I have had it with so called "secure servers" and shopping carts and all those things which supposedly make it easy to shop on line.  You deserve better.  The secure servers arn't!  They are related to the bums who shook me down for lunch money when I was a kid!  One of them has the nerve to charge me ten percent of every transaction!!!!! Ha!!!! Here's how you make a truly secure transaction! Actually, there are 4 ways, what a selection!

  first way....phone me.  I'll answer the phone myself and take your order.  It is also a good way for us to meet!  My phone number is (613) 821-1846.  I might be in the shop though, and it is so noisy there that I occasionally miss phone calls. Remember, when you are talking to me, you are not talking to some salesman, you are talking to the boss.

   second way....fax me.  Better because that way I don't miss your call.  My fax number is (613) 821-9947.  The fax machine is in a private office...your number will not be seen by anybody but me.

third way.....certified cheque or postal money order.  Requires that we dialogue to figure out the full amount including shipping, but whats wrong with that!  You would receive an invoice and I will ship upon payment.  Sounds fair to me. My address is
Bill Fedun, C/O
South Tower Armouring Guild
PO box 221
2708 Albert St.
Metcalfe, Ont.
K0A 2P0

    forth way.....email me with your number.  My email is stag@southtower.on.ca.  But how to make it secure?  Well, there is a really simple, almost Mickey Mouse way to accomplish this.   The bad guys who make the programs which rake your number out of the data stream can't cope with a number which is non-standard.  If you break your visa number up into two halves, and send it with a few words in between each half, the programs can't tell that it is a visa number.
   example.....here is my visa number...1234-4567-send me a new 10g helm-5679-2345, expires 12-45  Nothing to it, and unlike some of the "pretty good encryption" and the "very good encryption" , this method works!
     I also do some basic security things like making sure credit card numbers don't stay on my computer or server after I action them and keeping my office off limits to anybody except me!  Sounds almost too simple doesn't it?  Well, it works! No problems in the last 12 years of doing business on line! 

          Oh, and I guess there is a fifth way........show up to my showroom with cash.  I like cash.  Helps pay the rent.

  I accept VISA, Mastercard, and American Express.  Credit card orders are processed in Canadian funds, and will be automatically translated into US funds as required by your bank.  The fees for this service which are charged by your bank vary, but be on guard against bank errors. US money orders are accepted, we just have to be very sure which currency we are using at all times. Just email me a good time to call you, and I'll take your number over the phone and pay for the call myself..  Much more secure!  Or call me at the number above! 

Oh, since all credit cards are handled in Canadian funds, a US based purchaser  might get sticker shock when you first see your invoice. Don't panic....the Canadian Dollar amount only LOOKS high, the US Dollar equivalent will be a lesser figure.  If it isn't, then you should look to your bank because might do a one to one conversion on you. A common mistake... banks employ key punch operators who sometimes don't get their morning cup of coffee...just make sure YOU catch any errors.  Again, there has been, what two errors per decade of  processing credit cards?  Not a big problem.

PayPal?  No.  No.  No.  No.  No.  I have my OWN merchant account, I don't need PayPal! 

My currency converter is right here......http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic?user=WilliamFedun
 

Shipping is always a hassle, and difficult to estimate.  UPS charges roughly two bucks a pound, less for larger orders.  A helm plus the box it is in weighs about 7 pounds.  A sword weighs about five pounds.   And of course, the farther away from Upper New York State you get, the more they charge, though it is never excessive.  In Canada, Bus Parcel Express is just as inexpensive as Parcel Post, and it will usually get to you faster. UPS is awfully good in Canada, and I have a UPS account. In the states, nothing beats Fed Ex Ground for reliability.  I'll use Fed Ex Ground unless you specify otherwise.
      Shipping is from Ogdensburg New York.  US shipping may include a ten dollar "border crossing fee" which is assessed at the border for  any shipment, no matter how large or how small.   If UPS brings it across, say, if it is a rush order, they will charge a $45.00 brokerage fee PLUS shipping to the border PLUS shipping from the border to you.  It is clearly worth the week or two wait for me to go over on my scheduled run.

TERMS
....No nonsense. No 50% up front or anything like that.   Upon acceptance of your commission, I will make it, and upon completion, I will photograph it and send it to you for approval.   If you are happy with it, then and ONLY THEN will I take your money (action your credit card, cash your cheque, whatever)  and ship it out.  If things get busy, or I get sick, I don't want you to be out your rent money.  If you back out halfway through the project, so be it.  I'll sell it somewhere else.  I'm don't want to lose your respect over an armour order.  If you don't like it when you actually hold it in your hands, I'll take it back and refund your money.
      The exception would be "unique customizing".  I mean, who else wants your coat of arms on a breastplate?  For that stuff, I ask only for a fair days pay for a fair days work, up front. Some unique customizing might include extra large armours that nobody but YOU  could wear.  But considering that most people tend to run between small and XL, this is not usually an issue.

Bill Fedun