THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

+ When will my first parcel arrive?

The cutoff for each month's orders is the 20th of the previous month. This is for recurring and gift subscriptions.

Therefore, if you ordered before the 20th of a given month, you can expect your first parcel to arrive in the first week of the following month.

If you ordered on or after the 20th of a given month, the first parcel won't arrive until the month after that.

eg: If you ordered between January 1-19th, your first parcel would arrive in the first week of February. If you ordered between January 20th-31st, your first parcel would arrive in the first week of March.

COVID-19

+ International Orders

(21/02/2021) International orders have now reopened on a case-by-case basis. Please note that parcels are still taking upward of 2 months to arrive to some destinations. Please get in touch if you would like more information on an international subscription.

+ Australian Orders

(14/10/2020) Australian parcels have been experiencing significant delays in shipping, due to delays around the Aus Post network. I am doing my best to ship parcels ASAP after the cut off date, however most parcels are currently not arriving in the first week of the month. I appreciate your patience!

(20/03/20) Australian orders and subscriptions are currently unaffected.

I source all items and packaging for NovelTea subscription parcels from Australia, and so at this stage I do not forsee any delays in receiving, wrapping and shipping monthly subscription parcels.

GENERAL

+ How do the subscriptions work?

The NovelTea Book Club offers a subscription that is highly personalised to you. As a subscriber you can choose between the classic book of the month or a lucky-dip secondhand alternative book, as well as getting to choose between either tea or coffee for your drink sample.

Subscriptions are auto-renewing. You can choose to pay monthly, quarterly (every 3 months) or bi-annually (every 6 months).

You can subscribe at any time, but the automatic renewal date is on the 20th of the preceding month. So if you subscribe before the 20th of January, your first parcel will be the February parcel.

+ What price is your subscription?

Prices for subscriptions depend on which subscription you've chosen. Excluding shipping, a subscription to the Minimalist envelope costs approximately $21 per month and the Classic envelope costs approximately $28 per month. All prices are in AUD.

+ Where are you based?

The NovelTea Book Club is an Australian-based subscription service.

+ How does your shipping schedule work?

The aim is to have Australian parcels arrive at your door as close to the start of the month as possible. All Australian and international parcels are shipped in the final week of the preceeding month, however shipping times are currently quite unpredictable. All subscribers receiving tracking information via email once their parcels are on the way.

The cutoff date for subscribing to a particular month is the 20th of the preceding month. This is to allow some time to process and finalise all the orders before shipping!

+ When is your cut-off date for subscribing to a particular month?

The cutoff date for purchasing a parcel is the 20th of the preceding month. So if you want to subscribe for the May parcel you need to have signed up before the 20th of April. This enables all parcels to arrive to subscribers as close as possible to the beginning of the month.

+ When will my first parcel arrive?

The cutoff date for purchasing a parcel is the 20th of the preceding month. So if you subscribe before January 20th, your first parcel will arrive at the beginning of February. If you subscribe between January 20th and February 20th, your first parcel will arrive at the beginning of March.

+ Should I subscribe or buy a single-purchase envelope?

There are a limited number of envelopes per month based on the number of subscribers. If there happens to be any leftover envelopes from a particular month they will be available for single purchase after the subscriptions for that month have been shipped. This means there is no quarantee that there will be any envelopes available for single-purchase. Subscribing means that you are guaranteed to receive the parcel of the month. You can also choose to skip particular months if you can't afford it for a while, so there are plenty of options, even if you're unsure whether to subscribe regularly or not.

+ What payment methods can I use?

The NovelTea Book Club uses PayWhirl and Stripe, and therefore offers any payment forms that they do. This includes:

• MasterCard
• Visa
• American Express
• Discover

+ How do I sign up for your newsletter?

You can sign up for the monthly newsletter here: The Afternoon Tea Times.

PARCEL S

+ What is in your subscription parcels?

What you receive in your parcel depends on which subscription type you choose. But in general, each envelope contains a book, a tea or coffee sample, a bookmark, and a selection of stationery items.

+ What is in the classic parcel?

Each Classic envelope contains one penguin classic book, one tea or coffee sample (enough for 3 cups), one bookmark, and two selected stationery items. Bookmarks and stationery items are all designed to match a monthly theme, which is inspired by the chosen book of the month.

+ What is in the minimalist parcel?

Each envelope contains one second-hand book, one tea or coffee sample (enough for 3 cups), one bookmark, and one selected stationery item. The bookmarks and stationery items for the Minimalist parcel all match the same theme as the Classic parcel.

+ What kind of book will it be?

Depending on your subscription choice you will either receive a randomly chosen secondhand book, or a penguin classic novel. All subscription parcels ship as large envelopes, so the books are short-medium length and less than 2cm thick to meet postage requirements.

+ How do I know what the book of the month is?

Part of the fun of receiving a NovelTea Book Club parcel is the surprise of the book, and so the title is generally kept secret. However, the theme for each month is published prior to subscriptions closing, along with a hint or two about the Classic book, and if you're clever enough you might be able to figure out the book from that!

+ What if I already own the book?

Unfortunately, there is a possibility that a subscriber might receive a book they already own. I hope that the other goodies in the parcels make up for the occasional occurence of this, but if you're certain that you don't want to risk owning duplicate books you can always skip a particular month (prior to the cutoff date) by logging into your account portal.

+ Can I buy a single item from the box?

If any products happen to be left over at the end of a particular month, they will be available for single-purchase from the shop section of the website.

+ Can I buy a subscription pack as a gift for someone?

Yes, gift subscriptions are offered on the shop page of the website where you can choose to buy a three or six month subscription for a friend. These subscriptions will automatically cancel after the set number of months so you won't have to worry about canceling them yourself.

+ How do you send the coffee samples?

I'm pleased to be able to offer coffee as an alternative drink option for those who need an extra caffeine boost. Coffee is roasted to be shipped ASAP so that it arrives to you as fresh as possible. For Australian customers, the coffee can be sent as whole beans, or pre-ground. Please note that the coffee retains flavour and freshness better if it is ground immediately prior to brewing, so I do recommend whole beans. I don't recommend coffee for international subscribers due to longer shipping times.

SUPPORT

+ Can I cancel my subscription?

You can cancel your subscription at any time by logging into your customer portal. If you cancel after the 19th of the month you will still receive the parcel for the next month before your subscription offically ends. If you have subscribed to a bundle of multiple months you will receive all of the parcels you've paid for before your subscription officially ends.

+ Can I pause my subscription?

You can't pause your subscription, but you can choose to skip a particular month by logging into your customer portal. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any issues doing so. Be sure to do this before the 20th of the preceding month if you are trying to skip a specific month.

+ Can I skip a month of my subscription?

You can skip a month of your subscription by logging into your customer portal. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any issues doing so. Be sure to do this before the 20th of the preceding month if you are trying to skip a specific month.

+ How do I cancel my subscription?

You can cancel your subscription at any time by logging into your customer portal. If you are unsure of how to do this please don't hesitate to contact me!

+ Is there a cancelation fee?

No, cancelling your subscription is entirely fee-free. If you've subscribed to a multiple-month bundle and you cancel your subscription, you will still receive the outstanding parcels before your subscription officially ends. If you don't want to receive any further parcels from your multiple-month bundle you will need to contact me to arrange a refund for the outstanding parcels.

+ Is there a cutoff date for canceling my subscription?

Yes. The scheduled payment date for subscriptions is the 20th of each month. If you cancel your subscription after this date you will still receive the envelope for the next month before your subscription cancels.

+ Can I edit or change my subscription plan?

Absolutely, if you want to change your subscription then contact me and I will arrange it for you. You can also change your subscription through the customer portal.

+ Can I request a return or an exchange?

Unfortunately I cannot accept returns or exchanges on parcels once they have been shipped. However, I will do everything I can to make sure that you're satisfied with your purchase.

+ What if there's an item missing from my parcel?

I check all parcels as carefully as possible to ensure that this doesn't happen. However, if there is an item missing from your package, contact me and I will do my best to fix that for you.

+ What if there's a damaged item in my parcel?

I check our parcels as carefully as possible to ensure that this doesn't happen. However, if you receive a damaged item in your parcel, contact me and I will do my best to fix that for you.

SHIPPING

+ What price is your shipping?

Domestic shipping is $8 AUD per month and international shipping starts at around $20 AUD. For more information on shipping see the shipping policy page.

+ What shipping service do you use?

Domestic (Australian) orders are shipped through the Australia Post network. International orders are currently shipped via Australia Post and your domestic postal network.

+ When will my package arrive?

I aim to have all subscriptions arrive as close to the start of the month as possible, however it is sometimes difficult to predict international shipping times.

+ What countries do you ship to?

The NovelTea Book Club parcels ship around the world on a case-by-case basis.

+ Is the shipping tracked?

From December 2020, all new subscriptions will be tracked. You will receive tracking information when your parcel has shipped. If you are an existing subscriber, please contact me to add tracking to your parcels. Individual stationery items will be shipped via untracked letter post.

+ What happens if I move or change addresses?

You can update your address details at any time on your account page. If you change your address feel free to contact me as well, just in case I miss the update!

SOCIAL

+ I'm a blogger/Instagrammer/YouTuber, can I review your subscription?

I love to hear from customers so you are more than welcome to review a parcel! Unfortunately I only have a limited number of parcels available for 'free' review, but if you follow the NovelTea book Club on Instagram you can stay up to date on when rep positions are available.

+ Do you collaborate with other bookish businesses?

If you have a product that you think would be a good fit with the subscription parcels I would love to hear from you! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any collaboration ideas you might have.