Shipping policy
Delivery Information
Our current estimated delivery timeframes for standard items are:
- UK Tracked: Delivery 3 - 6 working days from date of order
- UK Express: 1- 3 working days from date of order
- Europe: Delivery up to 14 working days from dispatch
- USA & Canada: Delivery up to 14 working days from dispatch
- Rest of the World: Delivery up to 14 working days from dispatch
All UK orders are sent using a tracked service. You will be notified by email if there are any unforeseen delays to your delivery.
Last posting dates guaranteed for Christmas 2024
UK orders
- 16th December for standard delivery shipping
- 19th December at 12pm for express delivery shipping
International orders
- 5th December for all Countries
Pre-orders
If your delivery contains an item on pre-order then we will wait for the full order to be assembled before we dispatch, unless stated otherwise on the pre-order product page.
Custom Prints
Please note that custom prints are dispatched separately to the rest of your order. If you order these items alongside other shop products, they won’t all arrive together, and you’ll get several deliveries. Each print is made to order so they take longer to ship, estimated delivery on custom prints is 2-4 weeks.
Botany, Academic & Special Interest Books
Botany, Academic & Special Interest book titles are printed to order, and estimated delivery is 2-4 weeks.
Kew Magazine Subscription
Please note that if you order a Kew Magazine Subscription, it will be are dispatched separately to the rest of your order. If you order subscriptions alongside other shop products, they won’t all arrive together, and you’ll get several deliveries.
Shipping Information
Unfortunately, we are unable to deliver to hotels and PO BOX addresses. In the event that an order is placed to be delivered to either of these destinations, we will cancel and refund the order.
Age restricted products - If your basket contains age restricted products, our courier will request passport or driving license ID if the recipient looks under 25.
If you have received the below message at checkout, your order contains restricted item(s) or exceeds our current weight or order value limits.
Sorry, one or more items in your cart cannot be shipped to your location. Please refer to our Delivery Information page or further detailsRestricted items
Due to import regulations, we regret that we cannot deliver the following items outside the United Kingdom:
- Seeds
- Soils and Composts
- Bulbs
- Food
- Alcohol
- Hand sanitisers
- Plant foods and fertilisers
- Sharp and/or bladed items
- Aerosols and sprays
- Perfume and diffusers
- Live plants
- Large/fragile plant pots
- Inflammable items
Weight restrictions
We are unable to ship orders where the total weight is over 2kg outside of the United Kingdom
Order value limit
Orders that total over £150 are unable to be sent outside of the United Kingdom.
Delivery Costs
We offer FREE delivery on UK-only orders over £50. (This does not apply to our print-on-demand service)
Our other delivery costs are as follows:
UK Tracked - £5
UK Express - £8.95
International and EU orders are subject to variable postage costs calculated at checkout, these are dependent on the size and value of your order.
Since the 1st January 2021, our logistic costs have increased due to additional administrative processes. This is reflected in the higher delivery costs at checkout.
Countries / Territories we deliver to
At present we are able to ship to the following countries/ territories:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong SAR China, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
Delivery Methods
Orders are sent via a tracked service with Royal Mail or Parcelforce.
UK orders - If your order contains alcohol, valuable items or gift tickets, we will use a signed for service. Your order dispatch confirmation email will show the date your parcel was sent and, if applicable, tracking information.
Gift Memberships
Gift Membership packs are sent using a tracked and signed for service. Unfortunately, we are unable to replace gift memberships that are lost or misplaced once received by the recipient.
If you have been waiting for your order and your estimated delivery timeframe has surpassed or an item is missing from your order, please contact us on onlineshop@kew.org or call 0208 332 3124 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm) and we will investigate for you.
Remember to include your order number and full name as this will help us search and locate your order details.
Duties, Taxes and Service Charges
Orders to EU and International addresses may be subject to local customs duty or taxes. You will need to pay any additional charges for customs clearance, charges include local VAT and duty based on the value and origin of the product.
Customs policies vary for each country, so it is advised you contact your local customs office for further information.
Payment Methods
The Kew Online Shop takes various payment methods including Paypal, Visa/Mastercard and Maestro. We cannot currently issue gift vouchers or gift cards.
Prices of our products
We will always verify the price of the product before accepting your order to ensure that there aren’t any discrepancies. All our prices are displayed in Pounds Sterling and will be taken from your account as such.
Sustainable Packaging
The cardboard boxes and packaging we use are compostable and made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified sources. Where possible we repurpose boxes and packaging we receive from our suppliers to minimise waste across Retail and ECommerce. Additionally, we use Hivewrap or recycled paper as an alternative to bubble wrap and plastic packaging.