Frequently Asked Questions
CAN I GET A PAPER CATALOG?
We do have a black-and-white catalog of our core play therapy toys and products that we will be happy to send upon request. If you need multiple copies, just let us know how many.
DO YOU HAVE A STORE WHERE I CAN SEE YOUR PRODUCTS IN PERSON?
We do not. Once a year at the Association for Play Therapy's annual conference, we display our sandtray miniatures and other play therapy toys for on-site purchase. Otherwise, we exist only in cyberspace - and a basement.
WHAT IF I'M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING YOU DON'T HAVE?
Let us know what you need. If we know someone else who has it, we'll direct you there. If we don't, we'll add it to our search list.
In the meantime here are some links that might be useful:
The Association for Play Therapy in the United States, www.a4pt.org
The Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy, www.cacpt.com
High quality, handcrafted sandtrays at Ron's Trays, www.sandtrays.com
Dust free sand from Jurassic Sand, www.jurassicsand.com
ARE YOU WILLING TO BE A VENDOR AT OUR LOCAL CONFERENCE?
We love to support local sandtray and play therapy trainings with catalogs and door prizes. Just let us know how many people are coming and where to ship. We generally can't come in person.
WHAT WOULD I EVER DO WITH A PILE OF POOP?
Or with whiskey bottles or guns for that matter? That's the thing about sandtray and play therapy toys. It's not always about what you would do as the clinician. The important question is what would your client do with a pile of poop? As we overheard one play therapist explain to another once, when you ask a kid to pick out figures to represent the people in their lives and they pick out a pile of poop for someone, it's telling.
People whose lives are full of sunshine and smiley faces are generally not the ones who show up in our offices in need of play therapy. We may hope they eventually get there, but they certainly don't start out their journeys in such a gleeful place. Nor do they have merely generic, neutral or bland stories to tell through their play or in the sand. Their stories are often ugly and terrifying, and sometimes violent. The great thing about small toys and figures, particularly within the boundaries of a sandtray, is that the miniatures shrink these gigantic problems down to a size that is manageable even for a child. A little gross poop, a little disturbing drugs, a little creepy monster, a little violent weapon or two, a little angry mob - they're no big problem. In the capable hands of kids they're just bad guys in stories that, with a little help from you, can someday have a happy ending.
WHY DON'T YOU SELL SANDTRAYS OR SAND?
If sandtray affordability is an issue, a plastic container and bag of sand are readily available at Wal-Mart and cheaper than anything else we can offer. If you're looking for a quality sandtray, we don't know anyone who makes them better than Oak Hill Specialties at www.sandtrays.com. And we don't know of any better quality dust-free sand than Jurassic Sands at www.jurassicsand.com. Anything else we could offer would be sub-par.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN I GET AN ERROR CODE AT CHECKOUT?
It means your credit card was declined. Go back and make sure your card number, expiration date, security code and billing address are all correct and try again. If the problem persists, you may want to consider PayPal.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO REACH YOU?
Hands down the best way to reach us is by e-mail (toytrade@yahoo.com). As you no doubt have experienced, taking and returning phone calls is a challenge when you work full time as a clinician. We are able to respond much more quickly and thoroughly by e-mail, since you don't have to worry about catching us and we don't have to worry about catching you. If telephone still works better for you, feel free to leave us a message at 1-866-461-2929 and we will certainly get back to you as soon as possible.
WHEN CAN I EXPECT MY ORDER?
Since we are shipping from Kentucky, we've found that we can reach most destinations in the U.S. within about a week (some sooner.) Depending on the size, weight and destination of your package, we ship either Priority Mail through the U.S. Postal Service or UPS/FedEx ground. If you have a preference on shipping service, let us know and we'll be happy to accommodate you. We ship all international orders via the U.S. Postal Service. It usually takes about 10 business days for international orders to arrive and work their way through customs.
WHAT IF I NEED MY ORDER IN A HURRY?
If you need your order by a certain deadline, let us know immediately and we will do everything possible to expedite your order. If you need next day delivery, we probably can't get it to you in time. Sorry.
WHAT IF I NEED TO SHIP TO A POST OFFICE BOX?
No problem. If your shipping address is a post office box, we'll just use the U.S. postal service.
DO YOU ACCEPT PURCHASE ORDERS?
We do accept purchase orders from companies in the United States. If you place your order through this website, we'll also need you to fax us a copy of the signed purchase order to 1-866-803-3781 (859-225-3852). If you prefer to mail the purchase order, our address is Toys of the Trade, 838 E. High St., #289, Lexington, KY 40502.
WHAT IF I'M TAX EXEMPT?
We are located in Kentucky and only charge sales tax on orders shipped to Kentucky addresses. If you are a tax-exempt organization in Kentucky, just fax information confirming your tax-exempt status to us at 1-866-803-3781 (859-225-3852).
DO YOU OFFER WHOLESALE PRICING?
We do not. We are strictly a retail business, with a very low margin of profit.
DO YOU SHIP OVERSEAS?
It may involve setting up a PayPal account, since many of our international customers have reported difficulty with their credit cards being declined when they check out. But yes. We can ship to any country that allows shipments from the U.S. postal service. If there's a problem shipping to your particular country we'll let you know.
WILL THERE BE CUSTOMS FEES ON MY INTERNATIONAL ORDER?
That we don't know. We have heard from some customers who were charged an import tax and others who were not. Your country determines whether and how much you are charged for shipments from the U.S. We have no control over their policies, so we encourage you to contact your local customs office before placing your order. They should be able to advise you on what to expect. To help offset any import fees, the flat-rate shipping rate we charge is on average about half of the actual cost of shipping to international destinations.
WHAT IF I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS?
We'll do our best to answer any questions you may have about sandtray miniatures and play therapy toys. E-mail us at toytrade@yahoo.com. Call us at 1-866-461-2929 (859-225-0304). Fax us at 1-866-803-3781 (859-225-3852). Write to us at Toys of the Trade, 838 E. High St., #289, Lexington, KY 40502.
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