UK Postage Costs

* upgrades are available to Tracked 24. Your shopping basket will give all the options available with the prices for each.
** charges apply to pens returned following repair and for custom nibs. Please see below.
 

Overseas Shipping Costs

Note: we do not dispatch to the USA or Canada.

We only send items by tracked services (except Japan and Switzerland – you have the best postal services). Standard air-mail starts at £4 (for Switzerland) and Royal Mail Tracked shipping starts at £12 (depending upon the destination country) but discounts are applied in your shopping basket for higher value orders. We also offer DHL shipping.
To get an exact price for shipping, add the desired items to your Shopping Basket. You do not need to log in and any details you enter are not stored unless you proceed with an order. There is no obligation to proceed with an order at this stage.

When will I receive my order?

Make sure you order before noon for same-day dispatch*. If you need something in a hurry, please contact us first.

We dispatch orders daily (Monday - Friday). If you order before noon on these days, we aim to dispatch your items the same day (subject to availability – your shopping basket will indicate whether a product is in stock but for more details see below).
Royal Mail Tracked 48 has a delivery target of 2 working days from dispatch. Tracked 24 has a delivery target of 1 working day from dispatch. If you order for next-day delivery we will dispatch the same day, subject to our usual conditions.
Overseas delivery times vary as your items may spend a while in customs.

* subject to availability.

The Small Print

General

If you require something urgently please contact us by e-mail or telephone first (notes on orders are not always seen in time). Note that we only dispatch orders on Monday to Friday - we do not work on weekends. Please take note of any messages either on our contact page or in your shopping basket indicating a change of status. Sometimes we take a day off and very occasionally we go away on holiday or we might be ill.
In all cases please check that you have given us the correct delivery address (see your order confirmation e-mail). If you require delivery to a business address, please ensure you put the company name as well as the street address. We cannot be held responsible for missing or delayed parcels when the customer has made an error in the address. If a parcel is returned to us undelivered because of an address error or if a parcel is unclaimed by the customer we will charge postage for its re-delivery.
We need a valid e-mail address for all orders and we strongly recommend that you register an account rather than check out as a guest (we'll have your details anyway!). If you use GMail, Yahoo, AOL or other webmail service please check your spam folder if you don't think you have received our order confirmation e-mail. To ensure delivery of e-mails from us, please add orders@thewritingdesk.co.uk to your contacts list or whitelist.
VAT receipts are sent with all orders.

Repairs

The return of repaired pens and customised nibs is subject to postage costs. These will be added to the repair charge where appropriate.

Stock Availability

Our website platform manages our stock levels for us, so the availability status will be shown next to each item and in your shopping basket. If the availability status for an item shows a number of days this is an estimate of how long it will take before we are able to dispatch to you. Please note that this is only an estimate as we are dependent upon our suppliers. If a particular nib option for a pen shows “Please enquire” then check with us first before ordering. We can usually supply straight away as we keep good nib stocks. Please contact us for details if in doubt.

A note to Customers in the EU

Since Brexit (when the UK Government chose to leave the European Union), deliveries into the EU from the UK are subject to Customs checks just the same as deliveries from other parts of the world. See the following section for details.

VAT and Overseas Orders (including EU)

We do not charge VAT (sales tax) on orders sent outside the UK. However, you will be charged taxes and import duty* when your parcel arrives in your country. The carrier will collect the charges from you and may charge you an admin fee.
We are required by UK law to display prices including VAT (at 20%). To show VAT-free prices (if you live outside the UK), go to your Shopping Basket and select your delivery country. When you select another country in your Shopping Basket, VAT will be automatically removed from the goods total.
* this depends on the destination country and the value of the order. The Brexit free trade agreement means there are no import duties for parcels sent to EU countries but VAT will still be charged at your country's rate upon import. Please note that since 1st January 2021 there are no VAT-free thresholds.
For BFPO orders we can usually remove the VAT from the total. Please contact us to arrange this service.
For in-person purchases, we can no longer supply documents for VAT reclaim for those travelling back to non-UK residences due to a change in UK law.

Customs Declarations

All packages sent to destinations outside the UK (including to the EU) will have an electronic CN22 Customs Declaration attached (or CN23 for high value orders). We also upload all customs information to our carriers electronically and the total value of the package will include our shipping cost (this is a customs requirement). Note that you will probably have to pay customs duty and VAT when your package arrives in your country. Please do not ask us to under-value a package.
If you refuse a package or if a package is returned due to non-payment of customs fees we will only refund the goods value upon receipt back to us. You will also be liable for any fees we incur as a result of a return due to non-payment of customs and clearance fees.
We attach Safety Data Sheets to all overseas packages that contain fountain pen ink in case customs or other officials are concerned about the contents. If this sheet is missing and you need to send one your local customs a copy, you can download one here.

Last posting dates for Christmas delivery

Note that these are the based on the recommended dates published by Royal Mail by which a package should be sent. Make sure you order well in advance of these dates for delivery before Christmas 2024.