Probably the easiest way is to copy-and-paste the items you want into an E-mail. If you prefer, you can type the name of the shell and its price into an E-mail. We assume that you want one specimen of each, unless you tell us otherwise. Whichever way you decide to order, please make sure that you include the price with each shell, since this makes it much more efficient for us assembling your order.

You can order by E-mail (our preferred method), but not directly on-line. Our list is presented in a form that gives you the maximum information with the shortest possible download time, and a database that allowed on-line ordering would be much more cumbersome. You can also order by phone if you prefer (see About us for contact details).

There is no minimum order, and there is no surcharge for small orders. We are quite happy to send very small orders since we are confident that you will come back and order again. New customers usually like to place a small order at first. Simon's Specimen Shells is pleased to have customers who place frequent small orders, as well as those who prefer to place large orders.

If there are no queries with your order and you are an established customer then your shells are usually dispatched the day after we receive your order. Small or medium-sized orders received by noon British time are often dispatched the same day.

Orders within the UK will almost always arrive the day after dispatch, except in some parts of Scotland. Parcels sent to EU countries generally take 3 – 4 working days, and to North America they take 4 – 6 working days. Wherever you live, it shouldn't take more than about 7 working days to receive your shells. If you have any worries about a parcel possibly being delayed or lost, please contact us.

We'll be delighted to place one or more shells "on hold" like this. We strongly recommend that you order in this manner, to avoid the disappointment of shells not being available. You can either browse the rest of the list at your leisure, or download the list again at a later date to look for newly added shells.

Thankfully this is a rare occurrence, but it does occasionally happen – Spondylus spines or Xenophora attachments are the usual culprits, or Pinnidae. Since we are responsible for the shells up until you receive them and approve them, you do not have to pay for breakages in the mail. You may return any broken shells to us and we will compensate you for the postage costs. However, when there is a minor breakage in the post we normally invite you to keep the shell for a reduced price, which we assess according to the seriousness of the damage. If the damage is severe we will replace the shell if possible, or otherwise you will not be charged for the broken one.

Despite all our efforts, this does happen very occasionally. As the buyer, you are not responsible if a parcel goes astray while on its way to you. We will replace the shells where possible, or refund any advance payment. If you are sending cash in the mail to us or are returning unwanted shells, losses in the mail are your responsibility.

Buying shells is very subjective and occasionally you might order a shell which isn't what you expected. You can return any shell within 10 days of receipt – no questions asked. We will either refund your payment or (where possible) exchange it if you wish. We believe that this is the only way to operate a shell business. We do try to give accurate descriptions of all our shells, and as a result we've found that only in about 1% of our shipments will a customer wish to return a shell. If you do want to return a shell, please make every effort to return it quickly, because it could be wanted by another collector.

Unfortunately we cannot give discounts. We always try to give the best possible price on our shells and to make them accessible to as many collectors as possible. We tend to keep small stocks of each item (many items are single specimens) so it would never be practical to offer quantity discounts. Customers placing large orders do save on postage costs however: the registration fee is waived on orders exceeding €400.

Absolutely. Most people find this the ideal way to choose shells. All the shells on our list are fully prepared for sale, with data labels printed and price tags, and you can view the entire stock at your leisure. Click here for details of our location.

We are shipping to 49 countries on 6 continents, and we know of no restrictions that affect the type of shells that we sell. Most countries have restrictions on the import of such items as live snails or their eggs, but we never deal with these items. Naturally, all countries that have signed the CITES agreement prohibit the import of endangered species. We have never had any problem whatsoever with the export of specimen shells to collectors or museums around the world.