Beaufort Ink - Frequently asked questions

Making a purchase on our website

Our website is available 24/7. You can browse it at any time and add any items that you’d like to buy to the shopping cart.

After adding the first item, you’ll presented with a drop-down list to tell us the destination country of your order, and also your postcode if you’re in the UK. This is so that our website knows how to calculate shipping for your order, which amongst other things, is dependent on location. The location you enter needs to be the one where the order is being delivered, and if that is different to your invoice address, (your invoice address is the one where your payment card or your PayPal account is registered), you’ll get to tell us both addresses on the checkout page.

After you’ve finished adding items to the shopping cart and you’ve chosen a shipping method, you can pay with a card through SagePay (which these days is called Opayo) or with PayPal. If your delivery address is different to your invoice address, you need to click the Sagepay button, even if you want to use PayPal. It will take you to a checkout page where you can tell us both addresses, and you will still have the choice of paying through SagePay or through PayPal. You will automatically receive an order confirmation email from us once you've paid, but keep an eye on your spam/junk file, just in case it ends up in there.

Can I order and pay over the phone?

Yes, sure. Just give us a call and we'll be happy to answer any queries you have and take your order. We can either take your card details to pay for the order (we shred your card details immediately afterwards - they are never stored for future use) or we can email an invoice to you that you can pay online using the same choices of payment methods that you'd have if you’d ordered on our website.

Why won’t my payment go through?

If you’re using PayPal, its usually because the address they hold for you is different to the one you’ve told us. If your delivery address is different to your invoice address, make sure that your invoice address is the one that PayPal has. The same is true of Sagepay - your invoice address needs to be the one where your payment card is registered. You also need to be careful about what type of card you are using. If it’s a Visa debit card for instance, and you’ve clicked Visa credit card, it won’t go through. If you continue to experience problems, do please get in touch and we’ll be happy to see what we can do to help.

Do you charge VAT?

Yes we do. We are a VAT registered business which means that by law, if your order is being delivered within the UK (with the exception of the Channel Islands), we have to charge you VAT. It’s included in the price though - it’s not something we add on right at the end as a nasty surprise, and all the products on our website show prices both including and excluding VAT. If you are ordering from overseas, the VAT is automatically deducted in our shopping cart, but the customs authorities in your own country might want you to pay import tax and duty before you can receive the parcel.

Can my delivery address be different to my invoice address?

Yes - no problem. When you add the first item to your order, before you reach the shopping cart you will be asked for the country where your order is going to be delivered to. If you are in the UK, it will also ask for your postcode. The location you enter needs to be for your delivery address, not your invoice address if the two are different. Then, when you've finished placing items in the shopping cart and chosen a shipping method, click the button that says Debit or Creditcard - you can click this even if you want to use PayPal. It will take you to a checkout page where you can enter separate invoice and delivery addresses. You will find that the destination country (and postcode if you are in the UK) will already be completed with the information you gave at the start, and you will also find that you still have a choice of payment methods, including PayPal.

I want to change the delivery address on the order I've just made

We’re happy to help as long as your order hasn’t already been dispatched. We ship most orders the same working day, so you might need to be quick if you need to change anything. The quickest way would be to call us on 01363 84686, or you can send us an email giving us your order number and your change of address. If your order is still here, we can normally sort it out for you, but unfortunately there is nothing we can do if it’s already been shipped.

I made a mistake - can I change my order?

We’re happy to help as long as your order hasn’t already been dispatched. We ship most orders the same working day, so you might need to be quick if you want to change anything. The quickest way would be to call us on 01363 84686, or you can send us an email giving us your order number and telling us what you’d like to alter. If it’s at all possible we’ll sort it out for you but if your order has already been shipped, unfortunately we won’t be able to help.

I forgot an item - can I add it to my order?

We’re happy to help as long as your order hasn’t already been dispatched. We ship most orders the same working day, so you might need to be quick if you want to add anything. The quickest way would be to call us on 01363 84686, or you can send us an email giving us your order number and telling us what you’d like. If we can add the new item to your existing parcel, normally we can just invoice you for the item without needing to charge you for extra shipping. However, if you order has already been shipped, unfortunately we will have to treat the additional item as a new order.

I didn't receive an order confirmation

Our system automatically emails an order confirmation to the email address you provided when you placed the order. If you are unable to find it, there is every chance that it ended up in your spam/junk file, so it would be worth checking in that. If you are still unable to find it, please get in touch and we will email a copy to you.

How can I find my tracking number?

There won’t be a tracking number if you are in the UK and you chose standard Royal Mail, but there will be one if you chose any other method or you are overseas. Tracking numbers for postal shipping are contained in your despatch email, which is sent automatically when we ship your order. If you can’t find your despatch email, there is every chance that it ended up in your spam/junk file, so it would be worth checking in that. The tracking number will also be noted against your order if you log in to your account.

If your order is being shipped by courier, (normally FedEx or DHL), they will have emailed you directly, using the email address you provided when you placed the order. Again, it would be worth checking your spam/junk file if you can’t find it.

If you still can’t find your tracking number, please get in touch and we’ll let you know what it is.

I can't find my order in my account history

Assuming that your order went through to completion, it will be there. However, your customer account is recognised by your email address, so if your order isn’t showing up, usually it’s because you used a different email address on that particular order from the one on your account. You’ll be able to check that by taking a quick look at your order confirmation, but you can also get in touch if you’re still having problems.

Why hasn't my order been shipped yet?

In normal circumstances, we aim to ship your order the same working day if we receive it before 2pm, or if we can’t make that, the next working day. Therefore, unless there is a problem and we're waiting for a response from you, in all likelihood your order probably has been shipped, but there is a chance that our dispatch email ended up in your spam/junk file. It would be worth checking there for our email, but if you are unable to find it or you are still concerned, do please feel free to get in touch.

My order hasn't arrived yet

We’re sorry to hear this, but to reassure you, very, very few of our orders go astray. It’s worth pointing out though that unfortunately, gone are the days when a Royal 1st class parcel always arrived the next day and a 2nd class one the day after. Often they do, but if you’re expecting a parcel from us that you think should have arrived with lightning speed, it’s worth sitting tight for a day or two and it will probably turn up very soon. If your parcel is being delivered overseas, please bear in mind that it has to pass through Customs in your country, which sometimes causes a delay.

If you have a tracking number though, irrespective of where in the world you are, in the UK or overseas, it’s worth checking your tracking for any updates, which may tell you everything you need to know. However, if you are at all concerned, please do get in touch and we’ll see what we can find out for you.

Can you deliver to PO boxes?

Yes, in the UK, its generally no problem. If you’re outside of the UK, it can cause a problem because in most cases, the carrier will need a signature. Outside of the UK it’s much better if you can use an address that isn’t a PO Box

How does your website deal with orders to the Channel Islands ?

We frequently ship to the Channel Islands and our website is set up to handle your order correctly. You can choose from Guernsey or Jersey when you select your destination country (don’t choose United Kingdom), and once our website knows you’re in the Channel Islands, you won’t be charged VAT. We also know about the need for a customs declaration on your parcel, so fear not, you are in safe hands.

Can you deliver to BFPO addresses?

Yes we can. Just enter your invoice and delivery addresses in the checkout and our website will treat it as a normal UK order, together with UK shipping. If your base is outside of the UK, just let us know and we’ll send you a form to complete, which once you’ve returned it will allow us to refund the VAT back to you.

Do you ship to my country?

Yes, we probably do - in fact our website is set up to accept orders from about 70 different countries around the world. When you add an initial item to the shopping cart, you will be asked for the destination country from a drop-down list. The chances are that your country is listed, but in the unlikely event that it isn’t, please get in touch and we’ll see what we can sort out for you.

How much is shipping to my country?

Our Delivery page gives you an indication of the starting prices to some of the more frequent countries we ship to, but it’s impossible to know the exact answer to the question without first knowing what country you’re in and what's in your order. That said though, you cannot check out on our website without first choosing a shipping method in the shopping cart. It will automatically calculate the cost for your country using a combination of the weight and physical size of your order, and therefore you will know exactly how much your parcel will cost to ship before you have to pay for your order.

Will I have to pay import duty or taxes if I'm not in the UK?

You might have to, yes. All counties impose duties and tariffs when importing goods from elsewhere. The amount you'lll have to pay pay will depend on the arrangement your country has with the UK and the value of your order. Some countries charge nothing at all if the value of the order is below a given threshold, whilst others impose charges on the whole lot, no matter what the value. The good news is though, that when you order from us and it’s being delivered outside of the UK, our website does not charge you VAT (UK sales tax), so the cost of the goods you order is 20% cheaper right from the word Go. It’s possible that your own Customs service will charge you import duty, (which is a percentage of the value of the goods), along with import tax, (which is the same as the sales tax in your country), but the fact that you that you haven’t paid tax in the first instance makes things a lot more equal.

Can you declare a lower value for Customs, so I don’t have to pay import duty?

No we can’t, sorry. Falsifying information on export documents is illegal - please don’t ask us to do so, as the answer will always be No.

What is your returns policy?

That depends on why you want to return something, but assuming it’s because you’ve changed your mind or that you’ve ordered the wrong thing, you have 14 days to notify us that you want to send it back. You’ll need to contact us in the first instance to discuss the return, and the item you’re sending back will need to be unused and in it’s original packaging. Once we’ve received it, we will refund the cost of the item via your original payment method. However, as it’s your choice to send the item back, we’ll be unable to refund the original shipping costs. We will also deduct 3.5% of the value of the item being returned (or £1 if greater) to cover the fees charged to us by the payment processing company through which you originally paid. You can take a look at our Terms & Conditions for more details.

An item in my order is faulty

We’re so sorry to hear that. Please get in touch and we’ll work out a solution with you to resolve this. We might ask for some photos so that we can understand more clearly what the problem is, and we might ask for the faulty item to be returned, but we will discuss all that with you when you get in touch..

I've received the wrong item

We’re so sorry to hear that. Please get in touch and we’ll work out a solution with you to resolve this.

An item in my order is missing

We’re so sorry to hear that. Please get in touch and we’ll work out a solution with you to resolve this.

An item I want is sold out

We’re sorry to hear that. We do try to make sure that everything is in stock, but sometimes delays in the supply chain mean that it doesn’t always work out that way. However, you can sign up for an email notification that will automatically let you know when it’s back in stock - there’s a button right next to the item itself on our website, and if you’d like more information, you’re welcome to get in touch to see if we can give you a timescale as to when it might be restocked.

I received a "back in stock" email but the item is still sold out

Back in Stock emails are sent out automatically by our system when an item is restocked that you’ve signed up to be notified about. Mostly, when products come back into stock we have them in ample quantities, but occasionally there might only be a few. Nonetheless, the email gets sent to everyone who signed up, and if the item was unavailable when you got there, it’s likely that quantities were low and that it has sold out again. If that is the case we can only apologise. Hopefully we’ll have some more soon, but you’ll need to sign up for another notification if you’d like to be kept in the loop.

How do I find the instructions for your pen kits?

There is a tab on the webpage of each pen kit that shows a link to the instructions for that kit. They will open in a new window, and each set of instructions contains a further link to a printable PDF version, if you want to print a copy for your workshop. Alternatively, the Instructions & Resources link in the menu at the top of every page on our website will take you to all of our instructions, all in one place, and a lot of other resources too.

What nib do I need for my fountain pen?

We have a huge selection of Bock fountain pen nibs, and they are available in a variety of different housings to suit different pens. If it's a pen kit, the chances are that we probably have a suitable nib, and if it's a pen from a commercial manufacturer, it will depend on the make but often we have a nib to suit. If you need some assistance, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We have a wide knowledge of all sorts of pens from all sorts of manufacturers, both commecial and kit pens, and we'll be happy to see if we can help.

I want to start making kitless pens - what tools and equipment to I need?

We stock a wide range of specialist tools and supplies for kitless pen making, and we'll be happy to talk things through with you if you'd like to get in touch. Before you do that though, there is a tutorial on our website all about starting out on the kitless pen making journey, so if you take a look at that first, it will probably answer a lot of the questions you have. It covers a great many things including the tools and equipment you're likely to need, and also discusses what sizes of thread taps & dies you'll want. A link to the tutorial is below, and once you have it on your screen, there is a further link to a printable PDF version. If you still have questions after reading it, which is highly likely, please feel free to call us for a chat, and we'll be happy to help.

An Introduction to Custom Pen Making

Wholesale enquiries

We have stockists in various countries around the world, including the US, Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, and of course the UK. If you are a bone fide retailer of woodturning and/or penturning products, or of commercial pens/inks and related products, and you'd like to become a stockist, please feel free to get in touch.

What are your opening hours?

Customer Services is available Monday to Friday between 9am and 5.30pm. Needless to say, our website is open for business 24/7.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to our most frequently asked questions below