Shipping Policy

 

Shipping from a UK based supplier to the UK mainland is free on all orders over £99. Orders under £99 to UK mainland will show shipping costs upon checkout, but will normally be under £10, depending on weight. Please contact us for more details. 

We ship to Northern Ireland.

Products that are sent from International suppliers, such as Svbony, will incur additional cost 
(please contact us for more details and read our return policy for international returns).

We work directly with suppliers to ensure the best possible prices for our customers. Most of our orders will normally ship within 1-3 business days, and delivery times vary between 1-3 business days once dispatched, if your telescope is in stock. Please see below for more details on our damages and returns policies.

Our goal is to keep the ordering process as simple as possible. 

 

Priority Order Handling:

Some products offer an optional priority order handling service at checkout. This prioritises your order for processing and supplier follow-up once it is placed. Priority handling does not guarantee faster courier delivery and does not affect manufacturer lead times, backorders, or pre-order dispatch dates.

 

Please read through this instructional guide so you can understand how the process works and what you should expect to happen once you place your order with us.

 

Order Confirmation:

• You will receive an order confirmation email as soon as you place your order. This means that we have authorised your payment card for the purchase and are preparing your order for shipment.
• As soon as we receive your order, we automatically reach out to the warehouse to confirm that it is in stock and available for immediate shipment.
• If your item is on backorder or unavailable, we will normally reach out to you via email.
• If your item(s) are available for immediate shipment, we will process the charges and submit the order for shipment.

 

Order Shipment:

• If your order is in stock and your payment card is approved by our fraud guarantee department, the telescope ordered will usually ship within 1-3 business days from the date of your order.
• We will send you the tracking information after the shipment is processed, to the email address you provided when checking out.
• We normally ship daily via DPD to the UK Mainland. Almost all orders will ship the same day as ordered if the order is submitted before 1pm GMT (some exceptions apply, some part & freight orders may not ship until the following day).
• Some part orders and freight shipments are subject to ship the following business day if the order is placed close to the 1pm cut off time.
• Shipping costs are included with any unit going via ground to the UK Mainland. Shipment via air will incur additional cost (please contact us for more detail).
• We do not offer Cash On Delivery.
• We will ONLY ship to your order address. We cannot ship to forwarding agents, drop-off locations, or PO boxes.
• A phone number is required by the freight company so a delivery appointment can be made.  If you do not provide a mobile phone number capable of receiving SMS text messages, you may not receive order tracking information from the courier.
• Failure to provide this at the time of order may cause a delay in delivery as freight items will not be delivered without an appointment.
• A delay in delivery may also cause additional storage fees to accrue that will need to be paid by you prior to delivery. It is your responsibility to track your order and provide the shipping company with additional delivery instructions, if you require them.

When confirmation of your order is received, this indicates that we have received your order. However, this does not mean that a contract exists between us. When we have charged your card or taken your payment, this will indicate that your order has been accepted and will then indicate a contract between us. This term is included to protect us in the event of: a pricing mistake, inadvertent under-pricing of goods, or a situation where we we are no longer able to supply a particular product for a given reason. If a change of price occurs, we will always contact you first to ensure that you accept the price. Please note that prices, product specifications and images may differ from time to time and can be changed without prior notice.

You will get an email or text alert with the tracking information from the courier if you ordered with the correct details. If you prefer your order to be left with a neighbour or in a safe place, or moved to a different day because you are out, you will need to arrange this with the courier through their web tracking application. World of Telescopes accepts no responsibility for deliveries which are changed by the customer in this manner. 

 

Note to international customers:

We do not currently ship anywhere other than United Kingdom. However, we are moving towards selling internationally. Please contact us to discuss your options.

Additional fees and taxes may apply.

 

Damages (please read carefully):

We only work with reliable suppliers. Occasionally, however, you may find that your item has been damaged or lost in transit.

• Please inspect the packaging of your items when they arrive.

• Please do not return anything without contacting us and receiving instructions from us!

• You must inform us within one working day if the goods are lost or damaged in transit.

• If part of your product is damaged, and you are happy for only the damaged part to be replaced, you must also inform us within one working day.

• If you fail to notify us within this timeframe, we may not accept your return or additional charges may apply.

• Please read our Return Policy, or see below, to learn more about your rights to cancel or return orders, or contact us for more information.

• If your item(s) do arrive damaged, please send photos to support@worldoftelescopes.co.uk and we will process a claim against the delivery company on your behalf.
• All address details must be accurate. We are not responsible for failed deliveries or losses arising from incorrect delivery addresses, or deliveries which have been changed by the customer in subsequent contact with the courier.
• You agree that proof of delivery supplied by our delivery company is sufficient evidence to establish that goods have been received.

 

Missed Deliveries:

Most shipping companies will attempt to deliver parcels twice and will require a signature. If they are unable to deliver because you are not available and after 5 days you have not contacted them to re-arrange delivery, the goods will be returned and the return delivery costs will be charged to you. World of Telescopes holds no responsibility for missed deliveries.

 

Cancellations & Refunds:

Your rights to return goods are protected under the United Kingdom's Distance Selling Directive and any agreement between us is solely governed by English Law.

Please do not return anything without contacting us and receiving instructions from us!

You are entitled to cancel your order and return the goods within 14 days for a full refund. Do this by contacting us via email or telephone and quoting the order number supplied to you. Your refund will be issued within 14 days of us receiving the goods back. However, World of Telescopes is not responsible for any delays in you receiving your return caused by your bank or payment provider. 

After the 14-day cancellation period, we do not accept returns for change-of-mind reasons. However, if your product is faulty, damaged, or not as described, you may still return it under our warranty and consumer law rights. Please contact us for guidance in such cases.

Refunds will only be issued to the original payment card that you use when placing your order.

All returns must be authorised by us prior to shipping them to us and you must have a valid receipt or proof of purchase. If you send a product back without authorisation we might not recognise it, nor accept it. 

Our offer of free shipping for orders over £99 only applies to goods sent to you (the buyer). If your order has shipped, and you decide to cancel or return the goods, you (the buyer) will be responsible for actual return shipping charges. You are responsible for the cost and risk of loss or damage when returning the goods, so you should take out enough postal insurance to cover their value. For orders of £99 and under we will pay for return shipping, at standard delivery costs (if you wish to send your return using an express delivery method, you will incur the additional charges, but you must contact us about your method of return delivery prior to sending).

This does not affect your rights when there is there is a manufacturing fault - for example, if goods arrived faulty.

Please read above for our policy on damages.

Any unwanted goods returned should be in unused saleable new condition including all original packing, instructions, and any free gifts. You must have the receipt or proof of purchase and must be the original buyer.

Damage to free gifts are not deemed a valid reason for returning a product. 

We cannot accept unwanted returns which have been assembled or used.

If you acquire a free 3^rd party software license with a particular product and return that product, the software license will be revoked. 

These terms apply to your order. We may change our terms and conditions at any time. Please do not assume that the same terms will apply in the future.

None of these terms affect your legal rights and these are not diminished in any way. If any term is held to be invalid under any applicable statute or rule of law, that term is automatically omitted from the terms to the minimum extent necessary to comply with the law and without affecting the validity or enforceability of the remainder.

 

Backordered and Pre-order items:

From time to time, a telescope may temporarily be unavailable from our supplier, or may be offered for sale as a pre-order ahead of an upcoming stock release. In some cases, our website may not have updated at the point you place your order.

When you place an order for a backordered or pre-order item, payment is taken at the time of ordering to reserve the item against incoming stock.

Shortly after your order is placed, we will email you to confirm whether the item is a backorder or pre-order, provide the current expected dispatch timeframe, and advise if suitable alternatives are available should you prefer an option sooner.

Dispatch timeframes are estimates and may change due to factors outside our control, including manufacturing delays, shipment delays, port hold-ups, or supplier allocation changes.

You may cancel a backordered or pre-order item at any time before it has been dispatched for a full refund. To cancel, please contact us by email or phone via our contact us page.

Once the item has been dispatched, the order can no longer be cancelled and will instead fall under our standard return policy.

When the product is dispatched, you will receive an email confirmation along with tracking details, typically within 1–3 business days.

 

If you have any further questions about the ordering and shipping process, feel free to contact us by email at support@worldoftelescopes.co.uk