Contact Us & FAQ
If you'd like to reach out to us, you can do so by sending us an email at mapsbooks@comcast.net. We're in the office 9-4 ET, although not always at the computer and able to immediately respond. Please allow us 1 business day to reply. We are often away on weekends and do not respond until Monday.
We receive a steady influx of emails throughout the day, and below are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions:
- Is this a reproduction? Nope! Everything we handle is original and old! Our listings state the date of production (or our best estimate based on 35 years of experience).
- Do you offer appraisals? We do not currently offer appraisals for material we do not own and cannot see in person.
- Do you have a map showing "X"? We have an exceptionally large inventory, and although we try and keep up to date with what all we have, it is simply impossible for us to know what is on hand given the number of new things we catalog every day and the manner in which our inventory is spread out between multiple locations. Our best answer is to search our website for some limited key words: the computer remembers much better than we do!
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Do you offer discounts for purchasing multiple items? Yes! Please see our discount page for more information on what discounts we offer for multiple item purchases. We strive to supply the trade at wholesale levels not frequently seen in the trade.
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I have several questions, can I give you a call? We have moved our business entirely online, and we no longer have an in-shop telephone. We much prefer to conduct conversations via email, so we can create a digital chain for easy clear future reference. To try to handle the internet business via a personal cell phone would prove to be simply onerous and almost impossible given that everything needs to be ultimately transferred to a screen anyhow to proceed.
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Do you have an open shop, can I come visit you? As much as we would enjoy being able to host customers in a physical shop, the demands of the pandemic have forced us to move the business online. We recommend having a nice cup of coffee or tea and getting cozy while browsing on the biggest screen you can find! We may return to in person visits by appointment in the future, we will post here when / if we do.
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I'm looking to sell some books and or maps; are you currently buying? At the moment, we are not purchasing from private sellers. We already have too much to catalog as is! We have been constantly buying material over the past 35 years and 75% or more of it is still uncatalogued. This backlog fills an entire house behind the one we operate out of.
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Why is shipping so expensive? Unfortunately, we have seen shipping rates skyrocket over the last two years. Some of it is the pandemic, some of it is poor choices made by the leadership of the USPS. Sending a 1st class parcel down to Massachusetts can cost almost $6! Priority parcels are even worse, and private shipping companies like UPS are little better.
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I am shipping internationally. Can you declare a lower value so I can avoid customs fees? We cannot, for several reasons. First, this is customs fraud. Second, declaring a lower value on an item means that we can no longer insure the shipment for its true value. This means that if the item is lost or damaged, we have no way to recoup the loss. Even if customers are willing to take the risk, we are not.
- Can I get a certificate of authenticity? Sure. We don't usually include them, but CoA's are available on request. Please reach out to us prior to purchase or drop us a message quickly afterward so we can include it in your parcel.