Blockheads: Our Company / Our Stamps

Blockheads started manufacturing and selling rubber stamps online in November 2001. Our goal is to provide current designs in the highest quality at great prices. Our business is web based and E-mail is always the easiest and quickest way to reach us.

We offer unmounted rubber stamps. In the beginning, we experimented with different methods of producing our rubber stamps and find that deeply etched magnesium molds produce the clearest images with no stray marks or shadowing. Visit our construction page for specifics on our stamp construction and mounting.

Contact Information

Mailing Address (this is not a store location):
Blockheads Paper Art
7820 Enchanted Hills Blvd. NE
Suite A-272
Rio Rancho, NM 87144-8644

Fax:
1-800-449-9083

E-mail:
Stacey Dunning sr@blockheadstamps.com

Phone:
I'm sorry, but we are not staffed to take phone orders. Please E-mail any questions about orders placed online or questions about or products.

Satisfaction Guarantee

We understand that sometimes items are received are not what was expected. In most cases, we allow customers to return any product within 15 days for a refund. We can only issue refunds for unopened, unused products, that we can resell. A return authorization code must accompany the return. Shipping is only refunded on defective or damaged products.

How to Get Return Authorization Code

Please E-mail for authorization before returning any items. Items returned without a return authorization # will not be returned or refunded.

Restocking Fees

We very rarely ever impose a restocking fee but to prevent abuse of our liberal return policy, a 15% restocking fee will be charged in the following cases, which causes us hardship:

1) A large quantity of a single item without being certain it is the product they need such as 8 of a single color ink pad or 12 packs of coasters. We cannot make "upon approval" deliveries. If you are unsure whether this is the product needed, please order a small quanitty first. The reason we ask for this courtesy is that large orders of a single item often require a special order to fill the order and/or an order to restock the item so it is available for other customers. A return of the product would cause us to have more operating capital tied up in that item than we planned on and more space devoted to storing the item.

2) A return of a large portion of an order without good reason. This also causes us to have excess inventory because we have generally ordered to restock the products before the return is made.

Refunds on Orders that Originally Received Free Shipping

The refund amount will be the price of the product less shipping charges we paid that you were not charged for. Example: you qualified for free shipping on an order over $125, but you return a significant portion of the items, causing your revised order to be less than $125, you will be refunded for the returned items LESS actual shipping charges we paid to have your original order delivered.

Shopping Cart System / Payment Options

Pay safely using MasterCard, Visa. We also provide a PayPal payment option for customers wishing to use an existing PayPal account or set one up to use Discover Card or American Express. You should receive a confirmation E-mail if you typed in your E-mail address correctly and a shipping notification when we ship your order. Over 95% of orders ship within 2 business days. If your order cannot be filled within 3 business days, we'll E-mail to let you know when your order is likely to be filled.

Paying by Check or Money Order Through the Mail

We're sorry, but this option is not available at this time. If you aren't comfortable putting your credit card information online through our secure 128-bit encrypted checkout system, other payment options are provided when checking out online. These include mailing or faxing your credit card information with your order number, or mailing a check. Instructions are provided when you check out using one of those payment options. You might also check with your credit card company to find out if they offer temporary, one-time use, card numbers for added security.

Shipping Information

Exected Delivery Time

All items on our site are usually in stock unless otherwise stated. Most orders ship within 1-2 business days. If we expect a delay you will be contacted by E-mail.

The time in transit depens on your distance from New Mexico and the shipping option you select.

US Destinations

Express Mail* - Generally takes 1 day in transit (2 days to remote areas)

Priority Mail - Generally takes 1-3 business days in transit

First Class - Domestic - Generally takes 3-6 business days in transit

UPS Ground - Generally takes 2-5 business days in transit

International Destinations

Please read the International Shipping section below.

*Expedited Shipping

Paying for Express Mail does not guantee that we will ship your order the same day it was ordered. Express Mail orders are placed first in line in the next batch of orders, but shipping is often completed by 9 a.m for our 9:30 a.m. pick up so an Express Mail order that comes in at noon may not ship until the following business day.

Shipping Costs

Our shopping cart system will automatically estimate your shipping charge if you select your country and state (if applicable) and hit the "recalculate" button. Although these are just estimates of actual shipping rates, we will never adjust the charge upward on domestic retail orders even if we end up paying some of the postage. Sometimes we are able to save on postage by packing the items in a smaller box than estimated or using a flat rate box or envelope. In those cases if the order is for more than $20 in merchandise and the shipping charged is more than $2 higher than the actual shipping, that we will refund the savings to the customer.

Split Shipments

Estimated shipping costs do not cover the cost of splitting shipments. We will split shipments and pay the extra cost to ship an item later if an item appeared to be in stock on the web site but we actually had none in stock and none expected to arrive in the next 2-3 days.

If a customer orders multiples of a single item, like 6 jars of one color of embossing powder or 3 bottles of the same adhesive and we have a lower quantity in stock we will give the customer the option of lowering the quantity to what we have in stock, waiting until we are able to ship the order complete or paying the extra shipping to have the items we have in stock shipped before the items that have to be ordered to complete the order.

Free Shipping for Orders over $125 to US, VI, PR, or APO Destinations

Orders with more than $125.00 in merchandise ship free to US, VI, PR or APO destinations. The shopping cart will show a $0 shipping charge for Priority Mail on qualifying orders. We will ship orders receving free shipping through either USPS Priority or UPS Ground, whichever we choose.

In order to make our free shipping policy cost-effective, orders that qualify for free shipping must ship in one shipment. We cannot split the order to ship part to one address and part to another or part now and part later. If we have an inventory problem because of an order containing multiples of an item, beyond what any normal retail store would feasibly have in stock, like 6 of one color ink pad or 9 of a single type of embellishment or embossing powder, you will have the following options: Wait until we can special order the quantity you need which takes 7-21 days depending on the supplier or ask us to split the shipment and agree to pay the lower of the two shipping costs. We'll still pay shipping on the larger parcel.

International rates are approximated to be close to actual cost. If shipping is drastically overestimated, a refund will be given. Likewise if international shipping is drastically underestimated, we will give the option to pay the difference or modify the order.

International Orders

All Custom Forms will be filled out legally with the cost of the goods (excluding S&H). We will not mark it as a gift or commercial sample. If your country requires you to pay taxes for the goods upon receipt please take this into consideration before you buy! We are not responsible for delays caused by customs officials.

Shipping rates depend on what you order and what quantity. Our shopping cart will calculate shipping if you add the items you want to your shopping cart, then select your shipping zone and click the "recalculate" button at the bottom of the first page of the shopping cart.

Shipping rates are calculated to be approximates of the actual air mail shipping rates our cost to insure the parcels. Sometimes our shipping rates are misestimated. If actual shipping charges are overestimated by more than $2.00 USD, we will issue a refund for the difference. If it is calculated much lower than actual shipping, we will contact you to let you know actual shipping and ask if you'd like to pay the difference or cancel your order. We never know actual shipping until we actually weight the exact combination of products you order along with the box required to fit those items. For instance five sheets of untrimmed rubber will fit into an $11.95 flat rate mailer but 5 sheets of rubber and 1 jar of embossing powder will not fit and may cost closer to $22.00 to ship. Our shopping cart can't determine whether flat rate mailers can be used or not used based on combinations.

As noted above, most of our international orders are shipped by First Class International or Priority International (for heavier orders). Both classes ship by air and get to the destination country in 4-8 days. Delivery, however, can take 2-6 weeks depending on how long your country takes to clear items through customs and asses customs charges. Your postal service may be able to give you an estimate.

Please be aware that no tracking is available for first class or priority mail parcels.

Minimum Order
Our minimum order is $10.00 before shipping charges are applied.

Angel Policy
Any of our art stamps may be used in crafts for sale. Please visit our Angel Policy link for details.

Incentive Program
To encourage you to send your artwork made with our stamps to stamping publications, we offer the following incentives for published artwork. We must have been given credit in the publication as the manufacturer of our stamps in order for the incentives to apply.

Only Blockheads Stamps used:Rubber Stamper, Rubber Stamp Madness, Somerset Studio, Expressions, Stampers Sampler: $20 in Blockheads rubber stamps.

Blockheads and Other Stamps used: Rubber Stamper Rubber Stamp Madness, Somerset Studio, Expressions, Stampers Sampler: $10 in Blockheads rubber stamps.

Only Blockheads Stamps used: Vamp Stamp News, Stamping Magazines with circulation of more than 5000 or Scrapbooking Magazines with circulation of more than 5000: $10 in Blockheads rubber stamps.

Blockheads and Other Stamps used: Vamp Stamp News, Stamping Magazines with circulation of more than 5000 or Scrapbooking Magazines with circulation of more than 5000: $5 in Blockheads rubber stamps.

Other Publications and Internet Publications: E-mail us with information for incentive award details.

Privacy Policy
We collect customer information from customers for our E-mail list and purchases. Personal information, including addresses, telephone numbers, credit card information and E-mail addresses is handled carefully. Your information is never sold. Sharing of information outside Blockheads may be done for the sole purpose of completing orders, collecting debt, or backing up data. The privacy policy of any business partners, including Bravenet, our E-mail List administrator, is also designed to protect you from E-mail spam, junk mail or fraud.

Wholesale and Resale Policy

We have fairly standard wholesale requirements, designed to protect the value of our products. In order to be profitable conducting wholesale business we reserve our wholesale pricing for businesses that can be a regular and ongoing reseller of our products.

THE ONLY PRODUCTS WE OFFER WHOLESALE DISCOUNTS ON ARE:

• Blockheads brand rubber stamp sheets
• Blockheads red liner tape
• Tsukineko Products
  

QUALIFYING BUSINESSES:

• Rubber stamp store front selling primarily rubber stamping and paper arts products - photo of store and resale permit will be required before first order.
• Scrapbooking storefront selling primarily scrapbooking products - photo of store and resale permit will be required before first order.
• Select online retailers - web site must be developed primarily for paper arts resale and have a working shopping cart before a wholesale account can be awarded.

NON QUALIFYING BUSINESSES:

• eBay stores
• Buyers for stamping or church groups
• Artists using our products to make items for resale

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When will my order ship?

Within 1-2 business days unless we have a note on our checkout page or we contact you by E-mail to notify you of a delay.

Where is my order shipping from?

Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

How long before I get my order?

From the time you order, domestic orders take 2-5 busienss days by Priority Mail, 4-8 business days by First Class Mail, 2-7 busienss days by UPS Ground. Orders with flammable material such as alcohol ink or solvent cleansers or aerosol cans can take 6-11 business days because USPS requires that these orders go by Parcel Post.

The time for international orders to arrive varies widely and depends more on the customs office of the destination country than the shipping times. International orders generally arrive in the destination country in 4-8 days but customs delays add another 4-35 days to the delivery time. Your local post office should be able to give you some idea of typical customs delays.

I'm in New Mexico. Do I have to pay sales tax? Can I pick up my order to avoid shipping charges?

We pay that on your behalf. For now we have so few New Mexico customers that it doesn't make sense to add sales tax to those orders. Our business is in a residential area and our Rio Rancho business permit disallows customer traffic for the sake of purchasing goods. All orders have to be shipped.

Will you let me know when my order ships?

You will receive an E-mail with a confirmation/tracking number when your order ships.

Is my parcel insured against loss/theft?

All UPS parcels are insured through UPS. USPS parcels and international parcels are insured through a third-party insurer. Claims for lost parcels must be made within 10 days for domestic shipments and 4 weeks for international orders. We will generally ask you to check with your post office and wait a few more days for it to arrive, but we need to know about the problem within the times noted so that we can make sure we meet the deadlines for filing claims with our insurers.

Can you explain the charges on my debit card?

When you place an order online our bank runs an authorization against your credit card or debit card. We do not charge you until your order ships. When your order ships we "capture" the funds which converts the authorization to a charge. Sometimes, especially if we've reduced the amount of the charge because of lower shipping rates or modifications to the order, a customer who banks online will see that their bank has removed both the original authorization amount and the actual charge from their bank account. The funds from the authorization are actually in the bank account, just not showing in the available balance. Banks usually take a couple days to reconcile this and it will always show properly on your bank statement. If you're worried about your bank tieing up the funds in your checking account, the only way to avoid this is to use a credit card instead of debit card. There is nothing Blockheads can do to get your bank to release those funds. If you don't see this from other companies it is probably because they didn't run an authorization first, but most do for online orders.

Can I have a custom stamp made?

Blockheads does not have the capablitity to make custom stamps, but we have researched some options for having custom stamps made.

If you're looking to create a small number of each stamp, like address stamps it is less expensive to have polymer based stamps created because a mold doesn't need to be made. I know this company will create custom polymer based stamps, but haven't used them myself: http://www.imaginestamps.com/custom-stamps.html.

Clear stamps are not as durable and cannot be made with nearly as much detail as rubber stamps. OnyxXpressions at http://www.onyxxpressions.com offers single custom rubber stamps but she has to have a mold made so she waits until she has several orders to put them all on one mold so she doesn't have to charge the extreme high price that would be required to make a mold for just one stamp. We have used her service and find her black deeply etched rubber to be top quality. It can take a month or two before your stamp is created.

My country charges high customs fees, can you declare a lower value or mark my parcel as a gift?

Legally, we must declare the full price paid for the products you ordered, excluding shipping charges. We cannot mark parcels as “gifts”.

Can I mail in my order?

At this time we can only take internet orders. Our internet shopping cart generates the paperwork and tracks our sales for us.

If you aren't comfortable putting your credit card information online through our secure 128-bit encrypted checkout system, other payment options are provided when checking out online. These include mailing or faxing your credit card information with your order number. Instructions are provided when you check out using one of those payment options. You might also check with your credit card company to find out if they offer temporary, one-time use, card numbers for added security.

If you don't have a credit card, you can use PayPal to pay by echeck from your checking account.

I have a large stamp and am having troubles finding an ink pad to fit. Do you carry large ink pads?

Yes, we carry Archival Jumbo Pads which measure about 4" x 6". The inked area of the standard sized craft ink pad is 3.5" x 2.25". The rectangular pads we carry and the Palette Oval pads are roughly this size. Smaller pads that come in cubes are generally 1" x 1". Dew drop pads and Cat's Eye Pads also have generally the same 1 square inch area but are differently shaped.

One of the primary misconceptions held by beginning stampers is that the size of your ink pad needs to be larger than the stamp you're using. Virtually all craft pads come with felt or foam that raised higher than the case so you can apply ink to a large stamp by pressing it to the stamp multiple times. An unraised ink pads, like you may find at an office supply store, will leave a line where the case hits the stamp, but craft pads are not constructed that way.

Of course the closer in size the pad is to the stamp the less time it takes to ink the stamp so if your purpose is to stamp one single stamp multiple times you may wish to make your own custom size ink pad. The least expensive way to do this if you don't find one of the Archival Jumbo pads to suit your needs is to purchase a sheet of cut n' dry available at http://www.blockheadstamps.com/ink_uninked.html and a reinker to ink the pad you cut from the cut n' dry. The downside to this method is that you won't have a nice plastic case to store this pad so it is better for a one time use, like wedding announcements. You can also find Jumbo Uninked Felt Pads on the same page if you plan to use your custom ink pads on a regular basis.

For dye based and solvent/pigment based pads like Adirondack, Archival, Memories, and Palette Hybrid pads you want to purchase the Felt type of pad or Cut n' Dry.

For slow drying pigment pads like VersaColor, VersaCraft, Encore or mica pads like Palette Metallics, or PearlEx pads you want to use the Foam type of Cut n' Dry. Brilliance ink pads are a faster drying pigment ink, but also typically used with a foam pad.