FAQ
Real Questions We Have Been Asked
Q: Do you ship to foreign countries?
A: We've recently stopped shipping overseas for several reasons. First the cost of shipping is prohibitive in many cases. Secondly, some items never make it through customs and some customers in Canada and the UK have had to pay GST on merchandise they have purchased. Lastly, the high incidence of fraud is out of control and it's just too risky.
Q: Does Bluelips ever have to deal with bully customers?
A: Yes, and it's our policy to refuse to sell to anyone who tries to bully us. We treat people the way we'd want to be treated, some customers think the only way to treat others is to berate them. We simply do not do business with bullys. And just for the record, over the years we have found that some people who bully merchants are really scam artists. We can usually spot them from their first contact at which time we may send them to hell. We go out of our way to try to keep customers happy, but we absolutely have no tolerance for anyone who is going to beat us up with a baseball bat either verbally or physically.
Q: Is the 415 phone number still valid for Bluelips?
A: Effective Monday Sept 10, 2012 we will no longer be using 415 972 8000 as a number for Bluelips. For years we have had to fence calls for the EPA and Brown and Toland Medical and it's become problematic. So the only number we will continue to use for Bluelips is our 972 504 6666. If you notice the old number listed on the website please let us know where you see it. We are trying to update everything with the 972 number, but hey we are human (sort of) :)
Q:How can I contact Bluelips?
A: Call us at 972-504-6666. Our mailing address is PO Box 496706 Garland, Tx 75049. For safety reasons we do not give out our warehouse address or office address.
Q: Where can I request a catalog?
A: We addressed this further down in our FAQ, but because it's a constant question we decided to post another response. We do not offer a catalog. For additional information please scroll our FAQ and read our all inclusive response.
Q:Your new number is 972-504-6666, are you Satan worshippers?
A: No, we support everyone's right to be who they are, but we are not Satan Worshippers. When that number became available we jumped on it for two reasons 1) it's easy to remember and 2) we thought it was perfect, after all we are kind of an odd, devilish bunch here. :)
Q:I noticed your phone number changed recently. What's up?
A: We recently changed our phone number to reflect our predominant Texas location, we still have warehousing in California, but the bulk of our business is in Texas. We decided that having a Texas based number made sense. Our California number is still active and you can still reach us there, but for most of your needs please call us at 972-504-6666. At some point we will probably shut down the California number.
Q:What is the difference between Express Shipping and Priority Mail Shipping?
A: Express is Overnight service usually, however there are some cities where the Post Office does two day service to some cities when you ship Express. Priority Mail typically is delivered 2-7 days after we ship your order, however weather does have an effect on shipping speeds and we strongly suggest during winter months that you order very early to avoid shipping delays and disappointments. Also please keep in mind that Priority Mail is not guaranteed service. We've had some packages arrive 2-3 days after we ship, but some take longer. Also if we are out of stock on an item we will advise you and that will delay shipment. If it's an item that you need by a specific date please call us to verify stock before you order.
Q:When I call 415-972-8000 I sometimes reach someone in Texas, are you located in California and Texas?
A: Yes, we have two warehouses. Our primary location is in Dallas, Tx, but we have warehousing near San Francisco as well. When we are busy doing inventory the phones are transferred to whichever location is available to take care of customers. About 80% of our goods ship from Texas. Our Texas direct number is 972-504-6666.
Q:When checking out I was sent to a page that says "Bluelips Has Sent You To Hell" what did I do wrong?
A: Possibly you didn't do anything wrong, we've blocked a number of AOL IP addresses on our website this past year for fraud, anyone who attempts to defraud us is blocked and some foreign countries are blocked. Just call us at 972-504-6666 and we can will try to help you out.
Q:Are there cheaper shipping options than the Post Office?
A:Yes, we use Fedex often for shipping items, unfortunately Fedex has not been integrated into our checkout yet, but it is on our developers "things to do" list. We ship Fedex Ground or Fedex Home and are happy to provide quotes.
Q:You seem to be very fraud conscious at Bluelips. What is the strangest fraud attempt you have ever had?
A:There are so many we can't just pick one. We are always amazed at the lengths of deception some people will go to. Let's just say that we have actually had some fun working with postal inspectors and law enforcement when it comes to busting these fraudsters. We are known to send surprises in our decoy packages!
Q: My order has been rejected because I gave you phony information. Why did you reject my order?
A: Anyone who provides us with bad phone numbers, a phony name or falsifies any information on an order will be rejected. We require valid contact info on all orders. While we understand that people are concerned about their privacy we are also concerned as merchants about the high amount of fraud out there. We protect our customers info. We abide by Trust Guard policies and never sell client info.
Q: I understand Bluelips supports Breast Cancer Research, has donated to Suicide Prevention and donated money after 9/11? When other companies are all about profit you seem to be all about helping others is that right?
A: When Bluelips was started (by a cancer patient facing an unknown future) the intent was to bring an awareness as to how cancer patients were being solicited by unscrupulous people in death care. The business grew to being able to support mammography for women who had no insurance and in some cases contribute to cancer treatment, too through various organizations we support. We became involved in suicide prevention through our own experience with suicide and donated to the Jed Foundation in memory of Giancarlo Colombo. Bluelips is about awareness, we also try to have a sense of humor about life and death, often at our own expense. Mostly, we care about others. All of us at Bluelips love animals and we even support "no kill" shelters. Bluelips was founded by a progressively minded, socially conscious woman who wanted nothing more than to help others while helping herself.
Q: Are you hacker safe? Do you protect my privacy and information?
A: Great question! Yes we are currently a part of the Trust Guard approved merchant program. The only information we keep on our customers is the name, address, phone, email and order history. We DO NOT retain your credit card info. We are also scanned for bots, viruses, malware and should a vulnerability arise we immediately address it. We also have a strict privacy policy (please see our privacy policy on the home page) and we do not sell, lend or give anyone information on our customers for any reason.
Q:Do you really ban people?
A: Yes, we can do so in several ways, and for several reasons, too. We won't go into them here though if you have concerns please call us at 972-504-6666 and select option 1. We'll be happy to discuss our banning practices with you. But don't worry we don't ban except when it's really necessary i.e. known scammers.
Q: I'm trying to place an order, but I can't check out...HELP!!!!
A: Sometimes cookies can cause the check out process to hang. If you have been on the site and have been taking things in and out of your cart and can't check out, try clearing your cookies in your browser. If that doesn't work please call us at 972-504-6666 for assistance.
Q: Are The Rumors True?
A: This is interesting because over the years so many rumors have been started about Bluelips. The first rumor has always been that we are going out of business. We plan on being around to annoy our critics for many years to come. Then there's the rumor that we sell to perverts. The funny thing is our critics have never been able to provide proof that we do anything like that, nor will they disclose their source. We invite anyone with solid proof to step forward, our attorneys would love to meet you. And then there's the rumor that we hate the funeral industry. We actually have many supporters from the funeral industry. The folks who don't like us are the one's we've reported on in our forum. If you are involved in mass cremations, harvesting body parts and take advantage of the consumer, yes we don't like you. And finally, yes there is one rumor that is true about us, everyone affiliated with Bluelips has been touched by breast cancer, we support research and try to give back as much as we can. No one takes a salary at Bluelips, this is a labor of love. We do get free t shirts, chocolate and hot sauce though.
Q: What is Bluelips Address?
A: Our address is disclosed only to those who really have a need to know. The reason being is that in the past we have received threatening emails towards us,including bodily harm threats and we are concerned about our safety. In lieu of our address we are always available by phone and of course our established customers have both our address and phone number(s). We are considered to be in bad taste by some folks, but we truly believe they don't "get" us. We put the safety of our employees first.
Q: Do you ship to P.O. Boxes?
A: It really depends on the amount of the order and the items ordered. Regardless anything shipped to a P.O. Box requires the boxholder signature. Please call us at 972-504-6666 for more information.
Q: I have a business, but I sometimes get demanding and downright mean customers. How do you handle the difficult customer?
A: Well since we are all human and people can have bad days we tend to try to talk to the customer to see if we can help. In some cases we would rather turn down the business because it's really counterproductive to our well being and sanity. We generally will try to probe and find out what is bothering the customer and go from there. It's been our experience that if a business transaction starts out on a sour note and nothing is addressed, it will also end that way. Sometimes you just have to pass on an order when it's apparent that you just won't be able to please the person.
And besides there are plenty of wonderful, pleasant people out there who will want to do business with you that you have a right as a seller to be selective. You don't have to sell to someone just because they think you should, you are in charge of your business.
Q: Do people really read your FAQ?
A:Well you are here now so you are reading it, but we have found that we do get asked the same questions over and over which is why we developed our FAQ. The problem is of course there are still some who never read an FAQ before asking questions. Those are the people we send our team of dead zombies after. We also have an anaconda on staff that takes care of those who are really annoying.
Q: How much stock do you carry and how will I know if you have something in stock
A:This is a great question. The reason you can't see how many are in stock is we had to shut off that feature because some jokers were causing our stock to read zero on every item. And as I am sure you are probably well aware there are times that we are out of stock on an item and have to order it. Our commitment to you is to keep you informed on your order and to advise you if we are having to order an item. To save on postage we generally hold orders until we have the entire order ready to ship, but if you want us to ship a partial order just let us know. You are the boss!
Q: Do you have a store front I can visit?
A: We are a web based store, we have warehouse facilities, but we do not have a brick and mortar storefront.
Q: I would like to get a catalog, could you send me one?
A: We don't have a catalog we can mail you for good reason. Our stock is ever changing at Bluelips and it would be impossible to keep up with it, not to mention the expense. What some of of our customers do is print the pages of the items they are interested in.
Q: Do you wholesale? What are your requirements for wholesaling?
A: We have discontinued our wholesale/discount program. Unfortunately a few affected our decision to continue the program. We appreciate our past wholesale customers and their business.
Q: I am in a foreign country and wish to place an order. What do I need to do?
A: We are very careful on all orders and have fraud screening processes in place. We do ship to some foreign countries, but each foreign order is handled on an individual basis. We do not accept credit cards on foreign orders, only money orders. The merchandise is held until we have absolute verification that the money order is legit. The best way to place a foreign order is to email us your list of items and include your shipping address in the email. We then generate an invoice to you and you can pay for the order at the address we will provide you.
Q: I don't have credit cards, can I just pay by cash?
A:Cash in the mail is extremely risky and if you do send cash it's at your own risk. We are not responsible for lost or stolen cash payments. As an alternative to credit cards we accept money orders on both foreign and domestic orders payable in US funds. We are accepting personal checks again on domestic orders (US Only). We will not accept any checks for foreign orders. Merchandise is held until we know that the payment has cleared. Please be aware of this as we will not ship orders until we are certain we have been paid.
Q: How do I reach the owner of Bluelips?
A:You can reach Karen Hutchinson at bluelips_cuscare@yahoo.com. I became the owner late in 2004. This was formally announced in March 2005 as we had many vendors, customers and others to notify.
Q: Do you sell to just anybody? Do you have requirements for embalming and autopsy videos?
A:We don't sell to underage individuals, we scrutinize each order to assure purchase is being made by a responsible adult. Our clientle includes lawyers,paramedics,physicians,licensed embalmers,funeral directors,grief counselors,mortuary students and some of the general public. We DO NOT sell to anyone who is seeking bondage,necro or other perveted material. We have turned away a number of people seeking such and do not sell anything for the use in sex.
Q: Do people love you or hate you?
A: Actually it's sometimes a little of each. But that's o.k. because this is the US where there is freedom of speech and other liberties. Our critics have accused us of being a site for perverts, weird-o's and a whole lot of words we can't print here. Since we don't sell necro films here and don't deal in porn at all we find it rather funny.
Q: What is your relationship with your vendors, do you have trade references? (asked by a potential vendor)
A: We have an excellent relationship with our vendors. We never have and never will burn a vendor and can offer you trade references on request. We are aware of the fraud out there and can appreciate your approaching us with caution. Just like us you have to be sure you are dealing with someone who is reputable. Our reputation speaks for itself. We have been in business since 1999 and a wonderful customer base.
Q: How do you handle Fraud? What steps do you take to prevent fraud?
A:We manually screen all orders and verify all information with the issuing bank. This process does take a bit longer, but assures us and you, our customer, that we do everything we can to prevent fraud. There are some red flags that we look for when processing orders and if things don't add up we don't ship. We do not disclose our fraud prevention techniques, but we can tell you that we cooperate with the authorities and we recently helped the US Postal Service nail a notorious scammer on the Net. By the way, we shipped him cowshit.
The following section of the FAQ is from the old site and from the previous owner. As it still holds true we have kept it here. But also because the old owner has a great sense of humor and we can all learn to laugh a bit more.
Q: Why do you require that the billing/shipping address be the same?
A: Our merchant account requires us to ship to the address on file for the credit card, however we do make some exceptions. We have an intensive fraud screening process and try to work with our customers whenever we can. However we do reserve the right on larger orders to only ship to the billing address.
Q: Do you accept credit cards?
A: Yes, we now have a merchant account and accept MasterCard, Visa and Discover.We also accept money orders and cashiers checks. Sorry, but no personal checks. We do not take personal checks or credit cards on Foreign orders. We accept Amex through your Paypal account only.
Q: Are you for real?
A: Yes, are you?
Q: Is shipping negotiable?
A: It depends on whether or not we like you & how much you are purchasing.:) We do sometimes offer free shipping on some items and do sometimes have to manually recalculate postage if there is an error. We try to be fair and don't charge handling fees.
Q: Why sell embalming videos/autopsy videos?
A: People want to know and have a right to know what happens when you die. Our mission is to educate as many people as possible about the process of embalming and funeral customs. We have sold videos to many funeral students, educators and other professionals. We also sell to consumers.
Q: Are you really on prozac?
A: Actually no, but it's a catchy nick don't ya think? And it is our Nick on Ebay. Check out our feedback!
Q: Is there anything you won't sell?
A: Yes, we won't sell our soul, porn or real body parts. We also do not carry embalming fluid here because of the illegal use of such. Besides embalming fluid really isn't something we want to carry, unless someone could make it smell great.
Q: Is there anyone you Won't Sell To?
A: Yes, we don't sell to people who are attempting to use stolen credit cards, do not provide correct information on their orders, and people who call us up to spank the monkey on our time (shame on those of you who participate in animal cruelty) we support PETA.
Q: Are you male or female
A: It depends on my mood, the day of week and how my hair looks that day. I will do anything to keep my customers happy though and laughing! So your guess is as good as mine!
Q: Will you ever sell corpses?
A: We do know of a website that makes corpse props, but no we won't sell real corpses. We did have a lady want to sell us someones ashes though. I think she thought we run a cemetery or something. Please don't as us to repose your Aunt Tillys ashes!
Q: Can I return a tape if I don't like it?
A: We provide accurate categories and descriptions for all our videos. You need to ask questions about a video if you are not sure. If you are looking for an embalming video you will only find them under the Embalming Video category. We do not claim videos have extensive embalming or autopsy procedures in them just to get you to buy a film. Tapes may only be returned if unopened and in pristine condition. There may be a restocking fee. Shipping and taxes are not refundable. There are no refunds on opened tapes or DVDs.