Shipping policy

Effective Date: 24th April 2026
Last Updated: 24th April 2026

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OVERVIEW

Urban Stitches ("the Guild", "we", "us") sells primarily digital products (blackwork and cross stitch patterns) with select physical merchandise (stickers, t-shirts, certificates).

This Shipping Policy explains delivery methods, timelines, and costs for all products purchased from theurbanstitches.co.uk.

The Guild delivers digital patterns instantly. The Guild posts physical items promptly. Steve does not handle shipping. Steve has been told he handles shipping. Steve handles nothing related to shipping.

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1. DIGITAL PRODUCTS (INSTANT DELIVERY)

1.1 What Qualifies as Digital

The following products are delivered digitally (no physical shipping):

• Individual blackwork and cross stitch patterns
• Stitch Along (SAL) patterns and releases
• Pattern bundles and collections
• Custom photorealistic patterns
• Digital certificates
• All PDF downloads

1.2 Delivery Method

Digital products are delivered instantly upon successful payment via:

1. Email download link sent to the email address provided at checkout
2. Account download page accessible by logging into your account at theurbanstitches.co.uk

Delivery Timeline: Immediate (within seconds of payment confirmation)

1.3 Download Access

• Download links do not expire
• Files can be downloaded multiple times
• Lifetime access to all purchased digital products via your account

1.4 Delivery Issues

If you do not receive your digital product within 10 minutes:

1. Check your spam/junk folder
2. Verify the email address used at checkout
3. Log into your account and check the "Downloads" section
4. Contact lovelypeople@urbanstitches.co.uk with your order number

Common issues:

• Email in spam folder (most common)
• Incorrect email address at checkout
• Email provider blocking automated messages

Dave handles digital delivery issues. Response time: within 24 hours (typically much faster).

1.5 No Shipping Costs

Digital products have no shipping costs. You pay only the product price.

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2. PHYSICAL PRODUCTS (POSTAL DELIVERY)

2.1 What Qualifies as Physical

The following products are shipped physically via Royal Mail:

• Stickers (SAL stickers, logo stickers, neon stickers)
• T-shirts (Starry Night, Therapist, etc.)
• Mugs
• Physical certificates (Master rank, upon request)
• Other physical merchandise as available

Most physical items are print-on-demand, meaning they are produced after you order. This affects production and shipping times (see Section 2.3).

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2.2 Shipping Methods and Costs

UK SHIPPING

Method: Royal Mail Standard Delivery
Cost: Calculated at checkout (typically £2-4 depending on item size/weight)
Estimated Delivery: 5-7 business days from dispatch
Tracking: Basic tracking included (item scanned at key points)

Royal Mail Tracked Delivery (optional upgrade):
Cost: +£2-3
Estimated Delivery: 3-5 business days
Tracking: Full tracking with delivery confirmation

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Method: Royal Mail International Standard
Cost: Calculated at checkout based on destination (typically £5-12)
Estimated Delivery:

• Europe: 7-14 business days
• USA/Canada: 10-21 business days
• Rest of World: 14-28 business days

Royal Mail International Tracked (optional upgrade where available):
Cost: Varies by destination
Tracking: Full tracking to destination country

FREE SHIPPING THRESHOLD

Free UK shipping on orders over £30 (physical items only, automatically applied at checkout)

International: No free shipping threshold currently available

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2.3 Production and Dispatch Times

PRINT-ON-DEMAND ITEMS (T-shirts, Mugs)

Production Time: 3-5 business days
Dispatch: Items ship from our print partner's facility after production
Total Timeline: Production time + shipping time

Example (UK):
Production (3-5 days) + Shipping (5-7 days) = 8-12 business days total

Example (USA):
Production (3-5 days) + Shipping (10-21 days) = 13-26 business days total

IN-STOCK ITEMS (Stickers, Certificates)

Dispatch: Within 1-2 business days of order
Total Timeline: Dispatch time + shipping time

Example (UK):
Dispatch (1-2 days) + Shipping (5-7 days) = 6-9 business days total

CUSTOM CERTIFICATES (Physical Master Certificates)

Production: Printed and prepared within 5-7 business days of qualification
Dispatch: Posted via Royal Mail within 7 business days
Total Timeline: 12-14 business days (UK), 17-35 business days (International)

Physical certificates are only issued for Master of the Guild rank and are optional (digital certificate provided by default).

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2.4 Order Processing

Orders are processed:

• Monday-Friday, with occasional weekend work
• Excluding UK bank holidays

Orders placed:

• Before 2pm weekdays: Processed same day (in-stock items only)
• After 2pm or weekends: Processed next business day

Print-on-demand items begin production within 1-2 business days of order, regardless of order time.

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2.5 Dispatch Notifications

You will receive an email when your order is dispatched, including:

• Dispatch confirmation
• Tracking number (if applicable)
• Estimated delivery window

The Guild notifies you when items are posted. Dave monitors dispatch. Margaret records postings. Steve has been told he monitors dispatch. Steve monitors nothing.

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3. DELIVERY ISSUES

3.1 Lost Packages

If your order has not arrived within the estimated delivery window:

UK Orders:
Contact us after 14 days from dispatch date

International Orders:
Contact us after 35 days from dispatch date

Email: lovelypeople@urbanstitches.co.uk
Subject: "Lost Package - Order #[NUMBER]"
Include: Order number, shipping address, dispatch date

We will:

1. Investigate with Royal Mail
2. File a claim if applicable
3. Send a replacement or issue a refund if package is confirmed lost

The Guild is not responsible for packages lost due to incorrect shipping addresses provided at checkout. Please verify your address carefully.

3.2 Damaged Packages

If your order arrives damaged:

1. Photograph the damaged item and packaging
2. Contact us within 7 days of delivery
3. Email photos and order number to lovelypeople@urbanstitches.co.uk

We will:

• Send a replacement at no cost (if item is in stock), OR
• Issue a full refund including original shipping costs

Do not discard damaged items until instructed. We may need photos for insurance claims.

3.3 Incorrect Address

The Guild ships to the address you provide at checkout.

If you provide an incorrect or incomplete address:

• We are not responsible for non-delivery
• Reshipping to a corrected address incurs additional shipping costs (paid by you)
• Refunds are not issued for packages delivered to incorrect addresses you provided

To update an address after ordering but before dispatch:
Email lovelypeople@urbanstitches.co.uk immediately with your order number and corrected address. We will update it if the order has not yet been dispatched.

3.4 Customs Delays (International Orders)

International packages may be delayed by customs inspections in your country.

The Guild has no control over customs processing times. Estimated delivery windows do not include time spent in customs.

If your package is held in customs:

• Contact your local postal service or customs office
• We cannot intervene in customs processes

The Guild provides accurate customs declarations. We mark items as "merchandise" with declared value. We do not mark items as "gifts" to avoid customs fees, as this is illegal.

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4. CUSTOMS, DUTIES, AND TAXES (INTERNATIONAL ORDERS)

4.1 Your Responsibility

You are responsible for all customs fees, import duties, VAT, and taxes imposed by your country.

These fees are:

• Determined by your country's customs authority
• Not included in the product price or shipping cost
• Payable by you upon delivery or clearance

The Guild has no control over these fees and cannot predict their amount.

4.2 Refused Deliveries

If you refuse delivery to avoid paying customs fees:

• The package returns to us (if returned)
• We are not obligated to refund the order
• Return shipping costs and customs fees incurred by us may be deducted from any refund

Refusing a package does not entitle you to a refund. You are responsible for customs fees in your country.

4.3 Customs Declarations

We declare accurate product value and contents on all international shipments as required by law.

We will not:

• Mark packages as "gift" to avoid duties (this is customs fraud)
• Undervalue items on customs forms (this is illegal)
• Falsify product descriptions

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5. ORDER TRACKING

5.1 UK Orders

Standard Royal Mail:
Basic tracking (item scanned at key points - dispatch, arrival at delivery office)

Tracked Royal Mail:
Full tracking with delivery confirmation

Track your order:
Use the tracking number provided in your dispatch email at:
https://www.royalmail.com/track-your-item

5.2 International Orders

Tracking availability varies by destination country.

Royal Mail International Standard:
Limited tracking (UK dispatch scanned, may or may not track in destination country)

Royal Mail International Tracked:
Full tracking to destination (where available)

Once your package enters your country:
Your local postal service handles delivery. Use their tracking system with the same tracking number.

The Guild provides tracking where available. Royal Mail tracking systems are outside the Guild's control. Steve does not handle tracking enquiries. Steve has been told he handles them. Steve handles nothing.

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6. COMBINED ORDERS (DIGITAL + PHYSICAL)

If you order both digital and physical products in a single order:

• Digital products: Delivered instantly
• Physical products: Shipped separately according to shipping timelines above

You pay shipping only for physical items. Digital products in the same order do not incur shipping costs.

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7. PRINT-ON-DEMAND DETAILS

7.1 What is Print-on-Demand?

Print-on-demand means items (t-shirts, mugs) are manufactured only after you order them. They are not held in stock.

Benefits:

• Lower costs (no inventory overhead)
• More product variety available
• Environmentally friendly (no waste)

Trade-off:

• Longer production time (3-5 days before shipping)

7.2 Print Partners

We use trusted UK-based print-on-demand partners for:

• T-shirts
• Mugs
• Other apparel and drinkware

Quality: All print partners are vetted for quality and reliability. If you receive a defective print-on-demand item, contact us for replacement (see Section 3.2).

The Guild does not manufacture physical items in-house. The Guild works with professional print partners. Steve does not operate the printing press. Steve has been told he operates the printing press. Steve is banned from the printing press.

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8. UNDELIVERABLE PACKAGES

8.1 Returned to Sender

If Royal Mail returns a package to us as undeliverable (incorrect address, refused delivery, unclaimed), we will:

1. Email you to inform you of the return
2. Offer to reship to a corrected address (you pay reshipping costs)
3. Offer a refund minus original shipping costs

Packages unclaimed at postal depots are not eligible for full refunds. We will refund the product cost but not shipping costs.

8.2 Abandoned Packages

If a package is held at your local post office and you do not collect it within the hold period (typically 18 days in the UK), it returns to us.

This is considered abandonment. Refunds for abandoned packages are at the Guild's discretion and typically exclude shipping costs.

The Guild is not responsible for packages you fail to collect.

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9. SHIPPING RESTRICTIONS

9.1 Countries We Ship To

We ship worldwide with the following exceptions:

We do not currently ship to:

• Countries under UK trade sanctions
• Regions where Royal Mail does not operate

If your country is not available at checkout, we cannot ship there.

9.2 PO Boxes and Military Addresses

UK: We ship to PO Boxes and BFPO addresses
International: PO Box availability varies by country; check at checkout

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10. CHANGES TO SHIPPING POLICY

The Guild reserves the right to update this Shipping Policy at any time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.

Material changes (e.g., shipping cost increases, courier changes) will be communicated via email to previous customers where reasonably practical.

Continued use of the website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

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11. CONTACT INFORMATION

For shipping enquiries:

Email: lovelypeople@urbanstitches.co.uk
Subject Line: "Shipping Enquiry - Order #[NUMBER]"

Include:

• Order number
• Shipping address
• Issue description

Response Time: Within 24-48 hours (Monday-Friday, excluding UK bank holidays)

Postal Address:
Available on demand

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The Guild ships with care. Dave monitors dispatch. Margaret records postings. Steve has been told he packs boxes. Steve is not allowed near the boxes.

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SUMMARY FOR QUICK REFERENCE