Shipping

Please be aware that taxes/import duty/ VAT may be charged if ordering from outside the UK

Such taxes, imposed by the country of destination, will be collected by DHL, along with their service fee. This is an additional charge which is not included in the purchase price

The website estimates a shipping cost based on an imagined packed weight. This can sometimes show as being more expensive, than the actual shipping cost. If your shipping cost seems too high please contact us for a more accurate estimate of what the cost will be. We always refund any extra shipping costs paid by the customer and are happy to show you our DHL invoice.

We will ensure that the correct tariff code is applied to the customs documentation, as in many cases an antique code reduces the amount of import charges payable.

Within the UK we post using Royal Mail Special Delivery, with guaranteed next working day delivery by 1pm.

For overseas customers we ship using DHL. This can be tracked end to end with this one company. There are cheaper international couriers but these list antiques and precious metals amongst their prohibited items. DHL will accept and insure all antiques and precious metals. We prepare the customs invoices ourselves, ensuring that the correct tariff code is used and emphasising the antique status and approximate age.

Some customers ask for cheaper shipping with Royal Mail or Parcelforce. Your item description and value is fully displayed on the shipping carton with Royal Mail and Parcelforce, for everyone to clearly see your contents and value. In the event of a loss Royal Mail will only provide compensation up to £250. Parcelforce will not provide any compensation for antiques, or precious metals. It is not a secure route for antique shipping, but if you do require this cheaper method of shipping then you would need to sign a disclaimer, which we will provide. Please also bear in mind that we are not able to provide a customs invoice with Royal Mail or Parcelforce and this may affect duties and taxes imposed.

The shipping address must not be a PO Box address.

Please ensure that all the elements of an item are permitted in your country ie: ivory, mother of pearl, whalebone (baleen) and tortoiseshell. Some countries destroy any items containing these.

There may be import charges/duty/taxes/VAT payable upon importation if ordering from outside the UK, including EU countries. This charge, imposed by the country of destination, is not included in the purchase price. DHL will require you to pay this amount and their service fee for managing the customs importation charges. Please check beforehand with your customs service if you are unsure of what charges your country imposes. We will mark items as antique on the customs declaration, where applicable, as in a lot of cases this reduces the import charges payable. All items are shipped fully insured.

If we are unable to ship for any period of time we will normally post a message on our home page, however we aim to ship within 2 working days of receiving your order.