Shipping policy
POND PLANTS UK - SHIPPING POLICY
Last updated: 18 September 2026
This policy explains how we get live plants to you, what it costs, when it arrives and what to do if something is wrong on arrival. It forms part of our Terms of Service. Where you hold a trade account governed by a signed Universal Trade Account Agreement, that Agreement takes precedence if anything differs.
- WHERE WE DELIVER
We deliver nationwide across mainland Great Britain.
CONFIRM: do you deliver to the Scottish Highlands and Islands, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands? These normally carry a surcharge or a longer transit, and Northern Ireland needs separate plant health paperwork. Tell me which you serve and on what terms and I will write it in. Until then this section says mainland GB only. <<
We do not currently ship outside the United Kingdom.
- HOW WE DELIVER
We deliver by pallet or by smaller parcel, depending on the size of your order. We do not deliver on trolleys.
Most orders travel on our own delivery fleet. Where our fleet does not serve a route, or where a smaller order is better sent as a parcel, we use a third-party carrier.
Pallets are delivered kerbside. The delivery point must be accessible to a vehicle of the type your order requires, and someone must be available to take the delivery and sign for it.
CONFIRM: is a tail lift available as standard, and do you need the customer to unload? Worth stating, because it is the single most common cause of a failed pallet delivery. <<
- CARRIAGE CHARGES
There is no minimum order. Carriage is based on the size of your order and is calculated and shown at checkout before you pay.
A full pallet gives the best value. Smaller box quantities carry a delivery charge.
CONFIRM: your free-carriage threshold. The website FAQ says "no minimum to get started"; the Universal Trade Account Agreement says "minimum order requirements apply for free delivery; otherwise a delivery charge may apply". Both can be true - no minimum to place an order, a minimum to get carriage free - but the figure is not stated anywhere. Give me the threshold and the standard charges and this section becomes concrete instead of vague. <<
Prices shown exclude VAT and carriage unless stated otherwise.
- WHEN YOUR ORDER ARRIVES
There is no weekly order cut-off. Orders are picked and despatched to a schedule that suits the route and the stock, and your account shows an indication of when your order will arrive.
We aim to deliver within 48 hours of despatch on mainland GB routes.
Delivery times are estimates and are not guaranteed. We are not liable for delays caused by carriers, traffic, customs processing, weather or other events outside our control.
CONFIRM: is "48hr nationwide delivery" 48 hours from ORDER or 48 hours from DESPATCH? Your homepage says 48hr Nationwide delivery without saying from what. It matters: a buyer who orders at 4pm on a Friday and reads it as 48 hours from order will be chasing you on Sunday. <<
- WEATHER AND LIVE PLANT HOLDS
Our goods are living plants. In hard frost, prolonged freezing conditions or extreme heat we may hold or reschedule a delivery to protect the stock. Where we do this we will contact you, and the delay will not be treated as a failure to deliver on our part.
If you would prefer your order to travel regardless, tell us in writing before despatch. Orders despatched at your request in those conditions travel at your risk.
- RISK, TITLE AND PLANT PASSPORTS
Risk in the goods passes to you on delivery.
Title to goods supplied on credit or normal invoiced terms remains with us until we have received payment in full. Stock supplied on Sale and Return remains our property until it is paid for.
All stock is Plant Passport compliant with full traceability. Plant Passport paperwork is included with every delivery and is available in your account.
- CHECKING YOUR DELIVERY
Please check your order on arrival, before the driver leaves where possible.
(a) Shortages, wrong items and visible damage to the load should be noted on the delivery paperwork at the point of delivery.
(b) Any claim concerning damaged or non-viable plants must be made in writing within 24 hours of delivery and supported by photographs. Claims made after this period may not be accepted.
(c) Live plants need attention immediately on arrival. Unpack, water and place them appropriately the same day. We are not responsible for loss or deterioration caused after delivery by storage, handling, water conditions, planting or other factors outside our control.
Send claims to sales@pondplantuk.co.uk with your order number and photographs.
- FAILED OR REFUSED DELIVERIES
If a delivery cannot be completed because nobody is available, the address is inaccessible to the vehicle, or the delivery is refused without cause, we may charge the carriage cost of the failed attempt and of any redelivery.
Live plants cannot be held indefinitely. Where a delivery fails and cannot be rearranged promptly, the stock may be unsaleable and may be charged to you.
CONFIRM: your redelivery charge, if you have a set one. <<
- COLLECTIONS
CONFIRM: can trade customers collect from the nursery by arrangement? If so I will add the site address, the notice required and the hours. If not, say so and I will remove this section. <<
- SALE AND RETURN COLLECTIONS
Where stock is supplied on a Sale and Return arrangement, we arrange and pay for the collection of unsold stock at the end of the agreed season.
Returned stock must be presented in a safe, tidy and orderly manner and grouped by type or variety wherever reasonably practicable. Crates remain our property and must be returned. Charges for unreturned crates and for stock that requires additional sorting are set out in the Universal Trade Account Agreement.
- RETURNS
This policy covers delivery. Returns and refunds are dealt with in our Refund Policy and, for Sale and Return accounts, in the Universal Trade Account Agreement.
- CONTACT
Questions about a delivery should be sent to sales@pondplantuk.co.uk or call 01472 869012, quoting your order number.
Pond Plants UK Ltd Unit 12c, Brookenby Business Park, Binbrook, Market Rasen, LN8 6HF Registered in England and Wales, company number 15172676 VAT registration number 452755185