Here are answers to a few questions that keep popping up. If your question isn’t answered below, send it to us, and we’ll add it to the list.
I am unable to bring forward my order. I have pushed the view order, several times and it will not come forward. Anything you can do to correct this?
When the "View Order" button is clicked, a new, smaller window should open. If your web browser prevents popups, you may need to specify an exception for "agrainofsand.com", the domain used for the shopping cart.
The window may also be obscured. The shopping cart may also appear in a tab rather than a new window, depending on how you have configured your web browser. If you have problems finding the window, try closing all other windows.
I am having difficulty ordering. Every item I order deletes the previous one in the cart?
If you are using the newest version of the internet explorer -
Try these steps:
Select "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu.
From the "Privacy" tab, move the slider down from High to
Medium or Low. Click OK.
How can I access my shopping cart from another computer at another time?
The system "remembers" your order using a "cookie" that’s stored on your computer. Since this "cookie" isn’t on the other computer, there is no easy way to access your order information.
However, when you click the "View Order" button, a new small window appears with your order information. If you can save the web address of that page and send it to the other computer via email, you should be able to paste the web address into the web browser of the other computer, or just click on the link within the email message.
This is a sample web address:
https://www.agrainofsand.com/cgi-bin/buy/ags?cid=ceeab9aa7a154e6841234532&cmd=v
Will you sell to the public?
Yes, the prices on the website are our regularly priced retail prices.
Do you have a printed catalog?
No. Our website is our everchanging catalog.
Do you have a retail location?
No. We are an online company. You are welcome to visit us during the bead shows and events listed on the Calendar of Events throughout the year.
What is your Shipping Policy? Do you ship outside of the United States?
Shipping: We do our best to get your goodies out to you as quickly as possible. We ship Monday through Friday with the exception of holidays. If you have a bead emergency, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.
NEW FREE USPS Shipping for Domestic Orders Over $50: Free Shipping is now being offered to all retail and wholesale customers with the exception of Beadshop Program Customers. Free shipping applies to new orders of $50.00 or more after all discounts and coupons have been applied. In the case of store credits or exchanges, free shipping will only apply if your total is $50.00 after the deduction of these items. Should you return items for credit after having received "FREE SHIPPING", and the total of the items returned causes you to drop below the $50.00 minimum, the cost of the free shipping will be deducted from your credit. Packages weighing 13 ounces or less will be shippied 1st Class Mail. Delivery time is estimated between 2-10 days. Packages weighing over 13 ounces will be shipped either Priority Mail or UPS Ground whichever is the most cost efficient. Free shipping does not apply to exchanges.
Domestic Shipping:
UPS Ground- You can get an estimate of your shipping charge by going to www.ups.com. We do not add handling fees to UPS Ground shipping so the shipping costs are based on our costs. UPS shipping includes up to $100 of insurance. Additional Insurance is always added to your shipping cost for orders over $100 shipped UPS. Please do not be alarmed if you receive a small order in a standard size box. We use a standard box for all orders up to 1 pound because the shipping costs the same whether the package is 1 ounce or 1 pound. At A Grain of Sand, we encourage reusing and recycling packaging materials and boxes. Orders that ship to P.O. Boxes must be shipped via 1st Class or Priority Mail within the U.S. UPS costs start at $8.50. We do also offer "Next Day" and "2nd Day" expedited shipping. Costs are based on weight, value and location. "Next Day" costs start at $38.00 and "2nd Day" start at $17.00.
1st Class Mail - Due to your requests, we are now offering 1st class shipping for smaller orders for a low flat fee of Only $3.85 plus the cost of insurance. We do offer the option to waive insurance for packages under $75.00. If you waive the insurance you assume full responsibility for the package. We will not be responsible for lost, theft, or damage. (1st class shipping is only available for packages weighing up to 13 ounces per the USPS) If your package exceeds the 13oz. weight limit we will ship it either USPS "Priority Mail" or UPS Ground, which ever is the least expensive, and charge you the difference.
NEW! 1st Class Mail to Canada: Due to your requests, we are now offering "1st Class Mail" shipping for smaller orders for a low flat fee of $9.50. This flat fee rate is available for packages weighing less than 13 oz. Packages weighing between 13 oz. and 4 pounds can be shipped Canadian 1st Class Mail but there will be an additional charge based on the actual weight, not to exceed a total cost of $15.00. If your package exceeds the 4 pounds weight limit we will ship it USPS "Global Priority Mail" and charge you the difference. Please note that neither "1st Class Mail" or "Global Priority Mail" is insured or trackable. If you require insurance or tracability please select USPS Express Mail International as your shipping method.
International Shipping: We ship Internationally via USPS Global Priority and USPS Express Mail International. USPS Express Mail International is our recommended method of International shipping and typically ranges from $44.95 and up depending on weight, insurance value, and the destination. Door to door delivery time is estimated at approx. 3-5 business days. USPS Express Mail is fully insured and trackable. USPS Global Priority is also available and is the most economical method, however, insurance is not available with Global Priority and we cannot take responsibility for packages that are lost or damaged during shipping. We are also not able to track packages mailed to you via USPS Global Priority . The estimated delivery time is 4-6 business days. The cost is $21.00 to Canada and $25.00 to all other destinations. This is a Flat Rate Envelope (9 x 12") with a weight limit of 4 pounds. Orders that exceed the 4 pound weight limit, are very fragile, or are too large for the envelope will be shipped in a USPS Global Priority mail box. The charge for this method will be based on weight, value and destination, starting at $38.00. We require insurance on all orders over $150.00.
What is your return policy?
Return Policy: If you are not delighted with your goodies, we will do an exchange of merchandise for merchandise or full refund within 10 days of receipt of your package with the exception of Closeout items, Last Chance items and cut to order chains, cords, or ribbons, minus the cost of shipping. A 15% restocking may be charged. If you received "FREE SHIPPING", a wholesale discount, or any other special discount that required a minimum order, and your return causes the value of your order to drop below that said minimum, we reserve the right to deduct those discounted amounts from your credit. After 10 days we will issue a store credit in lieu of a refund. We will accept an exchange of merchandise for an exchange of merchandise up to 30 days from the date of purchase. Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns after 30 days for any reason.
Return Instructions - Simply return any items you do not wish to keep with a copy of the invoice. Please include a note as to why you are returning the item and what you would like in exchange of the returned merchandise. Exchanges do not qualify for free shipping. Returns can be shipped to:
A Grain of Sand, LLC - Returns
P.O. Box 3214
Mooresville, NC 28117 USA
(704) 660-3125
We take care to ship your goodies in a safe manner and hope you will ship returns with the same care so that we can give you full credit for any returned merchandise. We cannot accept merchandise that has been broken down off of original strands or worked with. It would not be fair to resell used items to our customers.
I placed an order, but do not see my wholesale discount on the order?
Your wholesale discount is tied to the email adress you provided us when you applied for your wholesale account. If you have changed your email address please let us know and we will update your wholesale information so that you can continue to receive your discount. If you have not applied for a wholesale account, you can do so through the home page of the website. Click on "Wholesale Account" at the top of the page. There you will find the application and our wholesale policies.
If I don't see an item that I purchased from you before, will you still have that item or be getting it back in stock?
We stock according to supply and demand as well as availability. If you do not see an item previously on the site, its out of stock. We may or may not get this item back in stock. If its an item that is still available and frequently requested, we may get that item again, but we have no way of knowing for sure because the market changes so quickly. Our suggestion is to check the New Arrivals frequently. You may get a nice surprise.
Is the payment page secure?
We have spent a lot of time and effort to ensure that the site is secure. SecurityMetrics, a company that specializes in credit card security conducts quarterly security tests to ensure that we are in compliance. If you go to the A Grain of Sand home page and click on the "SecurityMetrics" image at the bottom left of the page (in the green area), you’ll see the site certificate
The payment page is a secure page. If you’re using MS Internet Explorer, you should see a padlock icon to the right of the web address at the top of the page. Click the padlock to view the security report for the page. If you’re using Firefox as your web browser, the padlock appears at the bottom right of the page. Double click the padlock to view security information.
All transaction processing is performed by agrainofsand.com using SSL, secure sockets layer, which encrypts all information sent to and from the server. Note that the web address for the page begins with "https://www.agrainofsand.com".
Do you have a list of Birthstones?
The List of Birthstones
January: Garnet
February: Amethyst
March: Bloodstone, Aquamarine
April: Diamond
May: Emerald
June: Pearl, Moonstone
July: Ruby
August: Sardonyx, Peridot
September: Sapphire
October: Opal, Tourmaline
November: Topaz
December: Turquoise, Zircon
When I click on a second, third or fourth item to order, sometimes only the first item is listed. What can I do?
The shopping cart system uses "cookies" to keep track of order information. By default, most Web browsers allow "cookies" to be set by any Web site. Make sure that "cookies" are allowed from agrainofsand.com.
If you’re using Internet Explorer:
- Select "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu.
- From the "Privacy" tab, click the "Sites..." button. Enter "agrainofsand.com" in the "Address of Web site" field and click "Allow".
- Click OK to save the change.
If you’re using Firefox or Mozilla:
- Select "Options" from the "Tools" menu.
- Select the "Privacy" button.
- In the "Cookies" section, check "Allow cookies from sites". OR click the "Exceptions" button, enter "agrainofsand.com" in the "Address of Web site" field, click "Allow", and click OK.
This setting change may also be useful:
If you’re using a PC:
- From your web browser’s "Tools" menu, select the "General" tab.
- From the "Temporary Files" or "Browsing History" section of the page, select the "Settings..." button.
- Select the "Every time I visit the webpage" option and click OK.
If you’re using a Mac, the option will vary depending on your web browser. Find your web browser’s "Cache" setting and select "Every time I view the page" option, and click OK.