Shipping & Dispatch.

How quickly we dispatch

We would love to send everything out the same day, but honestly we cannot. We are a small team at Cylocybe. The people answering your emails are the same people making your grow kits, liquid culture syringes and swabs. We are also the ones wrestling with the label printer when it sulks, or starting the generator when the power cuts out on a busy day.

Most of what we sell is made to order, which means it is prepared fresh for you once your order comes in. Here is roughly how long that takes.

Spore and culture orders

We aim to dispatch spore-only or culture-only orders the same day if your payment clears before 3pm on a working day (Monday to Thursday, not counting bank holidays). That is an aim, not a promise. We only count ourselves as late if one of these orders has not gone out within 2 working days. For everything else, we aim to dispatch within 3 working days, unless a product page says otherwise.

Grow kit orders

Anything with a made-to-order grow kit in it, we aim to dispatch within 3 working days, again if payment clears before 3pm on a working day. As before, that is an aim. We only count ourselves as late if a grow kit order has not gone out within 5 working days.

CyLab orders

CyLabs have a 7 working day lead time, as noted on the product page. We will always try to get yours made and on its way as soon as we can, but please allow for those 7 working days.

What happens if we are late

We start the clock from the moment your payment clears. That is when your order moves into processing and you get an email from us. Only our working days count, Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm. If you pay overnight, the clock starts the next working day. Bank holidays do not count either, and we follow both the Scottish and English ones, which do not always line up.

If we slip past the timelines above, we treat that as breaking our own dispatch pledge. When it happens, we make it up to you with a few freebies for your patience. We also keep an eye on every parcel ourselves, so you do not need to chase us if something is running late. We will already be on it.

UK parcels

We generally use Parcelforce and Royal Mail for UK orders. Now and then we may need to use a different courier or service from the one you picked at checkout, for all sorts of reasons. If that happens we will always aim for like-for-like. So if you paid for Tracked 24, we will try to use a similar 24-hour service.

Parcelforce

We send a lot of UK parcels with Parcelforce. Once your order is dispatched, Parcelforce will email you the tracking. If you will not be home on the day, you can choose to:

• have it delivered to your local Post Office
• change your delivery date
• have it left with a trusted neighbour

You will also get a one-hour delivery window on the day itself.

One thing to be clear about: choosing Parcelforce does not get your order dispatched any faster than a more budget-friendly option. Every parcel goes out in line with our standard dispatch times. Parcelforce is just the service we use once your order is processed and on its way.

Royal Mail

Smaller UK orders go out with Royal Mail, with your choice of Tracked 24 or Tracked 48. Bear in mind that Royal Mail's delivery aims of 1 to 3 days (after dispatch) are not guaranteed. Picking Tracked 24 or 48 does not mean your parcel arrives within 24 or 48 hours either. Those are simply the names of the Royal Mail services, and your parcel is sent using your chosen one once we have processed and dispatched it in line with our standard times.

International shipping

You will see the available international options at checkout. It is up to you to understand the laws of your own country before you order. If your order is turned away by customs in your country, we cannot refund it or send it again for free.

Any import taxes or customs charges added when your order arrives in its destination country are yours to cover too.

Common mix-ups and snags

Sometimes things just do not go to plan. When that happens, we will always do our best to sort it out.

Missed emails

Orders can be held up by problems with payment or the shipping address. We will always get in touch to sort it, so please read every email from us carefully.

Busy spells or staff off sick

Now and then a delay is unavoidable, whether that is a busy patch or someone off poorly. We will always let you know so you are not left in the dark.

Parcelforce and Royal Mail mix-ups

If you pick Parcelforce or Royal Mail Tracked 24 or 48, remember that choice only covers the delivery service used after your order has been processed and dispatched. Neither one speeds up dispatch itself. Every order goes out in line with our standard dispatch times, whichever delivery service you chose.

A couple of important notes

Please double-check your shipping details at checkout. If an address is wrong or incomplete and a parcel comes back to us after delivery attempts, we are happy to send it again once you have updated the address. We will just ask you to cover the postage for that second shipment. If you are unsure about anything, get in touch and we will help.