Earth's Clay Store is now CLOSED. PLEASE SEE BLOG POST FOR FURTHER DETAILS. Any outstanding orders will be shipped on Thursday 7th March 2024. For more info on product availability you can email: earthsclaystore@gmail.com

FAQ's

CLAYS, CHALKS & SLATE PENCILS 

Where do the clays, chalks and slate pencils come from?

All products are sourced form around the world.   Deposits can be found underground. 

Are clays, chalks and slate pencils safe to eat?

All products are mined by mining companies, way below the top soil away from contamination. Products are checked and screened by British Customs prior to arriving at Earth's Clay Store. All product batches are quality checked by Earth's Clay Store before being bagged and sold.  All products are handled using gloves when quality checking, and bagging by Earth's Clay Store.

However, all products are from the Earth and thus from outside, so there can be no guarantee that they are totally safe to consume.  

People have been consuming clays and chalks for hundreds of years and will continue to consume these items for many years to come.  I love clays, chalks and slate pencils - this is why I set up my website, as I know that there are many people who like clays, chalks and slate pencils too.  But because it's not classed as a food item - it does not have all the necessary safety checks that foods have.  So will never be regarded as 'safe' to consume - even though these items have been consumed for hundreds of years.

It is always best to heat products at high temperatures to destroy any pathogens.  People have baked their products in the oven or used a microwave for this purpose.

Disclaimer:

Ultimately, it is the buyers discretion whether or not to consume these products, as they are sold as novelty items.  Earth's Clay Store will not be liable if you the customer decide to consume the products sold and you the customer become ill.

I don't like how my clay/chalk/slate pencil tastes.  Can I get a refund and return the product(s)?

No.  People have different taste/texture preferences.  Earth's Clay Store aims to provide an accurate description for all products - however, people have different opinions on tastes and textures.  Mother Nature gives the products their flavour and texture.  Earth's Clay Store has no control over the flavour and texture of products.  No refunds are provided and no returns are accepted.   As stated above, the products are sold as novelty items.

My clay/chalk/slate pencil is not the same as before, the taste/texture is different and I do not like it.  Can I get a refund and return the product(s)?

No.  Mother Nature gives the products their flavour and texture.  Earth's Clay Store has no control over the flavour and texture of products.  The same product can vary greatly from batch to batch in both taste and texture.  This can happen even mining the same product a few centimetres apart. This is due to the natural formation in the Earth - which mining companies and Earth's Clay Store have no control over.  No refunds are provided and no returns are accepted.   As stated above, the products are sold as novelty items.

What is the weight of the products in lbs?

20g - 0.044lb

50g - 0.11lb

100g - 0.22lb

250g - 0.55lb

500g - 1.10lb

1000g/1kg - 2.20lb

 

CHECKOUT

Why have I been charge more money than what I originally paid?

If you are an international customer, your country's currency is different from the United Kingdom (the currency used by Earth's Clay Store).  The UK use British Sterling (GBP £).  

The GPB £ has more value than most international countries.  So although you actually pay the same amount during checkout, once the currency conversion is carried out, you will see that the price appears to have risen, when in actual fact it is the same price, just in a different currency.  

For example, if you are in the USA, for every £1 it is roughly $1.30.  So if you pay for items and shipping totalling £25, then in USD you will in fact be paying $32.5.

To know exactly how much you will pay in your own country's currency, you can checkout using PayPal.  Alternatively, if you do not have a PayPal account, you can get an estimate from Google.  Just type 'convert (your country's currency) to GBP £' then you can type the amount into the converter. 

Why does it say "There are no shipping methods available for your cart destination"? 

If you are an international customer and your total order is over 2kg in weight, then this error message will appear when you are trying to checkout.  

Royal Mail have a limited shipping weight of up to 2kg.  However, DHL has no limit.  DHL also works out cheaper when more items are purchased at any one time.

To solve this problem, you can simple place two separate orders , so each weighs less than 2kg.

Alternatively, you can contact Earth's Clay Store via email and request a manual order. Your order will be processed manually and in separate packages, so the 2kg limit will no longer apply.  All you need to do is fill out the form on the Contact Us page, with the item(s) and the weight(s) you would like to order, by pressing this link.

You will receive an email with a list of your chosen item(s), the shipping costs, total payment amount and the payment method options.  

Once you have made the payment, your order will be processed, shipped and a tracking number will be provided (if you have paid for a tracked service).

 

DELIVERY

When will my order be posted/shipped?

Postage day is Thursday.

You will receive an email to say that your order has been shipped on Thursday.

The cut off/deadline for orders are: Wednesday 9am for Thursday postage.  Please note that 9am is United Kingdom (UK) time.

Why haven't I received my tracking number?

If you have paid for a shipping service that does not provide a tracking number then you will not receive a tracking number in the 'shipped' notification email. Shipping services that do not provide tracking are listed below:

  • Royal Mail 1st Class,
  • Royal Mail 2nd Class,
  • Royal Mail International Standard,
  • Royal Mail International Economy 

If you paid for a tracked service but did not receive a 'shipped' notification email, there are a few reasons as to why:

  1. You may have entered your email incorrectly at checkout.  
  2. The email may be in your junk mailbox
  3. The email has not been sent yet. Please allow the whole day to receive your email.  Please also note that you may be in a different time zone from the United Kingdom, where Earth's Clay Store is based. 

I placed my order on Thursday - why wasn't my order posted on the same day?

The cut off/deadline for orders is: Wednesday 9am for Thursday postage.  Please note that 9am is UK time.  Any order placed after this time will automatically be placed in next Thursdays shipping - not the Thursday directly after the Wednesday cut off time.

How long will my order take to arrive?

This depends on your location as well as what shipping service you paid for at checkout.  Please refer to the Shipping policy or your 'shipped' notification email for further details for different shipping services and locations.

For all orders, shipping/delivery times begin once your order has been taken to the local post office - not as soon as you have paid for your order.  As stated above, shipping day is Thursday - thus this is the point when the shipping/delivery times begin. 

UK delivery time: 

Royal Mail First Class Signed For/Recorded and takes between 1-2 working days. Once your order has been taken to the post office on Thursday.  

Royal Mail Second Class Signed For/Recorded and takes between 2-3 working days.  Once your order has been taken to the post office on Thursday.

DHL - next working day (not including Weekends).  Only once your order has been taken to DHL on Thursday.

International delivery time: 

Europe 3-5 working days - not including weekends.  Only once you order has been taken to the post office.

Worldwide 5-7 working days - not including weekends.   Once your order has been taken to the post office.  This is an estimate stated on the Royal Mail website.  

However, the time frame is usually 2-3 weeks for international deliveries. 

DHL - 1-3 Business days (not including weekends).

International Customs can delay the delivery time.  Your country's Customs need to check all international packages.  Neither Earth's Clay Store nor Royal Mail have any say or control over how long Customs will take to check and release your package. Customs can not be contacted by the general public, Earth's Clay Store or Royal Mail (they are a Government Agency).  

Once your package is released from Customs, it will be handed over to the local delivery service (e.g USPS). Once handed over, your package will be scanned by the delivery service.  This is when the tracking information on the Royal mail website will be updated.

How can I track my order?

Please check your 'shipped' notification email for further details and links to the shipping companies. You can only track your order if you have paid for a tracked shipping service.  Tracked shipping services are listed below:

  • Royal Mail 1st Class Signed For
  • Royal Mail 2nd Class Signed For
  • Royal Mail Tracked 24
  • Royal Mail Tracked 48
  • DHL express domestic
  • Royal Mail International Tracked & Signed For
  • Royal Mail International Tracked
  • DHL express international

You can track your package by visiting the Royal Mail or DHL websites. Please check your 'shipped' notification email for further details and links to the shipping companies.

Why hasn't my tracking information been updated?

Please refer to International Customs section above.

How much is postage/shipping?

This is calculated at checkout and depends on the weight of your order and your location.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes.

My package as been returned to sender, will you ship it back to me?

Yes.  However, you will need to pay the additional shipping/postage costs.  The price will be the same amount that you paid for shipping previously when you placed your order.  You can make payment using PayPal - I will send you a payment request.  Alternatively, you can pay using direct bank transfer or Western Union.

Will my package have the words 'Earth's Clay Store' on the front?

No.  All packages are discreet.  I understand how clay consumption can still be considered as taboo and that for many customers this is a very private area in their life. 

Only the customer's name and address details will be displayed.  International orders will have a Customs CN22 form which by law, must state the contents of the package.  I write ‘Cosmetic Clays’, ‘Chalks for arts and crafts’, ‘Slate Pencils for arts and crafts’ on this form. Orders are packaged in a white padded envelop. 

 

RETURNS, REFUNDS & CANCELATIONS

Do you accept returns?

Unfortunately, due to health and safety reasons, we do not accept returns.

Do you offer refunds?

Unfortunately, we do not offer refunds, once your order has been processed and shipped.  However, please contact if you are not happy with your order, to see what we can do to solve the matter.

Can I cancel my order?

You can cancel your order within 2 hours of placing your order, by contacting Earth's Clay Store. If you try to cancel after this time, your order maybe processed and your cancellation may not be accepted.  

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries regarding your order.  I will do my very best to ensure you are happy with your experience at Earth’s Clay Store.

 

COMMUNICATION 

Why hasn't the company replied to my email?

Earth's Clay Store deals with numerous customer queries, so we ask that you please be patient.

Customer queries will be addressed during week days only: 9am-5pm Monday - Thursday only.  No customer queries will be answered on Fridays, on the evenings and on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and also not during Bank Holidays.

Opening Times:

Monday 9-5pm

Tuesday 9-5pm

Wednesday 9-5pm

Thursday 9-5pm

Friday: Closed

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: Closed

 Email address: earthsclaystore@gmail.com

FRAUD

Earth's Clay Store takes fraud seriously.  Any order placed with a highlighted medium/high risk of fraud will not be processed until the customer can verify their identity and address details.  

If you have not received the 'shipped' notification email after the appointed time and you have not received any communication from Earth's Clay Store regarding your package then please contact us.  You will be notified if your order was a medium/high risk fraud.  Most of the time, this will not be the case and you probably mistyped your email, so in this instance, you would not receive any emails from Earth's Clay Store, as they would bounce back as undelivered.  

However, there are a very small number of cases where people have used stolen credit cards to make purchases on the website.  This affects both the victim and Earth's Clay Store.  So, in order to prevent this from happening, Earth's Clay Store does not process the order until the customer can verify their identity and address details.