Shop Policies & Common Questions

There are two things that are very important to us for you to know. Number one, we want you to be completely happy with your order- not just satisfied, but honestly thrilled and excited to order again and spread the word about our  little brand.  And number two, our family, and all of the crafters who supply items for our shop (pottery, soaps, linens, edibles, etc), put a great deal of love, care and skill into our/their products and we stand behind them.

If for any reason you are not 100% delighted with your order, please contact us so that we can make it right. We sincerely want to know, and will work to make you completely satisfied.

Please read on to familiarize yourself with how we do business and some common questions we receive.

Processing Times & Shipping

IN STOCK or READY TO SHIP (RTS) items, such as RTS wooden utensils (RTS dreamware), linens, edibles, vintage housewares, etc usually ship within one week unless we are super backed up.

MADE-TO-ORDER dreamware (wooden utensils) orders are currently estimated at approximately 8-12 week processing time. This is an estimate only, and in no way should be taken as a guaranteed delivery or ship date.  PLEASE reach out to us if you need a made to order item sooner! We try to overestimate our processing time so that we do not disappoint, but we may very well be able to get your item out (much) sooner if we just know what your needs are. 

We are a family-operated, heritage-craftsmanship cottage industry and we have no additional employees. We are not a company. We are not even primarily a business. We are a family of artisans who are passionate about living our lives in a meaningful way and using our hands to create beautiful, practical items. We get up in the morning and take time to smell the roses, literally. We often work until late into the evening, including weekends, but we take care to balance our lives and we do not put business ahead of our health and family life. We hope our brand, our story and our goods encourage you to do the same.

This little business is not the only thing that fills our days. We also farm, and seek to be a blessing to our local community. We are grateful for every single order and we always fill them as quickly as we reasonably can, but delays do happen sometimes. Polder's Old World Market is an extension of our farm and family life. Wood shortage, broken tools, family emergencies, the occasional memory lapse or order mix-up, random increases in orders, seasonal farm responsibilities, and other sorts of hiccups are factors in our life and business operation, and can be difficult to predict. We are artisans at heart and in craftsmanship style, not production factory workers. We are not attempting to compete with big box companies in fulfillment speed or volume of product produced, and it means so much to us (and makes everything go more smoothly) when our customers understand and appreciate this! If you let us know your specific timeline needs we have a very good chance of meeting them! If you have very specific timeline needs, it is always best to reach out to us before you place your order so we can determine whether or not your needs can be met, and to schedule appropriately to make your needs a priority. 

 

If you order multiples items that have different processing time (an in stock jar of honey and a made to order honey dipper, for instance) the longer processing time applies to your whole order. If you wish your items to ship in their respective processing times, please place orders for in stock items and made to order items SEPARATELY.

For rush orders, or orders needed by a certain date, please contact us-- we are often able to accommodate you if we are aware of your individual needs. Please direct inquiries to hello@poldersoldworldmarket.com. If you need an order by a certain date, please let us know at the time you place your order, or even before you place it. This will allow us to give you the best possible service. 

Replacements, Exchanges & Refunds

REPLACEMENTS: If your order arrived damaged, please contact us within 7 days of receiving your package with images of the damaged items and we will cheerfully replace the damaged items at no cost to you.

For dreamware only: If you've had a piece of dreamware longer than 7 days and it is damaged due to a defect in wood or workmanship, don't worry! Please see our lifetime guarantee. If you wish to exchange your utensil(s) for another item or a different wood type, please return the item(s) to us within 7 days of receiving your order and we will send the item(s) you would rather have. Item(s) must be returned back to us in the same condition in which they were received. Current processing times apply to exchange orders, as we are essentially starting back at square one with the order.

REFUNDS AND RETURNS: Because we are a very small family business, we do not provide refunds. However, if there is a problem with your order, please do reach out to us and be assured that we will do everything possible to correct the issue and make you completely satisfied. This is generally accomplished with an exchange or return for shop credit. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN ITEMS BEFORE CONTACTING US to discuss the problems with your order. 

FOR VINTAGE HOUSEWARES, ANTIQUE COPPER & BRASS: these items are antiques and we take care to describe and photograph accurately. These pieces are sold as is, and we do not offer returns or exchanges. 

We do not cancel orders except in the rarest of circumstances. Thank you for understanding!

Important Notes About Wood & Dreamware:

"Dreamware" is what we call our line of handcrafted wooden kitchen utensils, which our family makes by hand from American hardwoods. Each of the wooden utensils on our site are made to order and are crafted by hand, so please expect your hand-crafted item(s) to have its own unique individuality. No two pieces are exactly alike.

Please be aware that we have a Made-to-Order section, and a Ready-to-Ship section for our wooden utensils (dreamware). Pictures shown in the Made-to-Order section are stock photos and only represent the style of the item you are purchasing, while pictures in the Ready-to-Ship section show the exact item being purchased. 

PLEASE NOTE: Wood is incredibly diverse and we cannot guarantee any particular shade of color or grain pattern. The wood type examples we show are EXAMPLES ONLY. A common misconception is that we can identically match wood color and grain and this is simply not true. In some cases we can get really close, but no two pieces of Cherry (or any other wood type) are exactly alike, and sometimes they look A LOT different! If you have very specific needs as to color and grain type, please reach out and discuss them with us before you purchase, especially for Fancy wood types. We cannot guarantee the availability of any type of wood. Should your choice of wood be unavailable, we will choose a substitute wood of equal or greater value. If you would like to be notified in the event that this wood type is unavailable, and given the opportunity to choose another wood type personally, please let us know at the time you place your order.

Fancy Maple, Fancy Cherry, Fancy Wood, etc: when we say "Fancy" we simply mean that it has beautiful figure and/or color or something unique about it. We charge extra for this sort of wood because we have limited amounts of it, and we frequently have to search for just the right piece to satisfy a customer's specific desires as far as the appearance goes. If a customer desires something very specific in the color or figure, we consider it Fancy Wood because we have to search for just the right thing to suit. Standard wood types are generally not figured, or have very little figure, and have less variation in appearance. We occasionally have customers order their item(s) in a standard wood type and then request for it to be made from very unique and extra beautiful wood, which is exactly what we consider as "Fancy". If you wish for your piece(s) to be made from unique, figured or especially colorful wood, please choose Fancy as your wood type and then contact us for any specific needs or requests, and we will do our utmost to accommodate! If you order Fancy wood and don't contact us with any specific desires, we will still choose a beautiful piece of figured wood to make your utensil(s).

For glazed pottery only: Glazes have a great deal of variation and personality, and rarely ever turn out looking the exact same way twice. Please be aware that there will be slight variations in pattern and possibly even color when placing your order. 

It is our family’s desire to offer the best customer service possible and we stand by our policies. If you are not satisfied, we are not satisfied and we will work until you are. Thank you for supporting our brand, our family and true American craftsmanship.

If you have any futher questions, feel free to email us at: hello@poldersoldworldmarket.com