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Frequently asked questions
How much of the funds raised in the charity shop go to charity and how much go to administrative costs?
100% of profits from the sale of all items go to local and international ‘humanitarian and environmental organisations that make a difference on a shoestring’ such as orphanages, schools for disadvantaged children and animal rescue and rehabilitation services.
Administrative costs such as website maintenance and regulatory fees are covered by the board members.
How is the postage cost calculated?
We use a weight-based postage calculator. Postage is calculated based on the weight of the total order to attempt to only charge for the required postage and no more; and also to ensure that we don’t have to dip into what would otherwise be charity funds to cover underestimated postage.
For example:
Orders up to 50g will cost $2.50 for postage and will be sent in a large letter envelope if the item is paper-based, flexible and within the 2cm width limit set by Australia post.
Orders between 51-500grams will cost $8 for postage and will be sent in a small parcel according to the Australia Post guidelines.
Orders between 501g-3kg will cost $14 for postage providing the item(s) fit into an Australia post medium prepaid parcel.
Orders greater than 3kg or that will not fit in a medium prepaid parcel will cost $17.
You will be able to see the calculated postage after you enter your delivery address and before you pay for your order.
You may notice that we have adjusted the weights of some of the items for calculating postage. This is because we don’t want to charge you for a parcel if we can send your order in a large letter which will be much cheaper. Therefore most cards have been adjusted down to a lower weight that it’s actual weight – so that our postage calculator will know to charge for a large letter instead of a parcel. On the other hand, we have adjusted most of our Christmas decorations to weigh a little heavier so that our postage calculator knows to charge for a small parcel so that we can package the item with secure padding – padding that will not fit in a large letter.
Please note that we may post your order in more than one parcel – we will do our best to let you know if this is the case.
Do you offer express post?
We don’t have express post options just yet but if you really want something quickly, contact us before placing your order and we will do our best to work it out for you.
Do you offer a pick up option?
There isn’t a standard pick up option. If you order results in a total calculated weight greater than 3kg then contact us and we will do our best to work out a cost efficient way to get your order to you.
Do you post outside of Australia?
There isn’t a standard option to post outside of Australia, however if you live overseas and would like to make an order, please contact us and we can arrange for a postage quote based on the items you would like.
When will you post my order?
That depends on the payment method you have chosen. If you have paid via Paypal, your order will be posted within 3 business days. If you have paid via bank transfer, you order will be posted within 3 business days of the funds being cleared in the account, which sometimes takes up to 3 or more days but we will keep a close eye on the account and do our best to process the order as efficiently as possible.
What do you mean by ‘bank transfer funds cleared in account’?
We mean that as soon as we receive your order, we will keep a close eye on the Msafiri In Action bank account and when your payment amount (with your order ID in the payment reference) appears in the account deposits, we consider that the funds are cleared and we will proceed with your order.
Why do you need 3 business days to post my order?
We are a non-profit organisation and all orders are processed by volunteers out of business hours, so we might need a couple of days to get to the post office in business hours. Having said that, we will always endeavour to post your order as soon as we can and will likely take less than 3 business days.
How long will it take to receive my order once it is posted?
Australia Post estimate delivery of 5 – 7 business days for metropolitan areas but it can take less time. If your address is in a non-metropolitan area, Australia Post may take longer.
Can I check on the progress of my order?
You will receive a notification from us when we have posted your order. If you would like to track your parcel order in the Australia Post system contact us for the article ID. You can type this number into the “track your item” facility (that looks like a search bar) on the Australia Post homepage and it will tell you the progress of your parcel through the system.
My purchase is a gift for someone else, can I send it directly to them?
Absolutely, as long as the address is in Australia, just make sure that you enter their shipping address as well as your billing address.
What if an item I want is ‘out of stock’?
Contact us with the details of the item you are interested in and we will let you know if we are able to get more. Most of our items are handmade by community groups so it may not always be possible to get more of the same thing. If we are able to get more, it may take a month or more to get to you as our items are usually from developing countries with lots of postage red tape.