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Frequently Asked Questions
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Very safe. You can shop with confidence and in complete safety. In fact, shopping on our website is vastly safer than using your credit card in a restaurant. This is because in a restaurant you give your card to someone who gets to see all the numbers including the security code on the back and with a little more digging could conceivably use your card details to their own ends. When you buy online on a site like ours no human being ever gets to see your card details. We use a company called 2Checkout based in the USA. They are one of the world's largest online card processors. Click on the "2CO Certified" button below to get more info on them. When you get to the point where you have to enter your card details you will in actual fact have left our site, gone into their secure area and when you submit your details they are immediately scrambled with something called 128 bit encryption which is the standard the banks use to protect online information. Look for the little padlock  symbol on your bottom toolbar indicating that you are in a "secure socket layer" which is a safe area. Your credit card details are then sent scrambled through the computerised processing system in the USA where your card is verified and authorized. We never see your credit card details and neither does another human being. Additionally you will receive a full emailed receipt for your purchase with all billing and shipping details. Charges for the transaction will appear on your credit card or bank statement under the name 2CO.COM". 2Checkout.com is a member of the Better Business Bureau. Click here to see their certificate. |
| We accept the following cards : |
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We ship worldwide with Fedex. Generally, it takes 3 working days for your purchases to reach you from the date that you pay on the website. The procedure we follow is as follows:
- You pay and order on the site
- We receive notification from 2Checkout.com that your card is authorized and to ship the goods
- You will receive a full receipt for your purchase immediately by email with all details of your purchase, including billing and shipping details
- We email you introducing you to your Customer Service agent in charge of your satisfaction and on hand to answer all your questions
- We complete all necessary paperwork and contract Fedex to pick up the shipment
- Goods are fully insured for transit by our Insurance company
- We email you the Fedex Tracking Number of your shipment so that you can track it all the way to your door on www.fedex.com
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| The Member's Shipping Package is a gift to members of lapigems.com. Once you sign up to be a member you immediately qualify for the Members Shipping Package which gives you the following perks: Free insurance for your purchases in transit. You accept no responsibility for your purchases until they reach you and you sign for them on delivery by Fedex. Secondly, you only pay a flat rate of US$30 for shipping anywhere in the world. Normally this cost is many times higher and coupled with the cost of insurance can increase the cost of your purchases exponentially. We recognize this, and subsidise the shipping and fully pay the insurance, meaning that you only pay US$30 for your purchases to reach you anywhere in the world. We pay the rest for you. |
| So once you have finished shopping on the site and put all the desired items into your shopping cart, simply click "Checkout" US$30 flat rate will be added to your total and you go ahead and pay. No other costs are included anywhere. |
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| Absolutely. Although we have invested a considerable amount in advanced photography for the gems displayed on the site to ensure that they appear exactly as they do in life and supply a large amount of information on each gem as well as an "Ask a Gemologist" feature (no grainy pictures and subjective grading descriptions and representations as are found on most other gem sites), we realize that there is no substitute for seeing the gem "in person". Hence we give you a full 10 days after receipt of the gem to return it if you are not fully satisfied. Please see our Customer Service page for details on our Global Refund Policy. |
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| As mentioned above, we accept that you have a right to see and examine your purchases before deciding if you are entirely satisfied. We fully stand behind our quality. If in the unlikely event you are not happy with anything you have purchased you may return it within 10 days of receiving it. We do not charge a restocking fee like most gem sites. See our Customer Service page for full info on our Global Refund Policy. |
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| None whatsoever. All you will pay is the marked price of the gem(s) you are purchasing and a flat $30 shipping fee. We will subsidize the rest of the shipping costs and the insurance. You accept no responsibility for your purchases until you have signed for them on delivery by Fedex. |
| Fedex do all necessary customs paperwork and clearing for you. However, we do not assume responsibility for any customs duty you might incur as the goods enter your country. If there is duty to pay, Fedex will call you and advise you of the amount. Once you have cleared this with them, they will complete customs clearance and deliver to your address. They do all the work for you. There is no need to for you to be involved in any way with customs or with clearing agents. This is all included in the purchase. |
| Customers based in the USA are not required to pay customs duty on gems bought from us. East Africa is a member of AGOA (Africa Growth & Opportunity Act) brought in by President Clinton and as a result these goods are zero-rated. If you are a client in the USA, you will therefore incur NO OTHER COSTS other than the marked price of the gem and the $30 flat rate shipping fee. Simply pay, sit back and wait for the gems to be delivered to your address in 3 days time. We will send you the Fedex tracking number of your shipment as soon as it has been sent so you can track it right to your door. Meanwhile, a customer service agent will be available and in contact with you before, during and after the goods arrive to ensure you have all the information you need. |
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| Gems from East Africa are zero-rated for customs in the USA. This means there is NO CUSTOMS DUTY FOR US RESIDENTS. East Africa is a member of AGOA (Africa Growth & Opportunity Act) brought in by President Clinton and as a result these goods are zero-rated. If you are a client in the USA, you will therefore incur NO OTHER COSTS other than the marked price of the gem and the $30 flat rate shipping fee. As the goods have been bought out of state there is no sales tax either. Simply pay, sit back and wait for the gems to be delivered to your address in 3 days time. We will send you the Fedex tracking number of your shipment as soon as it has been sent so you can track it right to your door. Meanwhile, a customer service agent will be available and in contact with you before, during and after the goods arrive to ensure you have all the information you need at all stages. Shopping from the source has never been so easy! |
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