.he CHAPTER 21 CORBIN HANDBOOK AND CATALOG NO. 7, PAGE #

                        DELIVERY AND PAYMENT INFORMATION

          Corbin dies are hand-made, often to custom order.  We are the only 
     die-works  in the world willing to offer so many calibers and styles of 
     equipment.   In  fact,  the  development of the entire field of  bullet 
     swaging  in the past twenty years has primarily been due to  the  heavy 
     investment  of time and effort we have made in bringing bullet  swaging 
     back  from  the  brink  of  oblivion to  a  commonly-used  process  for 
     handloaders.   Part  of that effort has been to bring the cost  of  the 
     dies within reach, while maintaining the custom features and quality.
          And  part of the cost of the dies has often been the fact that  we 
     are absolutely buried in orders,  making it necessary to have a waiting 
     list  for  delivery on many items.   I often state "If you can't  wait, 
     don't  order!",  because it is easier not to know that I lost an  order 
     from  someone impatient than to try and explain over and over how  much 
     work I have backed up and how long it takes to get to any given job.
          Since 1985,  most of the orders have been shipped within two  days 
     of receipt.   The new plant,  which is the world's largest bullet-swage 
     die  works,  is  stocked with most of the common calibers most  of  the 
     time.   We  do get behind even on common calibers,  but not the two and 
     three  years  we  used to quote.   Today,  you have a  good  chance  of 
     delivery on standard items within two days, a slight chance that we may 
     be  out and will be making more within 30 to 45 days,  and a very  slim 
     chance that what you ordered is odd enough that it will take us several 
     months  to  schedule in the making of reamers,  laps,  and  tooling  to 
     produce your dies.
          Still,  I would rather that you are prepared to wait than that you 
     expect immediate delivery and are disappointed.  So, I cannot guarentee 
     delivery on any specified date, or within any specified period of time.  
     Making  as many custom dies as we do,  and with the limited  number  of 
     skilled  die-makers  to do it,  I cannot guess how long the next  five, 
     fifty  or five hundred orders will actually take from start to  testing 
     and completion.   Each one presents its own problems,  its own  special 
     differences in tooling and technique to be developed and tested.  
          The end result,  though, is that each set of dies will produce the 
     bullet it is designed to make.   We can develop a whole new product for 
     you to sell or use,  one that did not exist before, and you do not have 
     to  bear  the  expense of the lost time developing it.   Once  we  have 
     worked  it out,  solving problems you will never have to know  existed, 
     you  get  a  set of tooling that is subtly  modified  to  perform  your 
     particular  job correctly.   If you took your bullet idea to just about 
     any other die-works in the world and had them make tools to produce it, 
     you  would  most likely be paying time and material charges  for  every 
     hour spent chasing down the problems and trying different ideas.
          We are working as fast as we can, and there is nothing more we can 
     do.  Offers to "buy a lot more later" or threats to "go somewhere else" 
     are both beside the point and have no effect.   As I say, if you decide 
     you  want  the equipment and support that goes with it,  both of  which 
     have  a hard-earned reputation that reaches back a couple  of  decades, 
     then you should make up your mind before ordering it whether or not you 
     have the patience to wait for delivery.
           I have simply cancelled orders and handed back deposits to people 
     who become unpleasant to deal with.   Life is too short and I enjoy  my 
     other  customers  far too much to waste time with blustering fools  who 
     don't  appreciate the effort that would go into their dies,  and  don't 
     realize  how closely  a die-maker needs to work with his  clients  both 
     before and after the dies are done.   One is not motivated quite by the 
     same things in this business as, for example, in selling a conventional 
     kind  of  mass  produced  tool.   I don't mind spending  hours  with  a 
     beginner explaining  how something works,  if necessary,  but I have no 
     time  for  demanding individuals who think that money  substitutes  for 
     manners.  
          We  do  publish  a periodic list of items that are  available  for 
     immediate delivery,  called our "Immediate Delivery List".   Ask for  a 
     copy  when you write or call.   The items on this list are on the shelf 
     and can be sent to you straight away.   Quite often, we have new things 
     that are not yet on the list,  and if you have some particular  caliber 
     in  mind you might mention it when you write or call.   We can let  you 
     know,  then,  whether or not the item is available for delivery.  It is 
     harder  to let you know when it will be available...many factors affect 
     the delivery of dies, including the possibility that a nearly completed 
     run  may have to be thrown away because of tiny flaws that show  up  in 
     final testing.  If this should happen, our original estimate may be off 
     by months.
          It  is  always best to place an order as soon as you are sure  you 
     want  it  and are willing to wait for it.   The sooner  your  order  is 
     placed,  the sooner we will have enough backlog on a particular item to 
     schedule it.  We run non-stock or special items based on when the order 
     came in,  you see.  If your order for a .416 Rigby bullet swage came in 
     four  months ago,  and someone else wanted a .577 Snyder set six months 
     before,  we'd  schedule  the  earliest positive  order  first.   I  say 
     positive  order  because  the mention on the phone that  you  might  be 
     interested in something is not an order.   If we have a deposit on  it, 
     and  your written order in hand,  then it is an order and we will place 
     it  in the computer scheduling system.   It will be done as soon as  it 
     can be done.  Otherwise, it probably will be lost in the constant flood 
     of phone calls that continues morning to night.
          A  good way to assure prompt delivery on a phone order is to  give 
     alternatives where such alternatives are acceptable to you.   In  other 
     words, if you don't really care whether your .366 rifle bullet has a 4-
     S or a 6-S ogive, then let us know either is acceptable.  The first one 
     finished  goes to you.   It might be that we finished a fine set of 4-S 
     ogive dies a day after your order came in, but since you specified a 6-
     S ogive, we never even considered sending that set.  And it may well be 
     months before we can get time to make the 6-S reamers and laps.
          Likewise,  if the diameter can be 0.429 or .430,  either way,  and 
     still be acceptable to you for your battery of .44 Magnums (practically 
     speaking, it doesn't usually make much difference and there is probably 
     that much or more variation in the bores anyway), then let us know.  We 
     may  have  a dozen sets of .429 dies just like you want,  but  if  your 
     order specifies .430, then we will wait until we can make the .430 size 
     to fill it.  If a cup base or a flat base is equally acceptable, let us 
     know that.   We will give you exactly what you specify unless you  give 
     us a range of acceptable differences that might speed up delivery.
          It  doesn't  necessarily slow up delivery to specify exactly  what 
     you  want  with no alternatives.   It is just that many times  we  have 
     something close on hand.   If it really does not matter to you, then we 
     could  ship the available package and you'd be making bullets within  a 
     few days.  On the other hand, if you really do want a specific style or 
     size,  we are glad to provide it.  Just be patient until the die-makers 
     work  their  way through the mountain of orders and can get  your  work 
     done.
          I  hope that this makes sense to you,  and doesn't  offend  anyone 
     except  people neither you nor I would like to deal with in  the  first 
     place!  The alternative to being swamped with orders is to raise prices 
     so few people could afford to buy.   Then, those who could would let us 
     work a lot less for the same income.   That was the situation before we 
     came into the swaging field,  many years ago,  and that is how most die 
     makers  operate  today.   But  motives other than simply  making  money 
     brought  us to this field and inspired us to develop it.   I'm no  more 
     altruistic than the next fellow, but I do feel somewhat responsible for 
     the survival of the bullet swaging art.   You are the carriers of  that 
     torch:   all  I  can  do  is make sure the equipment  continues  to  be 
     available  at  a reasonable price,  and that new ideas continue  to  be 
     explored and written about.                     

     
                                TERMS OF PAYMENT
     
          Corbin   accepts  VISA  and  MASTER-CHARGE  orders  by  letter  or 
     telephone.   If  an  article will not be availble  for  some  time,  we 
     normally submit a bank card payment request only for those items we can 
     ship  quickly.   The  rest of the articles will not usually be "put  on 
     your card" until they are ready to ship, unless you specify otherwise.
          Corbin  accepts postal money orders,  bank money orders  drawn  on 
     U.S.  banks  in U.S.  dollar amounts,  certified checks,  International 
     Money Orders, and other instruments of immediate negotiability drawn on 
     U.S. banks for U.S. dollar amounts.  Checks from other countries, drawn 
     on correspondent U.S. banks, must be sent for collection.  This process 
     usually involves a delay,  and the local banks charge a healthy fee for 
     this service. Sometimes this doesn't leave enough actual payment to pay 
     for the equipment.
          Thus,  we  ask our friends in other countries to use one of  these 
     methods of payment:
          (1) International Money Order
          (2) Postal Money Order for U.S. Dollars
          (3) VISA or Master-Charge 
          (4) Direct funds transfer to our current account  number.   Please 
     write for the address and number.   At the time of this writing,  it is 
     Jefferson  State Bank,  Medford,  Oregon 97501,  USA,  but problems can 
     develop  if  you send funds to an account we have closed or to  a  bank 
     from  which  we have switched our account.   If you  plan  to  transfer 
     funds,  please  write first and get instructions.   When you do make  a 
     transfer,  insist  that your bank send notification to us and have  our 
     bank  notify  us as well when they receive the funds.   This is  simply 
     good business and makes sure funds are not misplaced or stolen.
          Domestic  orders paid with personal or business checks do  require 
     at least two weeks for check clearance.   We will hold any items on the 
     Immediate  Delivery List,  upon first receipt of your  funds,  so  that 
     check  clearance will not cause the last item to be sold while you  are 
     still waiting. 
          Remember  that UPS delivery usually takes about 10 days,  and that 
     the  UPS  will not even begin a trace on a package until  at  least  15 
     working  days  have  passed.   Foreign shipment usually  involves  both 
     fairly long transit time by surface (or fairly high air mail cost)  and 
     a  delay in getting through foreign customs offices.   We send a notice 
     when  packages are shipped,  to let you know they are  in  transit,  in 
     these cases.
          We do accept COD orders, but if you are not there when the package 
     comes,  it may come back to us.   If a package sent COD comes back,  we 
     send you a card to let you know,  wait about 15 days for some response, 
     and  if we hear nothing,  cancel the order and any pending orders  that 
     are COD,  and sell the equipment.    If a COD package is refused, we do 
     the same thing.  When packages are refused, or otherwise undeliverable, 
     it  costs  us  to ship and receive the same  package  back.   For  this 

     reason,  we  do  not accept additional COD orders when we have had  any 
     significant number of problems with sending them before. 
          COD orders may be paid to the UPS delivery man by certified check, 
     money order, or in cash.  If someone signs for a COD order and pays for 
     it,  then UPS has a record of where and to whom they delivered it,  and 
     if for any reason you did not receive it,  let us know. We can have UPS 
     trace the delivery, and find out who got it.    
          When a COD shipment is sent, a postcard is also mailed telling you 
     the amount and date of shipment.   I can't guarentee that the  postcard 
     will  get there before the package does,  because that is up to the  US 
     Mail.  But  it usually does.   In some rare cases,  a person might have 
     sent  funds for something,  and then received it COD.   If you want  it 
     quickly, the best solution is to go ahead and accept the COD, notify us 
     immediately  of  the error,  and let us credit your account or  send  a 
     refund check.  Otherwise, it may be weeks before the package finally is 
     routed back to us and we are able to get it re-shipped again.
          Usually,  this  latter  kind of error only happens when  a  person 
     orders by telephone,  follows up by letter,  and repeats the order,  or 
     uses  both COD and prepayment at different times on parts of  the  same 
     order.  The most trouble-free method is to send payment with the order, 
     or  to  use  a bank card.   Bank cards give you a good tax  record  and 
     simplify  the  entire payment operation,  and are only  a  little  more 
     paperwork for us, so don't feel reluctant to use them on our account!

