Folio Society Sale

The only reason I assumed Dune would get some sort of discount(when the movie comes out) is because 'His Dark Materials' got one when they were promoting the tv show. I mean it is still pretty unlikely..but I can wish.

>3 HamburgerHelper:

Something like 20% off wouldn't surprise me. At that level there's probably still a worthwhile profit, and it would boost the chance of creating new addictions from the unsuspecting wider public. So many of us could tell the tale of how we didn't realise what we were getting into until it was too late.

Books seem to be disappearing from the Sale page. On the US site, just a day or so ago there were 131 books listed. Today, 128. Interestingly, two of the books I am thinking about, The Locked Room Mysteries and Steppenwolf, are two of the missing items but can still be found via direct searching. What else disappeared? What happened to those alleged promises of more books being added?

Also, in an attempt to find out what other books were missing, I looked at the UK Sale page. What's really odd is that it only listed 29 books in the Sale. That's not a typo - only 29 books. Weird...

>5 treereader:

This has happened to me to varying degrees over the past week. It is a website glitch of sorts because it always returns to normal anywhere from a few minutes to hours later...

>5 treereader:
What happened to those alleged promises of more books being added?

Still early days. I certainly wouldn't have expected any additions yet, and not for at least 2-3 weeks yet.

>7 Willoyd:

And even then, there are never promises for more books -- they just tend to add more books often - so we all expect them.

>6 adiouri: An additional point made in the previous thread is that the back catalogue will significantly thin down during the sale, so FS may want to be a little more stingy with the new titles. That being said, 4-5 books were added so far (including 2 FS titles: 1066 and All That & Once There Was A War. I am still expecting at least the Letterpress Shakespeares and the World War 1 poets before the sale is over. They've been on sale previously, the available stock is way too high and they will not sell out any time soon if not through a sale of some sort.

The titles I wanted are not yet low stock, so I will wait until either more books are added, or one of the books I want is close to selling out.

ETA: >8 AnnieMod: Straight from the Sale Catalogue, page 1: "P.S. Additional sale titles will be available exclusively on the website, so do check in regularly for more half price books." A slow trickle of new titles might be expected, as this will keep people invested and guarantee regular visits to the site (and possibly more non-sale items added to make shipping cost worth it).

>9 Fierylunar:

Ha, missed that. :) Thanks!

>7 Willoyd:

Indeed! But we can still pretend complain, though.

>9 Fierylunar:

Wasn't there recent a discussion in a seperate thread about the first few releases being pretty sparse this year but the Winter release would/should have a noticably larger selection?

>11 treereader: I have read that here somewhere and repeated it, but was unable to find the source afterwards. Guess we'll see when we get there. I'm not expecting much for Fall 2020.

>12 Fierylunar: I have read that here somewhere and repeated it, but was unable to find the source afterwards

Over here. The source. Me. I confess. It followed a conversation I had with Customer Services, referring to the issues they were experiencing as a result of Covid and went something along the lines of "don't expect too much in the autumn but there should be a bumper catalogue for Christmas". Plenty of time to save up, then.

>13 folio_books:

Yep. "Bumper crop". That sounds familiar.

What's a December Harvest Moon look like?

I am livid with my DHL driver. 2 boxes from Folio were on the truck to be delivered on Friday. Late in the evening the status was changed to "delayed" and would be delivered Monday. I wasn't surprised because it has happened every Friday delivery...3 times in the last 2 months. I guess she likes taking an early weekend.

When they finally arrived late Monday the boxes were soaking wet. Apparently there was a rain storm on Friday and the truck has a crack in the roof. These boxes sat in water for 3 days. And the driver knew it!

1 box was completely falling apart and both were soaked through the padding around the books. I ripped off the plastic wrappers frantically inspecting each one. All 27 books were safe! Not a bit of water damage.



Edit to add: this is my 1st time posting a pic, but I guess I didn't do something right.

>15 TTHLBL: You need to use the image of the picture in an img tag, not the address for it.
Here you go:

That is absolutely disgraceful. Methinks that someone who works for DHL maybe ought not to be working for them any longer! Amazing that the books were ok :-)

27 books - I suspect someone will need a new bookcase soon :-) Happy Reading !

>16 AnnieMod: Thanks for the help.

>17 RogerBlake: Nothing like a shelf full of Folios as incentive to read faster. Some of these books were gifts to be saved for my immediate family but after the stressful box opening I announced "new books for everyone"!

My love for Folio has increased even more. Ordinary books would never have survived.

Just received my first sale order. Having paid for express delivery I was pleased that (unlike some previous sale orders) everything arrived in perfect condition and without any knocks. The highlight is for sure The Golden Bough, which is simply exquisite - Folio at the very top of their game. I've no doubt it'll become highly sought after. Was also happy to pick up the just-sold-out Farenheit 451.

>15 TTHLBL:

Shocking stuff. If there was ever a time to make a complaint, I think this might be one.

>20 adriano77: Complaint filed with DHL and Folio (while also praising their plastic wrapping). We have pics of the boxes, the inside of her truck, the crack in the roof, and documentation of it sitting in her truck for 3 days. I just don't understand why someone would allow this !?! Since there was no claim to file, nothing will probably happen and she'll be delivering our next box of Folios.

I do have to laugh thinking of all the lovely Folio box openings people video of themselves removing 1 book at a time with Vanna White hands. This one would have been a comical horror show.

DHL says my order was delivered today but it wasn’t. I’m not sure what to do now. Hopefully it shows up on Thursday (tomorrow is a holiday in Canada).

I am a bit stressed out about it since Fahrenheit 451 is in the order and will most likely be sold out by then.

Edit: I see it is already sold out. I hope my order shows up!

>22 Mooch360:

Yeah, all of those copies were burned. Sorry.

I got my haul last Thursday, all 12 books packed in a single box, no damage, as expected from a quick delivery by DHL. Didn't get much time to spend with them yet, but here are my first impressions:

The Grasmere Journal: very nice little book. Made in Germany, printed on Abbey Pure Rough paper which I like better than the ubiquitous Abbey Wove. Buckram binding, charming integrated b&w illustrations. The webpage presentation doesn't give it justice. Much nicer in reality. Downside - the silly dust jacket. Better than most dust jackets out there, but still - why, dear god, why? There was no reason not to present it in a slipcase. Still a nice little gem.

The Elegant Universe - typical of the series it belongs to. Made in Slovakia, printed on Abbey Wove. Like A Brief History of Time, bound in quarter cloth with boards wrapped in cheap-looking smooth glossy paper. Pleasant typesetting.

The Blue Flower - almost belongs to my favorite type of Folios - a smaller, lighter regular Folio with nice typesetting and large font - books that are of perfect size and weight to read anywhere (The Drowned World, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Breakfast at Tiffany's). Almost - because it's only quarter buckram and has paper boards. Made in Germany, printed on Abbey Wove.

In Praise of Folly - just a regular Folio, on the unimpressive side of the scale. Made in Spain, printed on Abbey Wove. Bound in full paper, but the paper is very utilitarian, doesn't look like the paint would get rubbed off at corners/edges. Ok typesetting, illustrations don't do anything for me.

Chinese Fairy Tales & Fantasies - I feel that it was overpriced in USD, not sure if it was in GBP. Made in Italy, printed on Abbey wove. A solid standard Folio - full buckram, nice typesetting, like the illustrations. But this is not a $72 book. Glad I got it on sale.

The House of Borgia - Hibbert's House of Medici was getting lonely on my shelf, finally completed the pair. Made in Italy, printed on Abbey Wove. Nice binding, a very solid Folio.

Period Piece - standard full-cloth Folio of a delightful memoir filled with numerous integrated line drawings by the author. Made in Germany, printed on Abbey Wove. Recently read it in the Slightly Foxed garb, enjoyed it very much, as many other SFs - I'm a subscriber, wanted to have a bigger edition for the family library. Highly recommend it, a charming childhood memoir of Gwen Raverat, Darwin's granddaughter and a notable wood engraver - a founding member of the Society of Wood Engravers along with such figures as Eric Gill and John Nash. Charming, well-written, funny, and quite informational - I find that you often learn a lot more about a historic period from memoirs than from history books etc.

The Bayeux Tapestry - my highlight of the sale, a beautiful book in best FS traditions. Made in Slovenia, printed on Schleipen Wove. Gorgeous binding, absolutely love it. The volume consists of two main parts. First, is Carola Hicks' 2006 book The Bayeux Tapestry: The Life Story of a Masterpiece. It includes a number of integrated b&w illustrations and 12 pages of color plates. The second distinct part is the Scene-by-Scene Commentary, which consists of 64 continuous pages of plates with the tapestry scenes reproduced in the top half of each page and a commentary describing the scene directly below. The commentary is by Sylvette Lemagnen, the Curator of the Bayeux Tapestry, and was published first in 2015 as The Bayeux Tapestry: A Step-by-Step Discovery. I'm really looking forward reading Hicks' book first for more background, then diving into studying the Tapestry itself.

The Locked-Room Mysteries - a set of 3 smaller, lighter books in a very nice format. Made in China (although not stated explicitly), printed on Yu Long Pure. Bound in textured sturdy paper - nice unpretentious bindings. Pleasant smaller books overall, easy to handle and read anywhere. Although all 3 books state that they are printed on Yu Long Pure paper, there is a big difference between the books. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened The Four Just Men, as the paper wasn't the usual Yu Long, which is a good thing. It was actually good Folio-worthy paper, fairly thick and textured. The other 2 books, unfortunately, are printed on the typical Yu Long Pure paper - smooth, almost glossy, ordinary, cheap stuff. Probably even smoother and glossier than Yu Long of my other Chinese Folios. Mole, you guys have to either force C&C to use decent paper, or better yet, find alternative printers closer to home. I already stopped considering Chinese reprints, and I might just stop buying all Chinese-made Folios because of that poor paper.

A Life In Letters and Diaries - I really like the spine. Unfortunately, can't say much more than that - I spent a few frustrating minutes trying to get the book out of its slipcase, and I had to give up. I have over 400 Folios, I've seen a few tight slipcases, but it's the first time I can't undress one. Question to devotees who have this book - is your slipcase super-tight? Did you have any problems getting the book out? I'm just trying to figure out if I should ask FS for a replacement, or, if the whole printing has issues with tight slipcases, if I should just take a cutter knife and free the Orwell.

Not on sale:

Rubicon - a regular full-buckram Folio, with a large portrait of Putin on the cover. Made in Russia Germany, printed on Abbey Wove.

Japanese Tales - another highlight of the haul, beautiful Fine edition. Made in Italy, printed on Abbey Wove. Beautiful textured full-cloth binding, silver page tops, ribbon marker, nice endpapers, very nice typesetting, beautiful color illustrations printed on very nice thick and textured paper (I greatly prefer color plates printed on such papers over glossy coated ones). If I have to come up with some criticism, the only thing I can think of after the initial quick inspection is that the Abbey Wove variant seems to be on the thin side. Or, perhaps, it's just standard Abbey Wove and I simply expect better paper in this otherwise upscale production. Nevertheless - beautiful book, highly recommended. If you're on a fence - pull the trigger now as it's about to sell out and won't be that easy to acquire on the secondary market in the near future, or you'll be posting to the Books you regret missing out on thread!

Hi thisGuy33, by the time I logged back on to respond to your post and tell you that I hate being stuck in Texas, the thread imploded with too many posts, so I'm here on the new thread. It's Wednesday, I'm wondering did you receive your books yet in Cali?

>15 TTHLBL: What in the world! I'm surprised your beautiful haul of 27 books arrived okay after going through a DHL war, it seemed the shrinkwrapping definitely did its job.

>24 elladan0891: Thank you for your impressions, I enjoy reading other people's ideas and opinions on their book purchases. Did you like Rubicon? I agree Chinese Fairy Tales & Fantasies should be in the $51 range, it's a lightweight standard book. I'm assuming from your description of Japanese Tales that it is much better in quality and a must buy. It's already on my wishlist.

>25 Comatoes: ... Stuck in Texas ... and here stuck in Cali ... at least we've been having some beautiful weather lately.

I have not received my books yet actually. But I have had great communication with FS CS. They said to wait a 'fortnight' ... which i'm ok with ... i have enough patience ... and enough on my shelves to keep me busy. But I did get a little concerned because on of my books in my order was fahrenheit 451 ... and I kept watching the 'available' ticker wind down quickly.

So luckily I quickly emailed CS again and voiced my concern that if I wait and my order does not show ... i will not be able to get this title reshipped.

And per usual ... FS CS is amazing. They said to still hold hope that my order will still get to me. But they also shipped another copy of Fahrenheit 451 just in case it does not ... so at least I won't lose out on it.

So here I wait.

I did put in a smaller second order ... but I decided it would be best during these times to pony up the extra cash for express shipping ... I should be getting that order monday.

I'm probably repeating myself ... I can't remember what was said on the other thread ... lol

Hope you're doing well and staying away from the bat bug ... texas and cali are neck and neck in this pandemic race ... so excited, can't wait to see who wins (joking of course). :)

Ordered yesterday:

Fahrenheit 451
Locked Room Mysteries
Julius Caesar

I'm most looking forward to the Shakespeare, perhaps strangely, but it's the one I'm most looking forward to getting into. I would have loved to buy the Maigret sets, but I'll have to wait for a set sale (fingers crossed!) or for when finances allow...

My sale haul. Ordered 6-25, arrived 6-29 to U.S. with express shipping. I’m working my way through the order and then they will be temporarily packed up while we finish our basement and, fingers crossed, my very own library room!

(Hoping the picture shows)

https://www.librarything.com/pic/7640900

I placed my order (from the east coast of US) on the evening of June 27th and selected the express shipping method. I received my shipping notice from FS on the morning of June 29th. Nearly 48hrs later and I haven't received any emails or texts from the courier, DHL, assuming they're handling the shipment. Should I be worried?

I'm curious if others have experienced similar circumstances. In the past, I received correspondence from them via email and text almost immediately after FS's shipping email.

>29 skubrick2899: I am exactly in the same situation. I posted my order on the evening of June 27th and got the confirmation on the morning of June 29th. Probably because of weekend they didn't post it on Sunday. But it was lucky for me, since I realized later that I ordered one book which I already have in my library. So I asked them to replace it before shipping the order.

I emailed Folio Society's customer service, few hours ago, and they told me I will receive the notification from DHL soon. I am still waiting for it.

Ok, so it can't just be an isolated incident.

I have a feeling that their shipment email may be correct in stating that DHL won't be in touch until the shipment reaches the US. This is much different than what has transpired in the past and doesn't leave us with much notice on when to expect delivery. But those are certainly first world problems especially in light of this atypical year.

>31 skubrick2899: I don't see anywhere mentioned in my shipment email that DHL won't be in touch before reaching my destination country which is in Europe.

>29 skubrick2899: >30 Mujaddadi: Same thing here, ordered on June 28th, Folio says it shipped on the 29th - no notification from DHL which has never happened to me before, perhaps the problem is a DHL system problem. Glad to know I’m not the only one.

>32 Mujaddadi: The email I received states, "Our carrier will send you an email with tracking information and full delivery options in the next few days, once your parcel arrives in the US."

I checked an email from last summer's sale when I placed an express order and none of that language was present. In fact, it was only a 'by-the-numbers' confirmation of shipment. However, DHL emailed me only a few hours later to confirm shipment, tracking, and an estimated delivery date.

Maybe this must be something new for US customers (?).

>33 vmb443: I guess we'll know in a few days. I would expect to hear something by either today or tomorrow. Otherwise, something must be wrong especially since other US residents confirmed receiving their shipments after only a few days.

>34 skubrick2899: Strange! My guess is DHL is overloaded. Folio Society's representative replied to my email with the screenshot of their DHL customer page, which shows the airway bill number of my order but there was no delivery date mentioned.

>36 Mujaddadi: At least you know it was shipped then, which is reassuring. As you say, it must be an overload. Good things come to those who wait.

I am in the US, used express delivery, and placed my order on June 22nd. I received a FS shipping notice June 23rd, the first of several DHL updates on June 24th with an estimated delivery date of June 29th. It was actually delivered on Sunday, a day ahead of schedule.

I placed two 'last chance to buy' orders without express delivery several weeks prior to the sale. I am still waiting on one. I do think mail is generally taking longer to arrive these days, so I"m not overly concerned, but if I had it to do again I would have paid the extra $20 for express.

I placed my order express shipped to west coast US on Jun 22. I hadn't noticed, but I also didn't receive the typical email from DHL. I received a text from DHL on the 24th estimating delivery for the 29th. The order arrived a day early on Sunday the 28th.

Could not resist. Placed a third summer sale order. More items out of stock, but clicked on 3 items: Steppenwolf, Cleopatra, and An Omelette and a Glass of Wine.
Extra $21. for expedited shipping will not put me in the poorhouse.....

>24 elladan0891: the copy of A Life in Letters and Diaries I received does have a tight slipcase, but not like you're describing. I can remove the book without too much trouble.

>38 wdripp: >39 zachp:

Thanks for sharing your latest experience. It would appear it's taking slightly longer than usual so I'm not overly concerned. Although, it may take more time than I'm accustomed to. Again, first world problems.

>41 zachp: I can remove the book without too much trouble.

Pretty much same here. Holding the slipcase upside down, the book slides out quite easily onto my bed.

>28 spacmann:, Is it simply creative irony that in your photo of your new books that the "World Turned Upside Down" is, in fact, turned upside down? :)

I placed my earliest orders in April, and I've yet to receive any of them. Since then I've ordered in May and June.

My country is opening borders in September, and I may have to wait until then to get my books. It doesn't help that our national airline crashed financially. :|

If for some reasons my orders are lost, it'll be a nightmare.

Browsing the sale it's striking how quickly things have been selling out. Surely it can't be long before some new items are added. I can't decide whether to buy now or wait in hope of some new items to economise on postage.

Edit: I take it back. It seems like the website was on the blink and wasn't showing me everything. There's more left than I thought so might be another week+ before more is added.

To everyone having problems with DHL, I'm in the same boat again as well. My order was last Monday, and package has been scheduled for delivery "today" for three days in a row. They don't even have the package anymore. I don't know who has it, and I can't track it anymore. DHL is super fast, until it reached the Dallas sorting facility, and things go FUBAR from there. I made a joke to a friend that if was supposed to show up Monday, I'd probably get it Thursday. I didn't think I'd actually be right.

EDIT: Of course the second I mention it on the board my box shows up. I'm honestly surprised my books aren't damaged though. The box was collapsing under the weight of the books, and bottom had almost no tape and the contents almost fell out from the bottom, I had to flip it over to carry it inside.

My first shipment arrived on Monday in California, a week past the order date, using express shipping. I placed a second order when I realized I had forgotten a couple of full priced books I had intended to add. I might do one more at the end of the month if I’m intrigued by any of the late additions to the sale.

I had a similar situation. Ordered on the 24th, Folio confirmed shipment on the 25th. However, my DHL notification arrived until Monday with an ETA to Costa Rica on the 6th. I hope they deliver it on Friday.

I imagine DHL has a capacity constraint and is taking a while to pick up some shipments.

For Australians on the forum, how long should we expect to wait for express postage?

Jobasha I placed on order on the 22nd which shipped the next day, travelled from Heathrow to Cincinnati to Los Angeles and was safely delivered to Melbourne on the 29th, so pretty much a week, door to door. I'd have used a cheaper shipping option if one were available, but $100 for 11kg doesn't seem terrible.

>51 IainFyfe:
Thanks! I know that $100 isn't that bad for postage, but when it is usually around $40, it still hurts.

Edit: Also how do you track folio packages? I can't seem to find any link.

>52 Jobasha:
The day after the order shipped, I got a txt message from DHL with the waybill number. That message had a link for tracking, subscribing to updates, changing delivery details etc. But there's no reference to the waybill number in the shipping emails from Folio Society, nor on the order history on the FS website, so it looks like this relies on you using a mobile number as your contact number when placing the order.

>47 DubiouslyDarling:

Nothing unusual for heavy orders from Folio... boxes get overloaded if they can fit the books (so I try not to order heavy books together. They will split and somewhat balance the load if they need to use two boxes but if they can cram them into one, they will.

>53 IainFyfe:
Thanks for the info! Maybe I'll contact folio support to get mine.

I refused to give up on DHL tracking because that was one of the main reason I paid for the express shipping, so I sent them another email this morning. I informed them that there are others who are facing the same issue, and since they are DHL customer, they should ask them about it. I haven't got any reply yet.

I'm not sure the issue is with DHL.

I emailed FS last night and received a response stating "...due to high volume of orders our warehouse are working at reduced capacity due to the coronavirus." And my waybill # was provided. There's been zero movement on the package. Only shipment information sent to DHL so that's the reason they haven't contacted me. They don't have the package yet. This despite FS telling me on Monday that it was despatched.

>57 skubrick2899: If am assuming when we get a waybill from courier, it means that they have received the shipment. Isn't it?

>58 Mujaddadi: Yeah, but the waybill was from FS. How would they have that information on hand to send to me? They probably create the tracking numbers as one can do here in the states when shipping something through UPS, FedEx, or USPS (the US mail system). My tracking only states "shipment information received". So, DHL received the details in their system but until there's a scan for the package I doubt they have it. And this is why I haven't haven't received an estimated delivery from them. They can't possibly know that without having the package and then scheduling its movement. The same thing happens with those couriers listed above when packages are shipped. Until the courier scans the package and states that in the tracking, they don't have it.

>59 skubrick2899: Right! In my case they sent me the screenshot of their DHL customer page containing the airway bill, after searching my orders by name. I am not sure why Folio Society sent me email that the orders has shipped when they haven't. Also if DHL have received the information about it then why the haven't picked them yet? That's what one of their representative replied me yesterday

"I do apologise for the delay of your tracking details, unfortunately we have had a high volume of orders at our warehouse and we are working at reduced capacity due to the coronavirus. You need to go to DHL website and enter the tracking number, DHL will be emailing you shortly."

I guess the only thing we can do now is to wait.

Edit: Just got their reply that they will chase up the orders. Whatever that mean.

>60 Mujaddadi:

FS' "your order has shipped" emails are typically premature by one business day.

In the case of my latest order by a couple. Ordered this past Thursday, received the shipped email a few hours later. Never received DHL information, emailed CS, received it, and apparently DHL only actually picked it up on Tuesday afternoon. Hardly "express" in my mind. It's not due to arrive here until next Monday, if that. So, 11 days. Not worth the price they're charging at all.

>60 Mujaddadi:

What adriano77 is saying rings true. As with other businesses, the shipped email only means they printed a label. If FS's warehouse staff has been reduced then it makes sense that they didn't pack anything or it's still in the process of happening, which is why DHL only has shipment information and not the package. I'm sure that's what happened with me and others.

Express? Not so much if my order is still waiting to be packed 3 days after the shipping email. First world problems, I know. My books will arrive eventually but their language on the site isn't helping either: "We recommend that you use our express delivery service which is running as normal." There's nothing normal about this.

>62 skubrick2899: "There's nothing normal about this." Agreed! It seems really weird to me that FS says on their website Express is normal, when DHL has a bunch of disclaimers saying that they are having issues on their end. It is still faster than standard, but when DHL has to start handing things off to 3rd party because of capacity problems and you can't track it, its an issue for me. I understand we are facing a global crisis, I only wish that that was reflected when expectations are being set by a seller.

>62 skubrick2899:

Printed a label...and possibly/probably the package is actually in possession by the shipping service but not yet warehoused and sorted. The truck may have picked it up from Folio's warehouse but it's still en route to be processed at the company's warehouse.

>64 treereader:

That's possible. Maybe things run differently with DHL. But that would also mean it;s been sitting on a truck for days without arriving at a DHL hub. Usually, the courier will scan the package when it's picked up. Since there's no scan for that and FS says their warehouse is understaffed and they have a high volume of orders, it seems likely they haven't packed it yet. Their system simply generated a shipping label.

>26 thisGuy33:

That was a great idea that you contacted them before Fahrenheit 451 sold out.

So you have about 1 week and a few days before fortnight expires, so hopefully you should be seeing some books piling up on your porch I would think any day now. But from the recent posts either Folio Society underestimated orders with no crew to pack or DHL is straggling behind.

Stay safe while enjoying Cali weather. Not too surprised that Texas has an increase in cases, no conscientious planning at all. But what do I know :)

>65 skubrick2899:

Yep! None of the services promise environmental care - just transport. I think, in most circumstances, that the initial shipping notification just indicates an acknowledgement of receipt or a change of hands. The one exception I can think of is, in the case of an entity like the USPS, a person or company can have the ability to print their own labels, paid for and everything via some software and an account with the USPS. In that kind of scenario, one could issue a shipping confirmation before the shipping agency has possession of the package. I've only started to trust the predicted timeline and movement of the package when I see phrases like "arrived at" in the tracking history.

>64 treereader: If that was the case, the package would have been scanned when loaded on the truck, which would be visible in tracking history. From what it sounds like, the label was generated, but the package wasn't passed to DHL yet.

>59 skubrick2899: what do you see in tracking history? The first line would be something like "Tracking information received. Shipment not yet picked up by DHL". When the package is actually picked up, you would see up to two additional lines (one when the package was loaded, the other when the truck left the warehouse).

>68 elladan0891:

From the DHL tracking:

(1) (Shipment information received) (DOCKLANDS - UK) (06:24)

It's the sole update from my tracking as I type this and it was dated June 30th. I received shipping confirmation from FS on June 29th at 13:12GMT (08:12EST for me).

For anyone who is interested in DHL's current routes and timing (for my package anyway):

Waybill created: June 26, 2:01 pm (Friday)
DHL pickup: June 30 (processing time shows as 2:07 pm) (Tuesday)
Mail and text sent by DHL to me with a projected delivery date of July 6: June 30, 7:18 am (AZ time so 3:18 pm London time)
Received at LHR: June 30, 10:55 pm
Left LHR : July 1, 12:16 am
Transferred in Ontario, Canada: July 1, 5:15 pm
Left Ontario: July 1, 10:07 pm
Received in Cincinnati, Ohio: July 2, 12:44 am
Left Ohio: July 2, 6:50 am
Received in Phoenix, Arizona: July 2, 8:51 am
On a truck: 10:15 am
Mail and text sent to me that now the projected delivery date is today: 10:26 am
Delivered: 12:41 pm

So, is there no one here who ordered after 29th and got confirmation from DHL for it?

>71 Mujaddadi:

Considering that they were shipping Friday afternoon orders on Tue afternoon, I suspect that orders from this week won't be out for a few more days.

>71 Mujaddadi: I ordered yesterday and received the shipping notice from DHL today. It was processed in the Docklands sorting center at 14:08, left that sorting center at 18:29 and has been processed at Heathrow 2 hours ago. This was an LE, so the shipping might be different for that.

We're eleven days into the summer sale. 133 titles have been available during the current sale so far:

- 98 Folio Society titles
- 6 Shakespeare rebinds
- 29 titles from other publishers

So far, 17 books from Folio Society (17.3%) and 3 titles from other publishers (10.3%) have sold out. Additionally, 20 FS titles are low stock (20.4%). There's a month to go yet, it will be interesting to see if and when additional titles are added. So far, we've seen 2 new FS titles pop up.

>24 elladan0891:

Exactly the same problem with my copy of the Orwell. When I finally managed to remove the book I discovered that it’s not a width problem, but a height problem. The slip case is fractionally too short – the top panel has slipped down ever so slightly between the two side panels. Even though this is very sturdy slip case, it’s too risky to attempt to force it back upwards for fear of splitting it.

My package was on the same plane as yours until they parted ways in Cincinnati, and I also received my package today but in San Diego.

>73 Fierylunar:
US sale has 131; what are the other two you guys have? I think Anne Frank due to copyright is one of them, correct?

>76 sdg_e: Anne Frank is the only FS edition missing from the US sale. The other non-FS book is Feasts. Also, I notice The World Heritage (also not FS) has US and UK editions with different covers.

>77 wdripp: Thank you!

>66 Comatoes: Yeah … as sad as I was to have missed out on a clean copy of Ulysses … at least I learned from that prior experience.

I do have about a week now … next Thursday will be that ‘fortnight’ … fingers are still crossed.

As for the ‘Texas (and cali) increase cases’ … I have so much opinion on this … but I try to keep that out of these forums … it never leads to anything good. Us west coasters think a little differently then some other states. lol

For anyone interested in more experiences ...

I'm in California USA

I'm still waiting on my first shipment (it's been over 5 weeks) ... this was an order of 5 - 8 books (I can't remember exactly). This of course was standard shipping (I figured I wasn't in a rush so I'd save a few pennies).

My second order of 3 books was placed on the late night of 6/24 ... so basically 6/25 ... last Thursday (this time express shipping ... because i'm now nervous and anxious about these shipments) ...

... received an email from DHL on Monday 6/29 saying my shipment would be here the following Monday 7/6 (that would be the long end of express shippings estimated 3 - 7 'business' days).

I woke to a nice surprise email early this morning letting me know my books would deliver today. Yay!!! Happy surprise!

So earlier today they did indeed arrive safe and sound ... the box looks to be in perfect shape. I have yet to open the box and inspect (these days I leave packages on my back porch for a few days to let 'marinate' all the potential covid particles (don't judge me) ... they are better tasting after a few days marination ... is that even a word? What kind of bookie am i !!!)

:)

Anyway ... hope everyone else gets their deliveries with as little complications as possible ... these are weird times ... we do our best!

In the frenzy of that first sale day, when I couldn't get the page to load or accept orders, I somehow managed to click on two copies of Fahrenheit 451 (did exactly the same in the last sale with Heart of Darkness, but noticed in time).

Anyway, I'm too lazy to hoard and profiteer on Ebay, so anyone in the UK who missed out can have it (still in its clingfilm of course) for sale price plus whichever type of postage you prefer.

Thanks - a kind FSD-er has come to my rescue. CLOSED

So just to clarify the confusion regrading the "your order has shipped email", I asked Folio Society representative about it. That's what they replied

"I can confirm that your order is shipped email confirms when the order has been processed and the delivery agent paperwork has been processed for collection."

Then I asked, is that means it's now up to to the courier company to collect it. Which they replied

"Yes collections are made every day."

I got my order and despatch confirmation on the 23rd. Today the books arrived in Germany (from Spain in a blue bag). That's quite fast as I didn't pay for express shipping. Pre coronavirus shipping took a lot longer when arriving from the UK.

Sorry to hear about the delivery issues. Guess it paid to order early, as I put my order in a 2:00 pm on Tuesday June 23 and the books were delivered to me in New York at 4:00 pm on June 25th. I was pleasantly surprised and that helped soften the financial blow.

For those who thought the initial sales offer was light and are looking for the second round of books, a few thoughts. First, recent sales did, in fact, include significantly more books when the sale went live. This sale had 95 Folio books when it went live. January had, 124, 42 of them "on line exclusives." On top of that, FS added 19 "first time" sale titles in the middle of that sale (they were added on January 20th). Of course, as always with Folio, past performance is no guarantee of future performance. So it's anybody's guess what will happen.

I’m not sure if others have gotten further with the DHL situation. I contacted Folio and they sent me the Waybill number, if you have that, you can send an email to track@dhl.com with simply the Waybill number in the email and there will be a reply with the status. Unfortunately, I just did that and it said shipping information was received on June 30th and that’s it. No movement since then.

>85 vmb443: Thank you. I was thinking to email the DHL with the WayBill number. I tried to find any online way to track it but couldn't find any. I will email them now.

Edit: I just found out, I can track with the WayBill number too on DHL website. I might be adding the wrong WayBill number earlier because the picture is a bit blurry. Mine also just says "Shipment information received".

Received my order earlier than expected.

Have some questions that owners of Dune and East of Eden can hopefully answer though...

Dune - on the FS website, the cover art is very clear and one can readily make out all the features of the character's face. However, my copy in hand seems to have much less contrast, and the lower portion of the face is actually difficult to properly discern (mouth, chin, so forth). It's almost as if the whole design was printed too lightly. Is this normal? Does everyone else's copy match what's shown on the site?

East of Eden - the cloth binding on this, particularly the rear, is practically furry. So many wispy threads sticking straight up. There's no way this can be common, right? It's as if the material was rubbed with sand paper or some such resulting in tons of loose strands.

A bit unhappy as these two books were the most expensive of my order.

>87 adriano77: Only got Dune to compare. I just checked and shot two photographs (quickly taken at night in poor lighting condition). One in a somewhat similar angle as the FS cover photo and the other facing the cover. I see your point, it’s not as clear and defined as on the website. Doesn’t seem to be a problem with your specific book, probably enhanced the photo for a better visual. I still love this cover on so many levels!

>88 NLNils:
Compare it to this https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a2y2dejStt4

I think it is normal, not sure.

Does anyone own "Wizard of Earthsea" by chance? Just wondering if the presentation of it is worth the cost. I forgot to include it in my last order and thinking of snagging a copy. Or is it one that ends up in the sales often?

>90 Roberto23: Have you read the https://www.librarything.com/topic/26706 thread?
I have the FS Wizard of Earthsea, and am glad that I purchased it, but as I note in the earlier thread, I was disappointed by David Lupton’s illustration style (which works better for The Left Hand of Darkness) and very disappointed that they will almost certainly won’t publish others in the series.

Very happy I placed my order early in the sale.
I ordered 10 books from which 5 have already sold out! That was quick

Got this email from Folio Society. It seems they are finally starting to realize that there is some issue.

“Just to let you know something strange is going on with DHL. We have a few shipments that don't seem to have updated tracking information.

We are investigating and will let you know when we have more information, I do apologise for the delay but I am hopefully we can get DHL to update us.

Thank you for your patience and support for the Society.”

>93 Mujaddadi: I received the same message earlier today. At least FS are acknowledging there's an issue and trying to resolve it accordingly.

My shipment finally updated yesterday after 3 days of nothing but "tracking information received." Although, for the last 24 hrs it hasn't done anything else but FS will make it right if it doesn't arrive on time. I'm not worried.

>94 skubrick2899: That's good news. What do you see now? If the issue is only with tracking information, then I will probably receive my package next week Monday or Tuesday.

Received From Fleece Press today in Canada in perfect condition their latest LE mailed Monday in Yorkshire, Royal Mail -- Canada Post. No tracking, no problem.

>88 NLNils:

Thanks for checking (and the photos)!

Your Dune is actually rather more defined than my own.

I really don't even know if this qualifies as a 'defect' or not but it almost feels like false advertisement to me. At least with the copy that I've got. Was seriously disappointed when I took it out of the slipcase. It's not what I was expecting at all.

>95 Mujaddadi: Thanks. I received an update that it arrived in NY for customs. So, it should arrive no later than its scheduled delivery, which is Tuesday. Looks like we're both in the same boat.

>95 Mujaddadi: >98 skubrick2899: You’re giving me some hope - mine still says it’s been sitting there since June 30th. I am hoping the tracking isn’t working rather than the package being lost. This is getting frustrating.

Can you post pictures of yours so we can compare Adriano77? It seems strange it would be so off.

>99 vmb443: I would suggest contacting FS again. Since your order will clearly be later than expected they may be able to compensate you for the trouble. Their customer service has always been top notch for me so I wouldn't expect anything less.

>97 adriano77: The only thing I can add to the photos already posted is the colophon information:

I have the 3rd printing of 2015 printed by Memminger MedienCentrum AG, Germany and bound at Lachenmaier, Reutlingen, Germany.

Pictures of your edition would indeed help in establishing the perceived differences better.

I just received notification from DHL, after 10 days, that one of my package will be delivered on 10th of this month. For other I am still waiting. Both were ordered at the same time.

Just received my order, the books look amazing, I'm having a hard time deciding which one I prefer between "Dune", "American Gods" and "So long and thank you for all the fish".

I was surprised to see they were shipped from Spain (I'm in france).

I have also received my order. Delivered on the estimated day of the waybill, but they would have probably advanced delivery if Folio hadn't written my address incorrectly, so I had to fix it directly with DHL. It shows that they were in a rush at the warehouse with seriously constrained resources.

>101 skubrick2899: I was going to do just that but then the DHL notification finally popped up saying it will come Thursday...not sure if the problem was with DHL or Folio, but I’m glad to see it moving again. I was less concerned about the length of time and more concerned about replacing at least one book which is now Out of Stock. This is the first time I ever have experienced Folio shipping issues. Though, speaking of mailings, I finally received my catalog with the new summer books today :)

>106 vmb443: True. If that happened to me I wouldn't have contacted them. Though, I contacted them a second time prior to my shipment making any moves. At least yours in on the way now.

I just received my order and the first book I checked was Anansi Boys. I know this not everyone's cup of tea but it certainly suits me. As most will admit, in person Folio's books come to life. Anansi Boys is no exception. There are so many small elements to absorb: the slipcase with spot varnishing and rough textures, the larger than life cover design, black gilded edges with the green cobwebs, chapter headings that act like a picture book, etc. I'm very happy I decided to tag this one onto my order.

When you guys “contact” FS, do you email or call? I emailed them last Friday and they haven’t replied yet, not sure how long they usually take.

>108 Mooch360: I have always emailed. Generally they get back very quickly.

>108 Mooch360: I find my emails are either responded to prompty (usually within one business day) or not at all.

If by last Friday, you mean three days ago with the weekend in between, it's probably worth giving it a couple of more days but if you mean more than a week ago, I'd advise sending a 2nd email.

I prefer to correspond by email, but recently when I've tried to reach them by phone regarding problems with ordering I just get a busy signal. I am in the US, so there's a smaller window when they are open and I'm awake and not working, but even in that window I invariably get a busy signal. I was advised via email that they are working from home and understaffed for phone calls at present.

Hi everyone. New member here. :) I'm looking to purchase my first Folio book. The Summer Sale prices are extremely attractive, but I'm balking at the shipping prices. Are they usually this high when shipping to the USA? Also, I was wondering how long I might expect the summer sale to last? I couldn't find any indication on the FS website. Thanks!

-indy

>25 Comatoes: Did you like Rubicon?

It's just a regular full-buckram Folio. I do find likeness to Putin amusing, otherwise I don't care for the cover; not a fan of the spine. I did feel the same before ordering, I just wanted to read the book. Inside it's a regular Folio too. Nothing special.

I'm assuming from your description of Japanese Tales that it is much better in quality

Yes, it's a decidedly more upscale production than Chinese Fairy Tales. Larger, better cloth, nice paper for illustrations, other details (silver tops, ribbon marker, attention to detail in design, etc.), much more impressive overall; a Fine edition. If you're interested, I definitely recommend getting it, it won't last long.

>41 zachp: >43 folio_books:
Thank you, I asked FS for a replacement.

>74 bookfair_e: Interesting. I just took another look at my copy, and it appears that my slipcase is too tight at the upper corners - the top panel itself is high enough, but the corners are not at 90 degrees and they hold the book with a death grip. Hopefully my replacement copy will be like >41 zachp:'s and >43 folio_books:'s.

>69 skubrick2899:
>106 vmb443: not sure if the problem was with DHL or Folio

Now that things are moving, you can check tracking and see when DHL actually picked up your order from the warehouse. I'm in the warehousing business, and I'd say it's more likely the delay was because of the distribution center rather than DHL.

>111 indianabones:
Welcome to FSD and a never ending desire for more Folio Society books.
Standard shipping to the USA from UK is expensive because books are heavy, but during the Covid crisis, standard shipping is very slow. Express shipping is faster, but still slower than normal, as many have commented. It is not just the FS, but all booksellers, who are faced with high costs for shipping across the Atlantic. International postage costs have increased way faster than inflation in the last few years.
The sale ends on 6 August, but many titles have already sold out, and more will do so in the next month.

The US has recently left some International Agreement on post prices (sorry I do not know the details) and the cost of posting items to the US has gone up sharply - possibly by around 33%.

>111 indianabones:

I don't find the shipping prices to the US that high especially when considering wcarter's explanation above. It's expensive to ship internationally even without factoring our current climate. During the 2019 summer sale I placed an order with express shipping and it cost $46 for 8 books. Now it's $51. Though, since I started buying FS books (2016) the price has gone up twice. I think it was under $20 for 2+ books for standard shipping when I started. Although, I may be mistaken.

In any case, it's capped so you can make it more manageable by ordering additional books, which is what I do now. And because of the orders I place I now prefer express. Fewer opportunities for someone to damage it by swinging it like a pendulum and releasing it mid-air (standard shipments are usually mailed in a large bag). Express shipments also show up a month earlier than a standard shipment and they can be tracked.

I've only placed two orders in the past year and I include the full priced books I want as well. If they remove the cap then I would have to reconsider purchasing altogether. But while there is a cap it can lessen the blow.

>117 skubrick2899: When I joined around 2010, you paid shipping per book (4GBP ROW if memory serves) and an initial 9 GBP for the first book. Sort of a pay-per-use system. That felt more fair and incentivized me to order almost every time a sale/new collection came out.

The current system encourages one-time large volume purchases. Since the change to fixed price for 2+ books, I order twice a year max, once during each sale.

>118 Fierylunar:

Same here. I used to order more often but I've accumulated most of the titles I want anyway so it's easy to hold off until the sales. I understand that's not the case for newcomers. But I would encourage bulk orders if possible.

In hindsight, maybe I was spoiled by the lower shipping cost. A $20 international shipping charge for an order with 2, 5, 10, 20, etc. books was a steal. But I'm not so sure I'd go for standard shipping now. And even though I don't think the cost is extravagant, at $51 for express I won't be making multiple purchases a year. But for the one order I placed now I'm quite happy. Books in hand and I'm glad I added them to my collection. Now... I have to wait another year!

The prices for shipping even within the UK are strange to me anyway. I ordered stuff for over £300. In my country anything at that price has free shipping automatically. In fact, a lot of stores don't require shipping fees for anything above £35 or so. I guess 300 quid is just not much money in the UK or the Royal Mail doesn't offer advantegeous rates to businesses using the service for bulk shipments. Or I'm massively spoilt by perks I thought were universal everywhere.

Seeing the shipping prices mentioned here, I'm definitely glad FS isn't an American company.

Disappointing update on the prospect of further titles being added to the sale.

I asked FS, on Twitter, when we could expect further online exclusives to be added to the sale (given the catalogue alludes to further titles being added intermittently). They replied to say they don’t currently have plans to add any more to the sale.

>121 Condor9001: Disappointing update on the prospect of further titles being added to the sale.

More than one third of their entire catalog has been put on sale with a 50% discount. And still want more?

>121 Condor9001: Whether they would add titles or not, they will most likely never confirm that they are. It instantly stops sales until the new titles are available. Additionally, the Folio Society back catalogue is looking increasingly thin. The fear of few titles remaining could prevent more being added.

>121 Condor9001: They replied to say they don’t currently have plans to add any more to the sale.

Hmm, that's got to be wrong, after they specifically said more titles would be added. I'll email CS.

I think, considering the price of FS books, it is easy to get greedy and wish for more titles to be added, but quite frankly, I think they had a nice sale and things just sold out quicker, perhaps, than they expected. I want FS to stay afloat, and cannot expect titles that have come out recently to be in big sales. Not yet. I also have a feeling there isn't going to be a lot of offerings in the near future due to Covid19. The whole world is messed up...don't expect too much out of any company. Things are just barely starting to open up and certainly not to the norm or capacity that they previously were. That could take years. I would rather see a few super excellent titles in the fall and at Christmas than have nothing left at all, and if the pickings are slim, many of us may end up looking at what is left from previous years and snag a few other titles along the way. Just my thoughts...

>124 folio_books: Technically they already did add a couple ('Once There Was a War' and '1066 and All That', and 4 non-Folio titles) to the sale.

https://www.foliosociety.com/sale/online-exclusives

>124 folio_books: Good luck with that. I have been trying to solve an issues with my shipment and after repetitive email, the issue is partially solve. It seems they are either not properly reading email or not following up on it or just not replying. Could be the work load.

>122 joco30:

It is disappointing in the context that they previously indicated there would be additions throughout the sale period.

You may, without any difficulty, be able to afford many of the full price items. That is not the case for everybody.

Thank you for your response. I've never purchased anything internationally before, so I was somewhat surprised by the (relatively) high shipping cost. Oh well. I'm probably going to get Strangers on a Train anyways. I loved the movie and really enjoy the style of artwork inside & on the cover. The Velveteen Rabbit will likely be my next purchase (whenever I can afford it)!

Thanks again for answering a newbie's questions. :)

Hmmmm... the reduced prices for sale items seem to have disappeared from the website. I was tempted to do a second dip before a couple of items sell out; maybe the FS is telling me I've spent too much (again) already...!

Seems like this has happened to me too :/

I confirm that all prices in the "Sale" section are now full price.
Either the sale has ended unexpectedly early or (more likely) there is yet another glitch in the ongoing sorry saga of the FS website.

Seems to be fixed now

If they won't add any more books, I may be done with the sales.
I was planning on making a second order at the end of the month. I'd then add the new additions along with the other books that didn't make it to my cart for my first sale order.

As things stand, I'm pretty satisfied. I managed to take 5 books off my wishlist and at reduced prices. I do admit though that I was more excited for the New Year Sales (Atonement, We, Martian Chronicles and Steppenwolf at 50% off was amazing)

>121 Condor9001: They replied to say they don’t currently have plans to add any more to the sale.

So I emailed The Man at CS, and this is what he said: "There should be some books added to the Sale, but probably not many (we don't really have that many books left) and I'm not quite sure what or when at the moment". Take what you like from that message. I'm sure there will be many interpretations. I'm happy enough with "There should be some books added to the Sale" which would fulfil the promise in the sale catalogue.

Hey folks,

Does anyone know when the sale will end?

Cheers,
Alex.

6th August.

>136 AHub:

>115 wcarter: The sale ends on 6 August,

Thank you!

Consider me shocked. My standard delivery order, placed on June 22, was delivered today in the U.S.

All of the books arrived in excellent condition and from a quick examination meet expectations with one exception - The Golden Bough exceeds expectations. I have plenty of enjoyable reading ahead of me!

edited for spelling

Books ordered Friday 26 June, arrived Brisbane, Australia today after 13 days with express delivery.
Intercontinental shipping these days is slllloooooooow............

>140 coynedj:

I was excited to check my mail today when I saw you posted that yesterday since we live in the same town as I placed my order the day after yours on June 23, and lo-and-behold my standard delivery arrived today :). I also ended up placing a second order on Monday (July 6), but this time with express shipping, which also arrived today. It's been quite the good book day!

>142 sdg_e: & >140 coynedj: I live in southeastern PA so I am hoping to see my package soon. I placed my order the 22nd and it was shipped the next day. Enjoy your new additions.

>127 Mujaddadi: How many times did you follow up with them? I'm also trying to get in touch and am not getting any reply from them. Strange to be an online seller and not respond to emails.

>144 bookish_elf:
Since my orders from April and onward won't come to me until mid-September (borders not opened in my country until then), I asked where my books were being stored out of fear they might be somewhere where they're being slammed here and there.

I got a rushed reply which I could make little sense of and which is a far cry from any usual correspondence coming my way from the Folio Society. Essentially, it only told me that traffic will be delayed and the books will be sent to my local delivery agent. As if I didn't know all that...

I realise I'm in the UK so perhaps irrelevant to these shipping discussions. But I have to say just when Folio couldn't impress me more, they do!
Placed an order at 6pm on Wednesday, order is dispatched at 9pm, order arrives at 8am Friday. All with standard shipping.

bookish_elf They replied to someone on twitter saying that there is a high volume of emails at the moment bbt if you have social media, you can also contact them there with any queries. I had some issues with checkout and they were their usual wonderfully helpful selves and sorted it all out over twitter DMs.

>144 bookish_elf: I have sent about 20 emails in last 4 weeks, for several different reasons, and I got reply 10 times, which is not bad considering their situation. Even when they reply, sometimes it feels like they didn't read the email properly. I still blame it on overwork and shortage of manpower.

Anyway, I received my shipment today after 14 days. As I replaced one of the book in my order, they sent me two Waybill numbers but combined both orders while dispatching. Hence, DHL was only updating the tracking information of one of the shipment.

As stock counts for The Exorcist and Strangers on a Train got into the final stretch and both will sell out within a few days, I had to go for seconds. Also threw in Steppenwolf, which, I suspect, won't make it past this sale either.

Since Steppenwolf was released, I was contemplating whether I want the FS or the LEC edition, until Ubiquitous' youtube review pushed me over the edge and into Folio's arms. The FS treatment somehow seems more apropos for the work, with its simpler execution and great design. Endpapers look amazing, and I commend Folio for producing the pamphlet as a distinct feature, with its decidedly cheaper look. Seems like Folio design at its best.

Also received my replacement Orwell yesterday, shipped Express. Slipcase still pretty tight, but not nearly as tight as the first copy - gravity and a little nudge was all I needed to get it out. Still concerned a little about rubbing edges over time.

>145 Kainzow: Since my orders from April and onward won't come to me until mid-September (borders not opened in my country until then), I asked where my books were being stored

This shouldn't have been the question for Folio, though.
First, what is Mauritius' current policy with regards to cargo shipments and international mail? Most countries implemented various border-tightening measures, but usually borders are not really closed 100%. Even if borders are closed to travelers, the flow of goods is usually allowed. It looks like couriers like DHL, which have their own fleets, actually seem to ship there, just with a delay (DHL lists +10 days for Mauritius). Quick googling shows that, for example:
"Air Mauritius wishes to inform the public that all its international commercial passenger flights will remain suspended until 31 August 2020. We will, however, continue the operation of repatriation flights and maintain our scheduled commercial cargo operations."
So at least some cargo is trickling in. Does it include mail? How is Mauritius really handling this?
And you can also approach it from the other angle - contact Royal Mail customer services and ask how packages to Mauritius are being processed. Are they sent onward? Are they returned to sender?

So unless your packages were returned to Folio, they are somewhere en route, and Folio would have absolutely no knowledge or control over where the packages are and how they are stored.

Going forward though, it seems like the best bet might be Express shipping - if you order multiple books, 45 quid is actually a pretty good price for courier delivery of several heavy books across the world (try sending a simple envelope with documents to the UK via DHL or FedEx, and it will likely cost more), and you will have visibility through DHL tracking.

Best of luck, and hope the books eventually show up in pristine condition!

>148 elladan0891: Delighted to have participated in a modicum of enablement!

I did express shipping on May 3rd. My country's border is open. I made two more orders in Jun and July through express and got them both while I did not get the May 3rd one. Also I'm trying to contact them regarding some books which has some production issues. And have not yet replied. Its been 10 days. This does not reflect good as it looks as if they want to ignore it. Ask them about shipping, how to order and you get a prompt reply. This is poor behavior from FS.

>149 elladan0891:
Yes, I understand your point, but I forgot to say that in a previous email they told me my orders were stuck in the 'system' . I was like what system? But they didn't reply back.

So after 6 weeks, I asked them again. That's when they gave me a very rushed response, which is quite unusual from them

And anyway, even before ordering, I already made up my mind that most likely I would receive the books after September. I wouldn't have ordered anything, had the books I wanted not gone on sale or threatened to go out of stock.

I'm not counting on Air Mauritius as they are in a mess already. They've had to cut off staff and are planning to sell their planes. As per my understanding, they're only flying to get Mauritians stranded across the globe back to the country. I very much doubt they care about cargos at this point. I normally refrain from writing at length about what's happening in my country, as it's very small and somehow my countrymen may come across this post and take offence. Then all hell will break loose. But oh well.

I think I will contact Royal Mail shortly. Thanks for the idea!

>152 Kainzow: My experience in the delay was acceptable and I doubt you have to worry about the condition when they arrive. Apparently, since passenger flights are limited and this was a normal method of transportation for Royal Air Mail the packages are simply stored and released as available cargo space appears. My order shipped March 24 and arrived in perfect condition here in the Seattle area on July 3.

>153 BionicJim:

Ah, that's reassuring. With everybody getting his/her June orders, I thought I was the only one still waiting for orders from March/April.
Thanks for telling me about your experience. It helps a lot!

I just received an email from Folio that my order of The Golden Bough has been refunded with no explanation, a full two weeks after it supposedly shipped. I’m very disappointed with this. I understand things sell out and inventory might not be there, but to tell me this shipped two weeks ago, and to expect it in X amount of time, only to refund me with no explanation just rubs me the wrong way.

>155 SolerSystem:, they may have been notified by the shipping company that the original parcel was lost and they have sent out replacement. However, since the Golden Bough has sold out they can’t send that onto you.

I sold a lot of eBay books just before the sale to raise some cash and my tracking and orders have all been crazy, seriously crazy. Will sit at collected for three weeks and suddenly be delivered with nothing in between. Will be out for delivery for two weeks then vanish off the system for a week and then be delivered. This has been UK, and international through a variety of companies.

It has been very stressful.

>155 SolerSystem:

This happened to me recently with some movies from Amazon. Prime Shipping via UPS and suddenly, while the package was out for delivery, someone other than me cancelled the order, and the package got sent back to Amazon. Naturally, some of titles were out of stock and the others had all doubled in price. The only honest scenario I could think of was that the package was damaged and the price increases were a coincidence.

Here in the Antipodes I have just received two boxes in the usual bags, shipped by standard post. One was ordered in early April, the other in early May. The contents of both are in perfect condition. I am mildly surprised that they arrived at all, given that we have almost no inbound flights at the moment.

Has anyway in Pennsylvania or the surrounding states received their order via standard post? I know I should be more patient, but reading about everyone's orders makes me envious for mine.

>158 DivinaCommedia:
This gives me so much hope!

I'm not sure if anyone cares about this, I just thought it was odd, but the blue top edge on Peter Pan and Wendy seen on the folio website is incorrect, it is now white. Strangely the paper brochure has the correct picture.

During the sale period, received two shipments via standard post (here in Northern NJ) each taking exactly 17 days. Express took 6 days.....

>162 camisnj: ... it's the first time in years I can say I wish I still lived in northern NJ ... here in southern CA ... shipments are lagging at a snails pace.

> 162 I’m glad to hear your packages arrived so swiftly. I hope mine arrives soon. My collection is small enough that I want to pull all my Folio books together to reorganize.

>161 Jobasha: ". . . the blue top edge on Peter Pan and Wendy seen on the folio website is incorrect, it is now white."

The website photo must show the original 2006 edition, which has a blue top edge (as well as being a slightly larger book).

>159 eatanygoodbooks: I live in Ohio, and if memory serves me correctly, it took about six weeks for my last order to arrive.

In the mean time, you and I are in the same boat. I placed a second order for the Summer Sale and don't expect to see light of it until the end of summer.

And as for the used Folio Society copy of The Count of Monte Cristo that I ordered from across the ocean, I fear it may have been locked away in the Chateau d'If!

I'm in California and my sale order (regular shipping) only took 23 days. Faster than pre-COVID. Three out of four books had minor dings to the slipcase and two of the books had a very small bumped corner. No sling bag so the damage was minimal. There were some reasonably sized dents in the shipping box.

>166 Unbroken1: Oh boy, it's only been 22 days for me. I suppose I need to place an order for a book on the art of patience?

I do plan on placing another order, I think Anne of Green Gables if she's still available, as well as 2001 Space Odyssey. I am still holding faint hope for new sale books. I don't even really expect them to be at half off, even 25% would be lovely.

Speaking of The Count of Monte Cristo, that is one limited edition I'm sad to have missed out on. I would have seriously considered purchasing it.

Looks to me as Brideshead Revisited and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass has been added to the sale

and The Seasons anthology set.

>169 SinsenKrysset: That edition of Alice wasn't even available before being added to the sale. How bizarre.

For anyone interested in such things, a whole bunch of non-Folio titles has been added to the sale. No further Folios, as far as I can tell, so at this very late stage I still haven't managed to find anything at all in the sale for me.

Thank you >172 folio_books:

I spotted a few extra Folios hidden in the 15 titles added since yesterday.

The Norse Myths
Traitor’s Purse
Chaos
The Book of Common Prayer

>173 Hrodberht:

Ah, well spotted.

Still nothing for me, though.

>168 eatanygoodbooks: You and me both. If I had read the book around the time when the LE was published, that would have made the gem of my collection.

>175 Unbroken1: We can only open hope they release a new LEC one day.

I just placed my second and final sale order. 2001: A Space Odyssey (didn't want to miss out on this), Traitor's Purse, and Anne of Avonlea. Still haven't received the order I placed the day the the sale started. Last night I also picked up the 7 vol Jane Austen collection 1975 18th printing from Abe. I look forward to reorganizing my shelves.

Heads up, Folio finally brought back standard delivery for all those living in Canada :)

>177 Roberto23:
Too late for me. The couple of things I might have bought are long gone. Not economical to buy at full or sale price, so I'm looking elsewhere.

>177 Roberto23: feel like a sucker now! Placed a second order a few weeks ago out of FOMO and none of the books I ordered have sold out! Oh well, happy with the books at least. Thanks for the heads up!

>179 RRCBS: : No problem! Might have to place a second order for Lord of the flies now seeing as its low stock....

It appears Australia also has the option of normal shipping again but I’ll hold my breath unless it’s a bug on the website.

It seems that post offices around the world have now sorted out most of the problems associated with drastically reduced flights during the Covid crisis.

Books from independent booksellers in the UK and USA were taking 10 to 12 weeks to reach Australia, but I have now received a book sent USPS from the USA in just under 4 weeks.

Thus the FS is able to offer standard delivery again, all be it at a slower speed than previously.

I suspect the last four months have been very difficult for them in supplying books to intercontinental customers.

Mine haven't arrived yet, but I had two reminders from Trustpilot asking me to review them.

>183 overthemoon: I’m in the same boat you are. I really hope both of our orders arrive today.

My second order shipped the yesterday, which is also the same day I placed the order. I hope I don’t have to wait as long for that order.

>183 overthemoon:
The Trustpilot review system is hopeless.
I like to review a book after I have read it, not the day after I receive it (or before I receive it). It is not now possible to review a book at any other time. In the "good old day" you could review any book in print at any time you wished - a far better system.

>185 wcarter:
While it is a nuisance it does secure the website against brigading and other unsavory practices.

>185 wcarter:
I don't write reviews myself, but if you hit Trustpilot on Folio's home page it should take you to a page where you can press a blue "write a review" button in order to leave a review at any time. Of course it may not be in working order.

>187 Jayked:
Yes, I have seen that, but as far as I can work out, that lets you rate the FS itself, not a particular book.
Is there some some sneaky way in which you can rate and review a book months after you have received it?

>188 wcarter:

Order it again, review it, then cancel the order?

>189 treereader:
;-)

>185 wcarter: If you mean by, reviewing the book after reading, is to give review for book's content, then I am sure Folio Society reviews on TrustPilot are for their services and books' print quality. The best place to review the book content is on Goodreads or Amazon.

>191 Mujaddadi:
Not so. You are sent a Trustpilot email to review a particular FS book after you make a purchase from FS. I am not reviewing the author, but the presentation, illustrations, binding etc. of that particular edition.
I agree Goodreads gives an excellent review of the literature, but does not review individual editions.
I want to review a particular FS edition, but can only do so using the Trustpilot link emailed to you after purchase.

>192 wcarter: I understand. In that case, Trustpilot is the right place. In fact, before your last comment, I was editing my comment, because I was not sure if that's what you meant. But your reply came fast.

>184 eatanygoodbooks: I expect it will arrive tomorrow or Tuesday when I'm not at home.

Now that cheaper shipping to Canada is available, I placed a second order for Steppenwolf and Brideshead Revisited, as well as 2001 and Hornblower set 3.

Also....! I scored a sealed Diary of a Young Girl on eBay for pretty much the same price as from Folio (it isn’t available directly in Canada).

>194 overthemoon: Hopefully it will stay safe until you arrive. I have been working from home since March, so at least if it arrives I can bring it in right away. I've had books arrive on days where it was pouring but thankfully their packaging protected them.

>190 wcarter:

I wonder, if a more honest method would work: save the original TrustPilot review invitation and employ it after you've read the book. I'm sure it's more probably than naught that the links would be dead by then but who knows, maybe it could work. That is, if reviewing the *whole* book is one's goal. If reviewing only the Folio presentation, one should expect (demand) that those original links remain active long enough to receive and hold the book in person.

A little public service announcement for my fellow devotees residing in Germany:

I just placed an order and was pleasantly surprised that FS are actually passing on the temporarily reduced VAT. Now, 5% vs 7% may not seem like a big difference, but for my order of 7 books that actually amounted to £7.05!

Now I am a little confused about VAT rules in the EU though -- and happy I don't actually need to think about that. I always assumed that the Folio Society just accepted to have to pay VAT depending on the recipient's address (for customers in the EU) and left it at that (since consumer prices in the EU have to be inclusive of VAT and the ROW prices are identical to UK prices -- and have to be for EU customers.). Again, glad this is none of my concern, but happy to save some money.

>194 overthemoon: My order arrived today. No royal mail bag, and one corner of the box has a slight dent, but my (7 books and 1 set) order came in perfect condition. I'm so happy! I'll admit I forgot I ordered Love Lives Bleeding, so I thought I was sent a freebie. I hope you have yours waiting for you.

>199 eatanygoodbooks: well as I thought, it arrived today when I wasn't there. Now I have to go to the post office to pick up this heavy, cumbersome parcel, and what's more, I have to pay about £35 in customs fees.

Dragged my parcel home. Box intact, everything inside tightly packed, shrink-wrapped, in perfect condition. No magazine, no little message to tell me who did the packing. The customs declaration is from GB but it was mailed from Spain.

>201 overthemoon: I am glad to hear your books arrived in perfect condition. I realize now I spoke too soon, the "light weight" slip case used for The Red House of Mystery has some damage. Ah well.

As for my second order, I just received a FedEx tracking number for it! I only paid for standard postage, and have never before received a tracking number. I wonder if the recent issues with deliveries has prompted Folio to ship standard orders with tracking?

>202 eatanygoodbooks: They probably shipped it through TrakPak - did you get an email from them too? It's a hybrid shipping consolidator, which usually utilizes multiple shipping options for a single shipment - e.g. they would pick up from the FS warehouse, send to their warehouse to be consolidated into a full container with other packages going to the US, ship across the pond then pass it on further; for a few of my shipments the package was passed to FedEx SmartPost once passed customs in NJ. SmartPost is the cheapest FedEx option, cheaper than Ground - basically what it means is that FedEx will use their network to get the package to the destination city, but might pass it on to USPS for the last mile delivery.

The first time I received such a shipment from Folio was during the last winter sale, but it hasn't been consistent. The first order from the ongoing sale was shipped untracked via Royal Mail, the second came via TrakPak. It is rather nice to have tracking for standard orders.

Did shipping rates to the US go up again? I just ordered Kama Sutra and noted express shipping on that was $65. (I could order Express shipping for $65, or Standard Shipping for $65. Not being daft, I chose Express.)

Door in the Wall now shows a shipping rate of $60, when I just paid $50 about 2 weeks ago. It looks like all of the Limited Edition Shipping has increased. I haven't checked standard books yet.

>204 hamletscamaro: Still the same for standard books. It's hard to judge LE shipping costs because they've always been variable and differed from book to book. They are always shipped Express.

>173 Hrodberht: I spotted a few extra Folios hidden in the 15 titles added since yesterday.

How unsearchable are Folio's judgments, and their ways past finding out! I understand that adding new items towards the end of a sale to incite people to go for seconds is a sound idea, but quietly adding just a few titles with no advertising makes no sense to me...

>202 eatanygoodbooks:
When I enquired, Folio told me that my orders are with Track2Pad.
But I never got any tracking number.

But I think my books must be in their warehouse or something.

>159 eatanygoodbooks: I placed my order on July 2nd, and received it today, the 22nd. I live in Ohio.

>203 elladan0891: Yes, the tracking codes (one for them and one for FedEx) were sent by TrakPak. I'm pretty sure a few of my orders from Etsy arrived from China through the same method, it's a brilliant idea if it brings down shipping cost.

I agree, it would be great a tracking code came even with standard postage. It helps me plan if I need to WFH due to rain.

>207 Kainzow: I hope you don't have to wait much longer,

>208 jhicks62: Hmm.. so I should expect mine after the first week of August. Enjoy your order!

>202 eatanygoodbooks: >203 elladan0891: I placed my order (Strangers on a Train) on July 13, it shipped on the 14th, and arrived here in Indiana yesterday in perfect condition. This was my first Folio purchase, and my expectations have been exceeded, with regard to both the shipping time and of course the book itself! I used standard shipping, and also received FedEx and TrakPak tracking numbers, which were very helpful given the stormy conditions in my area.

My wishlist is ever-growing, but I'm hoping I can restrain myself from making a second purchase unless something starts selling out!

>202 eatanygoodbooks: "As for my second order, I just received a FedEx tracking number for it! I only paid for standard postage, and have never before received a tracking number. I wonder if the recent issues with deliveries has prompted Folio to ship standard orders with tracking?"

It's a combination of the huge increases in Royal Mail prices, and recent aggressive pricing by FedEx, which means they are (for the time being) highly competitive. If you look at the consolidation websites Interparcel or Parcel2Go, FedEx are currently offering the cheapest rates from the UK to many countries.

A tip for forumites outside the UK; if you generally use a PO Box address for Folio deliveries, you might want to consider switching to another address for the time being. This is because FedEx (and other couriers) will not deliver to a PO Box address in many countries.

>210 indianabones: That is wonderful! I think my second order will arrive next week as well if tracking is to be believed.

>211 TheEconomist: I appreciate that you have shared this knowledge. My order has already reached my state and should be transferred to USPS soon. I am excited, I will be able to pull all my folio down and reshuffle my bookcase.

Two impulse orders placed on Friday July 17th (standard Shipping). Surprised by a Fedex ground delivery this morning Sunday July 26th.....

Hi! I'm new here. Having discovered Folio Society books a few weeks ago, I placed my first order over the weekend, headed towards the US.

For those of you that chose Standard Delivery and got upgraded to tracked delivery, how long did it take to get the tracking numbers?

I've just gotten the "Your Folio Society order has shipped" mail and am wondering if I should hold out hope for a tracking number, lol.

>214 Inceptic:
I ordered on the 16th, received an email from FS that it was shipped on the 17th, and then got a tracking number on the 22nd. The package was delivered yesterday on the 27th.

>214 Inceptic: I ordered and received my Folio shipping confirmation on the 17th. I received the tracking number on the 22nd and received my package today.

>214 Inceptic:

In general, you'll get a tracking number a few days before it arrives. It has to get across the Atlantic first, and that's the bulk of the shipping time. In general, I receive my orders within two weeks, but I know other here have seen them take longer. And, of course, times are strange.

Shipping times for books generally seem to have improved dramatically.
I have just received in Australia a parcel of books privately posted from California only 18 days ago, about the same time as pre-Covid days.

Thanks guys for all your helpful replies! Can't wait. :)

I ordered express on May 3rd. Parceforce is yet to deliver. I'm beyond disappointed since 5 books in that order are no longer available.

>220 bookish_elf:

That definitely looks bad. Is there any tracking and / or can you ask for a search of the parcel? I once had a package turn up in some warehouse in the wrong part of the country, which the German mail carrier found after I filed it as missing.

>220 bookish_elf: Since your order is express you should have got tracking number for it. If you haven't, ask folio society to send you the waybill number.

>220 bookish_elf: Where are you based?

>220 bookish_elf:

I feel your pain. Same thing happened to me earlier this year, and the package never did end up arriving. I ended up missing out on two books I really wanted as they went out of stock by the time FS could dispatch a replacement delivery.

I'm now understanding everyone's frustrations with DHL, first hand. I have a shipment from Europe (non-Folio) that seems to have been sitting in a DHL warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for two weeks now. And they're just passing it off to the USPS. You'd think that wouldn't be difficult to do.

>226 coynedj:

DHL is a horrible way to go if you won’t be home to sign for a high value delivery in the US. USPS, UPS, and FedEx all have a larger footprint here, so the probable distance to one of their customer service centers for a pickup is usually pretty short. A trip to a DHL location practically requires a travel agent.

Does anyone have any insight on this year’s FS Summer sale?

>228 EimhearK: Active now.