1: Shipping Questions

A: Domestic Orders

Why didn't I receive an e-mail confirmation about my order?

What happened to my music? I ordered it xxx weeks ago.

How long will it take my order to arrive?

I was charged an additional shipping charge for an incorrect address a month after I received my order at the correct address!

I live in Alaska (Hawaii, Puerto Rico). Why were my shipping charges higher than your usual domestic rates?

I ordered only one item. Why were my shipping charges so high?

B: International Orders

What happened to my music? I ordered it xxx weeks ago.

What International Shipping Classes do you use?

Shipping Speed.

What is the best way to ship to Canada?

Why can't I have my packages sent via sea mail instead of air? Isn't it much less expensive?

Why do you require registered mail to ship to my country? It is so expensive!

How are customs fees and taxes handled? Do you take care of them?

Why don't you ship to my country?

C: Tips for both Domestic and International Orders

How can I save on shipping charges?

The Total Charges on my order did not match the amount my Credit Card was billed.

How to pay 3, 4 or even 5 times the list price for a single piece of music.

How to be both stylish and guarantee that your package will take longer than necessary to arrive.

D: Returns.

I received the wrong music. (or DVD or CD) Can I return it?

2: Questions regarding Various editions

A: Availability

What happened to (fill in the space)? I can't find it in your catalog anymore!

Why is (fill in the space) out of print? It's a great piece and should be available.

There are several reasons why this may happen. One of the most common is that your server rejects the message, regarding it as spam. Another possibility is that it did make it to your computer but might be sitting in your junk folder. If this is a constant problem, one solution would be to copy our e-mail address and place it in your address book. If your e-mail program allows you to set up individual mail boxes for specified users, or filters to automatically place mail from certain addresses into specified boxes, you might direct all mail sent from us to one of them.

There are several answers to this question all depending on which shipping method you choose. In the U.S. most of our orders are sent via the USPS (U.S. Postal Service) Or UPS (United Parcel Service) and the amount of in-transit time depends on how far you are from our shipping location in Cincinnati. For standard shipping (UPS Ground, USPS First Class or Priority Mail) States bordering Ohio - Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia - usually receive packages within one or two days. California and other Western States can take up to a week or 10 days. However nothing is guaranteed. Everything depends on how busy both services are and the weather. Holiday seasons are of course the busiest. If you've got to have your order quickly the best thing is to use one of the faster services, which of course adds considerable cost to the shipping charge:

1: UPS Next Day Air - (adds an additional $40.00 - $70.00 to the shipping charges)
2: UPS 2nd Day Air - (adds an additional $30.00 - 50.00 to the shipping charges)
3: UPS 3 Day Select - (adds an additional $15.00 - $30.00 to the shipping charges)

If you are charged for an incorrect address it is because we were charged by UPS or FedEx. This happens when something was incorrect or left out of the address that you sent us. A simple mistake, even if the UPS or FedEx driver knows your house, will trigger a charge to us which we then pass on to you. Is the street address and zip code exactly right? Did you include your apartment number? The USPS will return a package to us even if the address is correct if your apartment number is incorrect or missing. There really is a good reason for you to check everything before you hit the submit button. For more information on this annoying subject click here. Check the Liben Online Order Invoice that we sent you when we shipped the order. The address that we sent your order to - which you typed into our shopping cart - is listed down toward the bottom of the e-mail.

The rates to these locations are higher than in the continental U.S. UPS, FedEx and the USPS all charge according to the weight of the package, your Zip Code and the speed of the service. In just about all cases faster service is more costly.

Ordering one item at a time is the least cost effective method of ordering for both you and us. We actually lose money on these kind of transactions when you consider that those shipping charges have to pay for not only the envelopes and postage (or UPS or FedEx charges), but the fees that the bank and credit card companies charge us for each transaction. Ordering 1 piece of music for $17.00 or $18.00 is not the same as buying a $500.00 piece of electronic gear where it is a lot easier for the seller to offer free or reduced shipping. For more on this click here.

A: Domestic: Check your address on the E-mail confirmation that we sent to you. Is it correct? If it isn't, contact us, making sure that you include the date and order number with your message. A wrong address in the confirmation E-mail means that the error is your responsibility since it is what you typed into our shopping cart. For more on this problem click here. If the address is correct, we are responsible, but please read on . . .

Did you order from your school or university to be shipped to a box number or special department? If this is the case, please check the various points at which mail is received and held for you. Many times packages get caught up in the system, managing to sit around in an office or other location before than finding their way to the intended mail box.
Did you order from home? We ship via UPS (United Parcel Service) and USPS (U.S. Postal Service). If your order was shipped via UPS and no one was there to accept the package the chances are that a note was left informing you that UPS will make another delivery attempt. You might also try a neighbor. Sometimes the UPS driver will leave a package next door if you are known to him. In the case of the USPS, it is possible that your mail box wasn't big enough to accomodate the package. If no one was there to accept the package a delivery attempt notice is usually left. You should also try your local post office to see if the package is sitting there.

B: International: Every country has a different set of rules regarding imported goods. We have found that a good percentage of the time orders simply sit in local post offices because the package has to be signed for and the customer might not have been home when delivery was attempted. Another location where the package might be sitting is at your local customs office. In some countries, customs offices and post offices notify recipients that there is a package waiting for them to pick up, but this isn't always the case. If you feel that your order should have arrived days or weeks ago please try your local post and/or customs office. There may be a nice surprise waiting for you!

For small orders - one or two items - if you do not specify any shipping preference, we ship via "First Class International." It is the least expensive method, but it also takes the longest time to get to you. Once an order gets above 4 lbs (1.8 Kilos) we must move to another category. Again, if nothing is specified we will use "Priority Mail International." It is more costly than "First Class International" but it is quicker. Weight limits are not usually a factor with music. But in case you're a dealer or distributor placing a large order, you'll be interested to know that 70 lbs (31.75 Kilos) is as much as any package may contain.

If you need your order really fast there are several excellent shipping methods that will make sure it arrives within a day or two. But be warned, the age-old formula more speed = more $$$s comes into play very quickly! For more information click here.

We ship to Canada via the USPS or UPS. The method usually depends on the shipping speed, value of the package and location in the country. If you have a particluar preference please indicate it in the comments box when placing your order. Also Click here

The U.S. Postal Service stopped offering sea (surface) mail in 2007. They also stopped offering lower rates for printed matter - which includes music. Everything now goes by air.

The best way to save on shipping costs is to try and combine all the items that you think you'll be wanting into a single order. Ordering one edition and then ordering something else a week or two later is a sure way to spend more than you should on shipping. If you think you'll be wanting that CD that has the piece that you're ordering today, you'll save at least 50% of its cost by ordering it along with the music in one order. Another way to save is to stay away from the express services. They are very convenient and extremely reliable but very costly too. Also click here.

If you placed a Domestic Order and live or ship to the state of Ohio (where we are located) you probably forgot to check "CLICK HERE if you are a resident of Ohio." Ohio State Sales Taxes are added to these orders.

If you placed an International Order you probably forgot to check "CLICK HERE if you are an International Customer." In any event shipping, charges to locations outside of the U.S. are added to orders after they are processed. Unfortunately our Shopping Cart is not sophisticated enough to calculate the various weights, values and customs and packing regulations to the many countries that we ship to.

In some countries mail deliveries are not as reliable as we would all like. Registering a package, which requires tracking and requires signatures, usually helps. However it does add a considerable amount to the cost. For some tips on how you can save on those orders click here.

Alas, there are some places on the planet that even registered mail won't help! There are all sorts of reasons for this from political to civil unrest. Far too much to go into here.

While we are obliged to fill out all of the forms required by U.S. Customs, we can not take care of customs fees or any duties or taxes required by your own country. This is something we have no control over. In some countries the recipient is required to go to their local post office or customs office to pick up the package. In others it's taken care of at the door by the mail carrier or the UPS driver, sometimes with varying fees. As to which shipping method to use: Since every country has its own set of customs rules and regulations, you are the best judge of which method to use. So if you have a particular request please be sure to indicate it in the comments box when making your order. Otherwise we'll choose what we think is the safest and fastest method.

We have found that many of our customers are quite skillful at managing to pay as much as 5, 6 or 7 times the catalog price for one piece of music. In fact for some, figuring out how to spend as much as possible for one edition seems to have become an art in itself. The methods vary among different individuals but there are a few traits that appear frequently enough to warrant mention and/or comment. If one wished to participate in this activity the following should help you to at least get started:
1: If you need a particular piece of music for a contest, jury examination or similar event, you should wait until a few days before you need the music in hand to order it.
2: When you order the music, you should include a question in the comments field relating to how long it will take for the order to reach its intended recipient. After you receive our we don't know, it depends on . . . reply you should wait at least a couple of days before answering and then ask how much it would cost for one of the faster shipping services. After we answer that query another wait of at least 2 days would be in order followed by placing the order instructing us to send it next day air. If you're really skillful you'll do this on a Thursday or Friday, demanding that the music arrive on Saturday. That'll add another $10.00 - $15.00 to the bottom line.

Of course international customers have the advantage in this game since shipping charges to destinations outside the U.S. are generally higher and express services are much higher. For those interested in such matters the current record is held by a gentleman in Japan who absolutely had to have a copy of the Dragonetti Concerto ($18.00 at the time) in 2 days. Total cost with shipping: $114.25. Many attempts have been made to eclipse this record including quite a few extremely creative domestic bids, but for now it is still the gold standard!

A great method to insure your order takes a bit more time than necessary to reach you is to type everything 1n the order form - name, address, city, etc. - in lower case characters, or less hip, but equally effective, all in upper case. Getting that little finger to hold down the shift key for the first letter of your name or city is oh so eighties isn't it. This works especially well if you have a particularly complex name, perhaps one that looks kind of like it might be the name of a street, park or sports stadium. Something like Cherimoyas Pineapple on East Melodie Lane. If you type cherimoyas pineapple and east melodie lane, it takes just a little extra time for us to figure out exactly what goes where resulting in the order getting dumped into a waiting queue until we can take a little extra time with it. The point is, if someone at our office has to retype all or part of your address it introduces the possibility of error.

If you live in an apartment complex and neglect to add your apartment number you'll also be eligible to have your credit card billed for the extra charge that UPS bills us for an incomplete address.

If we sent you a wrong item send us an email mentioning the order number and date. Better still, copy the email that we sent to you when we shipped your order and paste it to the bottom of your message. If we made an error we'll get the correct item out to you as soon as possible. But please be aware of the following:

CDs and DVDs may only be returned if they have not been opened. This includes even those that we may have sent in error. So be sure not to open the shrink wrap if we sent the wrong disc.

Music is returnable only if what we sent to you was incorrect.

Music, CDs and DVDs that are damaged may be exchanged for the exact same items.

Occasionally, due to extenuating circumstances, we will accept an item for return that does not meet the above requirements. In these cases we deduct a 30% restocking fee and the original shipping charges. Any items returned under these circumstances must be in their original - new - condition.

The first thing you might do is to check our Out Of Print Editions list. If you find it listed you'll know that the edition is no longer available. If it is not on the list and you still can't find it anywhere in the catalog you can drop us a line using our contact form. It's possible that the out of print edition just didn't make it on to the list or for some other reason it is not listed in the catalog. In either event we'd appreciate knowing about it.

An edition usually goes out of print for one reason: It stops selling. When the current supply is exhausted it doesn't make sense to invest in a (costly) reprint of even a great piece if so few are willing to purchase it.

Today, and for the past 30 years or so, the primary reason many worthy editions do not make the reprint list fail to do so because of the rampant use of the photo-copy machine. It is very tempting to make a quick copy of a piece rather than ordering a real copy from a music store or publisher. Who can argue with Free? But many are finding that Free can be very expensive when the real costs are tabulated. For us in the classical music field (including performers, teachers, students and audience) the cost of Free is quickly causing much of what we cherish to disappear.

Of course a popular retort (from the guilty?) is to involk the tired old chicken-or-the-egg question: Is it alright to photocopy if it's out of print? Or maybe: Is it alright to force it out of print so we can photocopy? For more information on this timely subject click here.

To hear the audio files of music from our orchestra and chamber music catalogs you must be using a browser that supports the HTML5 audio element. HTML5 is gradually replacing the Adobe Flash plugin. If you get the on-screen message: Your browser does not support the audio element. Click Here for Help - it means that your browser does not support at least some attributes of HTML5.

HTML5 currently (mid 2012) is still in the development stage and not all Internet browsers do an equal job when it comes to implementing the current set of attributes. Most browser publishers claim support for the HTML5 audio tag, but the reality is that it's frequently a hit or miss situation. We have tested all of the major browsers and have found that the most consistently reliable, at least for the present, are Google Chrome and Apple Safari on both the Windows and Mac platforms. Microsoft Internet Explorer also does a good job especially with the latest version of Windows. We urge you to give these browsers a try as all are free, very fast, easy-to-use and can be downloaded quickly and safely from the following locations:

Google Chrome: for Mac OS X Snow Leopard or later.

Google Chrome: for Windows 7, Vista and XP.

Apple Safari: for Mac OS X Snow Leopard or later.

Apple Safari: for Windows 7, Vista and XP.

Microsoft Internet Explorer: for Windows 7 and Vista.

Currently two other popular browsers: Mozilla Firefox and Opera do not offer acceptable HTML5 support. However things change rapidly, so if you enjoy these browsers it would be wise to check periodically for their latest versions.

Audio files normally start up automatically once they load. Loading times depend on your connection speed, which can range from 2 or 3 seconds to Let's-step-out-for-a-cup-of-coffee. If you're viewing/listening on an iPad or iPhone you'll see a play icon in the upper left hand side of the screen. Touch the icon to start the file playing. Andriod Tablets and Smart Phones that support HTML5 may require a plug-in to work. Check the requirements of your particular model for compatibility.