Shipping
UK
We use Royal Mail to ship within the UK, and all packages are shipped first class with delivery confirmation. Packages usually take 1 working day to arrive, but can take 2-3 days if there any local issues causing delays.
We ask for a £1.95 shipping contribution for each order. If you order multiple items we only ask for a small amount extra.
Outside the UK
We are registered with the UK government to export items overseas, and have an EORI number which we provide on all international shipments. We ship internationally every day so it’s an important part of our every day operations.
We usually use DHL Express or DHL Parcel to ship our products for a fast and reliable service. We have tried all the courier companies and find this to be the best for most countries. However, occasionally we may need to use other couriers when there are price hikes or for a particular country where an alternative courier would be best.
Shipping internationally is not without risk, but we have minimised this by using DHL mainly, via our account with them, and a system that works well. They provide fast assistance in the event of any issues e.g. delayed collection, tracking problem etc. We have now developed experience that has helped us to provide our customers with an excellent service. It is extremely rare for us to now experience any problems with items being delivered safely and quickly.
US
We ship on account with DHL Express, which offers an amazing service to the US. Packages arrive within 2 working days to many locations. The maximum time would usually be 3-5 working days, unless there has been a customs issue or local issue but this is very rare. (Though please bear in mind this is the shipping time once your covers or cards have been produced, and this depends on whether they are customised, repeat or new, printed or blank; blank and non custom printed is fastest).
We can also send orders via standard post which is cheaper, though not hugely cheaper usually, and must be tracked. Also while shipping with Royal Mail / USPS can take 5-7 working days, it can be weeks and items can be held up at customs. We cannot guarantee the time frame and items that haven’t arrived cannot be investigated until around a month after they have been shipped. Therefore, please only choose this option if you can order quite far in advance and afford to wait if necessary.
This may be a good option for you if you have received a product you are happy with, and would like to re-order, and do so soon after receiving your first batch to allow plenty of time.
EU
We ship to the EU, but there have been some changes since Brexit for B2B (business to business) sales between the UK and the EU that you will need to bear in mind before placing your order:
- You will need to obtain an EORI number from your local government for your business, and provide this to us to put on the customs paperwork; both ours and our business customers in the EU must have this otherwise the package would likely be held up at customs and returned if it isn’t provided. It is usually very quick to obtain this and can be done online.
- As when we ship to other countries, you would be liable now to pay taxes and duties on your package (this is standard for our many customers in the US and Canada for example). The amount you would have to pay would depend on the overall value of the order, and the taxes applied by your government on the particular product; you may decide to contact the appropriate department in your country to find out the rate applied for printed/non-printed card products from the UK so you know how much you are likely to be charged.
- If you have a VAT number, please provide this as well; this may help speed up the delivery of your package as this shows you are a business recipient.
While these changes since Brexit have created a little more work and cost, we believe we provide an excellent standard of product at reasonable prices, which has meant that we still have many regular EU customers. Therefore, we hope you will order from us despite the new hurdles!
Canada
We ship regularly to Canada and use DHL Express. It’s a little more expensive that to the US but often takes just 2-3 working days (may be a little more depending on location and if any local issues).
Australia
Shipping time tends to be just over a week with DHL Parcel, but can be a little longer (or may be a little less). Again, please bear in mind this is once your order has been produced, which depends on whether it’s customised, a repeat or a new order, blank or printed (blank and non custom printed is the fastest).
Returns
We accept returns of blank and non-custom printed candle covers and display cards. However, since we cut to order each time, please try to ensure you order the correct size and product; we are a small business and only a small number of returns are re-sold, since it relies on someone else purchasing the exact same size/card/printing option.
Please bear in mind that the return postage must be paid for, as well as the extra shipping cost for us to send you a new batch, so for this reason it is also best to ensure you order correctly. We can provide templates if you need to check the size, and ideally we recommend cutting out a cover by hand, folding in half and measuring across that central line in mm or cm.
Returns are not too costly if you are in the UK (£1.95 for shipping your replacement, plus the cost to send the original order back), but if you are in the US or elsewhere, the return postage cost may be significant; the cheapest option would be standard post but this can take many weeks depending on where you are, and your new batch would be processed once we receive your returned order. You would need to provide evidence of posting in case the items are lost in the post.
On the rare occasions when customers order the wrong size and need to return for that reason, sometimes they decide to just keep the original order and use for a future batch of candles that will be in different sized containers so you may wish to consider if this might be right for you.
Contact Us`
I hope this information about shipping and returns is useful and answers questions you may have but, as always, please do contact us if you have any further questions and need help. Also we very much welcome any feedback or suggestions you may have.
Email: hello@fernerydesigns.com