Shipping policy

Shipping Methods

Royal Mail Tracked 24

The majority of our parcels are shipped via Royal Mail Tracked 24, which — depending on parcel size — is our preferred delivery service.
Tracked 24 typically arrives the next working day, and in our experience, over 99% of deliveries arrive within one day of dispatch. However, Royal Mail does not guarantee next-day delivery, and on rare occasions delivery may take up to 1–3 working days.

This is a fully tracked service, allowing you to follow your parcel’s progress from dispatch to delivery. Royal Mail will usually send an email or SMS notification on the morning of delivery, confirming your estimated delivery window.
If you receive this notification and know you will not be at home, please use the “Rearrange Delivery” option on the Royal Mail tracking page to select a more suitable day or arrange collection from your local delivery office. This helps ensure your parcel is delivered safely and not left unattended.

If you choose to use Royal Mail’s Safeplace option, you authorise Royal Mail to leave your parcel in your chosen location. By selecting this option, you accept full responsibility for the parcel once it has been delivered to that location. Neither Royal Mail nor Moon Whale Ltd can accept any liability for loss, theft, or damage to parcels left in a nominated Safeplace.

Royal Mail 24 Signed-For or Special Delivery

For higher-value items, we use a signed-for service such as Royal Mail 24 Signed-For or Royal Mail Special Delivery.
A signature will always be required upon delivery, and these services cannot be left unattended under any circumstances.

If you are not available, Royal Mail will leave a “Something for You” card and return the parcel to your local delivery office for collection or redelivery.
If you verbally instruct your postman or delivery officer to leave a Signed-For or Special Delivery parcel without obtaining a signature, this instruction falls outside the agreed delivery terms. In such cases, neither Royal Mail nor Moon Whale Ltd can accept responsibility for any resulting loss, theft, or damage. Royal Mail treats this as a breach of procedure, and the delivery officer may face disciplinary action if such conduct is confirmed during their investigation.

DPD Next Day

For larger or heavier shipments, we may use DPD Next Day. DPD aims to deliver by the end of the next working day (Monday to Saturday), although this delivery window is not guaranteed.

Tracking information for all services will be provided in your dispatch confirmation email.

What If My Item Hasn’t Arrived?

Deliveries should normally arrive within 1–3 working days of being posted. If your parcel has not arrived, please follow these steps:

Within 4 working days: Your item may still be in transit. Check your tracking link (included in your dispatch email) for updates.

Between 4–14 working days: Your mail may be delayed. Check with neighbours and your local delivery office, as parcels are sometimes held there.

After 14 working days: Contact our Customer Service team at info@moon-whale.com within 30 days of the expected delivery date. We will liaise with the courier and do everything possible to assist.

Please note: we cannot issue refunds or replacements for items reported as lost until after 14 working days have passed and any courier investigation is complete.

Liability for Delayed, Lost, or Misrouted Orders

While we make every effort to ensure orders arrive on time, Moon Whale Ltd cannot be held liable for any consequential losses — such as missed deadlines, loss of business, or inconvenience — resulting from delivery delays, courier errors, or misrouted parcels.

If your order has not arrived within 14 working days from dispatch, please contact us. We will liaise with the courier and open an investigation if one has not already been raised. A replacement or full refund will be offered only once the courier’s investigation has been completed and Royal Mail (or the relevant courier) has formally confirmed that the parcel has been lost or misrouted and cannot be recovered.

For assistance with any shipping issue, please email info@moon-whale.com

Bank Holiday Delays

Please allow additional time for deliveries over UK bank holidays and during high-volume trading periods. We recommend allowing an additional 2–3 days for your parcel to arrive during these times.

Missing Parcels Marked as Delivered

All orders are shipped using either tracked or signed-for services. For most orders a signature is required upon delivery, and no parcel should ever be left unattended unless you have selected a Safeplace option as outlined above.

If your parcel is marked as delivered but you have not received it, please report this immediately using the Royal Mail tracking page. Royal Mail will investigate by checking delivery scans, GPS data, and the delivery officer’s records.

Royal Mail investigations can take up to 30 calendar days to complete. We are unable to issue refunds or replacements until the investigation is finished and Royal Mail confirms the outcome.

Under Section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods remain at the seller’s risk until they come into the physical possession of the customer or a person identified by them to take delivery. Once Royal Mail or another courier obtains a signature at your address, or confirms delivery with verified GPS evidence, the goods are deemed to have reached your possession and risk and responsibility transfer to you.

If Royal Mail’s investigation confirms that a parcel was misdelivered or lost before reaching you, we will assist in recovering or replacing your order in line with the courier’s compensation process.

If you believe your parcel has been stolen or delivered incorrectly, we recommend:

Reporting the issue to Royal Mail (or the relevant courier) immediately and obtaining a case reference.
Contacting your local police to obtain a crime reference number.
Checking whether your home or contents insurance covers theft or misdelivery of parcels.

Once a parcel is confirmed as delivered to the address provided at checkout, Moon Whale Ltd is not liable for any loss or theft occurring thereafter.

False Claims and Fraud Prevention

Moon Whale Ltd operates a zero-tolerance policy towards fraudulent or dishonest claims.
Submitting false information to obtain a refund, replacement, or financial benefit constitutes Fraud by False Representation under Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.

This offence carries a maximum penalty of up to 51 weeks’ imprisonment for offences involving values under £200, and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for higher-value or more serious offences if convicted.

All suspected fraudulent activity is formally reported to the appropriate authorities, including Action Fraud, local police, Royal Mail Security & Investigations, and, where relevant, payment providers such as PayPal, Shop Payments, and the customer’s issuing bank. Supporting evidence — including order details, tracking data, communications, and IP/device logs — may be provided to assist investigations.

Moon Whale Ltd reserves the right to suspend or close customer accounts, refuse future orders, and recover any losses where false or misleading information is supplied.
These measures protect genuine collectors and ensure fairness for all customers.