General Frequently Asked Questions
For answers to sewing-related questions, see our Sewing FAQs page! Here, find answers to questions about using the website, placing orders, returns and exchanges, and discounts and wholesale.
CONTACTING US
How can I contact you?
Email us (info@biasbespoke.com), call us (212-967-6535), or walk in to our showroom in NYC's garment district! More info on our Contact page.
ORDERS
How do I know if an item is out of stock?
When you want to add an item to your cart and enter a quantity into the Qty. box, if a message pops up that says "Maximum value is 0" then it's probably out of stock. (If it says a different number - such as 'Maximum value is 22' that means there are 22 left, and you'll be able to enter any quantity up to that amount, but not surpass it.) Occasionally, the quantities listed on the website may be incorrect, so if you want to confirm, you may write us an email to info@biasbespoke.com and we'll double check on it for you and perhaps be able to let you know when we'll have more back in stock.
When something goes out of stock, how long does it typically take to restock?
The average length of time to restock an out of stock item is about 5 months *from the time we place the order*. More specifically, when we place a new order with one of our suppliers, it can take anywhere from 1 month to 6 months or more to come in, depending on the size of the order, the production speed of the company at that time (including whether they have ready access to the materials they need to make the items, or whether they're in stock already, etc.), and also whether the shipment when ready ships by sea or air (this will be dependent on size - larger shipments will go by sea, smaller by air). Generally, we wait to make a new order until we have a lot of items we want to purchase from a supplier, since a large order can bring the shipping cost down per item a lot. Even with sea shipping on a large order, international shipping fees & customs duties can easily add more than 50% to the cost of an item.
If you have a question about a specific item's timeline, always feel free to email us (info@biasbespoke.com) for more info. Sometimes, you'll learn that an item is already ordered and on the way, and other times your question will help launch a new order.
I am making a business purchase for items that I resell. How can I get the tax exemption to show up on my order?
In order to place an order and not have the sales tax be added in sales-tax applicable states, before ordering, you'll need to register for an account on our site and email a copy of the Resale or Exemption certificate applicable for your business to info@biasbespoke.com. A Certificate of Authority is not sufficient. Then, wait for an email from us letting you know that you're ready to go for tax-exempt purchases on our site. (If during normal business hours, this can happen within 15 minutes to an hour. If on a weekend or evening, please wait until about 10am ET the following business day.)
For more detailed information about this, including links to forms, see our Terms and Conditions page.
I’m having technical problems placing my order online! Please help!
Sorry for the trouble. Technology can be persnickety! If you’re having an issue finishing your order on the website, email us with info about the problem you're encountering (preferrably with a screenshot attached), or call us and we'll do our best to help you resolve it online. Please also double check your address to make sure there are no errors or non-English characters.
Note: If using PayPal to pay, please have only whole number quantities in your shopping cart. For some reason, PayPal doesn't work when there are 0.5 yards (or 1.5, or 2.5, etc. quantities) in your cart. If ordering 1/2 yards you'll need to pay by credit card. (This is why we will probably eliminate fractional quantities in the future.)
Can I place my order over the phone?
Not at this time, unfortunately. (If you need to use your own UPS or FedEx account, place your order online and choose the "Use My Account" shipping option.) But we're happy to help you over the phone with any questions or problems you have with placing an order online!
Is it possible to pick up items from your New York City location, so I can avoid the shipping fee?
Yes, it is! On the Checkout page, enter a local New York City 'shipping' address in section 1, and then in section 3 called "Delivery Methods", you can change it to Local Pickup for a shipping cost that's $0. We'll send you an email when your order is ready to pick up. If you order during our stockroom hours -- Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm -- then you may get an email in as soon as an hour. If ordering on the weekend or an evening, then you'll get an email on our next business day.
Or, you can just come into our stockroom and order there. We can accept cash, check, or credit card. We can bring things out for you to look at, or you can look through our sample books. You may have to wait a little bit for your order to be ready, since it is not a regular walk-in store, but if you can be a little patient, this is certainly an option!
Do you ship internationally?
To many countries, yes, we do! Read our Shipping Policies for options and timelines, but just a tip: please consider USPS Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express! Yes, they're more expensive, but if you choose the cheapest option, which is USPS First Class International mail, and the package gets lost, there is absolutely nothing we can do. First Class International is super bare bones: there's no way to track it, to open an investigation, to get money back, or anything. Everytime a First Class International mail package gets lost it is so frustrating, both for us and for the customer!
I live in the UK or EU. I'm trying to place an order on your website, but it's not working. Why not?
We are currently not shipping to the United Kingdom or countries in the European Union. Both of these places now require VAT to be charged ahead of time. This poses technical challenges that we haven't found ways to overcome (yet?). Read more here.
Can I cancel my online order?
If you want to cancel your order, e-mail or call us as soon as possible, with the subject line "Cancel Order". Hopefully we can catch it before it ships out! Just note that we often ship and pack the same day we get an order (quickness is beneficial to customers in all other cases), so if it has already shipped out then we'll need to wait until it has been returned to us in order to refund you. (Shipping costs aren't refundable, sorry!)
Can I return or exchange my order?
We don't accept exchanges, or returns of items sold by the yard, but other items can be returned within 30 days for a refund. See our Returns & Shipping page for full details.
How long will it take to get my order?
It depends on the shipping service you choose and how far it's going.
Many orders utilize USPS First Class mail, which usually takes 2-5 days from shipping date to travel to your US address.
Another good option is USPS Priority Mail, which is generally 1-3 days from ship date to arrival. If you select Priority Mail at checkout, please note that we may choose to upgrade you to a FedEx 2-Day service, which includes guaranteed two day delivery, and up to $100 of insurance. Just note that this FedEx option is not offered at checkout since the service is limited by the dimensions of the shipment. (USPS's services are based on weight, which works with automated online calculations; total order dimensions do not.)
Read our Shipping Policies for info about all servicese, including International shipments.
How can I track my order?
As soon as your order is all packed up and ready to go, we’ll email you with your tracking number. If you don't receive that email for some reason, please let us know and we'll make sure you have it.
Do you do custom orders (changing the size, color or design of something you sell)?
No, sorry! But if there's something specific you want, we'd be happy to know, since we may consider adding it to our offerings eventually. Email us with your suggestions. :)
The color of my item is not what I expected....(What to do? Can I return it?)
Unfortunately, colors are affected by the settings of the monitor they're viewed on, so the color of the items you receive may vary slightly from the way they appear on this site. We spend a lot of time color-correcting images so they're as close to accurate as possible, however, since we can't control the screen you view it on our efforts only go so far! There may also be subtle differences in dye lots or finishes. But if the dye lot/finishing differences are great, then we try to change the images to reflect the new hue (or just sell both colors under different SKUs and color names!).
You can return goods for any reason if they fall within our return guidelines, but shipping costs are generally not refundable.
If your project requires an accurate color match, see our suggestions under the Color heading on the Terms & Conditions page.
DISCOUNTS & WHOLESALE
Do you offer discounts to designers/companies? (Do you sell wholesale?)
We currently offer the same discounts to all buyers, and they're based on quantity. Many of our products show percentage discounts for larger quantities. Additionally, we also offer an overall 5% discount for all orders over $200.
What if I want to buy a very large quantity? Can you offer higher discounts than what's shown?
Occasionally we will consider a larger discount for a much higher quantity than is shown. If you have a specific request (but again, only for *much* higher quantities than listed!) email us at info@biasbespoke.com to tell us what you need and we'll let you know what's possible!
ETC.
Do you have a catalog?
No, sorry! We're adding products too quickly for a catalog to be up-to-date for long!
How can I find the buttons I want on your site?
Here's the best way to search our website for buttons in the size, color, material, etc:
1. Using a computer (mobile phones don't work well for this), Click on the “Buttons & Closures” category on the top or left side navigation menu.
2. On the left-hand side menu, click on the sub-category “Buttons” within "Buttons & Closures".
3. On the right hand side of the screen, you'll see a list of "Shopping Options" that allows you to refine your search by specific characteristics such as material and color.
4. Importantly, there are two ways to search by size. Skip the one near the top that says “Size (mm)” and go to the one at the bottom of the Shopping Options that simply says “Size”. That bottom one searches by Line when you’re in the Buttons sub-category, so if you click on the line sizes you want and then hit “Search”, it will only pull up buttons that include the size(s) requested.
Here, again, are the most common button line sizes for men's tailoring*:
18 Line (11.4mm, 7/16") Shirt fronts and sleeves
24 Line (15mm, ~9/16") Suit jacket sleeves, vests or pants
30 (19mm, 3/4") or 32 Line (20mm, ~13/16") Single breasted jacket fronts
36 Line (23mm, ~7/8") Double breasted jacket fronts
40 (25mm, 1") or 44 Line (28mm, 1 1/8") Overcoats
(*There are no real standard button sizes for women's garments.)
Don't see your question here?
Email us at info@biasbespoke.com and we'll get back to you as soon as we can!
