Delivery

This page contains useful information on delivery processes and prices. The following information is subject to our Terms and Conditions which can be found here.

Quick delivery note 📦

Heads up, explorers! Our warehouse is closed on weekends and public holidays. Orders placed after 13:00 on a Friday will be despatched the following Tuesday (subject to public holidays).

CHRISTMAS 🎄

Christmas Returns Window

We understand the importance of finding the perfect gift this time of year, and we want to make sure you get it right, whether that's size, colour or otherwise. That's why we're pleased to announce that we've extended our returns window for all your Christmas shopping needs. Items purchased between November 1st and December 31st can now be returned until January 31st. Excludes Made to Order Prints, please see Ts & Cs for details.

Recommended Last Order Dates

At this time of year our warehouse and delivery partners are making every effort to deliver before Christmas. We advise our customers that wish to receive orders before 24 December and choosing our Express shipping to place your order before noon on Friday 19 December as we expect the weekend before Christmas to be very busy. After the last date for Standard and Express delivery has passed, chose our Next Day delivery service before 12 noon on Monday 22 December.

Tracking Your Order

At this busy time of year, tracking details for Royal Mail, Parcelforce and DPD may take longer than normal to appear. We are working hard to fulfil orders and transfer into the postal network, whereby tracking information can take one working day to be generated. We kindly suggest to try refreshing your browser, deleting cookies and waiting before trying again. 

Christmas Closure

Orders placed after Christmas last order dates have passed may be dispatched but not delivered until after 27th Dec (items excluding Made to Order Prints). Orders placed from 30th Dec will be dispatched from 5th January.

Orders placed after Christmas last order dates have passed for, or that include, a Made to Order Print, may be partially dispatched but not received until after 27th December. Made to Order Print items will begin to dispatch from 2nd January onwards.

If your order contains a Made to Order Print and other items, we'll send you tracking for both so you can stay up to date with your order's progress.

Important notice

Before confirming your order, please ensure that all entered information is correct, specifically the delivery address. Once the payment is complete, no modifications can be made to the delivery address. We are unable to accept order cancellations once the goods have been dispatched.

Made To Order Prints and Canvas are fulfilled by our specialist print partner King & McGaw and cannot be cancelled or returned so please check you are happy with the visual and dimensions you have selected before placing your order. 

See Terms & Conditions and Returns & Exchanges.

Northern Ireland orders

We have taken the decision to temporarily pause orders to Northern Ireland while we are working our way through new regulation. We hope it won't be too long before you can enjoy the Science Museum's merchandise again. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

USA orders

We have taken the decision to temporarily pause orders to USA while we are working our way through new regulation. We hope it won't be too long before you can enjoy the Science Museum's merchandise again. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

Delivery methods

The following delivery methods are available for UK deliveries. Excludes Alcohol and Made to Order products which have their own delivery methods.

Alcohol / Age verified items

All whiskey, gin or beer purchased is age verified online (18+), delivered via special post by Royal Mail**** and packaged securely. We charge £3 extra when ordering these items, please see the chart below for more. 

****(i) the requirement for an individual aged 18 or over to be present at the Intended Recipient’s address upon delivery; (ii) that Royal Mail practices Challenge 25 and the recipient may be required to present a Relevant ID to Royal Mail; (iii) the need to provide a year of birth at the point of delivery; and (iv) that failure to do so may result in the AV Item not being delivered;

If customers refuse to provide a date of birth, the order will be returned.

 * ”UK Mainland” means: England, Scotland and Wales, excluding the islands adjacent to those territories, and the Scottish Highlands. “UK Offshore” means: addresses within the United Kingdom which are not part of the UK Mainland, including the Isles of Scilly and the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and not including the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.

** Orders placed after 1pm on a Thursday will be dispatched on the following Monday (subject to public holidays). Orders placed after 1pm on a Friday will be dispatched on the following Tuesday (subject to public holidays). Orders shipped on a Friday will not be delivered until the following Monday (subject to public holidays). A Saturday delivery service is not currently available.

*** Orders must be placed before 1pm the day before your desired delivery date.

****(i) the requirement for an individual aged 18 or over to be present at the Intended Recipient’s address upon delivery; (ii) that Royal Mail practices Challenge 25 and the recipient may be required to present a Relevant ID to Royal Mail; (iii) the need to provide a year of birth at the point of delivery; and (iv) that failure to do so may result in the AV Item not being delivered;

If customers refuse to provide a date of birth, the order will be returned.

Made to Order Prints and Canvas Delivery Methods (fulfilled by King & McGaw)

*We’re currently unable to ship to Northern Ireland while we are working our way through new regulation but we hope to make available our Science Museum merchandise again in the future.

Delivery fulfilment: UK

All orders are dispatched by one of our nominated carriers from our warehouse, or those of our Made to Order Print and Canvas partner King & McGaw. We use Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48 hour services and DPD for UK express and UK upgraded delivery for orders from our warehouse. Our Made to Order Print and Canvas partner uses tracked services Royal Mail, Parcelforce and DPD.

Please note that the UK Mainland & UK Offshore standard and express delivery options only insure orders up to the value of £100.  The UK Upgraded delivery option insures parcels according to weight (approximately £12 per kilo).

If your order contains an item(s) which is on pre-order, your order will not be shipped until the pre-ordered item(s) is back in stock. Should you wish to cancel this item from your order, please contact Customer Services who will be happy to help with this.

If your parcel does not arrive within the expected number of days, please check the tracking via sites Royal Mail or DPD for orders shipped from our warehouse. Please check the tracking via sites Royal Mail, Parcelforce or DPD for Made to Order items.

If you have any issues please contact our customer service team on 0330 058 0058 (option 4) or alternatively email info@sciencemuseumgroup.ac.uk

Delivery methods: International

The following delivery methods are available for international delivery - currently to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, we will be opening to more territories soon, as we roll out out international delivery offering.

When placing an international order, please use your home address if possible. This helps to avoid business-to-business import duties and taxes for both the customer and the museum.

If you are making an international order (i.e. any order delivered to a country other than the UK), you will be the importer. By placing an order you are instructing SCMG Enterprises to engage with a logistics provider to fulfil customs import procedures on your behalf. Before placing an order, it is your responsibility to check that the products you are planning to import comply with state and federal government import regulations, and that there are no local requirements or restrictions which may affect receipt of your order. If any customs requirements apply or charges are due, you agree to be responsible for arranging payment of these. SCMG Enterprises does not accept responsibility for payment of any customs charges and local taxes.

The product page provides an estimate of the weight for each item. The shipping weight is automatically calculated and displayed as the shipping cost, after adding the weight of the shipping box.

* The product package must not exceed the specified size of 3m (length + girth) and 1.5m for the maximum side. If the package is larger than the specified size, special delivery charges will apply, even if the weight is below the specified limit.

Delivery fulfilment: international

Order dispatch and delivery times will vary dependent on the destination, and parcel insurance will vary dependent on the carrier used to fulfil the international delivery. To receive an estimated dispatch and delivery time for your order, or for more information on insurance, please contact our customer service team on 0330 058 0058 (option 4) or alternatively email  .If your order contains an item(s) which is on pre-order, your order will not be shipped until the pre-ordered item(s) is back in stock. Should you wish to cancel this item from your order, please contact Customer Services who will be happy to help with this.

If your parcel does not arrive within the expected number of days, please contact our customer service team on + 44 0330 058 0058 (option 4) or alternatively email info@sciencemuseumgroup.ac.uk