FAQs

We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions below which will help you to navigate and use GlimspeOnline. If your query is not answered below please do not hesitate to contact us.

Q: A Browser/Buyer
A: A Browser can be any member of the public who is interested in looking around or buying from GlimpseOnline.

Q: A Designer
A: A Designer is an individual who has their product for sale on GlimpseOnline

Q: A Trade Buyer
A: A Trade Buyer is a representative of a shop and is purchasing on their behalf. They must have a valid VAT number.

Q: Step 1 - Register
A: Registration is free and simple. Just go to 'Register' on the homepage and choose buyer/browser, then enter your details accordingly.

Q: Step 2 - Browse
A: There are 4 ways to browse: Browse through 'All Categories' or click on a category of your choice Take a look at our 'We Recommend' pages for our handpicked selection of gifts, up and coming desigenrs and special occasion gift ideas. Search by our Designers A-Z tool, and locate your favourite designers and all their work on one page. Or use our search pages when you’re looking for a specific item. All you need to do is enter a few words to describe the item, like 'red' and 'cushion' in the Search box or use the advanced search option for more detailed searches.

Q: I have a complaint, what can I do about it?
A: We are sorry to hear that you have a complaint about your experience with GlimpseOnline. If it is in relation to an individual buyer or seller, then we would recommend you contact us directly on 0208 981 1180. Alternatively please contact us on info@glimpseonline.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Q: What is the red GO logo for?
A: The logo, next to We Reccommend on the homepage, is GlimpseOnline’s handpicked selction of products by up and coming designers that GlimpseOnline think are at the forefront of creative design and have great potential for the future of the design world. This section showcases some of the most exciting work by Glimpse designers on our site. You'll also find some of these items are also in our 'We Recommend' section of the site, which is our pick of the best items for gifts, special occasions and deisgners that are 'ahead of their game'. It changes regularly so it's worth checking this section frequently.

Q: How do I know if a Designer makes trade quantities?
A: You can see which designers offer trade quantities by clicking on their product and browsing in the left hand column, which will show the numbers needed to make a trade purchase. Due to the individual, and frequently handmade, nature of the items it is advisable to contact the designer through their page in order to understand the numbers of items that they would be able to produce.

Q: How do I qualify as a Trade Buyer?
A: Anyone who works for a retail shop or in a commercial environment, has a valid VAT number and is looking to order in bulk can register as a Trade Buyer. If you are unsure if you qualify then please contact us at info@glimpseonline.com

Q: What are the benefits of registering as a Trade Buyer
A: Registering as a Trade Buyer allows you to easily see which products are available in trade quantities, offer a trade discount and allow you to receive this discount when you buy. All you need to be is the representative of a shop and fill in your valid VAT number.

Q: Why are prices in both red and black on some products?
A: The products which list their price in both red and black are demonstrating the different prices they offer to trade buyers and general buyers. Red is the price for trade and black is for other buyers. Some items may only be done in black, which means that they do not offer separate trade prices.

Q: Why do the stated delivery times not apply to me?
A: Whilst the sellers will make every effort to send the item out for you as early as possible the handmade nature of many of the products may mean that it takes slightly longer to send a large quantity of items out to a trade buyer. In order to gain an accurate timeframe for your delivery please contact the seller directly.

Q: Costs and Benefits of joining GlimpseOnline?
A: It is £75 per year to join and be represented by GlimpseOnline.com. If you are a student, please contact us to receive your discounted fee of £50 per year. You will be able to upload up to 45 images free of charge. Every time you upload a product you are given the option to add up to five additional images of this product, or the same product in different colours, also free of charge. This fee also means you will get :

- benefits from extensive marketing and PR campaigns

- a 24 hour internet presence visited by thousands daily

- the opportunity to sell at trade prices to trade buyers

- the opportunity to be featured in Glimpse newsletter, the We Reccommend section, as well as GLimpse trendhunter and sell your work through the Glimpse Design Consultancy

- The ability to control your own profile and product page and customer orders from home

- be amongst only art and design of the highest standard as all applicants to GlimpseOnline have to be approved by our panel

- the opportunity to be seen by buyers, trade and private, Uk and international

- Benefit from discounted stands at trade fairs that GlimpseOnline is affiliated with

Q: Do I always have to offer buyers a full refund?
A: You do have to offer a full refund on all eligible products (to find out which products are eligible look at 'which returns policy should I choose'). There are however some exceptions to this rule; 1) If the buyer has stated that they would prefer a replacement; 2) The product is damaged, unless this was done due to your fault; 3) The request for a refund was made outside of the 14 day time period.

Q: Do I upload my product as MADE TO ORDER or BESPOKE?
A: If you want to upload a product that you make, but you do not have 'in stock', please enter 1 in the product quantity section, and state in the product description that your product is a) 'Made to Order' and b) how long it will take to make once an order has been placed. Your product is only BESPOKE if the product you make requires the client to make decisions about measurements, colours, materials or other things. If you tick the BESPOKE box, sellers will need to email you first to gather inforamtion on their specific requirements before they buy the product.

Q: How do I upload images of my work?
A: once you have been accepted to showcase your work on GlimpseOnline you will have the ability to manage your page as if it was your own programme. You can change images, add images, edit your products as and when you wish. Photos should be uploaded at a minimum of 72 dpi and in Jpeg format. Any image you upload will be re-sized to fit the boxes on the website (approx 3 x 4 inches). If they are different sized images, a border will appear in grey around it.

Q: How should I price my work?
A: If you are unsure about how to price your work, please contact us on 0208 981 1180 for a free ten minute consultation. Alternatively email us at info@glimpseonline.com with the reference 'Pricing my work'.

Q: How should I take photos of my work?
A: Photos of your work should be on a plain background, preferably on black, white or pale colours where possible. We consider that white and black the ideal background colours as they do not distract the eye from your product. Fashion: Photographs should only feature a person for the fashion category for clothes and hats. Should your work be photos of a fashion show, (eg, graduate)professionally taken catwalk photographs are fine. The use of mannequin heads is encouraged for hats, and mannequins for clothes can be used if needed. Jewellery: Photographs should not feature hands, arms or necks. A plain white or black background is preferred. Furniture: Photographs may show the interior of a room, but preferably without a person/s sitting on a chair or a bed. Art: Photographs should really only consist of the painting or the sculpture on a plain background where possible. Exceptions are made for sculptures that are based outside - public art and that intended for gardens etc. Giftware: Understandably, gifts sometimes look better on different coloured backgrounds depending on what they are, but try to keep the background colour pale and un-busy. Interiors: Photographs of wallpaper for example, may show a piece of furniture to show the impact of the design, and the scale. Other products in this section should show a plain background, preferably black or white. Glassware: Photographs of glassware often work best on a white, grey or black background. Please note, photographs taken in a showroom, revealing lighting upon a sculpture or lampshade are also encouraged. If you would like professional help taking photographs of your work please see our Art and Design Directory in the Community section for professional photographer James Galloway. Alternatively you can contact us at info@glimpseonline.com

Q: Postage Costs
A: Our website automatically calculates the cost of shipping your item with Royal Mail's Recorded Signed For™ service. The cost is 72p plus First Class postage and prices vary according to weight.

The prices range from £1.08 to £8.94 up to 4000g. First Class items over 4000g cost £2.80 for every extra 2kg plus the 72p Recorded Signed For™ fee. The maximum weight for Second Class items is 1000g.

The price is for UK shipping only and international byuers contact us for a revised shipping fee. To view Royal Mail's fees click here.

Q: Tell me more about the BANNERS, the RATE CARD and the costs involved
A: If you want to gain more exposure for your work, using this service will encourage buyers to see and potentially buy your work for a small cost. Please refer to the Rates Card you will receive in your welcome pack. If you would like to see the Rates Card before joining please email info@glimpseonline.com with reference Rates Card.

Q: What are the benefits for a Designer joining GlimpseOnline?
A: GlimpseOnline is a platform where your work can gain an extensive online presence, whilst giving you the ablility to sell it to anyone anywhere in the world. GlimpseOnline proactively helps you gain publicity for your work via newsletters, 'off-line' exhibitions and trade fairs, as well as maintaining a 24 hour presence online.

Q: What are the Press opportunities for Designers?
A: GlimpseOnline seeks to gain press regularly, in magazines newspapers and online. Occasionally, we will be looking for specific GlimpseOnline products and may approach you with regards to a specific feature or article regarding your individual work. This type of PR allows the opportunity to promote you as a GlimpseOnline designer (appreciating that you are not exclusive to GlimpseOnline) as well as to promote GlimpseOnliune as a brand.

Q: What do I need to know about VAT?
A: If your brand is VAT registered you must enter your VAT number in the application process.

Q: What format and size should my images be?
A: On initial application, your images can be any size and any dpi as long as they are in jpeg or giff format. If you have been accepted as a GlimpseOnline designer, when you upload your images, the computer will automatically re-size them. However, your images must be a minimum of 72dpi and should be in jpeg or giff format. We encourage that you make your images square where possible. Any images that are not will be re-sized so that the image's longest dimension (the width or the height) will fit the image window, and any remainder will be filled in with grey. We ask the pixels of your images be at least 800 pixels high and 800 pixels wide. This is so when a buyer clicks on the image it will be large enough to see clearly. This can be changed in Photoshop under Image/Image size.

Q: Which returns policy should I choose?
A: According to UK Government regulations and GlimpseOnline's terms and conditions you must offer buyers a 14 day money back guarantee, providing the item is returned in its original condition. There are two exceptions to this rule; 1) If your item is bespoke and therefore has it has been made to the buyers specific requirements. In this case choose the "bespoke" option. 2) If your product must not be returned for hygiene reasons, these are items such as earrings, underwear etc. In this case it is essential choose the "hygiene" returns option. If you are unsure about any of the options then please contact us.

Q: Why won't my product upload?
A: There may be several reasons why a product might not upload or take you through to a page saying "error". a) You must enter at least '1' in the product quauntity - if your product is made to order please enter '1' and state that it is made to order in the desription section. b) You must fill out all the required fields about a product. The only sections that are optional are the Trade section and bespoke box. c) You must enter a price without any commas, ie, it must read £4000.00 not $4,800.00.

Q: Can I cancel/change my order?
A: Under the United Kingdom's Distance Selling Regulations you have the right to cancel your order for any item purchased from GlimpseOnline.com, for a full refund. This does not apply to items marked as non-refundable on the item product page. Order cancellations must be made in writing, quoting your order number, within 7 working days of the day after you receive the goods to Customer Care. To cancel your order please email us, within 14 days of your order, at info@GlimpseOnline.com

Q: Do designers ship internationally?
A: Glimpse designers will be happy to ship your order to non-UK destinations but please contact us in order to discuss the transport costs and delivery dates. please email info@glimpseonline.com

Q: How can I add/alter the delivery address you have for me?
A: If you want to do this prior to an order then please go to your account and click on ‘Manage Address Book’ in order to alter this information. We regret that you are unable to alter the address an item is being sent to once you have placed an order.

Q: How do I know when a designer has received my returned goods?
A: Please contact the seller in order to receive this confirmation

Q: How do you ship products?
A: All of our items are shipped by Royal Mail using either their recorded delivery or special delivery services. This is determined by the size of the item. All items need to be signed for by the buyer, in order to ensure effective delivery.

Q: I have received a discount code/gift voucher, how do I use it?
A: If you have been lucky enough to receive a discount or a gift voucher, then simply put the code into the marked box on the initial basket page to get the money off your order!

Q: I need to alter some of my contact details, how can I do this?
A: If you need to alter any information you have registered with us then simply sign in and click on ‘Your Account’, then go to change personal details and fill out the correct ones

Q: I want to return/exchange my item, how do I do this?
A: We are sorry to hear that you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, if it is anything that we can help with then please contact us. Otherwise fill out the returns form online and then return your item to the seller (we’ll send you their details once we receive your returns form) within 14 days of your receipt of the item. The seller will then either send you a refund or exchange the item, depending on what you would prefer. Sadly they will not be able to refund any of your delivery costs. We also regret that some products are non-refundable so please check the returns policy on each item before you buy it. Please read our section on how to send an item back in order to understand packaging.

Q: I was sent the wrong item, what should I do?
A: We are sorry to hear that you were sent the incorrect product. Please contact the seller immediately through our 'contact the designer' service in order to discuss the matter.

Q: My product is faulty
A: If you have received a faulty item then contact us immediately and return it to the seller in order to receive a refund or replacement for your item.

Q: Part of my order is missing
A: If this is the case then please contact the seller of the missing item as soon as possible.

Q: What do I do if I want to return and item?
A: We recommend that you wrap the product properly in order to make sure that it gets back to the seller in its original condition and you are able to be fully refunded. We also recommended that you send it by recorded delivery and that you also get insurance in case of any accidental damage.

Please ensure that you return the item to the designer and not to GlimpseOnline. We cannot accept any returned items.

Q: What if my item is damaged during transport?
A: If an item is damaged in transit due to the seller failing to package it correctly then we will be happy to refund the item. If however it is damaged for any other reason then we regret that we are unable to compensate you for this. We would therefore recommend that you opt for the Royal Mail insurance option (if it is valued at over £250).

Q: What is the process for buying?
A: Should you want to buy a GlimpseOnline product, you will be able to enter your payment details through our secure Worldpay server. Only if you are a trade buyer must you enter your VAT number. All designers shoud send out a product straight away unless it is by commission or bespoke. Please contact us if you have any queries regarding payment at info@glimpseonline.com

Q: What is the returns policy?
A: If you want to return a product it must be returned within 14 days, providing it hasn't been damaged whilst in your hands. We cannot accept returns on items regarding hygiene like underwear or jewellery. We also cannot accept returns on items which are bespoke, ie, those which have been made specifically for the buyer via a commission.

Q: Where is my order?
A: If you order has not arrived or you wish to track its progress then please contact the seller.

Q: Why do I have to pay separate shipping costs for each product I buy?
A: All the designers work from their own studios or homes and send the products out to yuo themselves - therefore accounting for the separate shipping costs for each product bought. If you buy more than one product from the same designer then please contact us to arrange cheaper postage and packaging.

info@glimpseonline.com

Q: Why is my item non-returnable?
A: We do not offer returns on two types of items – those who are non-returnable for hygiene reason and those that are bespoke. Hygiene items are ones such as earrings and underwear, we are sure you understand why no-one would want ones that had previously been tried on by someone else! The other items are ones that are bespoke and therefore have been tailored to your specific requirements so cannot be sold to other buyers. These items can of course be refunded if the item has been damaged through the fault of the seller.

Q: Why is my order unable to arrive all at once?
A: If you have ordered items from multiple designers then your items are likely to come at separate times. This is due to the different designers posting their items at different points, or orders taking different lengths of time to put together.

Q: Why should I register as a Buyer or Browser?
A: In order to surf the GlimpseOnline website you will need to register your name, email address and VAT number if you are a trade buyer. Your details will be kept strictly private. You will receive a newsletter every month, a regular update on GlimpseOnline info and highlights, which you will have the option to unsubscribe from if you wish.

Q: Will anymore of this item be put on sale?
A: Limited edition items mean that the seller will not be able to sell anymore of the product. They may however be able to provide you with a product on a made to order basis. We would encourage you to contact them in order to discuss this. If it is not a limited edition item then we would encourage you to contact the seller to ascertain when you will be able to purchase the desired product.

Q: How do I find out about working for GlimpseOnline?
A: We are looking for interns to work at GlimpseOnline. Working with us will give you a huge insight into the art and design worlds, and extensive understanding of how our business works. You should have: A basic knowledge of the art and design, and business worlds. A good understanding of Microsoft Office: Word, Excel and Outlook. Be personable and have a good telephone manner. Please send in your CV to isobel@glimpseonline.com. For information on any other positions please keep an eye on this section for updates.