Frequently Asked Questions
How much does postage and packing cost?
Do you accept payment other than by Paypal?
Is the transaction confidential, and can I be assured of discretion?
What if I am not entirely happy or there is a problem with the order?
I see that some of your stock is obtained from another supplier, how does this affect me?
Can you give me some guidance on stocking sizing?
Is there any Loyalty bonus?
Do you sell tights; pantyhose; or stretch stockings?
Why don't you sell 'modern' Fully-Fashioned brands like Gio; Sweet Caroline?
Can I rely on the colours indicated in the scans on your web site?
I don't understand all the terms used on your web site.
Do you have a colour brochure?
SHIPPING 
Our shipping is charged according to a sliding scale, irrespective of destination. These fixed prices cover the cost of postage and packing of all the items included in any one order. This is automatically added to the amount of your order: the shipping charge is indicated with each additional item introduced to your shopping cart, so that you can keep track of total cost of your order.
We keep our prices low by adding a postage and packing charge to your order - not a 'hidden' charge with each item. We aim to ship every item ordered within two working days, but there are occasions when this time frame is not achievable: for example, when we are on holiday. There may be problems with availability with your order, so you are advised to monitor your registered PayPal mail box in case we have encountered any problems.
Please note that for mutual reassurance all goods are shipped with Royal Mail insurance cover corresponding to the value of your order in 'Sealed Air', 'Mail Lite' (or similar) protective postal bags.
Please note that the Royal Mail provide insurance at no extra cost to all packages with contents of less than £34 value, irrespective of the destination, but above that value, the insurance for the contents is an additional cost, and the package requires a signature on delivery. Our sliding scale of postage charges reflects this 'threshold' value for additional charges, but please note that, generally speaking, the greater the total value of your order, the more cost-effective the postage and packing charges become.
United Kingdom
Goods shipped to addresses in the United Kingdom will be posted by either Special Delivery or by First Class Recorded Delivery, depending on the value of the contents of the package. On the date of posting, or soon after, we will provide you with 'Track and Trace' information relating to your package.
Other Destinations
Goods shipped to most other countries will be shipped by Airmail International Delivery. As for UK customers, where it is apparent that the cost is 'unfair' we will try to make amends by including extra stockings. Obviously, 16 pairs at a purchase price of £3.49 will cost more to post than, say, four pairs at £13.99, although the value of the contents is nearly identical!!
The Royal Mail has recently changed the scope of their services to some countries which means that we are unable to ship 'Signed For' to some countries, in which case we will use the tracking facility provided by the Royal Mail's Airsure service. 'Signed For' is available to the United States and all EU countries.
On the date of posting, or soon after, we will provide you with 'Track and Trace' information relating to your package. For goods outside the United Kingdom, please allow 4-7 days for delivery, but in some circumstances the postal service may take longer.
Goods shipped outside the EU may be subject to Import duties or taxes, and this process may slightly delay the progress of you parcel. If customs duties or import taxes are levied on your parcel at the point of entry into your country, your postal service will not pass the package to you without payment of the duty. Obviously, we have no control over whether or not duty is charged, but if you are considering placing a valuable order (say, over £20) for receipt in a non-EU country, please contact us as we may be able to suggest some strategies to minimise any import duties or taxes.
Paypal and other means of payment
We prefer payment via Paypal, the secure on-line payment system used by over 20 million persons throughout the world, but we will accept payment by other methods.
Payment in cash in either Euros; US dollars; or Pounds Sterling (GBP) is acceptable, but we strongly recommend that you send any cash to us by secure means.
If payment is made by cheque drawn on a UK bank there is no additional charge. For cheques drawn on foreign banks our bank levies a flat fee of $12.00 (£6.00 or €9.00) which we would add to the cost of your order. We will wait for all cheques to be cleared before processing the order - the clearing of cheques normally takes 3 to 5 working days, but can sometimes be longer for cheques drawn on a non-UK bank.
If you prefer not to use Paypal, please email us with your requirements so that we can advise you of the total cost of your proposed purchases.
Discretion
All transactions are conducted with absolute discretion, and in the strictest confidence.
We do not pass on buyers' information to any third party.
If the purchase is intended as a gift, please advise and we will keep the packaging as anonymous as is practicable. Unfortunately, for non-EU countries, we are required to paste on the packet a Customs declaration declaring the contents of the package, and in all cases our return address is stated on the rear of the parcel. Generally, we describe contents as 'Vintage Hosiery', but we can adjust this to 'Clothing' should you require - use the 'Message' section of the Paypal ordering process for any special instructions.
Complaints
We treat all complaints very seriously, and will endeavour to keep you happy.
Please email us with any discrepancies in your order or if for any reason you are not entirely satisfied.
If you order an item that is listed on the web site but we are unable to locate in our comprehensive stock, we will generally offer you an increase in the value (e.g. if the stockings you ordered are priced at $5.50, we would increase this to $8.50) so that you can advise us of your alternative requirements.
Please note that we are selling vintage and classic stockings at very realistic prices. These stockings and, particularly, their packaging may have deteriorated over the years. Where any defects are apparent, we have reduced the prices and, generally, we have identified the nature of the defect.
Please see our Terms and Conditions for returns.
Sizing
Stocking sizing is not a very precise art: there are many factors to consider when assessing the size you might require.
The first thing is to get the foot size correct.
Sizing of stockings is a measurement from the tip of the toe of the stocking to the point at which the heel turns to become the leg. Thus a size '9' is 9 inches long on the foot.
The next measurement is the length of the stocking, and is not always given by manufacturers. This is the measurement from the turning point of the heel to the top of the welt of the stocking, and is given in inches. This measurement gives one an indication of the length of the stocking.
The actual length when the stocking is worn is somewhat different in that the length is affected by the shape of the wearer's leg - the slimmer the leg, the longer the stocking will go. Also, the nature or the 'knit' and the 'resilience' of the yarn will have an effect on the length; as will the 'cut' of the stocking.
Some manufacturers shape the stocking to be very full, and this gives a longer effective length, whereas some will skimp on the 'cut' and thus the stocking can have a shorter length when worn than the actual measurement would have you believe.
When selecting vintage hosiery from our selection, it is important to note that nylon degrades slightly over the years and becomes more 'brittle', hence it is more likely that a stocking in a size that is too small for the wearer will suddenly rupture causing ladders (runs), and thus spoiling the stocking.
Here is a useful conversion chart: please note that the stocking sizes are approximations derived from the conversion to inches. The chart is provided for guidance purposes only!!
CONVERSION CHART
| UK shoe size |
- |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
| european shoe size |
34 |
35.3 |
36.75 |
38 |
39.25 |
40.5 |
42 |
43.25 |
44.6 |
46 |
47.25 |
48 |
- |
| US male shoe size |
- |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
| US female shoe size |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Japan shoe size |
- |
21 |
22 |
23 |
24.8 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
30 |
31 |
32 |
| Mexico shoe size |
- |
- |
- |
4.5 |
5.5 |
6.5 |
7.5 |
8.5 |
9.5 |
10.5 |
11.5 |
12.5 |
- |
| centimetres |
21.4 |
22.4 |
22.9 |
23.8 |
24.9 |
25.7 |
26.6 |
27.6 |
28.3 |
29.3 |
30.1 |
- |
- |
| mondopoint |
214 |
224 |
229 |
238 |
249 |
257 |
266 |
276 |
283 |
293 |
301 |
- |
- |
| inches |
- |
8 3/8 |
8 6/8 |
9 1/16 |
9 7/16 |
9 13/16 |
10 2/16 |
10 1/2 |
10 7/8 |
11 3/16 |
11 9/16 |
11 7/8 |
- |
| Stocking Size |
- |
8 |
8.5 |
9 |
9.5 |
9.5 or 10 |
10 |
10.5 |
11 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Loyalty
Our customers are important to us. We offer discounts to regular customers - please email us before ordering so that we can prepare a preferential order page for you, with a discount allowance.
We often include a gift or two with orders - either an extra pair of the stockings you have ordered or some different nylon stockings for you to try.
Tights; Pantyhose and Stretch Stockings
We do not stock tights or pantyhose.
Some of our stockings are of a 'stretch' variety, but only where these are 'special' enough to be included in our stock. Where a stocking has stretch characteristics we include this in the description.
Modern Fully-Fashioned stockings
We specialise in vintage and classic stockings and travel extensively on a regular basis to acquire new stock. As you can see from the site, we a have a very extensive selection. We keep our prices very realistic, so our profit margins are low - we feel that we are unable to offer the more-recently-made non-stretch stockings at a competitive price.
Brochure
Sorry, but we don't have a colour brochure.
Most of the stockings featured on our web site are available only in limited quantities: we feel that to offer a colour brochure would be not only uneconomic, but also any such brochure would very soon be out-of-date. We offer our stockings at realistic prices by offering a comparatively no-frills service, just honest quality and reliability. One of the ways we keep our prices so competitive is by not paying for photo images of models wearing our hosiery.
With each order we enclose up-to-date stock lists for your perusal at leisure.
