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International Shipping

VAT-free shopping is available for orders delivered outside the UK but be aware that local import duties will apply at the destintion!

Charley Chau has happy customers in over sixty countries around the world, all enjoying their very own Charley Chau beds and blankets. We're delighted to offer UK VAT-free shopping for all international orders delivered outside the UK. 

If you are overseas and order from the UK, the recipient of the parcel becomes the importer of goods and therefore you are liable for any local sales tax, customs fees and handling charges that may be levied by the destination country's customs and excise authorities. These charges are beyond our control and are set by the destination Customs authority.

Note that the way in which our website handles orders for delivery outside the UK changed in January 2021 so please read the information below carefully if you are ordering for delivery outside the UK, even if you have ordered with us before.

VAT-Free Shopping for Overseas Delivery

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How it works

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All of the prices shown on our regular web pages are in GBP Sterling and include 20% VAT (UK sales tax) but when a delviery address outside the UK is selected at checkout, the 20% VAT will be removed automatically fron your order total. Once you have specified an overseas delivery address, when you go back to look at our product pages, the prices will be shown excluding VAT (because the website now knows you are delivering outside the UK).

Please add your desired items to the shopping cart as normal - prices shown will be the full UK retail price including the equivalent of 20% VAT. Once you are on the Shipping screen during checkout, you have entered your delivery address and selected a shipping rate you will see the message: "Your cart has been updated based on your shipping country" and your product subtotal will have been updated with the discounted retail price excluding VAT. Continue to finish the on-screen prompts to checkout and complete your order - that's it! 

Example Screen Shot - Shopping Cart

For international delivery outside the UK, 20% VAT will automatically be removed from our product prices on the 'Shipping' screen during checkout once the delivery address has been confirmed and a shipping service selected. In the example shown in the screenshot, the cart has been updated based on the shipping country (Belgium) and the product sub-total shown for a Small Bliss Bolster Bed is GBP £187.50 - this is the UK retail price excluding 20% VAT. The normal UK retail price for the bed including VAT is £225.00. Shipping in this example is GBP £20.00 and so the order total for the bed and shipping is £207.50 which is less than the standard retail price of the bed alone in the UK.

We are under no legal obligation to remove the equivalent of VAT from orders that are being shipped overseas but we feel it is the right thing to do for our customers. As you can see from the example above, the removal of 20% VAT can be make a significant difference to the order total for our overseas customers. 

International shipping services

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At checkout, once you have entered your delivery address including country, our site will show you all available shipping rates for your order. If more than one shipping service is shown please select your preferred choice.

Please note that we do not make a profit on shipping fees - shipping dog beds around the world is sadly very costly because of the bulk of the parcels even though we do everything we can to minimise the size of the parcels that we ship to our customers - see Squished below. 

If no remote area surcharges apply to your delivery address then we will send you an email to acknowledge that we are processing your order and arrange for your order to be dispatched. If any of the goods you have ordered are out of stock we will email you to notify you and make suitable arrangements with you. You do of course have the right cancel and refund your order in full if you choose to do so.

Remote area surcharges

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On receipt of your order if we identify that a 'Remote Area Surcharge' applies to your delivery address (these charges are levied by couriers, not be Charley Chau) we will contact you by email to advise of any additional charges and send an electronic invoice for payment. You have the right to refuse and we will cancel and refund your order in full if you choose to do so.

Exceptions – individual shipping quotes for international delivery

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In certain circumstances our website will not apply a shipping charge to your order for delivery outside the UK and you will be shown the following to select as your shipping option: 

!!! Shipping to be invoiced separately !!!.

This is usually because the goods ordered are likely to be shipped as an oversize consignment, usually when the package (once ready for dispatch) is more than 1m in length, and sometimes because the destination country is not we one we ship to frequently and requires us to request a bespoke shipping price.

If you continue and complete checkout, you will pay for the goods ordered only (excluding VAT) and shipping will not be charged on your order. When we receive your order we will contact you by email with a confirmed shipping quote (that will include all charges applicable including remote area surcharges) and send an electronic invoice for the shipping charge.

If you wish to go ahead with the order simply settle the shipping invoice and once we receive the payment we will acknowledge that we are processing your order and dispatch your goods. If you decide not to go ahead with the order just let us know and we will cancel and refund your order in line with our Refunds Policy which is available on our Returns, Refunds and Exchanges Policy page.

We can also provide a confirmed shipping quote to you before you place your order if you prefer. Please email on hello@charleychau.com with the details of the goods you wish to order (including product name, size and quantity), and your delivery address.

Example shipping rates for the EU 

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  • Extra Small Parcel e.g. Leather Collars or Leads - £10.00, transit 1 - 2 weeks
  • Small Parcel e.g. one Double Fleece Blanket or Faux-Fur Blanket - £20.00, transit 1 - 2 weeks
  • Standard Parcel by Courier e.g. Charley Chau beds or blankets weighing up to 30kg with no length longer than 1m when packaged - £18.00 - £35.00, transit 3 - 5 days
  • Oversize Consignments - always quoted individually

* Transit Time is estimated in working days and given as a guide only. If you require an express delivery in a hurry please contact us and we will try to do our best to find a shipping service to meet your requirements: hello@charleychau.com.

Example shipping rates for USA & Canada

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  • 1 x Spare Bed Cover or 1 x Medium Double Fleece Blanket - £25.00, transit 2 - 3 weeks
  • 1 x Small Snuggle Bed, £50.00, transit 2 - 5 days
  • 1 x Medium Snuggle Bed or Day Bed - £50.00, transit 2 - 5 days
  • 1 x Large Snuggle Bed or Day Bed - £60.00, transit 2 - 5 days
  • 1 x Small Ducky Donut Bed or Deeply Dishy Bed - £60.00, transit 2 - 5 days
  • 1 x Medium Ducky Donut Bed or Deeply Dishy Bed - £60.00, transit 2 - 5 days
  • 1 x Large Ducky Donut Bed - £70.00, transit 2 - 5 days
  • Leather Dog Collar & Leads - £15.00, transit 2- 3 weeks
  • Oversize Consignments - always quoted individually

* Transit Time is an estimate only in working days or seven-day weeks. If you require an express delivery in a hurry please contact us and we will try to do our best to find a shipping service to meet your requirements: hello@charleychau.com.

Essential Info

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Which couriers do we use?

We use a range of international couriers to deliver our international parcels including but not limited to: UK Royal Mail and affiliated national postal services, DHL, DPD, FedEx, TNT and UPS. All of the services we use are ‘signed for services’ requiring a signature on receipt, and most also offer tracking of the parcel in transit.

Estimated transit times

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The transit times provided here and during the checkout process are estimated transit times from the date of dispatch, counting only working business days.

If you require a delivery urgently please email us on hello@charleychau.com and we will do our best to find a shipping service to meet your requirements (additional charges may apply for express services).

The vast majority of our parcels are delivered on time and without incident. However, even though we use only reputable couriers, once in a while a delay can occur. We do everything we can to make sure that your parcel leaves Charley Chau as soon as possible but once your parcel leaves our building we are in the hands of our courier companies. If you have any concerns about a delay to your delivery please email us as soon as possible on hello@charleychau.com.

Tracking your parcel

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When we dispatch your order we will send you a confirmation that your order has been shipped. The confirmation will also include the name of the courier, the consignment number and a link to the courier's website to allow you to track the consignment easily.

Squished! Getting the best shipping rates for our customers

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Couriers charge international parcels on both physical weight and volumetric weight which is calculated using the dimensions of the parcel.

We do everything we can to get the best international shipping rates possible for our customers. In some instances we can reduce the shipping cost charged to our customers by vacuum packing our mattresses to make the parcel as small as possible – the mattress simply squishes down and plumps back up again when taken out of the re-usuable vacuum bag - see the photo below!


Where it's possible to do so, we will vacuum pack mattresses in Charley Chau beds for international shipping to reduce courier costs for our customers. Shown here is a Large size Day Bed, and on top a parcel that contains a Large size Day Bed after the mattress has been vacuum packed for shipping. If we didn't vacuum pack this bed down, it would cost around GBP £115.00 to ship the bed by courier to the USA versus GBP £60.00 when the bed is vacuum packed - almost half price! 

Oversize consignments

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Bulky items such as Rattan Baskets and Wooden Bed Frames incur high international shipping fees (which can sometimes be the same or more than the cost of the bed) because of their dimensions so you may like to email us for a quote before placing an order for delivery outside the UK: hello@charleychau.com. .

Import regulations and import duties that may apply

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If goods are being ordered for delivery outside the UK, import duties and taxes may be incurred once your goods reach their destination. Charley Chau is not responsible for such charges - they are paid by the receiver of the goods - and we undertake to make no calculations or estimates in this regard. If you are ordering for delivery outside the UK, you are advised to contact your local customs authorities for further details on costs and procedures. Please note that Brexit means that our EU customers now also have to pay local taxes and duties when importing a Charley Chau bed or blanket.

As the purchaser of the goods, you will also be the importer of record and as such should ensure that your purchase is in full compliance with the laws of the country into which the goods are being imported. Please be aware that goods may be inspected on arrival at port for customs purposes and we cannot guarantee that the packaging of your goods will be free of signs of tampering. Please also be aware that United Kingdom consumer protection laws may not apply.

PO boxes

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Please note that we do not deliver to PO Box addresses. If you place an order with delivery to a PO Box address we will email you to ask you to provide an alternate delivery address and will not ship your order until we receive confirmation of an alternative order. If we do not receive confirmation of an alternative address within 14 days of contacting you we will cancel and refund you order.

Returning goods from overseas

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Please see our full Returns, Refunds and Exchanges Policy for information about returning goods from overseas. 

Our right to refuse an order

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We reserve the right to refuse and cancel any order received in line with our Conditions of Sale. Under these circumstances we will notify you by email that we are declining the order and issue a refund in full.