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How to shop / FAQs
How to shop with us.......
Step 1.
Browse our website for the Fair Trade Gifts you would like to purchase.
Step 2.
When you want to add an item to your shopping basket click on the 'Add to' button. (Please note that the `Add to` button has an icon of a shopping trolley after it.)
Step 3.
Once you have selected all the items you wish to purchase, please go to the top right hand corner of the page were you will see your `Total` for the items in your basket.
Step 4.
Click on 'Go to Checkout'. Then follow the on-screen instructions.
Step 5.
Enjoy your Fair Trade gifts and please shop with us again!
What we offer our customers........
Free Postage and Packing for all orders over £50 (except Hampers)
A 14-Day, "No Quibble" Money Back Guarantee on all product purchases
Customer Services always available Monday - Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm
We comply with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000
1. How do I place an order with you?
Either Online via our website, or by email, telephone or post.
Online - THE FAIR TRADE STORE`s website is up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you can place your order at a time that suits you best.
Simply visit www.thefairtradestore.co.uk, browse through the different categories of Fair Trade Gifts and follow the simple on-screen instructions. The site has state-of-the-art security features so you can confidently shop with us with total peace of mind. We take most major debit and credit cards payments.
By email, telephone or post - Once you have selected the Fair Trade gift(s) you would like to buy, please contact us by email, telephone, or post. Simply provide us with the product code, description and the quantities you would like. We will then confirm the value of the order including postage and packing charges and take your name and delivery address details. You then send us a cheque or postal order made payable to THE FAIR TRADE STORE. Once this has been cleared by our bank, we will post the goods out to you.
Please note, we are not able to process debit or credit card payments over the telephone.
Create a business account – Please Contact Us directly for further details.
2. How do I pay for the products I order online?
By Paypal, or by credit or debit card.
We use a reputable online payment merchant called sage pay to collect payment for your order. Sage pay enables you to pay with your debit or credit card quickly, securely and safely. Your card details are securely encrypted and are not disclosed to us at any time.
Sage pay provide a secure encryption gateway between the vendor (THE FAIR TRADE STORE) and the bank. It enables people to purchase products online with the knowledge that their card details will be secure.
All of the sage pay solutions use high levels of encryption. Sage pay has been audited and approved by all the major UK acquiring banks which require sage pay to adhere to all APACS standards. Sage pay have also been audited and accepted under the VISA ACCOUNT INFORMATION SECURITY (AIS). Sage pay can process MAESTRO, MASTERCARD, DEBIT MASTERCARD, VISA, VISA ELECTRON, SOLO, JCB and AMERICAN EXPRESS.
We can also take payment from you via PAYPAL, which is also one of the most secure and highly respected payment services available today. Your card information never comes to our site or onto our computers. It resides on a PAYPAL server that is heavily guarded both physically and electronically. Your card information is automatically encrypted in transit from your computer to their's using the Secure Sockets Layer Protocol (SSL) with an encryption key length of 128-bits (the highest level commercially available). PAYPAL servers sit behind an electronic firewall and are not directly connected to the Internet, so your private information is completely hidden from unauthorised sources.
When you place an order you will be given a choice of which payment method to use. Once you have entered all your delivery details you will be forwarded to the Payment Provider's secure website which will handle the financial transaction.
3. How long will it take for my order to arrive?
Usually 3-5 days from placing your order with us online.
On receipt of your order we will aim to dispatch the product(s) as soon as possible, usually the next working day. However, please allow up to 7 working days before you contact us. If there are any changes to the above, then we will always make contact to notify you.
Deliveries are made by Royal Mail from Monday to Saturday between 7am and 3pm. Orders are usually sent using their Second Class Mail service, which they aim to deliver to you within 3 working days.
In summary, you should usually have your goods within 5 working days of placing an online order with us. For example, an order placed on Monday is posted on Tuesday and will be delivered to you on or before Friday.
4. How much will Postage and Packing cost me?
For orders up to £10 the cost will be £2.30. For orders over £10 the cost will be £4.60. For orders over £50 postage and packing is free.
Unfortunately, we do have to charge you for postage and packing, in order for our operation to remain viable.
Remember, there is no such thing as "free delivery". Online retailers must be able to recover their actual delivery charges somehow and this usually takes the form of inflated selling prices. THE FAIR TRADE STORE does not do this - our sell prices remain as competitive as possible, but we do ask you to contribute towards our postage and packaging costs, which are clearly explained below. With us, what you see is what you pay – transparency is what our customers have asked for and that is what THE FAIR TRADE STORE delivers.
We try hard to ensure that there are no hidden charges attached to anything you order from us. We work out your postage and packing cost based on the total price of your order. Your order will fall into specific price bands and the exact postage and packing cost will be clearly shown in your shopping basket before payment is requested. It will then be added to the price of the goods purchased and a total cost will then be clearly shown.
Postage and Packing charges – are based on the total value of your order:-
For orders up to £10.00 we charge £2.30 (including VAT) for postage and packing.
For orders between £10.01 and £50.00 we charge £4.60 ( including VAT) for postage and packing.
For all orders over £50.00 postage and packing is FREE. (Except for Hamper orders - see below.)
Please note: Postage and Packing charges are subject to VAT at it`s current rate, as shown above. These prices are subject to change following any revisions to pricing made by Royal Mail, and/or changes made by The Government to the rate of VAT.
Postage and packing charges for our hamper service are different to the above. Please see our Fair Trade Hampers section for further details.
5. Who will deliver my order?
We send our deliveries via Royal Mail. Occasionally, one of our distributors/couriers may be used.
You will not need to sign for receipt of your delivery but if you are out and the item is too large to post through your letterbox and/or a neighbour is not available to take delivery, Royal Mail will leave instructions with you in these circumstances, making it clear what action you need to take, via a “While You Where Out” card.
This card will explain that you can either arrange a re-delivery, or you can collect your packet or parcel from your nearest collection depot / sorting office.
It may be worthwhile providing a workplace address for delivery if this is more convenient for you and you are away from your home address during weekdays. You will need to check with your workplace regarding their ability/policy on accepting such packages.
Our checkout process allows you to write a message to us to communicate any special requirements you may have.
6. Do you deliver outside of the UK?
No, we currently only supply within the UK – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Island and including The Isle of Man, The Isle of Wight and The Channel Islands.
7. Can I return an unwanted item for a refund or exchange?
Yes, of course you can. We understand this may occasionally happen and you certainly have the right to change your mind if you decide you no longer want a product you have ordered.
We will provide a full product refund or exchange, (but we are not able to refund the the initial postage and packing charges). The product(s) must be unused and resalable. Include any packaging, which must be intact, and a copy of the receipt. All of this must arrive back with us within 14 days of your initial receipt of the goods. The refund or exchange will then be actioned by THE FAIR TRADE STORE within a maximum of 30 days.
Sorry, but we are unable to refund any postage charges relating to the return of the package to us.
Please note: Due to health and hygiene reasons, we will not refund or exchange earrings or food and drink products. This is to protect the wellbeing of all our customers.
8. What happens if I receive a faulty or damaged product?
We apologise, if in rare circumstances this should ever happen. All products are hand checked before despatch and carefully hand wrapped for protection.
However, if you feel you have a problem you can rest assure we will resolve things for you to your complete satisfaction.
Please notify us within 14 days of your initial receipt of the goods. We will then ask you to return the product(s) in the original packaging along with a copy of the receipt and any postal receipts you incur in returning the package to us.
Once we have had a chance to assess things, we will discuss with you whether you would like a replacement and this will be re-sent out without any further delivery cost to you. If this is not what you would like, then our policy is to refund you the cost of the item, including the full delivery/postal charges you have incurred.
Rest assure, we will do everything we can to make sure you are happy with both your purchase and the back-up service you receive from us.
Please note: As most of the products we sell are hand crafted, often using recycled and/or natural materials, there may be slight variations from the actual images shown. This does not mean that the product is faulty or damaged. In fact, we feel that this makes each item unique and even more special. Fair Trade products are individually made by local artisans in the developing world. They are not the mass produced items most of us are used to, so please bear this in mind when assessing the quality and appearance of each product.
9. Will my personal details be disclosed to third party companies?
Absolutely not. This information will never be passed on unless we ask your permission to do so.
And remember, your bank details will not be disclosed to THE FAIR TRADE STORE at anytime – all payment details will be collected securely and administrated by sage pay or Paypal.
10. How will my goods be packaged?
We care about the environment. As such, we use recycled or sustainably produced materials as much as possible.
We also re-use packaging sent to us by our suppliers whenever we can. Therefore, don’t be alarmed if it looks like your package has been used before – it probably has and you can feel good that between us we are doing our bit for the environment.
However, what’s inside your package will be attractively wrapped and presented – we are confident you will be impressed!
Any packaging we handle that can’t be re-used is sent for recycling.
Shopping online and using a home delivery service can result in lower carbon emissions as one van makes several deliveries in one journey, unlike a trip to the shops, where it’s often one car per shopper and you have to think about petrol costs and parking charges.
Please bear this in mind when assessing the postage and packing charges that we have to apply.
