Christmas 2024: Last Post Dates
Our deadlines for delivery by Christmas, as per Royal Mail (all times GMT):
UK Tracked 24: 1PM Friday 20th December
UK Special Delivery: 1PM Monday 23rd December
Australia & New Zealand: 1PM Friday 6th December
Europe (East, South & Scandinavia): 1PM Friday 6th December
Europe (West & Switzerland): 1PM Friday 13th December
US & Canada: 1PM Friday 13th December
Other International Destinations: 1PM Friday 6th December (or see Royal Mail)
Please note that sometimes orders can take a bit longer to arrive at this time of year, so you're advised to build in a margin of safety if your order is time critical!
Your order's on its way!
If you make an order on our website on a working day, it will normally be packaged and in the post within 24 hours!
Public holidays, postal strikes and busy retail periods such as Christmas may delay your order's dispatch & delivery, but we'll still do our best to get your order in the post within two working days.
Unless you opted for a 'tracked' service on the checkout, the number at the bottom of your order confirmation email will normally be a 'consignment number' and will only display information once Royal Mail have attempted delivery.
We can't guarantee the reliability of Royal Mail and the courier companies. If your order isn't delivered within a reasonable time or you fear it may have been lost in the post, please e-mail us on hello@townteatowels.com and we'll try to resolve the problem. We normally ask that you wait at least three weeks to establish if the item really has been lost in the post.
United Kingdom Delivery
Our standard sized packages are posted by 'Royal Mail 24' (first class, expected delivery within 24 hours of posting), or using an upgraded tracked service if they're above a certain size or you chose that option when checking out. Smaller orders requesting a courier service are sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery. We use DHL or another trusted courier for the larger packages.
We charge £3.00 for basic postage and packaging within the UK, but it's free if the value of your order is £36 or over (two tea towels). This is calculated automatically at the checkout. We charge £8 for courier delivery if this option is selected by you at the checkout.
If you select the £9 courier option, you need to do this on a working day before 1pm for the parcel to arrive on the next working day. Please note, therefore, that orders made on a working Friday before 1pm will not arrive until Monday (or Tuesday if there is a Bank Holiday), unless you select Special Delivery Saturday (£10). Orders made on weekends and Bank Holidays will require two clear working days to arrive.
Europe Delivery
Posting and packaging to Europe is £6 (€7.20) for all package sizes (£5 / €6 to Ireland). Your order will be posted tracked from the UK and please allow at least two weeks for delivery - however, we have noticed that shipping to southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece) does often take longer, so you should allow additional time if the order is intended as a gift.
We are no longer a part of the EU's Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) system, however we are signed up to a 'Delivered Duty Paid' service with Royal Mail. If your order is going to Germany, France, Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Malta, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Norway or Sweden, then you should not be charged VAT or customs duties prior to receipt of your order.
For other European Economic Area (EEA) countries not listed above, your order is likely to be charged VAT by the destination country at the border. To compensate you for this, all orders destined to these other EEA countries now receive an automatic 20% discount on our checkout. Please note that you should not be charged 'customs duties' in addition to VAT, as the goods are made in the United Kingdom and therefore are covered by the Brexit agreement with the EU, so you are encouraged to challenge this with your local postal service should they attempt to levy a customs charge. The 20% automatic discount we apply to certain EEA countries may not always be sufficient to cover all charges you face; unfortunately, we can't offer any additional compensation to cover administration fees or charges as these vary by country. That said, in some cases orders may be delivered with no fee at all and you are free to keep any discount we've applied. Apologies that this is all a little unpredictable, as many things have been since Brexit. Please contact us on hello@radicalteatowel.com if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your understanding while we try to navigate the complexities of the new trading regime!
International Delivery
Postage and packaging to the rest of the world is £8 (£12/$14.40 to North America) on orders weighing up to 1kg, and £16 (£18/$21.60 to North America) on orders over 1kg. Your order will be posted from the UK so please allow at least two weeks for delivery.