Please note we can only accept orders placed through our website . . . we cannot accept orders by phone, although you are welcome to pay by phone if this helps. Place the roder as normal and at checkout you'll have the option of phoning to make payment.
Cake-stuff.com is a small, family-run business based in the historic village of Lesmahagow, in Lanarkshire, around 20 miles South of Glasgow in the tropical South West of Scotland. Here, among the palm trees and golden sands, suitably protecteing ourselves against the strong sun, we prepare orders for customers all over the world.
Cake-stuff.com is the new name on-line for Scottish Sugarcraft Supplies, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cake Stuff Ltd. We are less than a mile away from the M74 motorway (the main road link fom Scotland to England) which ensures fast, reliable deliveries throughout the UK - and beyond.
For those customers who are surprised we even have electricity here in Scotland, please rest assured that we're proud to be part of a modern, vibrant European nation and that worldwide deliveries take no longer from us than from anywhere else in the UK.
While working with our sister-company Words & Wishes, the award-winning wedding stationers, we were nominated for the prestigious VOWS Awards every year since the awards began in 2005, and won the top award in 2006. This illustrates that, as a company, we take excellent customer service very seriously, something we hope you'll discover for yourself when you shop with us. Words & Wishes is now a separate company, allowing Cake Stuff to develop and grow further.
We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we take what we do very seriously.
And in case you're wondering, no . . . Jean, Karen and Lisa don't look quite this glam every day !
Cake-stuff.com is an ethical business and we take our environmental responsibilities seriously . . . we recycle packaging where it is safe and hygienic to do so, we use biodegradable "chips" to pack boxes and we are always working on ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Our next project is to install a small wind turbine (or possibly solar panels) to generate our own electricity. We're not perfect - not by a long way - but we're trying!
We are proud to work with Community Involvement, an organisation which finds training and employment for adults with learning difficulties, helping them find their rightful place actively involved in, benefitting from and contributing to the local community in which they live. We were the first business in Scotland to offer a full-time placement to one of their students.
William helps us pack orders, check in deliveries and keep the stockrooms tidy . . . here he is enjoying a well deserved cuppa during a busy morning's packing orders, and most days he'll have the same amount to do again after lunch. It's all this hard work that keeps him looking so young . . . or at least that's what we tell him!
We have over 25 years' experience in retail and for most of this time ran a series of busy retail shops but, in the Autumn of 2006 we decided to move to industrial units so that we could expand on our mail-order sugarcraft business and our on-line tartan ribbon business. The move has proved a great success and we've had to expand premises again on two occasions to accommodate the ever-growing amount of stock now regularly arriving from all over the world. At the start of 2010, Cake Stuff became independent of Words & Wishes - the two companies now being run completely separately in order to specialise in their own fields and best serve their own customers.
Although we fully appreciate why some customers enjoy the experience of browsing around a traditional sugarcraft shop, the truth is that we can now offer a much larger range, carry more stock and offer better prices than we ever could with a shop . . . and perhaps more importantly for our thousands of delighted customers, without the huge overheads of retail premises we can now compete directly with other sugarcraft mail-order "big names" and offer our customers absolutely the best prices possible.
SUMMARY OF MAIN INFORMATION AND TERMS & CONDITIONS
Please click on TERMS link along the top of this page to see our full Terms and Conditions. With so many legalities to cover, we appreciate the full Terms and Conditions are pretty dry reading, so we are happy to summarise the main points here along with some general information case there is anything you want to refer to. Please remember that placing order constitutes your acceptance of the Terms and Conditions so please contact us if there is anything specific you wish to check.
PRICES & PRICING
Our philosophy is simple . . . we have checked the price of every single product listed on cake-stuff.com against the prices shown on what are generally regarded as the UK’s top sugarcraft websites. Then we’ve made sure our price was better, typically by at least a further 10% and on many items (such piping bags, for one example) our prices are around 25% less than the top 10's average.
Even where extra discounts are offered on some items (eg Almond Art to British Sugarcraft Guild members 10%) our prices are still better. There’s no compromise on quality or service . . . we’re talking about the same products but at the best prices possible.
We don’t carry every single product in the sugarcraft world, nor do we try to . . . why stock 6 different brands of Garrett Frill Cutter when we can concentrate our efforts to offer the best-selling brand at 25% below RRP?
OK, that’s what we do. What we don’t do is run a cake decorating forum or an advice shop because, nice though this may be at times, it ties up a massive amount of time and resources which we can otherwise dedicate to keeping prices incredibly low and getting your order to you quickly and safely. Please don’t get us wrong . . . don’t hesitate to contact us if you’ve a question about any product but just don’t expect us to be cake decorating experts who can offer advice... the odd bran loaf or chocolate cake is our stretch!
Having said that, we're all getting caught up in the cake making frenzy that's sweeping the country and discovering some hidden talents . . . Heather (age 12) is now an expert at home-made sponges and cupcakes, and Lindsay (picks orders) made this fantastic cake for Lisa's (manager) birthday in the shape of her beloved Vauxhall Tigra.
It was really fantastic and the PME Silver lustre spray gave it a lovely metallic finish which didn't flavour the delicious Covapaste icing. Isn't it great to know that these talents are there just waiting to be discovered?
Nice one Lindsay!
PRICE PROMISE
We're open about our pricing and invite customers to check our prices against our competitors for themselves. No doubt as time passes these competitors (and others) will alter prices of some products to try and compete with us . . . after all, they say impersonation is a form of flattery . . . so we'll continue to monitor prices and offer our customers the best possible prices for every single item.
If you find a product being sold by a competitor at a better price, please let us know.
We promise to try our level best to offer a better price where humanly possible, and as long as the item on sale is something we stock, is identical (brand etc), brand new and not part of a clearance sale, we'll be happy to adjust our on-line price to offer you (and all other customers) an even better price.
Now, we can't really say fairer than that - can we? . . . after all, we don't want to be the ones with egg cake on our faces.
eBAY
We have been selling sugarcraft supplies through eBay for a few years now and sales just keep on growing week after week . . . it may well be you’ve found cake-stuff.com after buying something from us on eBay. eBay prices change on an almost daily basis as we react to competition, so it’s certainly possible some of our items may be slightly less expensive on eBay but, at the same time, many more will be slightly more expensive. Shipping costs on eBay are also normally slightly higher than those we can offer on cake-stuff.com.
We're now so busy with cake-stuff.com that our eBay Shop is normally closed during at least the early part of the week.
As we’ve said, we’re honest people and are not trying to hoodwink anyone; we endeavour to offer the best possible prices but there will always be the odd occasion where, simply because we can change prices on eBay at very short notice, one or two items on eBay may appear slightly cheaper. We’re happy to offer our customers the choice of where to place their order and hope you’ll accept our explanation.
FOOD SAFETY POLICY
Food safety is our top priority, so we don’t take any risks with safety or hygiene. If that means risking offending someone (a supplier, a carrier or even a customer) once in a while because we will not take a risk with safety, that's a price we're willing to pay. It's your safety we're talking about, so we hope you will agree.
One thing we most definitely do not do is sell second-hand goods . . . which means that when you receive an item from us you know it has been stored and handled in a professional, hygienic environment at all times where we can control temperature, humidity, hygiene and anything else which may affect the quality of the products.
For this reason we cannot accept returns of any edible product or any item designed to come into contact with food such as cake boards, even if unopened unless, of course, the item is faulty or incorrect in which case we will be happy to exchange it. On the rare occasion where this happens, we never re-sell the item . . . it is returned to the manufacturer or destroyed. This policy is designed for the protection of our customers, their families and their own cake customers.
By ordering from cake-stuff.com you are showing you will agree with this policy. This policy does not affect your statutory rights.
Please click here to see our Food Safety Policy.
Please click here to see our Returns Policy.
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHTS & OTHER MEASUREMENTS
All dimensions, weights, volumes and other measurements are approximate and are as supplied by the product manufacturers. Imperial dimensions are given for additional guidance only and are normally less accurate than metric dimensions. Weights and volumes are net (ie without packaging) unless otherwise stated. Shipping weights shown on item pages are the estimated total weights of items including all packaging for shipping. Shipping weights exist purely for the website software to estimate total order weights and do not refer to products themselves.
STOCK AVAILABILITY & SHIPPING TIMES
By concentrating on the most popular brands and items, we carry a much larger stock of these than most of our competitors but we are busy - very busy - and shipping everything quickly is a huge challenge for a sdmall company. Over 90% of all "orders arrive within 7 days although please can we stress that we are governed by Distance Selling Regulations so, legally, have to state that orders will be delivered within 28 days.
We aim to SHIP all "Best Rate Shipping" orders for delivery to you within a week and "Express Shipping" orders for delivery within 48 hours at most. Just like internet giants such as Amazon©, we offer a low cost (often free) shipping option for non-urgent orders, designed to save customers money by shipping all items together when in stock, even very heavy orders, at a flat rate within the UK mainland - this is what "Best Rate" means.
If you must receive your order in under 14 days (realisticaly in a week or less) please choose "Express Shipping" at checkout. For only £3 more (based on 5kg+ carrier rate to UK mainland addresses) your order jumps the queue, is shipped within 48 hours (at most) and despatched using a 24hr courier service. Most Express Shipping orders arrive with customers the following day but we do not advertise a "next day" service as such, as this depends on too many factors outwith our control - such as where in the country the customer may live.
We have to state that customers should allow up to 14 days for delivery of "Best Rate" orders to keep ourselves right and to avoid any customer feeling let down, again, we stress that the majority of orders are shipped within a matter of 3-5 days.
Even although we carry a massive stock, occasionally we will sell out of an item for a short period of time. When this happens we will ship the rest of your order as normal and send the balance as soon as it arrives, at our cost - so you only ever pay the one shipping charge. Alternatively, if an item is not expected to be back in stock within a short period, we will offer you an alternative or a refund as you prefer.
Royal Mail and APC Carriers collect our parcels every weekday from around 2.30pm, so precise shipping times depend on when your order and payment come through.
ROYAL MAIL & APC CARRIER DELIVERY TIMES
Shipping times are as supplied by the carriers and as stated on www.royalmail.com . . . it’s amazing how many people have their own interpretation of good ol’ Royal Mail’s timescales, so we’re happy to confirm them:
2nd class post: Royal Mail say they try to delivery most 2nd class items by the 3rd or 4th working day after the date of posting. Cheap and cheerful but slow and with no tracking facility. Fine for non-urgent, non-valuable items and only available for parcels weighing up to 1kg. We reserve the right to ship using Recorded Delivery at our sole discretion, based on order contents, value, destination etc.
Special Delivery: Royal Mail guarantee to deliver Special Delivery items by 1.00pm of the first business day following date of posting. If late, Royal Mail will refund your postage costs (requires a claim). Our handling times remain the same, although we’ll obviously try our utmost to ship Express Shipping (Special Delivery) orders as quickly as possible . . . normally within 24 hours. Fast, safe delivery for urgent and valuable items although prices for parcels over 2kg jump dramatically.
Standard Parcels: for UK customers in Northern Ireland, on Scotish islands, Ise of Man, Isle of Wight, Channel islands and with BFPO addresses we use Royal Mail Standard Parcels for heavier orders. Royal Mail say they try to deliver Standard Parcels within 5 working days of posting.
The “shipping weight” of each item is the weight including protective packaging and is used by the website software to calculate the likely weight of your total order and the postage or shipping costs. Shipping costs are estimated and we reserve the right to adjust shipping costs where extra and/or exceptional packaging is required. We will always advise you in advance should this situation arise and we will never charge your card without your permission.
SHIPPING COSTS
For UK customers we use Royal Mail for orders up to 1.25kg with faster delivery options available where possible. For non-UK customers for orders up to 2kg we use Royal Mail International Air Mail and the faster International Signed For service.
For mainland UK customers we use APC Carriers for orders over 1.25kg, offering a flat rate delivery cost of only £6.95. For UK customers in Northern Ireland, on Scottish islands, the Isle of Man and Channel islands or with a BFPO address we use Royal Mail Standard Parcels.
For non-UK customers we use Royal Mail International Air Mail and the faster International Signed For service but please note there is a 2kg limit per parcel, so larger orders may have to be shipped in more than one parcel.
Please see our Terms & Conditions for full details but please remember that we "ship on your behalf" . . . in other words, we use the method of shipping you request and it’s just the same as if you were posting something to yourself. We get Proof of Posting for every item we ship but, unfortunately, even that is no guarantee and every once in a while an order will appear late.
In most cases the parcel will turn up safe and sound at your local Royal Mail Delivery Office (normally because the Postie “forgot” to leave a card advising you of an attempted delivery) but if nothing arrives after 15 working days, Royal Mail will class the parcel as lost and we can help you claim against them.
The key is to order in plenty of time, choose the shipping service most appropriate to your timescale and to please remember to communicate with us . . . we're not mind readers and if we don't hear from you to the contrary we would assume your order has arrived safely. Late or missing orders are rare and we're not in the business of letting people down, so if anything doesn't seem on schedule, please get in touch right away.
COLLECTION IN PERSON
Regretfully, we have had to withdraw this service as the volume of customers wishing to collect orders was in danger of turning us back into a retail shop. Please click here for a full and honest explanation of this decision.
RETURNS
As professional and honest people, we want you to be completely happy with your order and we are bound by Distance Selling Regulations, so if anything is incorrect, damaged or faulty we will, of course, be happy to replace it right away or refund that item price if you prefer. Either way, the item needs to be returned to us so that we can identify the root problem and return faulty items to the manufacturer. We will always refund your reasonable postage costs.
If you simply change your mind about an item we are happy to replace it or refund you providing doing so allows us to stay within our Food Safety Policy outlined above. Return postage costs are payable by the customer. Edible, food-contact items, customized/personalized items, cut ribbon and items specially ordered for the customer cannot be returned. Please click here for for full details of our Returns Policy.
CONTACTING US
Our office is open weekdays, normally between 9.30am and 5.30pm GMT. We stress that as we're not a retail shop, there will be times when we cannot also answer the phone.
To contact us from within the UK:
tel. (01555) 890111
fax. (01555) 890333
To contact us from outside the UK (taking into account time zones):
tel. +44 1555 890111 or fax. +44 1555 890333
Cake-stuff.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of . . .
Cake Stuff Ltd, Units 1 - 5 Gateside Ind. Estate, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0JR, UK.
email wordsandwishes@aol.com (email address will change soon)
our sister site www.tartan-ribbon.com
SHIPPING SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS / LIMITED LIABILITY
In almost all cases, our carriers require a signature on delivery but sometimes customers put special instructions in the message box when paying . . . instructions like "please leave in porch if I'm not in". This puts us in a Catch22 position . . . without a signature we're not able to claim against the carriers for non-delivery should the order go missing, so we normally do not agree to such instructions. However, where we do agree to these instructions please note the customer becomes fully liable for the safety of the order. This applies to deliveries by Royal Mail as well as by APC Carriers.
Problems are rare but it's worth a thought . . . will you be in to sign for the order?
If not, can the order be left with a neighbour or are you better having it delivered to a place of work?
Please remember that if you're not home when the delivery is attempted, APC Carriers and Royal Mail should leave a card to advise you of the attempt - you can then phone to re-arrange delivery.
