IMPORTANT INFORMATION

(WEBSITE, POSTAGE, SALES POLICY & PAYMENTS)

WEBSITE INFORMATION

WEBSITE PHOTOGRAPHS - ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME (USUALLY IN MY HOME) HAVE NOT BEEN DIGITALLY RE-MASTERED OR ALTERED IN ANY WAY.

ITEM DESCRIPTIONS - always aim to be as informative and accurate as possible.

THE PURCHASE PRICE - is always shown in £GBP and excludes postage, packing, & insurance.

YEAR OF MANUFACTURE – e.g. (1928) is shown in brackets after the price. (c.1928) means the approximate Year of Manufacture.  

SOLD - The Instrument or Item has been sold and is no longer available.

ON HOLD - Items that have been held for a prospective purchaser. An instrument left ‘ON HOLD’ for a prospective purchaser will guarantee that person ‘First Chance’ to buy it but with absolutely no commitment to purchase it. In certain circumstances an instrument may be kept ‘ON HOLD’ for a number of weeks and occasionally for a number of months.

IN TRANSIT - Instrument/Goods arriving soon and shortly available for sale. More details to follow as soon as possible.

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POSTAGE INFORMATION

DELIVERIES (UK & INTERNATIONAL), SALES POLICY, & PAYMENTS)

(Postage and Packing is always charged at cost price)

UK DELIVERIES

FOR INSTRUMENTS WORTH UP TO £2,500:

I use ROYAL MAIL SPECIAL DELIVERY.This service includes next day delivery before 1.00pm,  tracking, full insurance, & postage and packing (my strong triple-layer cardboard boxes alone cost me £6.00p each to buy). For the weight of the parcel (over 4kg) this service costs about £29, and with the packaging the Total Cost comes to £35.00p.

FOR INSTRUMENTS WORTH OVER £2,500:

Insurance for such instruments is not covered by Royal Mail Special Delivery, and all other carriers either give £25 insurance on musical instruments or won’t insure them at all. Therefore I would recommend that the instrument is either;

1. Collected from me in person either by visiting my home (if possible), or possibly meeting at a mutually agreed collection point.

2. Delivered to you using a reliable courier service (see below).

COURIER SERVICE (For UK buyers only):

This service includes FULL INSURANCE, SAME DAY COLLECTION FROM ME AND DELIVERY TO YOU AT A TIME OF YOUR CHOOSING and usually by the SAME DRIVER in the SAME VEHICLE). I have used this service twice before and it is brilliant - but very expensive. However, you do get peace of mind if you are spending thousands of pounds on a rare and valuable instrument, so it may prove to be the best service to use. Please contact me for a recommended courier service.

INTERNATIONAL DELIVERIES

These are usually sent by AIR MAIL using UPS, ROYAL MAIL, or FEDEX. These services aren’t cheap, but they are quick(ish), they provide full insurance cover on the goods and a ‘tracking’ service.

Cheaper services are available through budget carriers but they can be much slower, they don’t provide full insurance cover, and they don’t usually have any tracking facility. Smaller packages are sent by the normal AIR MAIL service and are fully insured.

INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION & INSURANCE: International transportation and insurance can also be arranged. Please remember that no instrument can be sold until full payment has been made in (cash) or has previously cleared into my bank account (cheque or online payment).

SALES POLICY, POSTAGE & PACKING

(Please Read All Points Carefully)

1). INSURANCE ADVICE and LEGAL DISCLAIMERS.
a). It is the sole responsibility of the PURCHASER to ensure that all purchases are FULLY INSURED against loss or damage that may occur during postage. The VENDOR therefore accepts no liability in these matters.
b). It is the sole responsibility of the OWNER to ensure that any item or items sent to me for APPRAISAL and/or left with me for SALE are FULLY INSURED by them against loss or damage that may occur during postage and during the period that the item or items are in my possession. I therefore accept no liability in these matters.

c). Items sent to me and returned to the owner must be returned at the owner’s expense.

2). 24-HOUR APPROVAL. All sales carry a 24-hour approval from arrival at the Purchaser’s Address.

3). RETURNS POLICY. For UK residents, return posting must be by ROYAL MAIL SPECIAL DELIVERY. Returns from outside the UK must be by AIR MAIL. Any returned item must be sent back to me at the expense of the purchaser. If returned, it must be trackable, fully insured, sent back in its original box, and with its original receipt. All returned goods must arrive back in the same condition they were in when they were sent, therefore a full refund is subject to an inspection of all returned goods upon arrival.

4). Check with me the cost of postage, packing and insurance before you buy, because this has to be added to the cost of your goods.

5). *** IMPORTANT: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT HAVE THE FACILITY TO PROCESS CARD PAYMENTS THROUGH IT THEREFORE YOU WILL NEVER BE REQUIRED TO ENTER ANY OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION INTO IT.

*** When you send your payment, please ensure that you have agreed to pay ‘All Charges’, which includes charges to the purchaser and charges to the vendor. Goods will not be released for postage until the full net amount (in £GBP) has cleared into my Bank account.

6). Don’t forget to include your Name, Full Postal Address, Post Code (Zip Code), and Telephone Number (including area code) with your order.

PAYMENTS MADE FROM THE UK

7). You can arrange to send payment using either AN ON-LINE PAYMENT USING INTERNET BANKING, A MONEY TRANSFER ARRANGED AT YOUR LOCAL BANK, PAYPAL ‘XOOM’ (but NOT the ordinary PAYPAL service), A CHEQUE, OR A POSTAL ORDER. CASH payments are also perfectly acceptable. Receipts will always be provided.

8). Cheques should be made payable to J. E. Croft and sent to my address, which can be found beneath ‘The Ukulele Man’ logo at the top of every page on my website. PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 10 DAYS (from the arrival of your cheque or Postal Order) BEFORE GOODS ARE DISPATCHED. This allows time for me to take your cheque to the Bank, time for your cheque to ‘clear’ (currently four Bank working days - excluding Saturday or Sunday), and time for me to pack your goods prior to dispatch. A receipt for your goods will be enclosed.

9). PAYMENT BY the normal ‘PayPal’ is no longer available.

Since an incident when ‘PayPal’ could not explain to my satisfaction how several hundred pounds of my money went missing from my account (although the money was returned to my account about three days later), I have refused to use their system.

10). POSTAGE & PACKING.

All Musical Instruments will be packed securely in their cases, which in turn will be securely packed inside a strong triple-layered cardboard box.

Books will be wrapped in bubble wrap and posted together with your receipt in a strong double layered made-to-measure cardboard box.

Other items will be posted inside appropriately strong packaging such as a padded envelope (‘Jiffy’ bag).

All items will be posted with full insurance.

Instruments will also have a tracking number.

Books and Other Items will have a tracking number used only for confirmation of postage and confirmation of delivery.

Many sent items will have to be ‘signed for’ on arrival.

All Postal Receipts are kept by me.

* ITEMS CANNOT BE SENT BY ROYAL MAIL SPECIAL DELIVERY IF THE LENGTH OF THE FULLY PACKED BOX EXCEEDS THEIR 61cm LIMIT.

** MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WILL NO LONGER BE SENT BY PARCELFORCE BECAUSE OF THEIR POOR INSURANCE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

PAYMENTS MADE FROM ALL OTHER COUNTRIES

11). I am unable to accept payment by credit card or debit card, so please arrange for either an International Money Order to be sent to me, or arrange with me for an Electronic Transfer of Funds directly into my account. PAYPAL ‘XOOM’ is an acceptable method  of payment.

* Please note that my Bank currently charges me £7.00 (GBP) in order to process foreign payments into my account. Regrettably, this amount will therefore have to be added to the amount payable by the Purchaser.

12). ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE MADE IN £(GBP) ONLY.

This can be done in a number of ways, with or without the help of your Bank.

Electronic transfers are much faster and as soon as the full amount of money clears into my Bank account I can pack your goods up and send them off to you after the payment has cleared.

All paper payments (cheques) should be made payable to J. E. Croft and sent to my address, which can be found beneath ‘The Ukulele Man’ logo at the top of every page on my website. PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 16 DAYS (from the arrival of your cheque or Postal Order) BEFORE GOODS ARE DISPATCHED. This allows time for me to take your cheque to the Bank, time for your cheque to ‘clear’ (which may take up to ten Bank working days - excluding Saturday or Sunday), and time for me to pack your goods prior to dispatch. A receipt for your goods will be enclosed.

*** When you send your payment, please ensure that you have agreed to pay ‘All Charges’, which includes charges to the purchaser and charges to the vendor. Goods will not be released for postage until the full net amount (in £GBP) has cleared into my Bank account.

13). IMPORT & EXPORT TAXES.

a). If you are buying from me and live in the ‘European Union’ (EU) you will now have to pay have to pay DUTY on it when it arrives.

b). If your country is NOT a member of the EU then you may still be liable to pay import duty and/or other relevant taxes on arrival of your goods. If you are in any doubt about such matters please check with your relevant authorities. The VENDOR accepts no liability in these matters.

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John Croft, Glan Tanat, Llanyblodwel, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 8NQ, England.

Tel: (+44) 01691 828850

Email: theukuleleman.com@gmail.com