Frequently Asked Questions

Got a question? You're in the right place. Browse by topic below or get in touch if you can't find what you're looking for.

💰 Pricing & Value

Why are your prices so low? Our prices aren't cheap — they're great value. By keeping our operating costs low, we can pass those savings directly on to you. Our clear aim is to offer the best prices on fabrics, sewing threads, and haberdashery supplies in the UK, including leading brands such as Gutermann, Coats Moon, Prym, Olfa, Vlieseline (previously Vilene), Pellon, Rose & Hubble, Little Johnny, Moda, Liberty London, and more.

Why are your website prices lower than your eBay or Etsy store? By selling directly to you through our own website, we cut out marketplace fees and pass those savings straight to you. The more you buy direct, the more you save!

Do you offer discount codes? We may occasionally share discount codes via the website or by email to our subscribers. We believe it's more important to offer the best value all year round rather than artificially inflating prices just to offer a discount later. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about any promotions.

Do you offer Blue Light, Student, or Military discounts? No — and here's why. We believe in offering the best price to everyone, equally. Offering selective discounts to certain groups would mean other customers subsidise those savings, which isn't fair. Every customer matters equally to us, which is why we focus on keeping prices as low as possible for everyone.

Do you price match or price beat? We aim to offer the best prices on everything we sell. If you find a genuine lower price elsewhere, email us — if we can beat it, we will. And we won't just give you the reduced price privately; we'll update the website price so everyone benefits. If we can't beat it, we'll tell you why.

📦 Products & Sourcing

Are your products genuine or copies? All products are 100% genuine, sourced from UK wholesalers. We do not sell copies, replicas, or dupes — not only are they inferior in quality, they are also illegal. When you buy Gutermann thread or Vlieseline interfacing from us, you're getting the real thing.

Do you source products from Temu, SHEIN, or AliExpress? Absolutely not. All products are sourced from reputable UK wholesalers, ensuring quality and safety standards are met. Whilst some products may be manufactured in China or the Far East — as is common across most consumer goods — this is a decision for the manufacturers, not us. We can vouch for every supplier we work with.

Who are your wholesalers? We work with a number of trusted UK-based wholesalers for our fabric and haberdashery supplies. Where possible, we've personally met the owners or representatives of the companies we work with, so we know exactly who we're dealing with and can negotiate the best options for you.

Do you stock UK-made products? We'd love to — especially given Yorkshire and Lancashire's incredible heritage as some of the world's largest fabric-producing regions. If you're a UK manufacturer or know of one, please get in touch. We'd love to build a dedicated Made in the UK section on the website.

How are fabrics measured and cut? All cut-to-size fabrics and interfacing are manually measured and cut to your specification. Please note there may be a slight variance of +/- 5% in size. As bespoke cut items, these cannot be returned unless faulty — please see our Refund Policy for full details.

Are any of your products handmade? Not yet, but a handmade section is coming soon — featuring items made by us or listed with the maker clearly shown. Watch this space!

Do you stock the full Gutermann thread range? Not yet, but we're working on it! The Gutermann range is vast, and expanding it takes time and space. If there's a specific thread type or colour you need, get in touch — if it's available through our wholesaler, we can usually get it in within a couple of working days.

🛒 Ordering & Stock

What happens if an item is out of stock? Everything listed as available is in stock. If there's a sudden rush on an item, it may be temporarily out of stock while we reorder — this usually takes a couple of days. Where we know stock is coming back, we'll add an estimated restock date to the product page.

Some products have longer lead times — for example, Pellon products sourced from the USA can take an extended period if our UK wholesaler is out of stock. Moda fabrics are seasonal and ordered months in advance; once they're gone, they're gone. We'll always flag limited stock clearly on the listing.

Can I order a product you don't currently stock? Probably! Let us know what you're looking for and we'll check availability and pricing. If there's enough demand for a product or range, we'll look to bring it in permanently.

What quilting kits do you have available? We stock ready-made kits from brands including Moda and Alice Caroline (Liberty London), as well as kits we've put together ourselves using Moda and Nutex fabrics and patterns. If there's a specific quilting kit you'd like that we don't stock, let us know and we'll do our best to source it at the best price.

Can I change or cancel my order? Please contact us as soon as possible if you need to amend or cancel an order. We dispatch within one working day, so time is of the essence. We'll always do our best to help, but we can't guarantee changes can be made once an order is accepted and being processed.

Do you sell in bulk or wholesale quantities? If you're a sewing group, school, or community organisation looking for larger quantities, get in touch and we'll see what we can do. We're always happy to discuss bulk pricing where possible.

Do you offer gift wrapping or gift messages? Not currently, but it's something we're considering for the future. If this is something you'd find useful, let us know!

🚚 Delivery & Dispatch

What are your delivery and dispatch details? Full details — including delivery options, timeframes, and free delivery thresholds — can be found on our Shipping Policy page. In short: we dispatch within one working day using Royal Mail Tracked 48 as standard, with Royal Mail Tracked 24 available at checkout for faster delivery.

How do I track my order? Once your order has been dispatched, you'll receive a confirmation email with your tracking number. You can track your parcel at Royal Mail or Evri depending on your delivery service.

🔄 Returns & Refunds

What is your returns policy? You have 14 days from receiving your order to request a return, provided items are unused, in original packaging, and with tags attached. Cut-to-size fabrics and interfacing cannot be returned as they are bespoke items. Full details are in our Refund Policy.

I have a problem with my order — what should I do? Contact us straight away at jamie@theyorkshiresewingguy.co.uk and we'll do everything we can to put it right. Your satisfaction matters to us and we'll always aim to resolve any issues quickly and fairly.

🧵 About Us

Do you have a physical store I can visit? Unfortunately not — we operate from our home address alongside an offsite storage location. However, we do attend pop-up events where you can meet us in person and browse products. We'll advertise these on the website and social media when available.

What are your opening hours? As a small business run alongside our day jobs, we work early mornings, evenings, and weekends. Orders are dispatched within one working day and we aim to respond to all emails as quickly as possible — usually within one working day, yes even on weekends!

Do you have any staff? If you count my wife, then yes! Otherwise, The Yorkshire Sewing Guy is run entirely by the two of us — no paid staff. It's a proper family business.

Why is your store sometimes closed? As we have no staff, we occasionally need to take time off. When this happens, we'll post a notice on the site with the last order date and when we'll be back. We'll always give as much notice as possible.

⚖️ Legal & Business

Are you VAT registered? Not currently. VAT registration is based on annual turnover threshold, and we don't yet meet the requirement. Once we do, VAT will be included in our prices — but our aim is that overall prices won't increase, just the way they're calculated.

Are you registered with the ICO? Yes — we are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in compliance with UK GDPR regulations. Our registration details can be found on our Legal Notice page.

Are you a limited company? We are registered with Companies House for the purpose of protecting our business name, but this is in a dormant status. The Yorkshire Sewing Guy currently operates as a sole trader for simplicity and to keep accountancy costs low. If and when we become a limited company, full registration details will be displayed on the website.

Do you have the relevant insurance? Yes — all required business insurances are in place.

Why do you use a PO Box address? As we operate from our home, we use a PO Box for privacy reasons. All correspondence sent to our PO Box is delivered directly to us.

🤝 Contact & Support

How do I contact you? Email us at jamie@theyorkshiresewingguy.co.uk and we'll get back to you as soon as possible — usually within one working day.

Do you have a phone number? We don't have a dedicated phone line as the business is run around our day jobs. However, if you'd prefer to speak to us, include your phone number and query in an email and we'll call you that evening to discuss.

What payment methods do you accept? We accept all major credit and debit cards, as well as PayPal, through our secure Shopify-powered checkout.

Is my payment secure? Yes. Our store is powered by Shopify, one of the world's leading e-commerce platforms, with industry-standard SSL encryption and secure payment processing. We never store your card details.

🌍 Partnerships & Community

Can I work with you / partnership / influencer? If you're a UK manufacturer of fabrics or haberdashery supplies, we'd love to hear from you — please email jamie@theyorkshiresewingguy.co.uk with details of your products and pricing.

We don't work with paid influencers. We believe products should be recommended on merit, not payment — and paying influencers ultimately means passing that cost on to our customers, which goes against everything we stand for.

Do you donate supplies to charities, schools, or community groups? Giving products away for free means costs have to be absorbed elsewhere, which isn't sustainable. However, if you're based in the Pontefract area and run a community sewing initiative or good cause, please get in touch and we'll see what we can do.

Do you pay for advertising? Occasionally — sponsored listings on Google and social media ads can help raise awareness, especially for a new business. Our long-term goal is that happy customers will recommend us to friends and family, which is the best advertising there is.

❓ Anything Else?

Why do you provide so much information? Because we love detail! We do immense amounts of research before buying anything ourselves, so we want to give you the same level of information we'd want. If there's anything else you'd like us to cover, let us know and we'll add it.

Will the website design improve? Yes — website building isn't our day job, but we've built it ourselves and are constantly learning and improving. We use Shopify, one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms, for stability and a great checkout experience. It may not be the prettiest site right now, but every improvement we make is with your experience in mind — and keeping costs low for you.

Still have a question? Email us at jamie@theyorkshiresewingguy.co.ukjamie@theyorkshiresewingguy.co.uk — we're always happy to help.