Shipping destinations

We are a UK-based business, and at present we ship to the UK only. We DO NOT ship to anywhere else yet - sorry!

Time-to-ship

If you order on a working day our policy is to despatch your order the same day, providing that the order is placed before 3:00pm. Please note that there may be an additional delay if we have to make special shipping or sourcing arrangements. This is rare, but it does occasionally happen. For non-stock items (e.g. Special orders or wholesale quantities), you can expect the goods to be ready for shipping in 5 business days. At the time of writing, 3-4 business days is what we typically achieve.

Shipping Methods

We use a variety of shipping methods depending on order size, value, and destination. However, there are broadly speaking two options to choose from. Please allow additional shipping time if it is Christmas, Easter, or a Bank Holiday.

Standard Delivery
Pros : Modest cost, can be quick, simple tracking available, guaranteed delivery
Cons : Can be slow, not appropriate for heavier orders or high value orders

Only available for modest weight, modest value, orders. If you choose this method, then we can guarantee that you will receive your order, but (according to Royal Mail) up to 15 working days have to be allowed for delivery. Our experience is that about 40% of Recorded Delivery items are delivered the next day, about 40% the second day, and the rest trickle in over the following days. Our experience is that Royal Mail lose about one parcel in eight hundred, so this does not happen often. We will despatch your order promptly, and obtain a signature from the Royal Mail to confirm it has been sent. If you do not receive it within the allotted timeframe, please contact us and we will make prompt enquiries. Certified delivery (and sometimes written Proof-of-Delivery, depending on area) is available.

Express Delivery
Pros : Quick, full tracking, guaranteed delivery, ideal for high value or urgent items
Cons : Most expensive option

If you choose this method, then we can guarantee that you will receive your order promptly. This doesn't mean that your order will always be delivered the next business day, but this is typically what we achieve providing your order is received on a working day before 3:00pm. If you do not receive your order within a reasonable timeframe, please contact us and we will make prompt enquiries. Written Proof-of-Delivery is available.

Shipping supplement

We are obliged to charge a premium for Express orders shipped to the Scottish Highlands, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Islands. We automatically work out if this applies to your order based on the Postcode of your delivery address. This premium only applies to Express delivery to these harder-to-reach areas - we do not charge extra when sent by standard delivery.

A shipping supplement is applied for the following postcodes:

Highlands postcodes
AB30-56 Aberdeen
IV21-28, 40, 52-54 Inverness
KW1-14 Orkney
PA28-40 Argyll
PH15, 17-41 Perthshire

Island Postcodes
HS1, KA27-28, KW15-16, PA41-49, PA60, PA77, ZE1

Island Postcodes (where additionally a delivery delay may occur)
GY1-9, HS2-9, IV41-51, IV55-56, PA61-76, PA78, ZE2-3

Shipping Costs

Shipping costs are based on the total weight of the order, the overall value [we have to pay for additional insurance on expensive orders], shipping destination, and speed of shipping. Also, a fraction of the overall cost contributes to packing materials and time to pack, though we try very hard to minimise these through packaging re-use, recycling and overall efficiency.

To provide accurate shipping information, we have provided a Shipping Estimator at the first stage of our checkout procedures. This will show you the shipping options available to you, and their associated costs. This information is made available to you before you enter personal information or your payment details.