Dispatch Schedule
The information provided here applies to all delivery services and is to enable you to make an informed decision regarding the delivery of your order.
- We dispatch Monday to Friday only, as our carriers do not collect parcels on the weekend or Bank Holidays.
- Our carriers collect throughout the day starting from 11am, as such we do not allow for changes to orders.
- We process dispatch notifications in bulk at the end of the working day, rather than at the time of dispatch. For example your order may be physically collected by a carrier at 11am, but you will receive your notification email from us after 3pm.
- Orders placed on the Standard services are dispatched within 1 - 2 working days of receiving payment.
- Next Working Day orders placed before 3pm are prioritised to be sent same day. Any orders placed after 3pm on this service will be processed for dispatch on the next working day. Please note that we have a limited time to pick and pack orders placed on or around 3pm before they are collected, so if you are placing a substantial order, please call us first to see if we are still able to accommodate same day dispatch.
Whilst every effort is made to deliver orders within our estimated time frames please be aware that delays may occur, on occasion, due to unforeseen factors. The Vanilla Valley will not be held liable/responsible for delays to deliveries outside of our control, I.E. traffic or weather constraints, 3rd party delays or strike action.
UK Mainland Deliveries
Delivery estimates are based on postal and courier transit times i.e the time that the package is likely to be processed and out for delivery, this does not include the day that the order is processed by The Vanilla Valley.
Standard - Small Parcel
£3.99 or Free Shipping over £40
This service is suitable for most orders, however there are a handful of heavy or excessively large items for which only the Large Parcel service will be available. This includes light but large items 16” and over, as well as some excessively heavy items, to include large cake drums, boxes, cake tins and our Vanilla Valley Roll Out mat.
- Arrives in 3 - 5 days
- Free Shipping on orders over £40 applies to all UK addresses, with the exception of orders containing very large, or very heavy items, as described above.
- These restrictions apply to both Mainland and UK Islands and Scottish Highlands & Islands postcodes.
- For UK Mainland addresses the Large Parcel service will be available
- For UK Islands and Scottish Highlands & Islands a large parcel service will be available for each area. Please see details below.
- To receive free shipping, the total product value must be over the £40.00 threshold after any discounts have been applied.
- For orders under £40, a £3.99 delivery charge is applicable which will be sent via Royal Mail Tracked or Evri 48 hour services and in most cases will be delivered within 3 working days of dispatch, but we would expect an order to be delivered within the time frame of 5 days at worst case scenario.
Standard - Large Parcel
£5.99 or Free Shipping over £50
This service will be offered when oversized or heavy items are described above are in your cart. The Small Parcel service will become unavailable.
- Arrives in 3 - 5 days
- Available only to UK Mainland addresses. Residents of UK Islands and Scottish Highlands & Islands addresses will be offered an alternative service. Please see below.
- Free Shipping on orders over £50.
- To receive free shipping, the total product value must be over the £50.00 threshold after any discounts have been applied.
- For orders under £50, a £5.99 delivery charge is applicable and your order will be carried by Evri Light & Large service or DPD and in most cases will be delivered within 3 working days of dispatch, but we would expect an order to be delivered within the time frame of 5 days at worst case scenario.
Next Working Day - Order by 3pm for same day dispatch. Orders placed after 3pm will be dispatched the following working day
We offer two options for next working day delivery. Please read details below as the services differ slightly.
Next Working Day with DHL
£5.99 or £4.99 over £40
DHL offers a cost-effective next working day delivery service.
- Requires a signature for delivery. Parcels will not be left in a safe place, even if requested.
- Arrives on the next day, Monday to Friday. No Saturday or Sunday delivery.
- Orders for this service must be placed before 3pm for same day dispatch (Monday to Friday), it will otherwise be dispatched on the next business day.
- The amount payable for this service is £5.99, or £4.99 for a basket value over £40
- This is NOT a guaranteed service. Please allow for courier delays when placing your order as this cannot be foreseen by The Vanilla Valley.
- This is a next working day service, where deliveries on this service are made Monday to Friday only. Deliveries are made between 9am and 6pm. If you provide a mobile number when you place your order you will receive a text from the courier to advise the delivery time; this cannot be pre-selected by The Vanilla Valley.
- This service is not available to UK Islands and mainland Highlands postcodes as outlined below.
Next Working Day with DPD
From £7.49
DPD offers a premium Next Working Day service.
- Arrives on the next business day (Monday - Friday)
- Orders for this service must be placed before 3pm for same day dispatch (Monday to Friday), it will otherwise be sent on the next business day.
- The amount payable for this service will increase dependent on the weight of the order.
- This is NOT a guaranteed service, however DPD has a 98% success rate for this service. Please allow for courier delays when placing your order as this cannot be foreseen by The Vanilla Valley.
- This is a next business day service, as such deliveries on this service are made Monday to Friday only. Deliveries are made between 9am and 6pm. If you provide a mobile number when you place your order you will receive a text from the courier on the morning of the delivery to advise of the one-hour window the delivery will be made; this cannot be pre-selected by The Vanilla Valley.
- Someone will need to be present to accept the package as the delivery requires a signature. If no one will be available to accept the package you can provide delivery instructions for a safe place that the parcel can be left; this is done so at your own risk. You can enter this information during the checkout process. When selecting this service please provide a valid mobile number for the courier to contact you on; you will receive a text to notify you of your delivery slot and be provided with "in flight" options such as changing the day of delivery etc.
- This service is not available to UK Islands and mainland Highlands postcodes as outlined below.
UK Islands & Certain Mainland Highlands Postcodes
As outlined above there are certain oversized and excessively heavy items which are only available for Large Parcel services. These product exceed the size and weight restrictions of Royal Mail and we are required to use couriers only for orders containing these products.
Unfortunately many couriers apply hefty surcharges to areas that are not on the mainland, such as Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Canary Islands, Scottish Islands, and some mainland postcodes in the Scottish Highlands, forcing us to add additional postage costs to certain areas. We have tried to source better prices for many years, and while we have been able to secure better pricing from Evri, we are unable to absorb the full cost of this service into your order and as such we do not offer a free shipping threshold for the Large Parcel services to the UK Islands and Highlands.
We really do sympathise with customers on the UK Mainland that get singled out for additional charges by these companies and we endeavour to minimise these costs and look for better solutions. If you live in any of the following postcodes then you will be offered the Large Parcel service applicable to your area.
EFFECTED MAINLAND POSTCODES: AB31-AB56, FK17-99, IV1-63, KW1-17, PA21-40, PH9-50, DD1-DD11, PL27-PL35, TR4-TR6, TR9, TR13-TR16, TR27, CA6, CA8, NE69-NE71
EFFECTED UK ISLAND POSTCODES: BT1-BT99, JE1-JE5, GY1-GY10, PO30-PO41, IM1-IM9, HS1-HS9, IV40-IV56, KA27-KA28, KW15-KW17, PA20, PA41-PA49, PA60-PA78, PH42-PH44, ZE1-ZE3, EH36, DD9, DG9, TD3, TD5, TD10-13,
In addition, there are certain bulky items that we are unfortunately unable to send to these areas.
Affected products include:
Heavy items – e.g. 5kg+ bulk packs of icing, Food mixers and bulk packs of 50 boards/boxes.
Light but large items – e.g. Cake dummies, large boards and boxes, large cake tins and our Vanilla Valley Roll Out mat
In addition, we are unable to send certain hazardous items such as aerosol sprays or flammable items to these areas under any circumstances.
Large Parcel (By region) – From £18.00
This service is available for orders up to 30kg and is available for the Heavy and Light & Large items. The cost will increase based on the weight of the order; this is different for each region.
International Deliveries
Republic Of Ireland
Free standard delivery on orders over £150.
Please note that if using our website from ROI, currency will be displayed as Euros, which may not match the exact current Euro to GBP exchange rate, due to constant fluctuation.
Delivery to ROI will be made through our courier DHL on a standard delivery service which is usually delivered within 3-5 working days. DHL charge based on the volumetric weight of your order and shipping fees at checkout will reflect this based on the items in your basket.
Please see below for restrictions that may apply to ROI
International Deliveries
International Deliveries are available to both Europe and the Rest of the World. Once items have been added to your basket you will be able to change the shipping country to your location.
Please note that some items are restricted for international shipping, for example flammable items. We also restrict some excessively heavy or large items. Items which may have restrictions will be indicated on the product page and in the basket.
International deliveries are sent via International Post if under 2kg, and orders above 2kg are sent by Courier, who may pass the parcel to a partnering delivery company in some countries. Occasionally, while you may be able to select International Post, we may find once it has been packaged the size or weight of the package exceeds the limits for this service and will be upgraded to a courier service; In some cases, as couriers often charge for parcels by volumetric weight there may be additional charges, if these are excessive we may contact you for additional payment. This is not mandatory and you will also be given the option to reduce the order size or cancel it.
We are unable to send shipments over 2kg to the United States, however please contact us if you are unable to check out as we will be able to provide your with a quote for a courier shipment.
You the customer are responsible for any customs charges to receive your parcel. Legislation may have changed regarding receiving parcels from the UK for countries within the European Union as the UK is no longer a member. This may mean that you are now charged for customs, you will need to check with the governing body of the country you would like your delivery sent to be to prior to placing your order as this may have changed.
If you are purchasing for a business in Europe please supply your VAT / Company Registration number at the time of ordering.
Click & Collect
Click and Collect is available for local customers from our store in Nantgarw, Cardiff. Collection can be made from 1pm the next working day, we will hold your order for 5 days from this date. Click and collect orders are processed Monday to Friday only, collection to be made during shop opening hours, orders can be collected on Saturday if they are ready.
Please read the full Terms and Conditions of the service here.
The Recipient’s Responsibilities
Placing an Order
It is the responsibility of the customer to provide a full and correct address and contact details. We will not be liable for any delivery errors arising from an incorrectly information. See non-receipt of orders below.
If delivery is attempted but unsuccessful it is the responsibility of the recipient to contact the delivery company, via details left on a calling card, email or text message, to arrange re-delivery or collection.
Upon Receipt of Goods
Upon receiving your order we ask that you check its contents and report any discrepancies found (if any) within 48 hours. You can contact us on 02920 813 817. If any signs of damage to the box are evident upon delivery please check the contents before signing. If the goods look affected do not sign for the order, it will be returned to ourselves and we will issue a new order.
In cases of damaged goods or incorrect items we will require photographs of the product(s) and invoice, and if any items are missing we require photographs of the invoice and outer packaging to allow us to investigate with our packing team and couriers. To report damages, missing items and incorrect items please email sales@thevanillavalley.co.uk with the relevant photographs, to allow us to deal with the issue promptly.
Changes & Cancellations
Due to our automated dispatch system we are unable to cancel or amend orders once they have been placed. Please ensure that all of the delivery information is correct, and that you are committed to receiving the order before completing checkout
Non-Receipt of Orders
Please inform us of non-delivery of your order within 7 days from the expected date of delivery, this allows ample, reasonable time to check with couriers whether your parcel is being held, tracking information can be provided and re-delivery or collection can be arranged. No claims for non-delivery of your complete order will be allowed unless the company is advised within 21 days from the order date for UK Customers or 35 days from the order date for Overseas Customers.
In the event of:
1. Packages delayed / returned due to non-collection or arrangement of re-delivery;
Our couriers' agents will leave a note if no signatory is present to receive the delivery. It is your responsibility to call the delivery company to arrange a re-delivery, or collect the parcel.
2. Packages returned due to incorrect address supplied;
The customer is responsible for supplying the full and correct shipping address, orders will be sent to addresses as supplied.
You will be liable for the cost of us re-sending the goods if the parcel is returned to us marked as 'Not called for' or is due to incorrect or insufficient address details. Failure to comply with these charges will result in the order being cancelled and refunded; original postage costs will not be returned. Parcels will only be resent once the charges have been met.
3. Customs charges not paid
It is the responsibility of the customer to be aware of, and to pay any customs charges due to receive the parcel in another country.
You will be liable for the cost of any charges incurred by the courier to The Vanilla Valley for a returned package, including shipping and fines; original postage costs will not be returned. You will be liable for the cost of us re-sending the goods if the parcel is returned to us. Failure to comply with these charges will result in the order being cancelled and refunded. Parcels will only be resent once the charges have been met.
Returns
To initiate a return, you can log into you online account and submit a request. You will be able to itemise the products you wish to return and select a reason. We do not accept returns on edible products. The return procedure must be initiated within 7 days of receipt of the item . All items must be returned with reasonable care in their original packaging, in an 'as new condition' to the address below. Please include a copy of your invoice or a document stating your name, full address and post code, order number and reason for return. If you have checked out as a guest please email us at sales@thevanillavalley.co.uk. Items should be returned within 14 days of contact. Please ensure you obtain proof of postage at the time of sending; If your item is lost in transit we would not be able to refund without evidence of your proof of postage.
Our Acrylic Products
With regards to items manufactured by us (I.E. our cupcake stands, cake pop stands and cake plates) the manufacturer's protective covering must still be intact, attached on both sides of every component pertaining to the product.
Items damaged in transit
In cases where items incur damage through transit we will replace the goods free of charge once a detailed explanation or photographic evidence has been provided, as this will greatly aid the claims process filed with the carrier responsible for the delivery. Please send photo evidence to sales@thevanillavalley.co.uk.
Receipt of returned item and refund
On receipt and inspection of the item/s we will then issue a refund where applicable. You, the buyer, are responsible for covering all return postage costs and we, the seller, do not refund original postage costs for unwanted / incorrectly ordered items.
Excluded items
We do not accept returns on perishable and consumable goods (I.E. food items), tailor made, special order items or personalised goods.