Help & FAQ
Do you have a question about your subscription, a recent order, products, shipping or you want to suggest a new magazine? Here you can find some helpful answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ).
‘Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisici elit…’ (complete text) is dummy text that is not meant to mean anything. It is used as a placeholder in magazine layouts, for example, in order to give an impression of the finished document. The text is intentionally unintelligible so that the viewer is not distracted by the content. The language is not real Latin and even the first word ‘Lorem’ does not exist. It is said that the lorem ipsum text has been common among typesetters since the 16th century. (Source: Wikipedia.com).
We often send out our newsletter with news and great offers. We will never disclose your data to third parties and you can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Subscribe here to our newsletter.
If you created a new account after or while ordering you can edit both addresses (for billing and shipping) in your customer account.
Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer free samples. As a retailer, we buy all magazines from their publishers at the regular trade price. However, you could contact the publisher directly.
We usually sell all copies of the magazines offered in our shop. Some publishers and distributors offer the retailer the option of returning any unsold magazines. However, because our range includes magazines from countries such as Australia, the USA and the United Kingdom, sending them back would involve considerable effort in terms of logistics and would also be very expensive. We therefore choose not to return any unsold magazines. At the same time, this allows us to also offer our customers older or out-of-print magazines.
All data will be treated as strictly confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties. Take a look on our disclaimer and Privacy Policy.
Yes, sure. You can change the default currency (Swiss Francs/CHF) to any other currency by scrolling down to the bottom of each page or change it here (please note that the currency will switch back to Swiss Francs/CHF in the checkout due to billing reasons):
Swiss franc (CHF)
Euro (EUR)
Pound sterling (GBP)
United States (US) dollar (USD)
Canadian dollar (CAD)
Australian dollar (AUD)
Japanese yen (JPY)
Swedish krona (SEK)
Norwegian krone (NOK)
Yes. If there are any problems with an item, you can send it back to us and we’ll be pleased to replace it free of charge. If the item can no longer be delivered, the money will be refunded in cash or in the form of a voucher. You must notify us of any problems within seven days of receiving the item. However, we assume no liability for damage caused during shipping by the postal/delivery service. For more information, please refer to our General Terms & Conditions (GTC).
Yes, you can find us on the following social media platforms:
Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
News about all of our magazines, as well as reading tips and special offers, can also be found in our newsletter, which we send out several times a month.
We are selling magazines only through our online shop which is opened 24 hours a day.
We don’t have a physical store location at the moment. You can order our magazines through our online shop and we’re shipping all orders with the Swiss Post and DHL Express to all around the world. Please visit our shipping section for more details. From time to time you can find us at design fairs and popup markets in Switzerland. Subscribe to our newsletter and you’ll receive the latest news.
No, this isn’t possible. We want all of our magazines to be available for all customers. So you have to order the magazine in our online shop.
No, we do not take orders via Phone, E-mail or Social Media. Please order on our online shop, which is opened 24/7.
With our B2B programme, which is available to all business customers, you can offer your customers or employees our range of magazines or treat your staff to a subscription or one of our surprise packages. Not to mention, you automatically enjoy better terms as a B2B customer. Please find more details on our B2B page.
No, you don’t have to create an account. But there are a few advantages if you create an account.
– You never have to enter your billing and shipping address again
– Find all of your orders, subscriptions and addresses in your account
– Download invoices of your orders
Many of the magazines that we sell are from far-away countries. Prices depend largely on factors such as the shipping cost, customs duties, and general price changes imposed by our suppliers and the individual publishers. We therefore have to pass any changes in costs on to our customers. For subscription orders, however, the prices are not changed until the subscription is renewed. The prices at the time of ordering always apply.
Our retail prices are based on the trade price that we pay per magazine. We also have to take into account various other factors such as customs duties and shipping costs. These are especially high for magazines ordered from the USA or Australia, for example, and have to be considered in the final price. We also put a lot of time and effort into presenting each magazine in an optimum way in our shop and on social media. All of these factors therefore have to be taken into account when calculating the individual prices.
Yes, we sell gift cards that can be used to buy items in our online shop.
We are always looking for new and interesting Independent Magazines. Please drop us a short line if you know a magazine, which you want to be added to our shop. Please note that we cannot add all suggested magazines to our shop. If you’re a publisher, please use our separate contact form for publishers.
We sell magazines from all around the world. Please find here a list of all publishers.
Some of the magazines have only just been included in our range. At the beginning, we have to estimate the demand from our readers. We also have to check that more issues of the magazine will be published and that it won’t just disappear from the market after a short while, either for financial or other reasons.
All information relating to your subscription can be found on the paper invoice included with the delivery or on the electronic invoice in your user account. You can also see all current subscriptions and previous orders in your user account.
ou can cancel the subscription at any time in your customer account. However, please note that a cancellation period applies. If you wish to cancel your subscription, you must let us know at least 30 days before the end of the subscription (the expiration date can be found on your invoice). Otherwise the subscription will be extended automatically. We are unable to refund the remaining amount if you cancel your subscription at any point before the end of the subscription period.
If you do not cancel your subscription at least 30 days before expiration (by E-mail or snail mail) your subscription will be renewed automatically and charged from your credit card (you did use for your original order) or your PayPal account. You can view and change your subscription on your account page.
Currently you can pay using your credit card (Visa, Mastercard and Amexco) via Stripe. We also accept payments via PayPal, TWINT and Apple Pay or you can transfer the amount to our bank account via direct bank transfer (advance payment). On your credit card statement, you will find your purchase listed as sent to “LOREM NOT IPSUM MAGS” (statement descriptor). Please take a look on the payments section for more details.
Note: Additional fees may be charged by your bank when choosing direct bank transfer (advance payment).
If you’re ordering from abroad, you generally don’t have to pay Swiss VAT. Swiss VAT is deducted during the order process in our online shop. For orders within Switzerland, however, the reduced VAT rate of 2.5% is charged.
All orders with a shipping destination outside Switzerland or the Principality of Liechtenstein are charged without value added tax (VAT). Depending on the country, taxes and/or import fees may apply during the import, which are levied by the national post office or the courier company. Taxes and/or import fees may vary from country to country and must be paid by the buyer.
Although you are welcome to order larger quantities of the same item from us (provided that the item is in stock and available for delivery), we are unable to offer volume discounts. There are two reasons for this: firstly, we are not a bulk buyer and don’t buy large quantities from the publishers. We therefore have to pay the normal price of the magazine. Secondly, the shipping costs depend on the size and weight of the package.
If you ordered with QR-Bill (QR-Einzahlungsschein) you will receive an email with an invoice including the QR code and all payment details. So you can use your smartphone and scan the QR code within your ebanking application to pay the invoice. Find here more details about the QR-Bill.
There was a problem with the payment and the order process could not be completed. There can be several reasons for this:
A) Payment via PayPal
– Your PayPal account is no longer active or has been frozen
– The credit card in your account is no longer valid, has expired or has been blocked by the credit card provider
– Some technical problems occurred when connecting to PayPal
– The PayPal servers cannot be reached for technical reasons
B) Payment by credit card
– Your credit card is no longer valid
– Your credit card has expired
– Your credit card has been blocked by your card provider
C) Payment in advance (bank transfer)
– We have not yet received payment for your order (we can only send the ordered items after receiving your payment)
– Your payment details were incorrect or you provided incorrect or inaccurate details when making the bank transfer
Unfortunately, we don’t offer the option of paying after delivery. An overview of all available payment methods can be found on this page.
You should have received all data via e-mail in your confirmation of order. In case that did not happen or got lost, find below all the data you will need. If you forgot the exact billing amount or need to know anything else, contact us, we’re glad to help. Please note, that you have to pay an additional banking fee if you send money via bank transfer from abroad.
– IBAN: CH48 0070 0114 8027 0099 5
– SWIFT/BIC-Code: ZKBKCHZZ80A (please write a Zero after the 8)
– Clearing Nr. (BCN)/Sort code: 700
– Recipient: Flint Inh. Michael Krautwasser, Rindermarkt 17, 8001 Zurich (Switzerland)
– Bank: Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB), Bahnhofstrasse 9, 8001 Zurich (Switzerland)
In some countries import fees/taxes may apply to your order. They will be charged from your the carrier or local post service. Please note: We are not responsible for any customs and duties charged to a customer.
Yes, if you orderd with “Swiss Post Priority” or “DHL Express” shipping method you can track your order here. Please enter the tracking number you have received in your shipping confirmation E-mail. We always recommend to choose a shipping method with tracking details to make sure that your order will arrive without any problems.
We’re really sorry if you received the wrong item/it wasn’t as described. Please contact us as soon as possible, so we can help you further.
If an item is missing from your parcel, it may be delayed. In this case, it’ll be sent in a separate parcel once we receive further stock from the publisher or distributor. Please check your order confirmation email as delayed items should be marked with an expected delivery date.
If an item is missing from your parcel, please check your delivery note or parcel insert as you should be advised if an item will be sent later. Also, please check if you have received a second tracking number by email, as this shows that a second parcel has been sent out.
If you receive a damaged parcel, please check that all of the items you ordered are inside. If any items are missing or damaged, please contact us as soon as possible so we can help you.
We usually order several different magazines from the same distributor in order to save shipping costs (and thus to keep the prices of the magazines as low as possible). Unfortunately, there may be delays if a single magazine from this order is delivered later from our distributors or publishers.
There may be several reasons why you have not received your order. If we have sent the package to the wrong delivery address even though you specified the correct one during the order process, then we’ll be happy to cover the cost of sending a replacement. If you ordered with Swiss Post Priority shipping or DHL Express you can track your order here.
In the following cases, however, we would have to charge you again in full for sending a replacement (provided that all of the ordered items can still be delivered from stock):
- Your address has changed (e.g. due to moving home). If you have moved, we recommend that you ask the postal service to redirect your mail to your new address.
- The delivery address that you specified during the order process is wrong or contains errors.
- You are away on holiday when the package arrives. In our experience, the postal service only keeps packages for a certain amount of time before returning them to the sender (please ask a neighbour if the package can be delivered to their house while you’re away).
Important note
We always recommend to choose a shipping method with tracking details to make sure that your order will arrive without any problems. If you choosed a shipping option without tracking details we will not be able to track your order and therefore we cannot give you a refund in case your order got lost.
The fact that the order was not delivered may be due to the following reasons:
– It was deposited with a neighbour
– It was stolen
– Or there is another reason
Each package is shipped with a tracking number unless otherwise stated. If the order has been delivered according to the tracking information, then the package is also considered delivered. In this case, please contact your local postal service.
Yes, we offer free shipping to Switzerland and Liechtenstein for all orders of over CHF 80.
The shipping costs are based on the size, weight and delivery time (economy and priority) of the shipment. We charge the general shipping costs of Swiss Post, plus a little bit extra for packaging. Unfortunately, the cost of shipping an item can be almost as much as the magazine’s value in some cases. “Swiss Post Priority” shipping is faster than the economy option and includes also a tracking number.
Yes, of course. All of our subscriptions are currently available as gift subscriptions. You simply have to provide your own address as the billing address plus the recipient’s address as a separate delivery address. Please also inform us if you would like the recipient to know your name. We’ll make a note of it on a postcard and include it with the delivery. As the ordering party, you’ll receive the invoice by email.
For organisational and shipping-related reasons, we cannot gift wrap the ordered items.
Every order placed and paid before 2 p.m. is sent out on the same working day and arrives on the next day in Switzerland and Liechtenstein when ordered with “Swiss Post Priority” shipping (except on weekend and national holidays). This of course entails that the requested article is on stock, which is generally the case. If not, we let you know as quickly as possible – estimated shipping date included. For further information please visit our shipping page.
Please contact us if a magazine is in stock and you want it delivered the next day.
Shipping costs depend on the weight of the complete order and destination. The shipping costs will be shown during checkout. We offer free shipping to Switzerland and Liechtenstein with orders of over CHF 80.
Yes, that’s possible. Just make your order and choose “Pickup” from the shipping methods in the checkout. Please note: In the case of pickup orders, which are to be sent by Swiss Post at the request of the customer, a processing fee of CHF 10.00 will be charged in addition to the shipping costs.
Yes, we absolutely do! Customers of LOREM (not Ipsum) have come to be living all over Europe and even in Japan or Australia. So head over to our shop and take a look at our products.
Please find more information about our shipping methods.
We receive up to 20 enquiries per week from publishers all around the world. Because we can’t always respond to each one right away, all enquiries are checked and answered in chronological order. It may therefore take several weeks or months from receiving your enquiry to being able to respond to it. However, we always endeavour to answer all enquiries.
A magazine must meet various criteria before we can include it in our range:
- In line with our business concept, the most important factor is that the publication is an independent magazine. All magazines in our range are independent and do not belong to a large publishing group.
- We pay special attention to how the magazine looks and what type of paper is used to make it (FSC-certified).
- We don’t sell glossy magazines on subjects such as luxury goods or cosmetics.
- We don’t include publications in our range that glorify violence or weapons, nor ones with racist content or a certain political leaning.
- The magazine should cover one of the following topics: design, architecture, photography, art, culture, music, food, community, society, nature, sports, sustainability. We don’t consider magazines that focus purely on lifestyle, fashion or beauty.
- We must then ensure that we find the right target group and readership for all of our magazines.
If you would like to sell your magazine through our shop: form for publisher enquiries.
Wow, we’re happy to see more of your great publication. Please find our address on the contact page.
That’s a good idea. We are always interested in new magazines from all over the world. If you think your magazine would fit perfectly to our shop, we are happy to hear from you: Please use our contact form. Please note that we might have a little longer to reply to your request due to the large number of requests we get.
Need help?
Can’t find an answer to your question? Please send us a short E-mail. We are happy to help you.