Shipping and return policies for Beginners

Shipping Info

We will make every possible attempt to ship your stuff out within six business days.

We will process your order when all items are in stock. An email will be sent when your order is processed. You might get two. Processed orders are generally shipped within 3-5 business days. Please understand this label ain't really paying the bills (or, to be quite frank, for itself), so we're trying to get this stuff done between work, school, family responsibilities, etc.

Manufacturing delays could delay the shipping date. Turnaround times are crazy, If you purchase a preorder, you will get your preorder before we fill any non-preorder orders. We put up somewhat arbitrary "release dates" so that we can hopefully fulfill your order early. Everyone likes to get their music before the "release date", right?

We support the United States Postal Service and ship strictly USPS media mail within these 50 nifty United States. Overseas, we go with whatever ShipStation gives us.

A few notes on packaging:
We do not believe in "factory sealing" because it is pointless and shrink wrap generally cannot be recycled via curbside (www.recycleannarbor.org/news/442-recycling-tip-for-better-results-plastic-bags-and-plastic-film). We ship any vinyl in polypropylene outer bags and any cassettes with O-cards in re-sealable polypropylene envelopes. Long story short, we hate factory-sealed records! All labels should follow something similar to this (www.youtube.com/watch?v=I79ArRwC8xc&ab_channel=SleeveCity) to avoid seam splits and help reduce the industry's waste footprint. Seems really simple, IMO.

A lot of record labels turn their nose up if you try to request an exchange due to damaged packaging. We at Beginners understand that pristine packaging is a huge part of the allure of building a physical media collection. If you receive a cassette with a damaged Norelco, a record or CD with a bent corner, etc. Please email beginnerstapes@gmail.com with a photo of the issue and we will get you a replacement cover or case as necessary.

A note on shipping materials:
We ship using primarily reused & recycled materials. Since we buy a lot of records/tapes/CDs, we save all of that packaging and reuse it to ship your stuff. This helps reduce shipping costs for you and us and helps reduce our use of non-renewable resources. We encourage you also to save and reuse these materials. Please understand that the environmental toll of producing and distributing plastic media is exceptionally high (www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/28/vinyl-record-revival-environmental-impact-music-industry-streaming), so we do our best to minimize this. If you decide you don't want this stuff (or any physical media), please consider Discogs, your local physical media retailer, thrift donation, giving it to your friends, or upcycling it (www.wehatetowaste.com/reuse-repurpose-retro-music/).

Return Policy

"I need to cancel my order!!"
All sales are "final". If you need to cancel your order, please email beginnerstapes@gmail.com as soon as possible. If your order has shipped, we will not be able to cancel the order or issue a refund. Tbh not sure why you would cancel an order. Just deal with the fact that you paid $8 bucks or whatever for a tape and move on with your life. We can use the cash.

"I got the tape/cd/record but it's all messed up!!"
We only accept returns for items that are defective or were shipped incorrectly. If either of these situations applies, please email beginnerstapes@gmail.com with your order info and let us know what we screwed up. We'll probably ask you for a video of the tape or CD messing up, too. If you send us a video and you are playing the tape on your dad's first-gen Walkman that looks like it got run over by a bus, we might have more questions. If somehow, inexplicably, you are able to PROVE that we screwed up, we'll mail you a new copy or Paypal you back the cash if it's sold out. And that, my friends, is a Beginners promise.

A note on lathe cut vinyl:
These are cut by hand. Each record is made in real-time, as the audio file plays and the lathe cuts grooves into the vinyl. This is not an exact science. There will be imperfections and surface noise present. If you play one of these on a toy record player without a tonearm counterweight (like a Crosley suitcase) you will experience skips and jumps. This does not mean that there is a defect in the lathe. If you would like a refund for your lathe because it is not playable on your turntable please contact beginnerstapes@gmail.com and we will make it right.

A note on cassettes:
Some of our releases are professionally duped at NAC, and some are recorded at home on a Technics cassette deck. Each release page has specific info on pressing. If the release page does not say "professionally duped at NAC" it is a handmade, DIY, 100% punk rock item. Given the inherent limitations of making things by hand, and lack of time to completely inspect each tape, there may be imperfections. If you experience any issue please email beginnerstapes@gmail.com and we'll make it right.

A note on CD-Rs:
These are DIY, punk rock handmade items. They will not work on older CD players built before the widespread use of recorded CD technology, circa 2000. They have a sticker label affixed to them, which could present difficulty when played in a CD player with a slot instead of a tray. The CD-R will not contain metadata. If you purchase from Bandcamp you will have access to download the AIFF files, which are the same files present on the CD-R. If you experience any issues with your CD-R, please email beginnerstapes@gmail.com and we will make it right.

A note on shirts:
These are handmade items printed with water-based ink. All efforts have been made to guarantee quality. Please understand the item(s) you have purchased are punk rock, totally DIY, and did not involve the use of a screenprinting machine. If your print fades after washing please email beginnerstapes@gmail.com and we will make it right.