It is Valley Country's policy to accept payment for online orders at the time the order is placed.  In the case of credit card payments, our  longtime customers may recall that our original policy was to defer the charge for the goods until time of shipment.  This policy was changed because:

1. It is customary for most eCommerce sites to charge their customers' credit cards during the order process -- usually using electronic payment gateways.

2. Many customers expressed strong concern when we charged their card at the time of shipment -- because they had assumed the payment had already been taken from their credit card at time of order.

3. A surprisingly high proportion of customers' credit cards were found to be invalid or overdrawn at time of shipment, adding significant time and complexity to the order administration process.

If we need to source from our vendors the item(s) that you have ordered from us, and this results in delays in fulfilling your order, we are happy to refund up to 75% of the payment until the goods become available, on the understanding that funds will be available at time of shipment.

Please note that payment fraud is a major problem for online retailers such as ourselves.  Valley Country employs fraud detection technology that may necessitate alternative payment processes.