Frequently asked questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Abbreviation - H.O.F is short for House of Francheska

Why buy Vintage Jewellery? Ah good question, judging by today's growing Fashion Industry, vintage Jewellery is making a huge comeback, we found a recent article about Vintage Jewellery being used for a top fashion show in New York and was a huge success. All our Vintage Costume Jewellery is Authentic and Original from Top Designers of the time. See the Designers we have in our catalogues All about the Designers

If you take a look at our collection you will notice the designs are truely unique and absolutely stunning. The quality and craftmanship that goes into each piece is brilliant in design and like no other in todays modern world of jewellery. The quality of the materials they used shows they were beautiful back then and still shows today they have still kept their sparkle, quality and excellence. You will be wearing a piece of jewellery that is unique and know that you are wearing a rare and collectable item.

What presentation do you use? Each item is individually given a presentation box at no extra cost, History on the Maker and any Patent details for the Vintage Costume Jewellery this will prove its value as time goes on and passed down to your own family.

I cannot see the image of the jewellery too clearly, can I request a further image to view? Yes, most definately, We produce a photo image, however, you can never capture the true beauty and brilliance of the jewels. We can only assure our customers our word is true. We try our best to take images that are clear, if we cannot capture the image too clearly then a full description is given to each piece of jewellery.

What if I do not like the item I bought? No problem, we will give you 3 days to look over your purchase and if you are not completely satisified we will give a full refund, Terms and Conditions apply Terms and Conditions

What if my item arrives faulty or damaged? Contact us immediately to arrange the return of item for a full refund.

Why should I buy off you? This question was received from a UK customer and here is our answer - You can of course go online and buy from an oversea's destination, however, you must consider the facts involved when buying from abroad. The whole process can take up to 10-20 days sometimes 30 days to complete. First you have to trust the person you are buying from, then there is negotiation on shipping charges, then there is payment method, when that is agreed, it is time to send the order, the parcel can be delayed due to customs holding your item for inspection and possible customs charges, if you are charged customs it should be the going VAT rate of the value of the item, its not just the VAT to pay you also have to pay for the carrier to send from customs office, so in fact you are paying shipping charges from the overseas destination and then another charge from customs. The other factors are loss and theft of parcels. When you buy from us we have done all this hard work for you and guarantee your parcel will arrive safe and secure!

I am after something really special, can you help me? Yes, you can browse through our online catalogue for items to buy, if there is nothing to match your requirements we can source the most beautiful jewellery at very affordable prices, contact us with your needs and we will endeavour to fulfil your request. Once we have sourced the item for you we will send you the details to look over and if you are happy and want to go ahead we will request a small deposit to secure your order. We always keep you informed on progress.

I am getting married and need special attention to my jewellery, can you help me? Yes, we can help you find your perfect ensemble for your special wedding day. Please contact us with your requirements Contact us

Can you help on care and cleaning of jewellery? We have a full reference library on different subjects to do with all sorts of jewellery,one reference is on care and cleaning of jewellery. Please contact us on the area you require.

Do you offer appraisals? Yes, we do offer appraisals, Please visit here Our Appraisal Service

I am an International Customer, what about Import procedures to my country? All countries have their own Government Rules, you must check this out for yourself as we do not know about every countries import rules concerning customs and any taxes. We send all parcels International Signed and have been sending parcels for a long time now, we have not experienced any problems sending abroad.

Can you restore and clean jewellery for me? No not at the moment, the only resource we have is a leaflet giving you full details on how to clean jewellery yourself and also we some very useful links on this subject We will be looking into cleaning and restoration in the future. There is reference's on the internet and the library which may help you on restoration.

Can I have a Layaway? Yes, we will do a layaway for you. Please refer to our layaway planning Layaway Information

Why do I get prompted with this message - This page contains both secure and nonsecure items, do you want to display the nonsecure items? The prompt is referring to the Babelfish Translator and for the Google Search Box, everything on this website is safe to view. Rarely will come across this and it is nothing to worry about.

Are my Online Payments Secure? Yes absolutely, we currently use Paypal as our secure payment gateway for all online transactions, We do not see or hold any information regarding your credit cards or paypal account. You do not need to open a paypal account to pay for your item. Please refer to our Payments Page Concerning Payment . You can also see our Security Policy in our Terms and Conditions Terms and Conditions

How can I find special offers and latest price cuts? To take advantage of our special offers and latest price cuts, simply click on the Bargains and Clearance button on the homepage. Also all our latest news and promotions will be on the updates page Latest News for Website and Promotions

I want to pay for my order by cheque is this ok? Yes, you can pay for your order by Cheque or Postal order which is only accepted from the UK Please refer to our Paying by Cheque

Do you have a brochure you can send me? No sorry, all our products are dispayed online, we all have to save costs and to print brochures and send out would be too expensive. You can always print details off our website.

Do you charge for Shipping? At this present time 4th December 2010 there is no shipping charge. Please refer to Packaging and Shipping

What personal information do you take from me? When you place an order we will need your Name, full postal address, telephone number and email address, we DO NOT pass any of your personal details to any third parties, your details are treated as strictly confidential. Please read our Terms and Conditions for our Company Policy on Privacy

The Following Frequently Asked Questions are for our Clients who Sell through House of Francheska

What is a re-seller?

A re-seller is individuals or companies who act as agents to sell your product or item. House of Francheska is your acting agent selling on a commission basis.

Do I have to sign a Sales Agency Agreement?

Yes all our clients will have to sign a sales agency agreement. The agreement will be sent to you when we receive details on your item/s to sell.

Can I sell with you?

Our Response - "Yes" ? This is how you can sell through House of Francheska:-

First we would like to mention we do all the listing of your item/s on our website for you.

Selling on H.O.F involves 1 listing fee only (for 1 or multiple items) and your item/s are left on the website permanently until sold. Your listing can be changed at any time to give a refresh at no extra cost. All you have to do is send us an email and we will do the changes to your listing if required.

How do I price up my item?

Example
Value of Item: £ 100.00
Packaging and Shipping cost: £ 10.00
Payment fee: Add 2.5% this is the fee for processing credit cards, BGC and Cheque payments

Total amount for the item: £ 112.50 all inclusive

Sellers must add to their listing:-
The all inclusive total amount involves:-

Value of the item
Packaging and shipping
Vat (if required)
Payment transaction fee
Insurance (if requested)

The seller can put the true value of the item down on their listing and the fees involved separately if they wish. This is giving the buyer the true picture on what is involved in the total amount.

What is your Agent Commission Fee?

The commission fee is payable by the seller and not passed onto the buyer. There is a final sale commission fee on all items sold. We will deduct our commission from the value of the item for both Options 1 and 2 details on options can be seen here How to sell with us Our commission includes fee for payment transaction, using our shopping cart, advertising and promoting, social media networking, events and the work done to list your item.

Where do you advertise?

We currently have 50 area's around the internet. House of Francheska is advertised in the BT directory, Yellow Pages and yell.com. We have an advertisment in the Antiques, Collectables & Memorabilia Specialist Directory Magazine. We use social media networking and use our other websites to advertise and also use online shopping directories

How to sell with us

Sellers send their items to H.O.F for us to do all the work on their behalf including taking pictures, description, all inclusive price and payment gateway and more - it also includes use of our shopping cart and payment gateway. The commission fee is 15% from the value of the item sold. After the 7 day customer satisfaction guarantee this is when we will release payment to you for your sold item. Please refer to this webpage More information on how to sell with us

How will my listing look in the catalog?

We have done an example webpage for you to view please refer to this webpage Example of a full webpage listing

How much traffic goes to your website?

We are proud to say we are ranked high with the major search engines Google and Yahoo plus we are showing in other search engines. Our traffic report as at March 2010 is saying 1156 unique visits (people) a day with 22,759 hits (visited pages) a day. That is alot of traffic if you tally it up over a month. We do not mind if you want to request the full traffic report as proof.

More Useful Information

As your listing is on the website permanently until sold, you can have your listing removed at any time. You can give keep your listing showing in the catalog for 6 months, then if you decide your item is not going to sell you can request us to take the listing off.

You could also sell the item on other websites although if it has sold elsewhere you will need to contact us to take the item off our website.

All buyer enquiries are mediated between the seller and with us your agent. As soon as the buyer wants to go ahead with the transaction we will contact you to say your item is sold. We will then proceed with the transaction

All sellers must sign a Sales Agency Agreement. This agreement will be sent to you before we do any listing of your items. This will protect you as the seller and us as your agent.

This service is offered to the UK only, however we can offer this service to our international sellers at our own discretion.

Visit here on full details on the options available:-

How to sell with us: www.house-of-francheska.co.uk/emporium-how-to-sell-with-us.htm

SELLING TIPS

Offering FREE packaging and shipping brings many sales
Offering discounts and other promotions at different times of the year
Always put the true figure for posting items never over charge a customer. They will not return .
Pack securely using bubble wrap and use a secure padded envelope or secure using masking tape on boxes.
Make sure the contents of your parcel do not rattle around when packed.
Good presentation of your item is valued ie: a gift box, nice wrapping etc.
Always put customer address clearly on the parcel and always ensure you put the sender address on the back of the parcel.
When sending goods abroad make sure the customs slip is filled out correctly.
Use a delivery service that is reliable and efficient.
Try and send all parcels via a recorded signed for delivery service
Be kind to all customers, put them first and go all out for them.
Any disputes handle with diplomacy and resolve quickly and efficiently.
A personal level of communication between seller and buyer is always in my opinion the best way in giving the best customer service instead of being treated as just a number with no personal touch.
A Happy Customer always returns!