Use the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Section as a resource of information. You will find answers to many common questions.
What is your minimum order?
Our minimum order is $25.00 plus $7.00 for shipping and handling if the order is less than $100. Orders over $100 are eligible for free UPS ground shipping within the continental United States. See Ordering Information and Shipping Information for more information.
Do you offer school discounts?
Yes. Orders starting at $300 receive an additional discount to our already discounted wholesale prices. Please see our Discount Packages section for more information.
How much is shipping and handling?
Orders of $100 or more receive free shipping to schools in the Continental United States. Orders less than $100 have a shipping cost of $7.00. Canada, Hawaii and Alaska orders are not eligible for free shipping. Please include 10% of your order total for shipping to these locations.
We also offer upgraded expedited shipping services from UPS. Overnight Air (Red Label) and Second Day Air (Blue Label) are available. The customer pays the actual cost of shipping for upgraded UPS shipping.
Please see Shipping Information for more details.
Do you accept school purchase orders?
Yes. Purchase Orders must be approved and submitted from the school business office. Our terms are NET 30 for schools that are in good standing with our Credit Department. See Ordering Information for more details.
Can students place individual orders?
Phone orders must be placed by the teacher, purchasing agent, or administrative personnel. Others who wish to order may call our retail distributor, The Electronic Goldmine at 1-800-445-0697 or Fax (480) 661-8259, or online at www.goldmine-elec.com
How soon can I expect my order to arrive?
We usually ship orders within 24 hours from the receipt of your order. Orders are shipped from our warehouse in Arizona. The furthest distance (within the USA) that we ship to takes up to 6 business days for UPS ground delivery.
We also offer expedited shipping options. Please refer to the UPS rush service chart. Please note that expedited shipping service charges are determined by the weight of your order and your shipping location. It is more expensive to ship heavy items to locations farther away from us.
Please see Shipping Information for more details.
How do I get technical assistance?
Any technical questions must be made by the teacher. Please do not have students call. In addition, please do not send technical questions via e-mail.
Are the Skill Levels important?
Although you are welcome to order any skill level kit desired, we find that students that have never soldered before will find the Skill Level 1 kits the best to start with. Please see our Skill Level System for more information.
My kit doesn't work, what should I do?
Carefully follow the “troubleshooting” steps provided in the kit instructions. Most of the time this will resolve the problem, however, if it doesn't, send you kit in per our repair policy.
In addition, please see our Training Section for more information on kit building.
How do I determine the polarity on an electrolytic capacitor?
Almost all electrolytic capacitors have a stripe or arrow along the negative lead. The negative lead is also the shorter of the 2 leads on most electrolytic capacitors.