use this
number in their accounting practices as a vendor id number. If this
is the case, assign an arbitrary vendor id or make payment using a credit
card. Since the amounts folks order are for small amounts of consumable merchandise, they are are not reportable on a 1099-MISC. Therefore a W-9 form nor our EIN is
required.
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Prices
We are doing our best to offer our high quality seeds at the lowest
possible prices. You will probably still be able to find packets of
seeds cheaper on discount racks, but please compare and consider the
variety, weight, storage conditions, and germination guarantees
before buying. All items are subject to availability and pricing may
change.
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Backorder Policy
- Out of Stock Items - Waiting List
We keep our web site
up-to-date as best as possible but sometimes we have runs on items and run
out. Since most of the items we
carry are rare or otherwise difficult to obtain, we do not backorder items
nor do we accept pre-orders. If you wish, you can select the option
on the checkout for to substitute a similar item and we will do so.
If you
do not want substitutions, indicate this and we will refund you instead.
A new
feature of our cart system is our "Waiting List." We are excited
about this for two reasons. If an item is listed as "OUT
OF STOCK" you can opt to click on the waiting list button and record your
interest in being notified when the item is again available. For
you, it is a sure way to get emailed when something that you are
interested is relisted. For us, we can use it as a tool to help
determine which varieties or items are important to folks and schedule
seed grow-outs or inventory purchases accordingly.
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Delivery Time
We make every effort to update our Web site so that it reflects items that
we have in stock and are available for shipping. We generally fill and
mail orders within two business days. During our busy periods, the
time between receiving an order and mailing it can jump to seven to ten
business days. Check the "Contact Us"
page for current order fulfillment times.
Orders sent to U. S.
addresses typically take between two and ten days. Canadian orders
take from one to five weeks (that is the worse case so far). Please
consider all of this information before placing a last minute order.
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Delays in Delivery
The Victory Seed Company
shall not be responsible for loss or damage caused by delays in delivery
from strikes, acts of war, fire, casualty, inability to obtain materials
or other causes beyond our control.
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Shipping
Fees
In order to keep the packet prices as low as possible, we do not hide
shipping costs in them. Doing so is unfair.
It is
not fair to local customers who pickup orders. It is not fair to our
gardening friends with large gardens.
The cost of filling a mail order is not simply a matter of placing postage
stamps on an envelope. And although we do not attempt to "make money" on shipping and handling, we do try
to recoup some of the
costs. Please note that this generally is only an issue with small
orders. When folks plan and order larger amounts, shipping is
typically at or below our cost.
Along with the obvious cost of postage, there are:
Merchant fees to process card payments. Card processing companies charge a flat fee per order plus fees based on card type, type
of transaction, on top of the fees they collect for your credit card issuer. Packing Materials - Padded envelopes, forms, labels, etc.
If we didn't cover costs,
we wouldn't be in business very long
and our seed variety preservation work would be put at risk.
Please use a valid
email address and phone number. They will only be used to aide in
processing this order and required to help prevent fraud. Refer to
our privacy
policy for our feelings on the use of personal information.
We
ship packages using the U. S. Postal Service (USPS)
using their Delivery Confirmation service. It is the most economical
for the majority of the orders that we fulfill. Please provide a valid
USPS qualified address. If you are unsure, you can test your address at
http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp.
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Shipping
Damage Claims
We
do our best at using appropriate packing materials and cannot accept
responsibility for damage caused buy the carrier. All claims for damage
must be reported to the carrier immediately and filed with the carrier by
the customer. If you so desire, you can request insurance and we
will calculate the cost and coordinate payment with you.
Hot
Weather Damage - Because of the weight, candy orders are typically sent using U.S. Priority Mail.
It generally travels a faster route than parcel post or UPS ground.
But
the reality is, we have no control over how the postal service treats the
packages. We therefore cannot be responsible for your order once it
leaves our farm.
If it is hot
and you think
that your order will get ruined in transport and do not want to
risk the cost, don't order until you feel it is safe to do so. We pay
attention to the weather on our farm but not in every location in the
world. Ultimately, the decision to purchase is yours. Some
things (like taffy and chocolate) are just best ordered in cooler weather.
Here is a link to a good tool for visualizing the temperatures from Oregon
to your address:
WUnderground.com U.S. Forecast Maps
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International Sales
Policy
We
do not have an export department and will not take responsibility for lost
packages shipped outside
of the US Postal system. Order at your own risk.
We are a very small organization and do not have the necessary
resources to maintain an export department. The
world seems to have become very restrictive to the flow of goods.
Due
to this increased difficulty, we are currently only shipping to Canada, the United Kingdom, and
the United States at
this time. If your country is not on this list, we apologize and
recommend that you use a larger company set up to export seeds. We hope to
explore this in the future.
If
your country is listed within our shipping system, you are still
ultimately responsible for being the importer and agree to the
following.
-
Place your order online and either make payment with a credit
card or by selecting "Mail your payment to us" during the
checkout process. -
Payments must be made
in $US. Credit cards will automatically perform the
necessary conversion. If mailing in payment, an
international money order in $US must be used. -
Shipping will be based on U.S. Postal Service International
Mail. -
By placing
an order, you agree
to and accept our general terms of sale as well as to the
international shipping policy below.
By placing
an order, you agree that:
-
You take ownership once you package enters the mail stream and that the Victory Seed Company is not responsible for the shipment once it
leaves our farm.
-
You (the purchaser)
guarantee that the material being purchased is not on a restricted list
within your country. Check with your Ministry of Agriculture or
Customs Departments. Import rules are changing regularly and
we cannot possibly keep track of all of them. So check your country's
import regulations before placing your order with us.
-
You have obtained all necessary documentation to allow entry into
your country. We cannot provide phytosanitary certificates or
any other documentation that might be required by your government. No
refunds on international orders.
-
We package and label your parcel
clearly with content and value information on the customs tag so as to avoid
customs intervention. However, we cannot guarantee that customs for your
country will not open your package and determine that extra charges are
due, or perhaps even confiscate the order. These risks are the sole
responsibility of you, the purchaser.
We are not responsible for loss, additional tariffs, taxes, or customs
charges that may apply.
Special Note About Shipping to Canada: Ever since
"9/11," shipping across the border to Canada
is not as seamless as it once was. Orders are sent through
the US Postal service, which does not offer a tracking service,
nor guarantee delivery times. Although the USPS lists
delivery times as 6 to 10 business days, due to customs and
Canadian Post delays, orders may take two to six weeks (in extreme
cases) for delivery. Although we cannot tell you when you
will receive your order, we do send you an email when your package
is mailed out. Just so you know, in over ten years of
mailing packages to Canada, every one has eventually made it to
their destinations. It may take a while, but our postal
system have always come through.
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Merchandise
Return Policy
Victory Seed Company cannot accept the returns after 30 days from time of shipping or of any opened seed packages. The product
would have to be destroyed and frankly, we are just too small to absorb
losses that are not our fault.
Additionally, for food safety reasons,
edible products (i.e. gum, candy, tea) cannot be returned. You would not want to
buy a returned item, please do not ask us to. If there is a quality
issue, please let us know but we will likely refer you to the
manufacturer.
Contact us for proper authorization and shipping instructions prior to
returning any item. The return address may be different from the
published or shipping address. Return authorization is required before
returns are accepted.
Once return authorization is received, the customer is responsible for all shipping and insurance costs. A 35%
restocking fee will be charged on all acceptable returns.
Unauthorized returns will be refused and returned, at the customer's expense.
Special
orders including large commercial orders, custom printed packets and garden cans
cannot be returned.
Worm Orders cannot be returned.
Cancellations of large orders may be accepted but since we package
seeds as orders are received we charge a 20% cancellation fee to cover
wasted materials, labor, and card processing fees.
Shipping and handling is non-refundable.
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Noxious Weeds
Some plants that are naturally occurring
or have been cultivated for years have been deemed by some governments,
(local, state, provincial and federal) as being classified as a noxious
weed. We will not knowingly supply seed that breaks a local law so
please check the laws in your area before ordering and planting. If
you proceed to purchase these seeds from us, you do so under the agreement
that you will use them for non-planting purposes.
Federal
& State Noxious Weed Information
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