Payments & Shipping

Circa Vintage ships exceptional vintage and designer fashion to clients throughout the UK and internationally. Every order is carefully prepared and packed for dispatch, with particular attention given to the safe transportation of rare, delicate and historically significant pieces.

Payments

Payments are processed securely through Shopify using the payment options displayed at checkout.

Prices are listed in pounds sterling (GBP). Customers browsing from the United States can also view the approximate US dollar ($) equivalent, with the final amount payable confirmed at checkout.

For particularly high-value purchases, we may contact you before dispatch to complete additional security checks.

UK Delivery – Free as Standard

Standard UK delivery is FREE on all orders from Circa Vintage.

All standard UK orders are sent using a tracked Royal Mail service. We generally use Royal Mail Tracked 24 or Tracked 48, with Royal Mail Special Delivery used for selected higher-value pieces.

Circa Vintage selects the most appropriate service according to the value, size and nature of the order.

Charges may apply for premium or specially requested delivery services, including same-day couriers, guaranteed Saturday delivery and other bespoke courier requests.

Collect in Person

You are welcome to collect your purchase in person from Circa Vintage free of charge.

We will contact you as soon as your purchase is ready for collection. You can also contact us by email, telephone or website chat to arrange a convenient collection time.

Collections are normally arranged during our opening hours, but we understand that these times do not suit everyone. Early and late collections can often be accommodated by prior arrangement – please contact us and we will do our best to find a convenient time.

Please wait until we have confirmed that your order is ready before travelling to collect it.

Collection by Your Own Courier

You may also arrange for your own courier to collect your purchase from Circa Vintage.

Please contact us in advance so that we can agree a collection time and have your order appropriately packed and ready for your nominated courier.

Where you appoint your own courier, the courier is acting on your behalf. Responsibility for the courier service, transportation and any associated charges rests with you once the parcel has been collected from Circa Vintage.

For international collections, the customer and their nominated courier are also responsible for any relevant customs formalities, import VAT, duties and other destination-country requirements.

Storage of Purchased Items

If you are travelling or are otherwise unable to collect or receive your purchase immediately, we are happy to store purchased items for an agreed period by prior arrangement.

Please contact us after purchasing to discuss your requirements.

Storage does not automatically extend any applicable cancellation or returns period. Your rights and eligibility for a refund, credit note or return will be determined by our Refunds & Returns Policy and any applicable statutory rights.

In particular, where an item remains with us at your request for an extended period, please be aware that once the relevant returns period has passed, a return may qualify for a credit note rather than a refund, subject to our Refunds & Returns Policy.

We therefore recommend that customers who would like us to store a purchase familiarise themselves with the returns terms at the time of purchase.

Same-Day London Delivery

We can arrange same-day courier delivery within London.

Please telephone us during our opening hours to discuss availability and delivery options. Additional charges apply to same-day and other premium courier services.

Dispatch Times

We usually dispatch orders within two working days, Monday to Friday, once your order has been received and processed.

Orders placed after Friday's dispatch period will usually be dispatched on the following Tuesday.

As Circa Vintage specialises in individual vintage, couture and archival pieces, some garments may require additional preparation or specialist packing before they can be safely dispatched.

We will contact you if there is an unexpected delay or, in the unusual event that an item is no longer available, as soon as possible. To help us resolve any issues quickly, please ensure that you provide a current email address and telephone number when placing your order.

If you require an item for a particular date, please contact us before ordering and we will advise whether the required timescale is achievable.

Multiple Items & Parcels

Occasionally an order may be dispatched in more than one package, particularly where items are bulky, heavy or require different forms of protective packaging. These parcels may arrive separately, but you will not incur additional standard delivery charges as a result.

If you place separate orders within a short period, we may consolidate them into a single shipment where practical. Where you have paid delivery charges that are no longer required as a result, any appropriate excess postage charge will be refunded.

International Delivery

We ship internationally to many destinations.

International orders are generally sent using Royal Mail International Tracked & Signed or DHL Express. Circa Vintage selects the most appropriate service according to the destination, value, size and nature of the order.

Delivery charges are displayed at checkout where available.

Tracking information will be provided once your order has been dispatched.

International delivery times vary according to destination and customs processing. Customs procedures can occasionally cause delays outside our control.

Customs, Duties & Import Taxes

International orders may be subject to local taxes, customs duties and import charges in the destination country.

Where available, our checkout is set up to calculate and collect applicable duties and taxes when you place your order. If duties and taxes are being collected in advance, these will be clearly shown at checkout.

This means that many of our international customers can see and pay the applicable import charges as part of their purchase rather than receiving an unexpected customs bill when their order arrives.

Customs requirements vary by country and can depend on the destination, value, type and origin of the goods. Where duties or taxes cannot be collected through our checkout, the recipient may be required to pay them directly to the courier or local customs authority before the parcel can be released.

International shipments must pass through customs in the destination country and, occasionally, this can cause delays outside our control.

If duties and taxes are payable locally rather than collected at checkout, responsibility for payment rests with the recipient.

If a customer refuses to pay applicable import charges and the parcel is subsequently returned to Circa Vintage, we reserve the right to deduct any return shipping, customs, duties or other costs incurred by Circa Vintage from any refund due, where permitted.

Please check the information shown at checkout carefully before completing your purchase. If you are unsure about charges that may apply in your country, we recommend checking with your local customs authority before ordering.

European Union Deliveries

We currently do not offer our standard shipping service to destinations within the European Union, as Circa Vintage is not presently set up to administer the required EU import VAT arrangements.

The default delivery option for EU customers is therefore collect in person.

EU clients may also arrange their own courier collection from Circa Vintage. We will prepare the purchased item appropriately and facilitate collection by your nominated courier.

Where a client arranges their own courier, responsibility for the courier service, transportation, customs formalities, import VAT, duties and associated charges rests with the client.

Please contact us to arrange collection.

Packaging

Every order is packed according to the individual requirements of the piece.

Larger items are generally sent in boxes, while smaller or more flexible garments are usually dispatched in our distinctive metallic Jiffy bag packaging.

Appropriate internal protection is added according to the nature of the garment, with extra care taken for delicate textiles, embellishment, structured pieces and other vulnerable items.

We take particular care when packing rare and archival fashion so that each piece is appropriately protected during transit.

High-Value & Exceptional Pieces

Many pieces within the Circa Vintage collection are rare, unique or historically significant.

Higher-value UK orders may be sent using Royal Mail Special Delivery, while international orders may be sent using DHL Express where we consider this the most appropriate service.

Exceptionally valuable, fragile or unusual pieces may require additional security checks or a bespoke delivery arrangement before dispatch.

We reserve the right to select the delivery method we consider most appropriate for the safe transportation of the piece.

Delivery to Remote Areas

We cannot guarantee our usual delivery timescales to a small number of remote or rural locations. Carrier services and delivery schedules vary by destination and may result in additional transit time.

If you require an order urgently and are based in a remote location, please contact us before purchasing.

Delivery Addresses & Security

Please ensure that your delivery address and contact information are complete and accurate when placing your order.

For the protection of both our customers and our collection, we reserve the right not to dispatch an order where we believe the delivery address may not be sufficiently secure, for example certain communal postal addresses or PO boxes.

If this affects an order you have placed, we will contact you as soon as possible to discuss an alternative arrangement.

For particularly high-value transactions, we may carry out additional security checks before dispatch.

Tracking & Delivery Times

Tracking information will be provided once your order has been dispatched.

We always do our best to meet our stated dispatch and delivery timescales. Occasionally, however, parcels may be delayed by circumstances outside our control, including carrier disruption, adverse weather, customs processing or disruption to local delivery networks.

Carrier delivery estimates should therefore be treated as estimates unless a guaranteed delivery service has specifically been arranged.

Delivery Problems

If your parcel appears to be delayed, damaged or lost in transit, please contact us as soon as possible.

If an order arrives damaged, please retain all packaging and take photographs of the parcel, packaging and contents. These may be required when we investigate the matter with the carrier.

Please do not dispose of damaged packaging until we have confirmed that it is no longer required.

Returns

Our returns and cancellation terms are set out separately in our Refunds & Returns Policy. Please read this policy before purchasing, particularly when ordering internationally or asking us to store a purchase.

Nothing in our terms affects your statutory rights.

Questions About Shipping

If you are considering purchasing a particularly valuable, fragile or unusual piece and would like to discuss delivery, collection or storage before ordering, please contact us.

For questions about an existing order, please include your order number so we can assist you efficiently.

Circa Vintage specialises in exceptional designer vintage and archival fashion. Every shipment is handled with the same care and attention to detail that we apply to researching, documenting and preserving the pieces in our collection.