The history of piracy dates back more than 3000 years. It appears that the word Pirate (Peirato) was first used in about 140 BCE by the Roman historian Polybius. The Greek historian Plutarch, writing in about 100 CE., gave the oldest clear definition of piracy. He described Pirates as those who attack without legal authority, not only ships, but also maritime cities. Piracy was described for the first time, among others, in Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey. For a great many years there remained no unambiguous definition of piracy.

Starting in XVI century piracy was gaining in popularity. Thanks to the progress of technology better, bigger and faster ships were built. Colonial expansion was beginning with all the shipping it created carrying gold and other goods. Competing interests and ambitions of colonial powers made it easy for ambitious sailors to always find a way to legalize the most cruel acts of piracy. English Privateers could for instance attack and rob, with impunity, Spanish shipping. On the other hand North African Pirates had a license to rob English ships and Madagascar Pirates of the XVIII century represented French king’s interests. The continually, since ancient times, notorious was so called Barbary Coast, a name formerly applied to the coast of North Africa from the western border of Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean. From the 1500s to the 1800s the coast was occupied by independent Islamic states under the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire. In the early 1500s, these states became centers for the Pirates.

In the 2000s, Modern Pirates armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, use small motorboats to attack and board ships, a tactic that takes advantage of the small number of crew members on modern cargo vessels and transport ships. They also use larger vessels, known as "mother ships", to supply the smaller motorboats. The international community is facing many challenges in bringing Modern Pirates to justice, as these attacks often occur in international waters. In the 2000s, a number of nations have used their naval forces to protect private ships from Pirate attacks and pursue Pirates. As well, some private vessels are taking steps to defend their vessels and their crews from piracy, such as using armed security guards, high-pressure hoses or sound cannons to repel boarders, or using radar to avoid potential threats.

HISTORY:

Toy soldiers, tin soldiers, or model soldiers are miniature figures representing soldiers from ancient times to the present day. They are among the most appealing of all plaything. Different types and styles of tin soldiers have been produced over the years, depending on the cost and availability of materials, as well as manufacturing technologies.

The first military figures have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, and have appeared in many cultures and eras. Tin soldiers were produced in Germany as early as the 1730s, by molding the metal between two pieces of slate. Toy soldiers became widespread during the 18th century, inspired by the military exploits of Frederick the Great. Miniature soldiers were also used in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries by military strategists to plan battle tactics by using the figures to show the locations of real soldiers. In 1893, William Britain revolutionized the production of toy soldiers by devising the method of hollow casting, making soldiers that were cheaper and lighter than their German counterparts.

SCALE:

Scale for toy soldiers is expressed as the soldier's approximate height from head to foot in millimeters. Because many figures do not stand up straight, height is usually an approximation. Standard toy soldier scale, originally adopted by W. Britain, is 54 mm (2.25 inches) or 1:32 scale. Among different manufacturers, standard scale may range from 50 mm or 1:35 scale, to 60 mm or 1:28 scale. On the larger end of the scale are American Dimestore figures, and many of the toy soldiers produced in Germany, which are approximately 75 mm (3 inches) or 1:24 scale.

Our goal is to provide the best service to our clients.

We want to provide you with Five star service at every point of the Detailed Seller Rating.

If you have recommendations or suggestions how we can improve our service, we are ready to cooperate to make our transaction effective for both sides.

• We are recognized to be a company providing HIGH level of service;
• We can arrange COMBINED shipping for multiple orders;
• We do our best for your purchase to be delivered FAST. Processing and dispatching within 2 business days is guaranteed. But with most of our orders we try and succeed to ship them the next business day;
• With us you are getting a GOOD price for high quality product;
• Full technical support – even if you have not made a purchase yet – you are still a VALUED customer. Considering which item is better for you – please, contact us and our qualified specialists will help you to make the BEST choice;

SHIPPING AND HANDLING INFO:

For purchases from another countries that are not listed above, please, contact us prior bidding.

• We process and send orders the next or the same day after the purchase on everyday basis except Saturdays and Sundays.

• We ship all products from Harrison, NJ, using USPS or FedEx at our decision. It takes approximately 3-7 (up to 10) business days after dispatching to deliver the item within continental USA.

• We do not provide shipping method "Local delivery/pickup" and do not ship to APO/FPO addresses.

• On your request, we can ship items UK, European Union Countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Please, contact us prior purchasing items. It takes approximately 5-14 days for items to be delivered to specified countries. For some countries like Italy, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea additional 3-5 days may be needed for items to be delivered.

• If during 7 days the item has not been received, on your request we will provide Delivery Confirmation Number or Tracking Number and also will try to help to resolve delivery problems.

• If the goods were returned back to us by the delivery service because of the wrong address, the buyer gets refund without Shipping Cost.

• We are able to ship the products only to physical addresses (USPS or FedEx valid); for sending to APO/FPO boxes, please, contact us in advance.

• We are not able to ship the items to the addresses temporarily occupied by the customers, i.e. hotels, motels, resorts and inns.

• International buyers please note: Import duties, taxes and charges depend on the country's laws of the recipient and are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyers responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.

• The shipping methods we use are USPS Priority or 1st Class, FedEx Ground or 2nd Day. For orders with Standard Shipping Service less than $65 we use USPS Priority or 1st Class. We use FedEx Ground for more expensive orders with Standard Shipping Service and FedEx 2nd Day for orders with Expedited Shipping Service.

• For orders with total equal to or greater than $65 and less than $100:
        -- shipped using Express Shipping Method (2nd day FedEx) or Standard Shipping Method (FedEx Ground Home Delivery) we include Indirect Signature confirmation;
        -- shipped using Standard Shipping Method (FedEx Ground Office Delivery) we include Adult Signature confirmation.

• For orders with total equal to or greater than $100 we include Direct Signature confirmation.

• In case the buyer is not able to receive the order shipped with Signature Confirmation and such order returns back to us, the buyer is responsible for Initial and Return Shipping Costs.

• Please, be advised that our shipping fees are not refundable. In case the buyer decides to return the product for a refund, the buyer is responsible for return shipping cost.
  - We reserve the right to verify the order and/or shipping method with the customer before physically sending it.

RETURNS AND REFUND POLICY:

The warranty period is stated in the product’s description. This warranty is not transferable. It is only applicable to direct customers upon presentation of the proof of purchase, i.e. the original invoice. Seller's maximum liability shall be limited to the purchase price of the product sold by Zwergenforg store. Zwergenforg shall not be liable for punitive, consequential or special damages for any injury to persons or damage to property or other loss or injury under any circumstances (including lost profits) other than the replacement or refund of the purchase price of any defective product.

NOT FOR CHILDREN:

Please note that many of our products are not suitable for persons under 14 years of ages because they may contain lead and sharp pieces.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Our company’s working hours are: 10:00 am-05:00 pm EST, Monday-Friday. We'll answer your letter during these working hours. Generally we answer emails within 24 hours (excluding weekends), but we reserve the right to answer the email within 48 hours.

PRIVACY POLICY:

We do not disclose private information of our customers to third parties except when obliged by law or court order.

PAYMENT INFO:

We accept PayPal only PAYPAL as payment method. You can pay with Major Credit and Debit Cards through Paypal. Please, pay for the product within 4 days after the purchase is complete. According to guidelines we report all unpaid purchases. We also reserve the right not to send the orders to addresses, which are not verified by PayPal's verification system. Please ask Before bidding. All the sales are final, so feel free to ask questions BEFORE placing bids.