Pre-Orders
You can order items that are out of stock
If a product is out of stock, you can still order it. We call this a pre-order. You pay for it now and we dispatch it as soon as it is back in stock. Nothing else is different — same price, same delivery, same returns rights.
Out-of-stock items are labelled PRE-ORDER on the product page, and the button reads Pre-order instead of Add to cart. If you don't see that label, the item is in stock and ships on our normal timescale.
When will my pre-order arrive?
Honestly: we can't always give you a firm date, and we would rather say so than invent one.
How quickly a product comes back depends on the brand and the line. Most items are back with us within a few days. Occasionally something takes longer, or a brand discontinues it entirely and it does not return at all.
What we will do is keep you informed. As soon as your pre-order is dispatched you'll get a tracking email, exactly as with any other order. If you want an estimate on a specific product before you commit, ask us — we will tell you what we know.
Our promise on timing
- We dispatch your pre-order as soon as it is back in stock.
- If we cannot get it to you within 30 days, we will contact you and offer a full refund. You do not have to wait indefinitely.
- If a product is discontinued and will not return, we will tell you and refund you in full.
- You can cancel a pre-order at any time before it is dispatched, for a full refund. Just contact us.
The important bit about delivery times
Our standard delivery promise is same-day dispatch before 3pm, arriving in 1-2 working days. That applies from the point of dispatch. For a pre-order, the clock starts when the item is back in stock, not when you place the order. We want to be completely clear about that, because it is the one thing people get caught out by.
Mixed orders
If you order in-stock items and a pre-order item together, we will normally hold the order and send it complete once everything is ready. If you would rather we sent the in-stock items straight away, contact us after ordering and we will split the order for you at no extra cost.
Your rights
A pre-order is a normal purchase and your consumer rights are unaffected. You have the usual 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, which begins the day you receive the goods. If we fail to deliver within 30 days, or within any longer period we have agreed with you, you are entitled to cancel and receive a full refund. See our refund policy for the full detail.
Why we do it this way
The alternative is hiding out-of-stock products entirely, which is what most shops do. We think that is worse: you search for a product, find nothing, and have no idea whether we will ever have it. We would rather show you the whole range, tell you plainly what is not in stock right now, and let you decide whether to wait.
If you would rather not pre-order, that is completely reasonable. Everything currently in stock can be found across our full range, and anything labelled PRE-ORDER is the exception rather than the rule.