Help/FAQs
Contacting Us
What are your hours of operation?
Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5pm. We are closed on weekends and bank holidays.
Can I leave a telephone message after hours?
Yes, we check all messages as soon as we arrive in the morning of our next working day and will call all US customers back within in the hour. It helps us if you also leave an e-mail address or second phone number.
Ordering From Us
How may I place an order?
We prefer orders via our web site, but we will accept orders by mail, fax, phone, or e-mail.
What payments do you accept?
Payment can be made in almost any form.
Can I order online and pay by check?
We apologize, not at this time.
Dispatching Your Order
How quickly will my order be dispatched?
We try to ship your order on day of receipt. The cut off for same day shipping is normally 12:00pm but can be as early as 11:00am depending on our workload. After this time your order is likely to wait until the following day. It is extremely rare for orders without back ordered items to be shipped later than 24 hours after receipt.
How quickly will my order arrive?
We usually use first class and priority mail services. First class normally arrives within a three to five business days and is not traceable. Priority mail is recommended that way you can trace the item to see where exactly it is at and generally arrives to your address one to three business days.
Can I guarantee next day delivery?
Yes, the cost is starts at $10 plus our regular postage charge and this does not apply to orders outside the US. We will pull out the stops to get next day delivery orders out the day we receive them.
As a guide orders received after midday can be difficult to process immediately depending on our workload, the size of your order. It is always best to phone to confirm, we are all very friendly.
Problems With Delivery Of Your Order
What happens if my order doesn’t turn up as expected?
There are, unfortunately, rare occasions when delivery fails to meet expectations. In these circumstances we will do our utmost to find out where the package has gone astray and keep you fully and promptly informed. If your order has been dispatched through the Post Office and hasn’t arrived on time it can almost always be traced.
If my order has been lost do I still have to pay for it?
Don’t worry after ten days we will we will refund or credit you if your order has not arrived, or if you prefer we will ship your order again.
What should I do if any of my goods are damaged?
Please let us know as soon as you receive your goods. We will advise the best course action. In some circumstances we will ask for the products to be returned for inspection. There are occasions when this is not necessary.
Some very small proportion of breakages must be expected. We cannot be held responsible for negligence or improper handling on the part of delivery or handling agencies. In general if serious damage has occurred in transit (we had tire tracks across one parcel!) compensation can be claimed against the handler.
Questions About Stock
How high are the stock levels in your mail order dept?
Our stock levels are buoyant. We work hard to keep high stock levels and examine the sales trends of every line we carry to try and ensure maximum satisfaction. However, with the best will in the world it is not possible to keep 100% stock 100% of the time.
How high are the stock levels ?
We try to keep at least two wholesale packs of each line of stock. For popular lines such as threads and fast moving glass beads the quantity held would be much greater. Shop staff are happy to contact our mail order dept to let you know what stock is available if we have sufficient stock to meet your needs. We can then discuss a convenient arrangement to ensure you receive the stock you require.
Are all your items exactly as they appear on your website and in your catalog?
A proportion of our goods are constructed of naturally occurring materials or may be handmade. We are very strict with quality control to ensure that we supply the closest match possible to our displayed products. Some small variation in color and size should be tolerated however. Slight variations are part of the charm of hand carved and dyed bone beads and glass lamp beads for example. No two are ever identical.
What happens if you are out of stock of part of my order?
Most out of stock items are already noted on the site. Where they are not and you have ordered them we apply the following policy.
If the goods are due in stock within 10 working days we will charge you and send the remaining items on without charging for postage. Please let us know if this unacceptable for any reason.
If the goods are not due within ten days and they make up an important part of your order we will contact you to ask if you would like to be informed when they arrive in stock.
Can you inform me when goods are back in stock?
If you let us know which pieces you are interested we can contact you when these products are next available.
Can you inform me when out of stock goods are likely to be available?
We may be able to give an immediate broad indication of delivery times. If your needs are very specific or urgent we are happy to provide more detailed information.