Customer Service

• Shipping & Delivery
• Privacy & Security
• Returns & Replacements
• Ordering
• Payment
• Viewing Orders/Wish List
• Updating Account Information
• Do you have a shop?
• Do you sell wholesale?
• What size are the beads?
• How many beads do I get to a strand?
• What size are the beading holes?
• Will the item I receive be the same as on the Website?
• Why do some beads have a "Special Price"?
• How can I contact BeadShopUk"?

Shipping & Delivery

Orders will be posted to the address you give in your Shipping Information.  Please ensure this is entered correctly - we can take no responsibility for lost items if the Shipping Address is incorrect.  If your order is received before 12am, we aim to include it in that afternoon's postal collection (except Wednesday and Saturday when there is no afternoon post).  Tracking information will be sent to you to enable you to trace your order.  We use Royal for the majority of our orders and the estimated delivery times are their estimates based on working days, we can take no responsibility for late or delayed mail.  International Orders will be posted by International Airmail Signed For and can can take between 5-7 days for Europe. To facilitate delivery the contact telephone number you give will be included as part of the shipping address.  We ship to UK and EU only.

Shipping charges are weight/size based on actual cost.  You can see your estimated shipping charges at any time by going to your shopping cart, entering your Country and Post Code and then selecting "Get a Quote".  If the actual shipping charge is different to the estimated charge, no additional charge will be made but an overpayment will be refunded.

Privacy & Security

We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you place an order or enter, submit or access your personal information.  We offer the use of a secure server.  All sensitive information is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.  Your privacy is important to us, we do not sell, trade or rent your details to anyone else.  The information we gather is used only to enable efficient processing of your order and to occasionally notify you of any changes or promotions.  Credit card and financial details are not held by BeadShopUk -   We do not share customer details with any 3rd parties.

Returns & Replacements

Every endeavour is made to accurately describe and photograph all items.  However, gemstone beads are a natural product and may vary slightly in colour and pattern.  We want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase and will refund the cost of any items if returned for any reason within 30 days of receipt.  All returns must be notified by email within 7 days of receiving goods and returns must be in their received condition, packaged properly to avoid damage and posted by Recorded Delivery.  All returns must have the correct postage paid - any underpayment of postage incurring a Royal Mail charge will have this charge deducted from the refund amount.  We regret that postage and packing charges cannot be refunded.  Returns against a "Free Shipping" order, if this reduces the order value to below £35, then the actual shipping cost will be charged against the refund amount.  Refunds can only be made to the source of payment used to make the original purchase- ie original credit card/PayPal account..

Ordering

After choosing your item, select the quantity and "add to cart".  There is no minimum order quantity or minimum order charge.  Every endeavour is made to keep the inventory up to date and inform you of the quantities available - these quantities do not take into account any items another shopper may place in their basket, the inventory is only updated when checkout has been completed.  This means that if an item shows as "In stock" with 5 remaining and you place 5 in your basket but get the message "The requested quantity is not available" someone else has already placed that item in their cart.  We reserve the right to refuse an order and in the rare circumstance that we do this, your order will be cancelled and a full refund will be issued.

Please ensure you enter your shipping address accurately, we cannot take responsibility for lost items if we have been given the incorrect information.  Your telephone number is required if there is a query regarding your order or the shipping method chosen is Courier.  Please enter your telephone number without any symbols, brackets or anything that is not a number ie: 99999999999.

Payment

Various payment methods are offered.  If you have a PayPal account you can pay from your PayPal balance by selecting PayPal on checkout.  Credit/debit Cards are processed using 3-D Secure technology requiring authentification with the customer's bank and processed by a fully PCI compliant Financial Service Provider (STRIPE). If paying by credit card your billing address must match the registered address of the credit card.  We do not store credit card details.  Payment by bank transfer, cheque or postal order is also available.  When you have finished shopping, then go to checkout.  You may checkout as a guest or you can register your details with us.  The benefits of registering are that you can proceed through checkout faster on future orders, check the status of your order and view past orders.  As you proceed through the checkout process you can choose your payment method.

Viewing Orders/Wish List

At any time during your shopping you can view your cart and make any amendments - changing quantities or deleting items.  Your shopping cart has a life of one day - after this time it is emptied and your items are returned to inventory.  If you wish to take longer over your selection, the best method is to use the "Add to Wishlist" option.  From your Wishlist you can add personal comments to act as reminders, delete items or add them to your cart.  You must register an account before you can add items to a Wish List.

Updating Account Information

It is your responsibility to keep your account details up to date.  These details are used to despatch your orders and communicate with you on the status of your orders. 

Do you have a shop?

No, we are a mail order company and do not currently have a shop or showroom.  We do, however, exhibit at Bead Shows throughout the year.  If you would like details of the shows we attend then please contact us. 

Do you sell wholesale?

No, we are a retail outlet although we aim to keep our prices very competitive and comparable to wholesalers we do not stock the quantities required for wholesaling. 

What size are the beads?

Gemstone beads are measured in millimetres. Round beads are measured by their diameter (the widest part of the bead).  It is common for there to be a +/- .5mm tolerance - this means some 4mm beads may actually measure 3.5mm or 4.5mm.  This is quite common and beaders take this into account when designing.  If it is essential that you need calibrated 4mm beads and a variation is not acceptable, then we recommend you make this known when ordering.  For more information, read our blog on the subject.

How many beads do I get to a strand?

The standard length of strands is 40cm and this would give the following number of beads:-

4mm - 100

6mm - 66

8mm - 50

10mm - 40

12mm - 33

15x18mm - 22

Please accept this as a guide only.  Strands can vary due to calibration of the stone and if you require actual numbers, please email us with the size and type of stone and we will provide you with the exact number of beads..

What size are the beading holes?

The range of semi precious beads is extensive and it is difficult to give a definite guide. The average size will range from 0.5mm for 4mm beads to 1mm for 10mm beads - sometimes up to 1.5mm.  It is also worth mentioning that when new stock arrives the hole sizes may vary from the previous stock. 

Freshwater, Swarovski and Shell pearls - as with most pearls currently on the market, the beading holes are much smaller - approximately between 0.4-0.6mm. 

If the required hole size is essential for a particular project, then we always advise you to contact us before purchase. For more information read our blog on the subject.

Will the item I receive be the same as on the Website?  We do try our best to ensure the pictures on the website look exactly like the products.  Unfortunately, due to the natural variations in the stones and the different calibration settings on computer monitors, tones of colour may display differently.

Why do some beads have a "Special Price"? We continually strive to get our stock at the very best price, negotiating discounts with our suppliers and shipping deals. Any discounts we get we pass on to our customers but we cannot guarantee these prices when the current stock is sold out so we mark these as a "Special Price".  Some "Special Prices" are offered as a promotion where we pay part or all of the VAT proportion.  These "Special Prices" are only available to our Non VAT registered private customers. 

How can I contact BeadShopUk?

The quickest way to get in touch is to use our Contact form - emails are regularly monitored and speedily replied to.  If you would prefer to speak to us over the telephone, please request a call via the Contact Us form or email. Our address, for correspondence only, is No.3 Chequer Tree Court, Drakewalls, Gunnislake, Cornwall, PL18 9DW.