Postage costs are calculated according to the weight of your goods.
- Royal Mail Tracked 24 (1-3 day service approx) £4.99 up to 5kgs
- DPD Express Delivery (1-2 day service) £6.99 per 25kgs
- DPD Midday (Guaranteed 1 day service) £12.99 up to 25kg
- DPD Weekend Delivery £12.99 up to 25kg
For all other areas outside of UK mainland, postage is charged at cost and prices show at the checkout.
If you order before 4pm Monday - Friday we aim to ship your order the same working day.
Royal Mail Tracked 24
- Order up to 1600 hours despatched the same working day
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Estimated delivery time 1-3 working days
- Trackable service
- Comments can be left for delivery instructions
DPD Express Delivery
- Order before 1600 hours and your order is despatched the same working day by courier - they will email you your tracking number
- Normally delivered within 1-2 working days after despatch to UK Mainland although it's NOT a guarantee.
- Parts of Scotland, The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are outside of UK mainland for our courier (DPD) and do not qualify for Express Delivery at the above price. The price will show at the checkout with an delivery time scale.
- Trackable service - this means you always know where your parcel is (great for peace of mind)
- Safe and totally secure service
- Requires a signature upon receipt but can be left without, providing we have your written consent. Please note you do this at your own risk - we will pass on comments but are then not responsible if the parcel goes missing
- Please note if you place your order after 4pm on a Thursday, your order will be despatched on Friday and will arrive with you the next working day which is Monday (mainland UK only)
- Priced at £8.99 per 25kgs so if your order weighs more you will be charged more
Weekend Delivery
- Delivered on Saturday or Sunday (mainland UK only) when you order before 4pm Monday-Friday
- Trackable service - this means you always know where your parcel is (great for peace of mind)
- Safe and totally secure service
- Requires a signature upon receipt but can be left without, providing we have your written consent. Please note you do this at your own risk - we will pass on comments but are then not responsible if the parcel goes missing.
You can check the delivery cost of your goods by logging into the shop, adding items to your basket, and then pressing the 'Estimate Shipping' button on the shopping basket screen
Please note: When ordering items that are a 'special order' your order will only be despatched when all items included in the order are available. Contact us if you are unsure about anything.
We will continue to use Royal Mail for smaller packages and our chosen courier (DPD) for larger/heavier orders. Like all internet retailers we rely on couriers to deliver when they promise, but these are only the guidelines that they offer. Courier companies will deliver Monday to Friday, normally during working hours and require a signature. We are happy to send your goods to any address that you choose, (e.g. place of work), as long as there is someone there to sign for the goods. When checking out you have the option of changing your delivery address. For items being delivered by Royal Mail, we are unable to take specific delivery details and cannot stipulate specific delivery requirements such as "please leave in shed."
Delayed parcels
Express delivery delays
DPD Express is a 1–2 working day service. It is not a guaranteed next-day service, even though it’s often assumed to be. Delays can occur due to factors outside of normal delivery operations, including severe weather (snow, ice, flooding, heavy rain), vehicle breakdowns, access issues, or incidents affecting the delivery route.
If a parcel is delayed for these reasons, we’re unable to refund or credit the postage. However, if live plants perish specifically as a result of the delay, we will of course cover the plants.
DPD Midday service
If you’ve selected DPD Midday and your parcel arrives late for reasons not related to factors outside of normal delivery operations, we’ll credit (not refund) your Aqua Essentials account with the price difference between the Midday service and standard DPD Express.
Returned DPD parcels due to an incorrect or incomplete address: If a parcel is returned to us because the delivery address provided was incorrect or incomplete, DPD charge us an £8 return fee. Unfortunately, this cost has to be passed on to the customer and will be deducted from any refund issued.
Royal Mail Delays: Sometimes goods take much longer than normal to arrive with Royal Mail. If you order live plants and your parcel is delayed, we do not cover plants that perish with this service. Please choose Express Delivery for peace of mind. We are obliged to wait 15 working days (3 weeks) for a parcel to be considered as lost - only then will we issue a replacement (not a refund) so please don't be a diva if this happens!
If a parcel is returned to us because the delivery address provided was incorrect or incomplete, Royal Mail charge us a £4 return fee. Unfortunately, this cost has to be passed on to the customer and will be deducted from any refund issued.
Shortages: Any shortages on parcels which are unexpected - please contact the office within 24 hours of receiving the delivery.
Goods Left Without Signature: When customers opt for an Express Delivery service, goods can be left without signature providing you leave a comment when checking out informing us of this. However, we must stress you do this at your own risk - if you ask for a parcel to be left with a neighbour and they claim to have not taken it in, that is your responsibility and not ours. We will only pass on comments to our courier which you advise us of. Please be acutely aware of this and whose responsibility it then becomes (not ours).
Incorrect Delivery Address – Please Check Carefully
It is your responsibility to provide a full and accurate delivery address at checkout, including the correct postcode. You will receive an order confirmation by email showing the address submitted, and this can also be checked in your account. Please review it carefully, especially as we dispatch live products.
If an order is returned to us due to an incomplete or incorrect address, we charge £6.95. This fee covers the Royal Mail return surcharge plus the cost of sending the parcel out again. We do not profit from this, it simply contributes towards the additional charges incurred.
Please note, if a parcel is returned and you request it to be resent, we will send out the same plants that were originally ordered and returned to us. We do not replace them with fresh stock in these circumstances.
If a parcel is lost, delayed or plants deteriorate because the address provided was incorrect or incomplete, responsibility rests with the customer. In these circumstances, our plant guarantee is void. We cannot refund the goods, original postage, or send free replacements, and we are unable to raise loss claims where the delivery details supplied were incorrect.
Please double check your delivery details before placing your order, it avoids delays, extra costs and stressed plants.
