CABINET / FAQ

I’ve moved, but I asked the post office to forward my mail. Why should I bother to change my address with you?
The simple act of changing your address will save you from dreadful delivery delays and losses, and will save us from the time-consuming task of problem-solving. Periodicals class mail—the category that we use for sending issues to subscribers—is wonderful and cheap but it does NOT include any forwarding services; this is true even if you ask the post office to forward your mail. The USPS regulations stipulate that it must toss out publications rather than forward them to you (sometimes publications slip through the regulations and end up at your new address, but this is, in fact, a USPS error).

Sadly, your undeliverable issue ends up costing us extra money. What typically happens when an issue is sent to an outdated address is that the post office throws out your magazine (which costs us $6 to print) along with the envelope it came in ($1.25). They then send us a note saying that they shredded the issue (this note costs us 0.85 cents). Sometimes, the USPS goes against regulation and sends the magazine back to us, which incurs an additional $3.82 to our postal account. We are very grateful when subscribers update their address in a timely manner so that we can avoid these unnecessary losses.

I’m a subscriber, but my issue seems to have been lost in the mail. Can I get it re-sent?
There are several reasons why your issue may not have reached you. It may have been sent to an outdated address, or it may still be en route, especially if you are an international subscriber. Please email shop@cabinetmagazine.org so that we may look up your account and figure out the problem. Please note, however, that if you have moved and did not correct your address prior to the distribution date, we cannot re-send your issue. We recommend that you keep your email on file with our subscriptions department, as we confirm your address before sending each issue.

I haven’t moved, but my copy of Cabinet was lost in the mail, so I’d like to have it re-sent, since it was the USPS’s fault. I’m inordinately curious, and I’d like to know how much re-sending an issue costs your organization.
In case you are interested in the gory financial details, the missing issue is a $8.10 loss ($6 for the printed magazine, $1.25 for the envelope, and $0.85 to be notified by the USPS that the issue was undeliverable). Sending a replacement costs $7.25 (for the magazine and the envelope). Since cheap Periodicals Mail is only available when you send magazines in bulk, this single issue needs to be sent using Media Mail ($3.17). Our US subscription price of $32 is below cost (we’re a non-profit and survive with a lot of help from grants) and losing an additional $10 per subscription adds up very quickly for us: this additional $10.87 in hard costs (not even factoring in staff time) means that instead of losing approximately $25 on your subscription, we’re now losing $35.

Why should I subscribe to Cabinet, rather than buying issues from the newsstand?
You receive the best price per issue by subscribing directly to Cabinet. Additionally, Cabinet receives a far greater proportion of the sale price when you subscribe directly rather than purchasing from a newsstand (we typically get only $1.50 of the $12 cover price from newsstand sales). Subscribers also receive discounts on Cabinet books and have the satisfaction of supporting a non-profit arts organization. If you collect Cabinet, subscribing to us directly ensures that you will never miss an issue only to discover after the fact that it’s sold out and unavailable.

When do issues come out?
Our quarterly magazine comes out roughly at the end of the following months:

Spring issue: ca. April
Summer issue: ca. July
Fall issue: ca. October
Winter issue: ca. January

Note that the above dates are when the magazine is released, not when you should expect to receive it in the mail; depending on your location, you could receive the magazine up to four weeks later.

Why do you need my email?
Cabinet will never share or sell your email address, but having your email greatly helps our subscriptions department serve you better. For instance, we remind our subscribers to check their current mailing address before each issue comes out; we also send out a renewal reminder towards the end of your subscription. Timely renewal ensures that you will receive the best per-issue price, as mailing out individual issues is more expensive both for us and for you. Additionally, as a non-profit, our print run is limited, so we sell out of most issues. Lapsed subscribers often discover that they cannot obtain the copies that they missed.

What is early renewal?
If your current subscription ends with the current issue or later, you are renewing early. Your early renewal saves our staff the time and cost of sending out superfluous renewal letters; we pass on this savings to you in the form of a $2 discount.

Can you renew automatically?
Yes. Contact the subscriptions department by emailing shop@cabinetmagazine.org.

I just realized I didn’t receive an issue from last year. Can I still get it?
Unfortunately, no. We only handle claims within a six-month period of the issue release date.

I live in a far-flung land. For subscription price purposes, I’m not sure where I fit in. Can you help?
Cabinet has four different geographic categories: US, Canada, Europe, and “Elsewhere.” The list of countries included in “Europe” is determined by our international courier. Our prices are based on their list and should not be seen to reflect any opinions Cabinet might have on where Europe starts and ends. “Europe” currently includes:

Albania
Andorra
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Montenegro
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom
Vatican City

If I moved from the US to Prague / Auckland / Timbuktu in the middle of my subscription, can I receive my remaining issues at my new address?
Because of the additional shipping charges we incur when we mail the magazine internationally, we require a slight price adjustment based on the number of issues left in your subscription. Please email shop@cabinetmagazine.org to confirm the additional charge.

I want to find out if my friend subscribes already before I give him a gift subscription. Can you look this up for me?
Please email shop@cabinetmagazine.org with your friend’s full name and address and we will consult our database and get back to you.

What are the different shipping options I can choose from when I start my subscription?
—US orders (starting with the current issue): you can have the first issue of the subscription sent either by Media Mail (2–3 weeks) or by Priority Mail (3–9 days). The rest of the subscription will be mailed via Periodicals Mail (2–4 weeks) as each issue comes out. In general, the closer you are located to New York, the less time your issue will take to arrive.
—US orders (starting with the next issue): your first issue as well as the rest of the subscription will be mailed as Periodicals Mail (2–4 weeks), as each issue comes out. Depending on where your order placement falls in our quarterly cycle, your first issue may arrive in two weeks or in as long as three months.
—Non-US orders (starting with the current issue): all issues will be sent by a courier service. Please expect delivery in 2–5 weeks. This is an economy air service and there is no tracking information available.

What are the different shipping options when I order back issues?
—US orders: if you order only one issue (such as a copy of the current issue), you can choose Media Mail (2–3 weeks) or Priority Mail (3–9 days). Two or more issues will be sent by Priority Mail.
—Non-US orders: back issues will be sent by either USPS First-Class Mail International or a courier service. Please expect delivery in 2–5 weeks.

What are the different shipping options when I order books?
—US orders: you can choose Media Mail (2–3 weeks) or Priority Mail (3–9 days).
—Non-US orders: books will be sent by USPS First-Class Mail International. Please expect delivery in 2–4 weeks.

When can I expect the arrival of my order of an unlimited edition, T-shirt, tote bag, or other merchandise?
—US orders: expect delivery in 1–2 weeks.
—Non-US orders: expect delivery in 2–4 weeks.

How can I track my package?
All current issues are sent via Periodicals Mail, which does not come with tracking services. Certain orders of back issues and Cabinet merchandise may be sent using another class of mail and may be traceable; please email shop@cabinetmagazine.org if you believe your delivery has been unduly delayed. We do not use UPS or Fedex to send any shop items, with the sole exception of limited edition artworks.

An email that I expected from Cabinet never arrived / I didn’t receive an email confirmation for my online order. What happened?
Some of our email, especially email sent via our automated server, ends up in spam folders. (Gmail is especially bad about this.) Our shop is designed to generate an auto-confirmation for every order, so if it’s not in your spam folder, email shop@cabinetmagazine.org and we’ll check on the status of your order. You may also want to set up a filter so that emails from Cabinet are not marked as spam.

I’d like to modify the order I just placed online. Can you change it for me?
It depends. If we have not processed the order, we can change the address and other details easily enough; all you have to do is email shop@cabinetmagazine.org. We are not able, however, to change the amount charged to your credit card, because we don’t have access to that information. We use a third-party credit card company that has the adequate technology to securely process your credit card. If you need to add something to your order, email shop@cabinetmagazine.org with the details and we’ll tell you how to pay for the difference through our online shop.

If I order merchandise (books, T-shirts, etc.) and I decide it’s not to my liking, can I return it?
Cabinet cannot accept returns except when items were damaged as a result of our amateur packing skills or lost as a result of the United States Postal Service’s amateur mail delivery skills. Not liking our magazines or other tchotchkes does not warrant a return. We feel that you will grow to like our product if you just give it time—say, three years. One exception: if you’ve ordered a T-shirt and the size is incorrect, we’d be happy to exchange it for the proper size.

Can I cancel my subscription?
Unfortunately, we don’t offer refunds once subscription orders are fully processed and the issues (some or all) have been shipped. We sell our subscriptions below cost (that’s why we are a non-profit), and entering you into the database, then removing the data and issuing a refund, is very time-consuming and costly. We do, however, accept other requests: we’ll be happy to transfer the remainder of your subscription to a friend, or you can choose to have your subscription suspended until you are ready to receive issues again. If you are not sure that you would like the magazine and are hesitant to subscribe, we suggest that you take a look at a sample issue here.

Which bookstores carry Cabinet?
Please see the most up-to-date list here. It is an imperfect list, so please do call your local reseller to check that it stocks Cabinet. If you know of a bookstore that carries Cabinet but doesn’t appear on this list, please let us know by emailing info@cabinetmagazine.org.

I’m interested in a back issue but I see that it’s sold out. How can I get it?
You can see if our book distributor, DAP, still has some copies left. Please consult their website here. (Please note that the Cabinet cover images used on DAP’s site were provisional ones that we gave them for their catalogue months in advance of actually publishing the issues. The real covers often differ from the ones you see on DAP’s site). None of our other distributors keep back issues. Alternatively, you may find used copies on Amazon, eBay, or AbeBooks.

Will you send me a sample copy?
We’re a small non-profit, so unfortunately, we cannot afford to provide free copies. An entire issue is available as an interactive PDF for free here. Select articles are available online here. We also sell downloadable PDF versions of most of our past issues here. We hope that these electronic resources will give you a good sense of the magazine.

I’m a student. Is there a discount?
We do not currently offer a student discount, but you may be able to find Cabinet at your local library. If you don’t see Cabinet in your library, don’t hesitate to place a subscription request with your librarian.

Do you offer the “bill me later” option?
No! It’s not feasible for us as a non-profit, since it requires many more accounting procedures and we have limited staff resources. (We’re also against the notion of “bill me” as a matter of principle. Instead of sending payment at the same time as the order, the client is asking that a new bill be sent, thus wasting paper, staff time, and postage. We strive to be efficient with our resources, as well as the world’s, and “bill me” conflicts with this priority.)

Is it secure to place an order online? How can I place an order off-line?
Cabinet uses a secure server, so your private data will be encrypted when you place an order through our online shop. But, if you’d prefer, we’re happy to hear from you by phone or letter. Our contact info is here.