Shipping and Lead Times
Published lead times, and the arithmetic on why buying inside the EU is cheaper than importing.
Lead times on this site are published per product and honoured. That is unusual in this market, which is exactly why we do it: a maintenance planner cannot schedule around "contact us for availability".
Lead times
| What | Lead time | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| Stocked catalogue tools | 2 to 5 working days | cleared payment or accepted PO |
| Custom foam layout | 10 to 15 working days | your approval of the layout drawing |
| Laser marking on tools we supply | added to the tool lead time | as above |
| Laser marking on your own tools | quoted per batch | arrival of the tools |
| Tool crib audit | scheduled with you | agreed visit date |
The layout drawing for custom foam usually comes back to you within three working days of a complete enquiry. The clock on the manufacturing lead time starts when you approve it, not when you order, because a layout that changes twice is a layout that has not been approved.
What drives a custom lead time
Three things, in order of impact. Whether the tool list is complete when the job starts. Whether the layout needs the physical tools in front of us or can be drawn from part numbers. And material: standard two tone stock in common thicknesses is on the shelf, while a specific colour pair or a chemically resistant grade may add a few days.
Buying inside the EU against importing
This is the part worth reading if you are comparing us against a US or UK supplier. A rivet gun kit listed by a UK supplier at 432 EUR including VAT, with 57 EUR of international shipping, does not arrive at 489 EUR to an EU address. Duty and a clearance fee are payable before the carrier will release it, and the carrier's own brokerage charge is on top.
Intra-EU supply avoids all of that. There is no customs entry, no duty, no clearance fee and no brokerage, and the goods are not held pending payment of charges nobody warned you about. Delivery is measured in days.
The honest version of the comparison: on a small hand tool the difference is a few euro and some annoyance. On a five figure foam and kitting programme, the import route adds a percentage of the whole order value plus a customs file your finance team has to reconcile.
Carriage
Carriage is quoted per order, because a set of dimple dies and a roller cabinet full of foam are not the same parcel. Prices are in EUR excluding VAT. VAT is added for buyers in the EU without a valid VAT registration number.
Deliveries to an EU VAT registered business with a valid registration number are supplied without VAT under the reverse charge. Give us the number at the quote stage rather than after invoicing, when correcting it becomes paperwork for both of us.
Damage, shortages and returns
Check the consignment on arrival and tell us within five working days if anything is damaged or missing, with a photograph. Stocked items in unused condition and original packaging can be returned within 14 days.
Custom foam and marked or serialised tools cannot be returned, because they were cut or etched to your specification and have no second customer. That is why the layout drawing exists and why we will not start manufacturing until you have approved it.
Common questions
Will I pay import duty?
Not on delivery to an EU address. We supply from inside the EU, so there is no customs entry, no duty and no clearance fee.
How fast can custom foam be if it is urgent?
Say so in the enquiry. The published 10 to 15 working days is the normal case and there is sometimes room to improve on it, but we will give you a date we can hold rather than one that sounds good.
Can you ship to the UK?
Yes. Post-Brexit a UK delivery is an export, so customs formalities apply and we will set out the position in the quote rather than leave it as a surprise.
Can you deliver to an aircraft on the ground?
Tell us the situation. An AOG is a different conversation from a stock order and we will be straight with you about whether we can help in the time available.