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theatrical weapons: rental and sales
Weapons of Mass Instruction ™ Rent sword pistol halberd knife spear rifle gun crossbow broadsword saber foil whip dueling rapier shield revolver holster bow mace hook courtsword shotgun stiletto claymore axe falchion stage
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ORDERING and other information Not a theatre person? read this u To place an order by phone, just give us a call at 707-226-2845. We’ll ask you for :
We’ll also ask some questions related to the specific needs of the production and help you choose the right items for your show. u To place an order by e-mail, just send the same information asked for above to stageswords@att.net , but we may still want to contact you to pin down specifics for your show. u To place an order by purchase order, be sure that it includes all of the information asked for above. Faxing to (707) 226-2845 is faster than mailing; 4075 Browns Valley Rd Napa, CA 94558-4144 but just because you send a PO doesn't mean that items will be available on the day you need them. Be sure and confirm your order by e-mail or phone.
"How long does it take to get my order?" Anywhere from one day to three weeks. Especially for rental orders, the odds are that when you have a show opening on a certain week, everybody has a show that opens that same week. So if you call late, not only are there already a backlog of orders that we have to get out, but most of our inventory will be out in other shows. People who made plans months ago get first crack, so even though there may be items on our shelves, most of them might be spoken for. Sometimes we can ship your weapons out on the same day that you place the order. Sometimes we might need to finish other orders first, or wait for items to return from other shows. Our rental rates start from the time the items are in your possession, not from when you place the order. So reduce headaches all around and order early. Invoices are mailed out after the items have been shipped. You might get your invoice from a week to a month after you receive the boxes. We do not provide packing slips, pre-invoices, or written estimates. We just don't have the staff to do anything but build your order, ship your order, and then invoice the order, in that order. All items are rented for the minimum first month fee, even if the rental period is for less than thirty days. Whether it is for one month or one hour, the rental is the same. [From our experience if rentals are on a weekly basis, theatres will want delivery on items only a day or two before first tech.] We know that having the props earlier is safer for the actors, and if theatres know that they pay the same price for one week or for four, they are more likely to order early and get the props in the hands of the actors well before tech week. Ah, but anything after thirty days is pro-rated per day, and also based on only half the first month rate. So let's say you need a $40 item for 6 weeks. The rental fee is going to be $50. Not $80, not $60 ... $50. Get it?
"Can I pay using PayPal?" You bet. PayPal® is safe and secure. We pay all fees. You'll just need our e-mail address shown above and the invoice number from your order. Just let us know and we can send a PayPal request via e-mail. One last thing: PayPal® cannot be used to pay for purchase of blanks, which they consider ammunition. If you need blanks, you'll need to call us with your credit card info. Shipping and Returning Rental Items :
Shipping charges are extra and depend on the weight of the box, the distance it
has to travel, and how quickly it needs to get there. We charge for the
outgoing shipment, and then it is the theatre’s responsibility to handle return
shipment. For an additional fee, pre-paid return shipping arrangements can be
made at the time the order is placed. Shipping prices keep increasing, and there
are a lot of other variables which affect the final price [residential
deliveries, remote businesses, size of container, number of boxes, amount of
packing material, etc], so it is very difficult to give an accurate estimate
over the phone. We really don't know exactly what the shipping is going to cost
until we get the order boxed up.
This map shows how long things take to get from Napa, CA when we use UPS ground service once they pick-up the package. Note that "transit days" assumes only business (week) days. UPS doesn't move packages on weekends. Next-day, 2-day, and 3-day service is also available, but keep in mind that expedited shipping is very expensive. VISA, Discover, MasterCard, American Express, and checks are accepted for payment. Purchase orders are accepted, but as all items are subject to availability, don't assume that a purchase order automatically means that you can get stuff you want when you want it. Be sure that the purchase order has the closing night , the name of the show, and the date you need the items in hand. Are you a non-profit theatre? Unfortunately, in this day and age, all theatre is non-profit. Educational, community, professional ... all are hit by the same lack of funding and diminished audiences. That's we we keep our prices so low, but it also means that we can't cut those prices any lower than where they are. Naturally, most of what you receive has been used before, most of it repaired several times. All items are checked to see that they are in acceptable shape before we ship it to you. We’d like to get it back from you in the same condition, which means firearms cleaned and lubed and all items maintained. We understand that damages can occur during the rental period. When that happens, we handle it in the following manner:
Once we receive the items back from the client, we evaluate the nature of the damage.
Fees are charged if returned items require repair, extensive cleaning, or for loss of metal on edged swords. Irreparable items must be reimbursed at the full replacement value. Rental items sustain a great deal of abuse from prior rentals, but if something breaks while in your possession or during return shipping, you will be charged for damages. Weapons of Choice makes every effort to insure the proper working condition of equipment but does not guarantee equipment against failure of any kind. We reserve the right to hold, at our discretion and prior to shipping, a deposit for any order placed.NON-SCHEDULED RETURNS: We know that theatre can be chaotic, so we do not charge for items that don't make it on stage by opening night - for whatever reason. So if your director suddenly decides that the fighting in Romeo & Juliet should be done with bananas instead of rapiers, you only pay for the original shipping charge. The same goes for sales purchases. You are obligated to pay for the shipping, but you get a full refund on the purchase price for items shipped back to us within ten days of receipt. Sorry, but due to the nature of what we do, absolutely no visitors are permitted at either of our facilities. If you don’t know what you want, just call. We can go over the needs of your show and find the items that will best suit the production values. The sword you receive may have a different grip or pommel than that shown in the catalogue. We reserve the right to change pommel and grip styles on any sword in order to better balance the blade/guard combination. We do use shims on our swords, both to increase the sound of the blade and to better seat the pommel onto the grip. Shims are placed in order to improve the handling of the weapon, so if you want your swords without shims, you must let us know when the order is placed. We will require more time to put those weapons together, and we cannot vouch for their fight-worthiness. No liability is implied nor exists for injuries sustained by the proper or improper use of these materials. Please exercise extreme caution while handling. Disclaimer: Stage combat and the use of theatrical weapons carry an inherent risk of injury. Visitors to this site assume full responsibility for their actions and agree by accessing this site to hold blameless the author for any results of using the items or information contained or referenced herein. Dear Friends; Since 1990, we have proudly provided replica weaponry to theatres and schools for the lowest price at the fastest turnaround time. However, the act of providing those props keeps getting tougher. Below are some things which must be taken into account while planning for the use of prop weaponry: Ø Availability of some catalogue items may be limited. Many of our replicas and supplies come from overseas. We anticipate delays in getting them into the country. Some items may be discontinued without warning. In addition, California is a very restrictive weapons state and many replicas are simply not available to us anymore.Ø Even reserved orders may suddenly become unavailable. We exist because we send out our items again almost as soon as they come in from other theatres. When they are hit by delays in returning them to us, we can’t get them to you.Ø Blanks for firing props can only be sent by UPS ground service. While we can often ship the blank-fire replicas by air, the blanks themselves can only be sent by non-US Postal Service ground carriers, which means delivery may take up to two weeks.Ø Modern-style firearm replicas will only be sent to established theatres or educational institutions. An adult signature may be required on receipt. No residential deliveries for these items.Ø We no longer send our items outside of the United States. The many laws and restrictions recently passed by almost every country in regards to weapons (even theatrical weapons) has made it too difficult and costly for us to ship across borders. Many of our shipments have been turned back at customs or even confiscated en route, so we have suspended all international orders for the foreseeable future.Ø Weird things sometimes happen. Whether shipped by ground or air, and many of our shipments are sometimes pulled for close inspection by local and national law enforcement agencies. Delays of one day to one week, although rare, have happened. As other laws are passed, further restrictions may apply. Calling us far in advance will give us more options in getting your props to you on time. Thank you
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