Delivery & Shipping

For the purpose of these terms and conditions, the word 'Antique' denotes any item that is over 100 years old. The word 'Vintage' denotes anything made in the past that is of fine quality. The word 'Decorative' denotes anything that is attractive and ornamental. The word 'Art' denotes anything involved
with expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as paintings or sculptures. A combination of the afore-mentioned terms may also be applied to our invoices.

Delivery and Shipping

All of our items are fully restored, checked over and ready for delivery within one week of purchase. Special orders and commissions may take longer. You may prefer to work with your own shipper, in which case we can arrange a collection time, date and place by appointment. If you would like us to obtain a shipping quote for you, then we will do this, and will generally have the quote ready within 24 to 48 hours. For larger orders we will be glad to advise for shipments using 20 ft or 40 ft containers.

UK mainland

Small items will be robustly packed by us, and sent by parcel courier or royal mail. Our secure packing service is complimentary for smaller items. For larger pieces, we can arrange delivery on your behalf. Costs vary depending on location. A delivery date will be agreed. You are also very welcome to organise your own collection by appointment. Free pre-arranged delivery within the M25, London.

Returns Policy, Distance Selling and the Right to Cancel an Order (RCO)

In the unlikely event of any item not meeting with the buyer’s approval, and in accordance with the United Kingdom's Government legislation regarding distance selling, we will accept its return and refund the full value less shipping charges, provided that we are given notice on or before 14 days after the client taking receipt of the item(s). A full refund will be given provided that the item(s) is received by us in the same condition as it was shipped. We allow one week / seven days for return of items after the 14 day RCO period.

Invoicing and Sales

Our invoices are made out in the English written language. On our invoices you will receive a description of the item, including any makers or attribution which can be attached to the piece, the type of materials used in its manufacture, and an aproximate date of manufacture within 20 years either side of a rough estimated date of manufacture, when a piece is not specifically dated, or hallmarked.

For unmarked and undated pieces, we will apply a "circa xxxx". Example - circa 1900 (c.1900) means made approximately between 1880 and 1920. Circa is an industry wide used term, which is a decision made as to the age of a piece where no apparent conclusive evidence is available on a piece / item. We base our decision on circa dates upon our three decades of experience in this market place. Any items which we consider as not antique, will not be marked as antique on an invoice, but will have a circa date and will be clearly dated on this website.

The invoice will have your name, address and contact details and will have our name, Dee Zammit Ltd., our trading address, an abbreviated set of terms and conditions clearly laid out on the back or at the bottom of the invoice. By purchasing from us, you agree to our terms and conditions which are laid out here in full. We also reserve the right to refuse completion on any transaction made online. We can do this without providing any reason. If funds have been paid and a sale has been cancelled by us, we will return funds immediately.

Most antiques have some bruises or bashes consistant with age and use. For pieces with a value of over £25,000.00 we keep a pictorial record (before & after) of any restoration and hand that record to the client upon purchase. At a minimum, there is nearly always a need to have blemishes removed from silver, chips removed from glass and veneers laid back down on furniture. This is the restoration and conservation process, and we do not go into detail on invoicing (unless specifically requested by client) in this regard, or on our sales tickets, however, we are happy to discuss any restoration and conservation which has taken place on any piece with a client prior to a decision being made to move forward with a purchase.

Items purchased and paid for can be stored for up to 3 months at the clients' request, before taking delivery if neccesary. After this point, a small charge will be made according the cubic foot size of a piece. Please note that this service negates and nullifies the right to cancel an order. All purchases will be shipped within a week of cleared funds. Any delay may affect your right to cancel an order.

All sales to the trade internationally are final upon payment of invoice. If something arrives in a state of damage then the client must allert us and send images within 24 hours of receipt of the item(s), and in this instance, a refund will be given, upon return of the item(s). An insurance claim may be sought, therefore, a condition report will be requested from client.

Lighting and Lamps

Items which have been re-wired for use in the UK have been done so in accordance with the regulations. Lights or Lamps which are for export will have the wiring cut out and the client will be informed of this procedure. The client will be expected to have any light purchased re-wired in their home country, and in accordance with local electrical regulations and requirements.

We endeavour to remove sold items as soon as possible from www.deezammit.com

VAT and Export

Export of items to the USA is VAT free, although there may be import duties on items that are not 100 years old on entering the USA depending on the age and nature of the item(s) purchased. We are more than happy to obtain this information via a shipper on your behalf. If there are import duties then it is the clients responsibility to meet the local legal requirements when importing art and antiques purchased from Dee Zammit Ltd. All items sold within the UK and to the EU are sold on the Margin Scheme whereby VAT is not shown as additional on an invoice. Shippers require a proforma and a commercial invoice for shipments to the EU and the USA which will be attached to the shipment together with our EORI number.

Accepted forms of Payment

We accept payments by most major credit/debit cards or by UK bank based personal cheques. Items will be shipped upon clearance of cheques which normally takes between 3 and 5 days. You may also pay by credit/debit card via PayPal’s secure server even if you don’t have a PayPal account. We also accept wire transfers and international payments bank to bank.

Export License (a)

Some antique pieces may contain or include in their manufacture, materials which require a specific license for export known as CITES certificates. The conditions under these circumstances vary according to where a piece is being exported to. We can provide information on how to apply for licenses if neccesary for export, and most shippers are fully able to facilitate the obtaining of any license if neccesary. Obtaining licenses may cause a slight delay in shipments (7-10 days). Please be aware, there are specific rules with regards exporting antique pieces which contain endangered species in their manufacture. We advise that you make yourself aware of any local laws prior to any decision on a purchase. We are also more than happy to advise to the extent of our knowledge.

Export License (b)

Certain cultural goods that reach or exceed specific age and monetary value thresholds require an individual licence for export out of the UK – whether on a permanent or temporary basis. A licence cannot be issued for export to an embargoed destination. This means a destination to which an export ban applies by virtue of a prohibition contained in legislation implementing European Union or United Nations sanctions.

Purchasing

We will require a signed document of ownership / clear title. Payment will be forthcoming either by Paypal, cheque or wire of funds. A full receipt will be necessary for our records outlining the sellers name address and contact details in addition to a photocopy of I.D. or a full business invoice, and a short declaration of ownership. A form will be provided by us for ease.