Shipping policy
Shipping & Delivery Policy
Last updated: September 2026
Thank you for shopping with Bookish by Cat. 💕
This Shipping & Delivery Policy explains how orders are prepared, dispatched, tracked and delivered.
Bookish by Cat is an independent one-person sole-trader business, and every order is carefully selected, curated and packed by hand.
The processing times set out below allow sufficient time for each order to be prepared with care before dispatch.
Nothing within this policy excludes, restricts or otherwise affects your statutory consumer rights.
1. Shipping Destinations
Bookish by Cat currently delivers to addresses within the United Kingdom only.
International shipping is not currently available.
If international shipping is introduced in the future, the relevant delivery information and charges will be displayed before purchase.
2. Delivery Services
Bookish by Cat uses tracked delivery services.
Depending on the service selected, parcel size, destination and carrier availability, your order may be dispatched using:
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Royal Mail
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Yodel
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Another appropriate tracked delivery provider where necessary
The delivery provider used for an individual order may therefore vary.
Tracking information will normally be provided after your order has been dispatched.
Any delivery timeframe provided by a courier is an estimate rather than a guaranteed delivery date, unless Bookish by Cat expressly agrees otherwise.
3. Standard Shipping — £4.99
Standard Shipping costs £4.99. 📦
Please allow up to 10 working days for your order to be:
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Selected
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Curated
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Prepared
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Packed
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Dispatched
This is the processing timeframe and does not include the additional time required by the delivery provider after your parcel has been dispatched.
Bookish by Cat is operated by one person and every order is prepared individually by hand, so this timeframe allows me to give each order the care it deserves.
Once dispatched, your parcel will be sent using an appropriate tracked delivery service.
4. Free Shipping
Orders meeting the qualifying spend displayed on the Bookish by Cat website may receive free standard shipping.
Where the current offer provides free shipping on orders over £60, the qualifying order value must meet the stated threshold after any discounts have been applied, unless otherwise stated.
Free shipping applies to the standard delivery option.
Any optional upgraded or priority service may still incur an additional charge.
Bookish by Cat may amend or withdraw free-shipping promotions for future orders.
This will not retrospectively affect an order already placed and accepted.
5. Priority Processing
Where Priority Processing is available, orders purchased using this option will be moved forward within the Bookish by Cat packing queue.
Unless otherwise stated, Priority orders will normally be prepared and dispatched within up to 5 working days.
Priority Processing relates to the time taken by Bookish by Cat to prepare and dispatch the order.
It does not necessarily upgrade the courier delivery service and does not guarantee that an order will arrive on a particular date.
If you require an order for a specific occasion or date, please allow sufficient time for both:
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Bookish by Cat's processing period; and
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The carrier's delivery period.
Please contact admin@bookishbycat.co.uk before ordering if you are unsure whether the available timeframe is suitable.
6. Working Days
For the purposes of this policy, working days are generally Monday to Friday, excluding UK bank and public holidays.
Orders placed on a weekend or bank/public holiday will begin their processing period from the next applicable working day.
Delivery providers may operate on different schedules, including weekends, but carrier delivery days do not change Bookish by Cat's stated processing period.
7. Processing Times
Bookish by Cat is a one-person small business and all orders are individually prepared and packed by hand.
Processing times may therefore vary depending on order volume.
The processing times stated in this policy are the normal maximum targets rather than an indication that every order will take the full period.
Your order may be dispatched sooner.
Processing may occasionally take longer during:
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Unexpectedly high demand
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New product launches
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Seasonal releases
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Promotional events
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Bank or public holidays
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Announced business closures or holidays
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Serious illness or emergencies
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Circumstances outside Bookish by Cat's reasonable control
Where Bookish by Cat becomes aware of a significant delay affecting your order, reasonable efforts will be made to let you know.
Nothing within this section affects your statutory rights relating to delivery.
8. Seasonal Boxes
Seasonal Boxes are normally subject to the same processing and delivery timeframes as other Bookish by Cat products unless a different timeframe is clearly stated on the relevant product page.
Where a Seasonal Box is:
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Offered for pre-order
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Subject to a scheduled launch
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Given a specific dispatch period
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Intended to begin shipping from a particular date
the timeframe stated on that product page will take precedence over the standard processing time in this policy.
Some Seasonal Boxes are produced in limited quantities, but limited availability does not alter your applicable delivery or consumer rights.
9. Orders Containing Add-Ons
Orders containing Standard, Deluxe or Double Bookish Pick add-ons remain subject to the processing timeframe applying to the Mystery Bundle they accompany.
Add-ons are packed together with the relevant Mystery Bundle wherever reasonably possible.
If you purchase more than one Mystery Bundle within the same order, please use the personalisation box to tell Bookish by Cat which bundle an add-on should accompany.
If no instruction is provided, Bookish by Cat will use reasonable judgement when allocating the add-on.
10. Personalisation and Gift Notes
Requests entered into a product's personalisation box — including preferences, drink selections, handwritten gift notes or other small requests — do not normally change the stated processing timeframe.
However, unusually complex requests may require clarification before an order can be completed.
If Bookish by Cat needs further information from you and cannot reasonably complete the order without it, this may affect preparation until the necessary information is received.
11. Tracking Your Order
All Bookish by Cat orders are intended to be sent using a tracked delivery service. 📦
Once your order has been dispatched, tracking details will normally be sent to the email address supplied with your order.
Depending on the service used, this may be tracking provided by Royal Mail or Yodel.
Tracking information can sometimes take a little time to update after a parcel has first been handed to the delivery provider.
Customers are encouraged to monitor their tracking information for delivery updates.
If you have not received tracking information after being told that your order has been dispatched, please contact:
12. Delivery Timeframes
Delivery time begins after your order has been dispatched.
It does not begin on the date you place the order.
Delivery estimates displayed by Royal Mail, Yodel or another carrier are provided for guidance and may occasionally be affected by circumstances including:
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Severe weather
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Transport disruption
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Industrial action
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Courier network disruption
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High parcel volumes
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Bank/public holidays
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Other circumstances outside Bookish by Cat's reasonable control
Unless Bookish by Cat has expressly agreed a guaranteed delivery date, courier delivery estimates should not be treated as guaranteed.
Nothing within this section limits statutory rights relating to goods that are not delivered within an agreed or legally required timeframe.
13. Delivery Addresses
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate delivery address when placing an order.
Please carefully check:
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House or flat number
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Street
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Town or city
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Postcode
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Recipient name
before completing checkout.
If you notice an error after placing an order, please contact:
as soon as possible.
Where your order has not yet been dispatched, Bookish by Cat will make reasonable efforts to amend the address.
An address change cannot be guaranteed after your order has entered preparation and cannot normally be changed once the parcel has been handed to the courier.
14. Incorrect or Incomplete Addresses
Where an order is returned to Bookish by Cat because the customer supplied an incorrect or incomplete delivery address, please contact us to discuss the available options.
Bookish by Cat may ask the customer to pay the reasonable cost of sending the parcel again where:
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The address provided by the customer was incorrect or incomplete; and
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The original delivery failure was not caused by Bookish by Cat or the delivery provider.
If you decide not to have the parcel resent, any applicable cancellation or refund rights will be handled in accordance with our Returns, Cancellations & Refunds Policy and applicable consumer law.
This section does not apply where the addressing error was caused by Bookish by Cat.
15. Failed Delivery and Uncollected Parcels
If a courier is unable to complete delivery, please follow the instructions provided through your tracking information.
Depending on the delivery provider, options may include:
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Redelivery
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Collection from a local location
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Delivery to another suitable location
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Delivery to a neighbour
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Delivery to a nominated safe place
Customers should arrange any available collection or redelivery within the timeframe provided by the carrier.
If a parcel is returned to Bookish by Cat because it was not collected or redelivery was not arranged, please contact us.
Reasonable additional postage may be required if the customer asks for the parcel to be sent again where the failed delivery was not the responsibility of Bookish by Cat.
16. Safe Places, Neighbours and Alternative Delivery Options
Royal Mail, Yodel or another delivery provider may offer options allowing customers to request delivery to:
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A safe place
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A neighbour
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A collection point
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Another alternative delivery location
Where the customer personally instructs the carrier to use an alternative location after dispatch, the effect of those instructions will depend on the circumstances and applicable consumer law.
Customers should only select a location they consider suitable and secure.
Nothing within this section seeks to remove rights or protections that cannot lawfully be excluded.
17. Lost Parcels
If tracking suggests that your parcel may be lost, or your parcel has not arrived within a reasonable period after dispatch, please contact:
Please provide:
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Your name
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Your order number
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Any relevant tracking information
Bookish by Cat will investigate the delivery with the relevant carrier.
Where Bookish by Cat arranged the delivery service, you will not be expected to pursue Royal Mail, Yodel or another courier yourself in order to obtain your consumer remedy.
Bookish by Cat will handle any appropriate delivery investigation or claim.
Where the parcel is confirmed as lost, an appropriate remedy will be provided in accordance with applicable consumer law.
18. Delayed Parcels
A delayed parcel is not necessarily a lost parcel.
Courier tracking can occasionally pause or update less frequently while an item is moving through the network.
If your tracking has not updated for an unusual period or the parcel is significantly delayed, please contact Bookish by Cat.
Depending on the circumstances, the carrier may require a specified period to pass before it will treat a parcel as lost or open a formal investigation.
Bookish by Cat may need to allow that reasonable investigation period to pass.
This does not prevent you from exercising any statutory rights that have arisen because the goods have not been delivered within an applicable required timeframe.
19. Risk During Delivery
Where Bookish by Cat arranges the delivery service, the goods remain at Bookish by Cat's risk until they come into the physical possession of you, or another person identified by you to take possession of them, subject to applicable consumer law.
If a parcel is lost or damaged while being transported using a delivery service arranged by Bookish by Cat, please contact us rather than pursuing the courier yourself.
Bookish by Cat will deal with the carrier and provide an appropriate remedy where required.
20. Damaged Parcels
Every order is carefully packed before dispatch, but occasionally products may be damaged while travelling through the delivery network.
Please inspect your order as soon as reasonably possible after delivery.
If your parcel or any of its contents arrive damaged, contact:
Where possible, please report transit damage within 48 hours of delivery.
Prompt notification helps Bookish by Cat investigate the issue with the courier.
Please provide, where possible:
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Your order number
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A description of the damage
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Clear photographs of the damaged item
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Photographs of the outer parcel
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Photographs of the internal packaging
Please retain the damaged goods and packaging while the issue is being investigated where reasonably possible.
The request to report transit damage within 48 hours does not limit, remove or replace your statutory consumer rights.
21. Incorrect or Missing Items
Every reasonable effort is made to ensure orders are packed correctly.
If an item that should have been included is missing, or you have genuinely received an incorrect product, please contact:
Please provide your order number, details of the issue and photographs where useful.
For Mystery Bundles, an item is not considered incorrect merely because:
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It is different from the example shown in a photograph.
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It differs from another customer's Mystery Bundle.
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You would have preferred another randomly selected item.
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Its colour, pattern or design varies where the product listing explained that variations may occur.
This does not affect your rights where a product is genuinely missing, wrongly supplied or materially different from its description.
22. Orders Containing Multiple Products
Where an order contains multiple products, Bookish by Cat will normally send the products together in a single parcel.
Where an order contains a pre-order or another product with a later advertised dispatch date, the order may be held until all products are available unless the relevant product page states otherwise.
In some circumstances, Bookish by Cat may choose to dispatch an order in more than one parcel.
Where Bookish by Cat decides to split an ordinary order for operational reasons, customers will not be charged additional postage unless an additional charge has been agreed in advance.
Separate tracking information may be provided for multiple parcels.
23. Pre-Orders
Where a product is sold as a pre-order, the estimated release or dispatch timeframe will be stated on the relevant product page.
Customers should review this information before ordering.
Where an order contains both:
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An in-stock product; and
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A pre-order product
the entire order may be dispatched when the pre-order item becomes available unless the product page states otherwise.
Bookish by Cat will make reasonable efforts to communicate any material change to a stated pre-order timeframe.
Statutory rights remain unaffected.
24. Items Returned to Sender
A parcel may occasionally be returned to Bookish by Cat by the delivery provider.
Reasons may include:
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An incomplete or inaccurate address.
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Failed delivery attempts.
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A parcel not being collected.
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An issue within the carrier's network.
Once the parcel is returned, Bookish by Cat will review the reason for the return and contact the customer where appropriate.
If the return resulted from an error by Bookish by Cat or the carrier, the customer will not be charged for reasonable re-delivery.
Where the return resulted from information supplied by the customer or failure to collect the parcel, reasonable re-delivery costs may apply.
25. Specific-Date Requests
Bookish by Cat understands that orders may sometimes be intended for:
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Birthdays
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Christmas
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Anniversaries
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Holidays
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Other special occasions
Unless expressly agreed in writing, Bookish by Cat does not guarantee delivery by a particular date.
Customers are responsible for allowing enough time for both processing and courier delivery.
A date entered in a personalisation or request box does not automatically create a guaranteed delivery date.
26. Delivery Problems Caused by Bookish by Cat
If Bookish by Cat:
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Sends an order to an address different from the one correctly supplied by you;
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Dispatches the wrong parcel;
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Makes another error that causes a delivery problem;
please contact us.
Bookish by Cat will take reasonable steps to correct the problem without requiring the customer to pay additional delivery costs where Bookish by Cat is responsible.
27. Refunds and Replacements Relating to Delivery
Where an order is lost, damaged or otherwise gives rise to a right to a remedy, Bookish by Cat will provide an appropriate solution in accordance with applicable consumer law.
Depending on the circumstances this may include:
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Replacement
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Refund
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Another appropriate remedy
Where a refund is due, it will normally be returned to the original payment method.
Banks, card providers and payment processors may take additional time to display the refund after Bookish by Cat has processed it.
For more detailed information, please refer to the Returns, Cancellations & Refunds Policy.
28. Events Outside Our Reasonable Control
Processing or delivery may occasionally be affected by events outside Bookish by Cat's reasonable control.
Examples may include:
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Severe weather
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Flooding or fire
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Postal strikes
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Courier network disruption
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Transport disruption
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Serious illness or emergency
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Power or internet failure
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Government restrictions
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Other exceptional events outside reasonable control
Where possible, Bookish by Cat will take reasonable steps to minimise the effect of any disruption and communicate significant delays.
This does not remove any statutory rights that arise because of delayed or non-delivery.
29. Changes to This Policy
Bookish by Cat may update this Shipping & Delivery Policy where necessary to reflect changes in:
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Delivery providers
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Delivery services
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Delivery charges
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Processing arrangements
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Product ranges
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Business operations
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Applicable legal requirements
The policy applying to an order will generally be the version in effect when that order was placed, subject to applicable consumer law.
30. Contact
For questions regarding processing, dispatch, tracking or delivery, please contact:
Bookish by Cat
Email: admin@bookishbycat.co.uk
Business correspondence address:
Bookish by Cat
Lytchett House
13 Freeland Park
Wareham Road
Poole
Dorset
BH16 6FA
United Kingdom
Please include your order number wherever possible so that your enquiry can be dealt with efficiently.