Frequently asked questions

Every piece is checked twice by hand: once when it arrives and again on the day it ships, by two different people. We look at hardware weight and stamping, stitch count and angle, date codes and serials, lining construction, and the way the piece is finished where nobody normally looks. Anything we cannot resolve is sent back to the seller rather than listed with a caveat.

It does not expire, and it is not limited to the person who bought the piece. If anything sold by us is ever shown not to be genuine, we refund the full purchase price whenever that comes to light.

Each piece ships with a Kinship authentication card carrying its reference, the date it was checked and the initials of the two people who checked it. Where the original receipt, dust bag, box or house certificate exists, it is included and listed on the product page.

Standard delivery is free everywhere we ship, on every order, whatever it is worth. Express is free above £1,000 and charged below it. Everything is insured for its full value, tracked, and signed for.

Not in the UK, the EU, the US, Canada, Japan or Australia — we ship on delivered-duty-paid terms to those destinations and settle the charges before the parcel moves, so the price on the page is what you pay. Everywhere else the carrier collects local duty from you before delivering.

You can follow any order from the tracking page using the order number and the email address you used, without signing in. Tracking goes live when the label is generated, which is usually a few hours before the parcel actually moves.

No — almost everything we carry is a single piece, and a hold would mean telling somebody else it was unavailable when it was not. Adding a piece to your bag does not reserve it either; the first completed order takes it.

Fourteen days from the day it arrives. Return postage is free worldwide, you do not need to give a reason, and the refund goes back to the method you paid with within three working days of the piece passing inspection.

The condition it left in: unworn, tags attached, with the box, dust bag and authentication card. Returns are inspected against the photographs we took of that exact piece before it shipped, and if something has changed we will send you those photographs before we decide anything.

Not as a single transaction, because there is rarely a second piece to exchange into. Send the first piece back for a refund and place a new order — the two run independently and neither waits on the other.

No. Some pieces are unworn and still in their original packaging; others have been carried. The product page says which, and where a piece shows wear the photographs show exactly where. We do not use the word 'excellent' to mean 'we would rather not photograph that corner'.

Always. Every image on a product page is of that specific piece, shot in our own room, colour-corrected to that room's light and not otherwise retouched. We never use a manufacturer's stock image.

Because carrying a house properly means stocking it in depth, photographing it ourselves and being able to answer questions about it without looking anything up. We would rather do that for a short list than do it badly for a long one.

Yes, if it is from one of the houses we carry. Send photographs and any paperwork through the contact page and we will come back within two working days with an offer or an honest no.

Sometimes, but do not count on it — most houses restrict repairs and servicing to pieces bought from their own boutiques. Our own guarantee covers authenticity rather than wear, and it is separate from any manufacturer warranty.

Keep it out of direct sun and away from radiators, store it stuffed and upright in its dust bag rather than hanging, and let it dry at room temperature if it gets wet rather than helping it along with heat. Specific advice for each piece is on its product page under Care.