I took the plunge in making my first order with them back in December 2014 and ordered nearly $60 worth of merchandise, which probably doesn't seem that much based on the US dollar but for me it definitely was - the shipping for the item total exceeding $50 was $20 and this hadn't been added to the total yet! Since that order, I have not looked back, I buy products from Simon when they have flash sales, as the shipping is worth it, or once maybe every 6 months as I can't really afford to buy from them more than 3 or 4 times a year. When I do buy I try and go all out, but I try to hold myself as the shipping costs become continuously more higher and of course I have to consider possible custom fees.
So, what if you're a UK based crafter and would like to buy some Simon Says Stamp products without having to pay too much and what about custom fees? Do other similar brands have the same policy and are the shipping costs different with every US based craft company or seller? Well here's what I've learnt...
Shipping Costs
If you wish to buy from the Simon Says Stamp website, have a look at the Shipping Information page, this will give you a good idea of what the delivery costs will be. If there is no obvious page for Delivery / Shipping Information, look at the 'About Us' page, or the 'Contact Us' page, sometimes for smaller sites they will mix everything in.
For SSS, the shipping for orders upto $50 to the UK is $15 approx. the equivalent to around the £11 - £12 mark depending on the exchange rate at the time. Total order over $50 to $75 is $20, upto $150 is $25, upto $200 is $30 and upto $250 is $40. $250 or over is $50 flat fee - all these shipping prices do not undertake customs fees, so please do make sure you consider this when buying items and the total amount.
On a personal note, I have never bought items that exceeded the $100 mark, I normally buy within my budget which is around the $50 mark without the shipping included. My postage normally falls within the $15 - $20 mark, because of the possible customs fees.
Other than SSS, I have ordered from Paper Smooches before - their shipping to the UK via International Mail starts at $3.50 based on weight, if you buy over $50 worth of items, it is $11.50 flat rate. This also does not consider customs, so please do bare this in mind.
Customs Charges and Fees
I only ever once received a customs charge and it was with Paper Smooches when I bought $25 worth of dies from their online site. The amount I had to pay including the handling fee was under £10.
If you order a package liable for a customs fee, the UK receiver (you) will receive a grey card in your post box for you to go to your nearest depot or delivery office to pay the fee on the card in order for them to give the item to you. The handling fee on all custom charged packages is £8.00. According to Royal Mail, any package exceed the total of £15 is liable for custom fees - sometimes this is not the case, and sometimes you can get lucky. The details of Royal Mail Customs and VAT fees is here. The Foreign and Commonwealth website also has an informative page about the same topic - available here
I haven't ordered from the Paper Smooches site since then, and that was about two / two-and-half years ago as I now can get Paper Smooches over here, but I have ordered from Simon Says Stamp altogether 6 times, all with various prices ranging from - $30 (excl. shipping) and $60 (excl. shipping) and I have not been hit with a customs charge, I mostly buy stamps and dies - but have bought previously paper pads, sequins, embellishments and stickers.
Ordering / Dispatch / Service
Ordering SSS products is easy, straight forward on their website, I do not think there is anything they would not ship from the US to the UK. If when ordering certain tools or objects, a notice may come up, but nothing explicitly has been disclosed on the website, so just be aware if any message does pop up.
Once your items have been ordered - and are in stock- they will process your order. Everything in your order history will be displayed in dollars, you can use a website like xe.com to calculate any conversions, if you're happy with everything and payment has been accepted you will get confirmation of this.
Processing before dispatch normally takes upto 4 days, and then up to two weeks for this to arrive to your door. Based on previous experience on most orders I have placed it has taken from the start process to the delivery to my door - 14 days - including weekends - which is actually very good. They were at that time running a 25% off offer as well - so they didn't slow down!
I ordered my goods on the 29th July before 12pm and received confirmation of this, on the 2nd August I received an email to say that my order had been shipped and was on its was to me. I received my package in the post between the 10th - 12th August, I can't be specific as I was away for a few days and my parents had received the item.
I live in a city, if you live in a rural area, it may take one or two days longer and it would depend upon your postal service or courier. If you live in mainland Europe, I am not able to give you information on that as I do not live in a mainland European country, this is also the same for Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Middle East, Africa, South America and the Caribbean.
All in all the website and ordering process is easy, and clear. Postal charges are reasonable, and not hugely expensive compared to a lot of other US based craft companies and brands. Based on ym experience, it has been pleasant and I have not had any problems based on shipping, extra VAT or customs charges - but as with all non-UK based brands and companies, do keep an eye on your total and check their Shipping information page for information.
Hope this was helpful, any questions, please do leave your comments below!
Mel xox
*Simon Says Stamp logo courtesy of Simon Says Stamp
Thank you. This is very positive and informative. I would like to order from SSS and this has swayed me in the right direction!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Karen! I hope that you have been able to purchase from Simon Says Stamp since this post - apologies that it has taken me so long to reply! - Mel x
DeleteWhat a great post. Thank you so much. I have been searching for a uk supplier when I came across your post.
ReplyDeleteThanks again
X
What a great post. Thank you so much. I have been searching for a uk supplier when I came across your post.
ReplyDeleteThanks again
X
I hope that you've been able to find what you're looking for Christine. Thank you for commenting - Mel x
DeleteHi thanks for this interesting post. I have once ordered from SSS but only after winning a gift voucher which also covered the postage costs. They have a lot of products I would buy if I could get them in the UK but as there are so many other wonderful craft goodies which I can buy here without risking extra customs charges and expensive postage (including those made in USA) these are the companies who will always get my pennies x
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment KandA! I agree there are some great UK companies who produce a lot of brilliant stamp and die sets and they will definitely get my pennies first. There are so many stamp and die companies in the US now and some UK companies / sites are stocking lots of US brands here, so now I shop with the UK companies without having to pay increased P&P charges! - Mel x
DeletePlants, Seeds and Soil. Typically you should not plan to ship live plants, plant seeds or soil as international cargo. atlantic way russia
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ReplyDeleteAnother bit THANK YOU from me I love these stamps and their monthly subscription boxes are full of great things. I have only seen these boxes on line and compared to some UK companies sub boxes are HUGE. Thank you again. Time to start saving. I have tried to look for customs charges everywhere with no success but i have it now thank to you. Hugs xxx Wendy
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