FAQs

How long will I have to wait for delivery of my furniture?

Where we hold an item in stock, we will arrange delivery within 21 days of your order (usually within 14 days for most parts of the UK). If an item is not in stock then the delivery time can be up to 8-16 weeks, depending on our shipping times. We will always inform you of estimated delivery times for any items not held in stock before we take any payment.

What are your delivery charges?
We offer free delivery on all orders over £1000.00 - just enter the code FREEUK when ordering online. For orders of lower value, we charge £45.00 for larger items of furniture for delivery to your room of choice at most mainland UK addresses and £35.00 for smaller items. We charge an additional £20.00 for addresses in the Scottish highlands. We can arrange delivery to Northern Ireland addresses at £125.00 (large furniture) or £110.00 (small furniture). We can also arrange delivery to other UK offshore addresses (including Channel Islands, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man and Scottish Islands), the Republic of Ireland and most parts of Western Europe. Please give us a call on 0800 088 6800 and we will be happy to provide a quote.

If I order more than one item at the same time do I have to pay the full delivery charge for each item?
Assuming that your total order is delivered together we will only charge you one delivery charge for any order containing more than one item. This will be the charge for the largest item. So for example, if you order one large piece of furniture and two small ones, the total delivery charge will be £45.00.

Will you give advance notice of when my furniture will be delivered?
Yes. We use a specialist furniture delivery company who will call you normally two or three days before they plan to deliver your furniture to arrange this. They will then give you a 4 hour time slot for your delivery and the driver will also call you on the day, an hour before they expect to arrive.

Will you unpack the furniture for me?
Our delivery company uses two men on every vehicle and for an additional charge of £10 they will unpack the furniture for you and remove the packaging if required.

Will you put my furniture into position for me?
Our delivery partners will carry your furniture into the ground floor room of your choice. If you require your furniture to be taken above the ground floor then the delivery team will be happy to do this but ask you to sign a disclaimer as they are not insured to deliver to upper floors.

Can you deliver in the evenings or at weekends?
We can offer a Saturday delivery service to most parts of the UK through our delivery partners. This is available for furniture items at an additional cost of £40. If you require this service please select 'Saturday delivery' at checkout and the additional charge will be applied. The service is not available to addresses in Scotland or in the following postcodes: TD, CA, LL, SY, LD, EX, TQ, PL, TR.

When do you take payment for my furniture?
For items in stock and available for delivery within 30 days, we will process your payment when you place your order. For any items not held in stock we will require a 50% deposit of the total cost, including delivery, when you confirm your order. The balance is then payable when your furniture is ready for delivery. We will never process any deposit payment until we have informed you of an estimated delivery time and you have confirmed that this is acceptable.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept cash, cheques (made payable to Shimu Ltd) and all major credit and debit cards including American Express. We also accept Paypal - just select this option when ordering online.

Is your online payment system secure?
Yes. Your credit card details will be securely encrypted before being sent to us over the internet so that nobody can read your card information. Your personal details will also be encrypted before being sent to us. The padlock symbol will appear on your browser at the bottom right of your screen to show that any pages where you are submitting personal or credit card information are secure.

If I receive my furniture and do not like it, can I send it back?
Yes. We offer a returns policy that gives you complete peace of mind. If for any reason you are unhappy with your furniture when it arrives, simply inform us within 14 working days of the item being delivered and we will arrange for it to be picked up and returned to us at our own expense. We will then either replace it for you or provide a full refund, excluding any delivery charge. All that we ask is that you return the item in an unused condition and in its original packaging. Please note that this does not apply to items that have been made to order.

Do you have a showroom? Where can I see your furniture before buying?
Our showroom located in Greengates, West Yorkshire a few miles to the north east of Bradford and close to the Bradford and Leeds ring roads. You will find us at Unit 37, Albion Mills, Albion Road, Greengates, West Yorkshire, BD10 9TQ - part of the historic Albion Mills complex. On view over our 3000 square foot space are most pieces from our Classical Chinese, Contemporary Asian and Chinese Country furniture ranges, as well as a wide selection from our current antique collection. We also stock a wide range of lighting, accessories and smaller items that are only available through our showroom. Free parking is available. Click here for a map of our location.

Do you deliver to Ireland?
We can arrange delivery to all Northern Ireland addresses for an additional £60.00 on top of our standard delivery charges, which ill be applied at checkout if you are ordering online. We can also arrange delivery to the Republic of Ireland with delivery of smaller furniture charged at £125.00, with large items charged at a maximum of £155.00.

Do you deliver to other European countries?
We can arrange delivery to addresses in most parts of western Europe and will be happy to provide a quote for this. Delivery charges will vary depending on the items ordered and your location within Europe.

Do you ship to North America?

We can normally arrange shipment to the Canada and the USA, but only to your nearest port or freight terminal. It would then be your responsibility to arrange pick up or onward delivery from there. Please note that shipping charges can be particularly expensive for large pieces of furniture but we are happy to provide quotes as requested.

Can I see colour samples of your wood finishes?
Yes. Please contact us and we will be happy to send out wood samples of any of our standard finishes.

Can you provide alternative dimensions or colours for your furniture?
Yes. We will be happy to discuss any requirements you may have for customising our furniture. As all of our furniture is handmade, we don’t charge a great deal more than our standard prices for producing furniture to order.

Can you produce new items of furniture other than those shown on your website?
Yes. Every month we produce several ‘bespoke’ items of furniture for customers, based on designs that we agree with them. If you are interested in having a piece of furniture made that is not part of our standard range, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss this with you. We can produce drawings and provide a quote for your project free of charge and with no obligation. For some examples of past projects see our bespoke page.

I am looking for old or antique Chinese furniture. Do you sell this?
We stock the UK's widest selection of antique Chinese furniture, sourced from all over China. The collection is mostly from the 19th and early 20th centuries and is updated as we source and ship new pieces. We are also able to source individual pieces on request from various suppliers in China. If there is a particular piece you are looking for please contact us and we will be pleased to help.

Is your furniture made from environmentally friendly resources?
Yes. All of the furniture in our classical range and other ranges is made from reclaimed elm or poplar wood. Our wood is taken from old buildings in the north of China which are being demolished to make way for new developments. We do not use new wood in our furniture other than some plywood for rear panels. As well as being friendly towards the environment this ensures that the wood is well seasoned before use.

Do you have a printed brochure of your furniture?
We don't currently have a printed brochure as our range of furniture, antiques and accessories is constantly changing, making it impossible to keep a printed catalogue up to date. However, we do have a PDF version of the last brochure we produced a few years ago. If you would like to receive this please contact us at info@shimu.co.uk and we can email this to you.