Shipping Questions

 

Do You Ship Internationally- I Can’t See My Country?

Yes, Lotus Blu Book Art journals have been shipped all over the world. If you are unable to select your country at checkout, please email Hello@lotusblubookart.com.


Which Shipping Carrier Do You Use?

Royal Mail is used for U.K. parcels and most other countries, they are the most affordable and reliable. Once a parcel leaves my studio in England it can be tracked on the Royal Mail website or your local postal service in your country. INTERNATIONAL TRACKING OF ROYAL MAIL PARCELS Usps, La Post, Canada post, Australia Post.


How Long After Ordering Do You Ship?

I package and ship in batches, so all one-of-a-kind items that are ready to ship are typically packaged and shipped within 1 week of purchase. I don’t just throw items into a box and stick a label on it, I package with lots of love and attention to detail which takes time.

If you have Pre-ordered an item, it will take longer to ship as they need to be made first, depending on the style of journal ordered, this can typically take between 4-8 weeks from ordering. The pre-ordered item description will give a clear indication of how long you will need to wait before your order is shipped. Please be mindful of this before pre-ordering.

How Long Does Delivery Take Once You Ship?

These are estimated time frames.

U.K

  • Royal Mail 1st class - 2-4 business days.

  • Royal Mail 2nd class - 4-7 business days.

  • A signature is required upon delivery.

Everywhere Else

  • UPS Express - 4-7 business days.

  • Standard national mail services such as USPS, La Post, Canada Post are experiencing major delays, this situation is constantly changing. Delivery can take anywhere from 10-30 business days. Although, from experience most customers get their orders within a 10 days.

I Missed My Delivery, What Should I Do?

This applies to both U.K. & International delivers.

  • In most circumstances, a collection card will be left by the shipping company instructing how you can rearrange delivery or collect your parcel from their local depot. You can also contact the shipping company by telephone or on their website. Please use the tracking code emailed to you so they can trace your parcel.

  • If a parcel is left uncollected at a shipping depot for more than 7 business days, it will be returned to Lotus Blu Book Art [in England] in which case shipping will have to be paid again by the customer before it can be returned.

I LIVE IN THE EU, DOES A Custom Fee APPLY?

  • Post Brexit, anything being shipped from U.K to EU runs a chance of customs duty being applied. This is something out of my control. However, items sent by Royal Mail seem to have less chance of customs being applied.

Will I Have To Pay Custom Fees?

  • This really depends on your country. If a custom import tax duty is applied to a parcel sent outside the U.K, the amount you may need to pay will usually be emailed to you by the shipping company before the item is delivered.

  • It is the sole responsibility of the customer to pay custom fees. Lotus Blu is not responsible to cover these fees under any circumstances nor obliged to undervalue an item sent out of the U.K. customs union to avoid import taxes.

  • The amount of a customs import fee is determined by the value of the item sent. Usually, items sent to the USA valued at below £100 are not charged import fees.

Do You Refund Shipping If I Checked Out Multiple Times?

No, refunds are not offered on shipping when multiple purchases are made over several transaction. Doing this would make the shipping process longer and more complicated.

WHY DON’T YOU OFFER FREE SHIPPING?

There is no such thing as free shipping, someone ends up paying the cost of shipping and it’s usually you, the customer. I don’t hide the cost of shipping in my product price as I want you to know exactly what the value is of the item you purchase and how much it genuinely costs to ship.

I do often upgrade parcels to courier shipping at my own expense when the cost to ship is not much higher than the amount paid.

I wish I could teleport parcels across the world, but sadly technology is not that advanced, yet! I also only use shipping companies who offset their carbon footprint. All shipping costs are based on volumetric weight, so any International package from 0-1 kg will cost the the same, also remember books are heavy items! As a small Artisan business we don’t get the big shipping discounts like mega companies do, so we have to pay the full price it costs to ship.

How Are Your International Shipping Costs Determined?

Shipping internationally is not cheap! The cost is determined by the destination, the size of the parcel and the weight. If you live in a remote location an extra fee will be applied by the shipping company. I will be in touch with you if this is the case. However if you know that you live in a remote location, please email hello@lotusblubookart.com so I can sort out an overages that may need to be paid and to avoid your parcel being held at a shipping depot.

Is Your Packaging Eco-Friendly?

ABSOLUTELY! One of our main values is to run an eco-friendly and sustainable business. All the shipping boxes are made from recycled material and can be recycled again! Items are packaged in either a beautiful archival box that can be reused, organza bags or a repurposed cotton book wrap. The tissue paper used is also recycled. All the information labels are printed with eco-friendly soy based ink on recycled paper. And, paper tape is used to secure the parcels.

General Questions

 

I ADDED ITEMS TO MY CART, Tried To Checkout, But Items Were Disappearing FROM MY CART.

If you are shopping my one-of-a-kind journals, there are a limited number of them in each restock, so if someone else checkouts before you and the item is sold out, it will disappear from your cart. This checkout system is not unique to my website, it is simply because there are not enough items for the number of people that are trying to buy them. I usually restock once every two months, so there will be many opportunities in the future, I also take pre orders once or twice a year. Thank you for your understanding.

When Is Your Next Shop Restock?

I work in small batches creating mostly one-of-a-kind journals.

I typically restock every 2 months depending on the collection I am working on. I also open up certain collections for pre-orders once or twice a year.

The best way to stay in the loop is to sign up for my newsletter, this way you will be informed in good time and also get to preview the upcoming collection.

What Sort Of Paper Do You Use? Can I Use Fountain Pens?

The paper used at Lotus Blu Book Art is always tree-free!

For art/ mixed media journals I use cotton rag watercolour paper which has a gelatine size [not vegan], it works beautifully with all wet + dry media and is perfect for wet on wet painting.

For writing journals, I use only ever use tree-free paper such as Hahnemuhle bamboo paper or handmade hemp paper. Both are fountain pen friendly and work well with all dry media and light washes of watercolour or gouache.

The health of our oceans and earth is very important here at Lotus Blu Book Art for this reason I also use recycled paper made from some of the 7 billion takeaway coffee cups used in the U.K annually that ends up in landfills! You can read more about this pioneering paper made by one of the oldest paper mills in England here.