Frequently asked questions

McIntosh is a small but mighty online shop — run by just me (James), and Dr Thomas when he’s not at the hospital — from the spare room of our flat in Peckham, South East London. We don’t have a physical shop (yet); being online only means we can offer an enormous range of the finest yarns and haberdashery from around the world.

If you ever need help choosing colours, yarns or tools, just email us at [email protected]. I’m always happy to help you find exactly what you need.

Ordering from our Website

How do I buy an item?

Buying from McIntosh is simple.

You can browse through the categories at the top of the website or use the search bar if you already know what you’re looking for. Once you’ve found something you love, choose your colour or size (if applicable) and click ‘Add to Basket.’ When you're ready, head to your basket and follow the checkout steps to complete your order securely.

If you need any help choosing yarn, colours, or tools, just get in touch — we're always happy to help.
How do I add an item to my cart?

Once you find something you like, simply click on it to see more details. From there:

  • Choose the colour, size, or variation (if applicable)
  • Select how many you’d like — or leave it as 1 if you’re just treating yourself
  • Click ‘Add to Cart’

You can then carry on browsing, or if you’re ready to place your order, click ‘Checkout’ to complete your purchase.
How do I check out?

When you're ready to place your order, click on your shopping cart at the top of the page.

From there, you can:

  • Review everything in your basket
  • Change quantities or remove items
  • Add a discount or gift code if you have one

Once you're happy, click ‘Checkout’ and follow the steps to enter your delivery details and payment information. Your order will be confirmed as soon as payment is complete.
How do I know my order has gone through?

We get it — you’re excited about your new knits (so are we!). As soon as your order is placed, you’ll see a confirmation page with your order number, and you’ll receive a confirmation email with all the details.

What to do next:

  • Give the email a quick check to make sure your delivery address and items are correct.
  • If it hasn’t arrived within a few minutes, please check Spam/Junk (and add our email to your safe list).

Still can’t find it?
No panic — just get in touch and we’ll help:

  • Email (best): [email protected] — include your name and (if you have it) your order number.
  • Live Chat: use the chat bubble on the site. It’s really me (James) — the one-man-band that is McIntosh — and I’ll reply as soon as I can. If I’m packing orders (or helping Dr Thomas), it may take a little time, but I will get back to you.

Note for pre-orders: you’ll receive your confirmation right away, but dispatch happens once the stock arrives. We’ll keep you updated
I forgot to add items to my order — can you add them?

Once an order has been finalised, we’re not able to add extra items to it for security and payment reasons — but don’t worry, we can still help.

Just email us at [email protected] with your order number and what you’d like to add. We’ll create a separate invoice for the extra items and send you a secure link to pay.

If your original order hasn't been dispatched yet, we’ll do our very best to send everything together in one parcel. If it has already been shipped, the additional items will be sent as a new order.
Can I return something if I change my mind?

Yes — McIntosh offers a 60-day no-quibbles guarantee on unopened products.

How it works:

  1. Check the condition:
     Items must be unopened, unused, and in their original packaging. Yarn must still have its ball band and must not have been wound, knitted from, or handled in a way that changes its condition.
  2. Prepare your parcel:
     Pack the item securely so it arrives back safely.
  3. Post it back:
     You’ll need to cover the return postage. We strongly recommend using a tracked service, as we can’t be responsible for items lost in the post.
  4. Email us to arrange the return:
     Contact [email protected] with your order number and details of the items you'd like to return or exchange.

Important to know:

  • All returned items must be fit to resell, as determined by James once received.
  • Personalised or signed books cannot be returned.
  • Once the items arrive back in good condition, we’ll process your refund to the original payment method.
Can I change my delivery address after placing an order?

When you're ready to place your order, click on your shopping cart at the top of the page.

From there, you can:

  • Review everything in your basket
  • Change quantities or remove items

Absolutely! You can easily enter or change your delivery address to anywhere in the world during checkout.

If you need to change the address after your order has been placed, that’s still possible — as long as your parcel hasn’t been dispatched yet.

To request a change, just email [email protected] with:

  • Your order number, and
  • The new delivery address

Please note:

  • If the new address increases the delivery cost (for example, changing from a UK to an international address), we’ll send you a secure payment link for the difference.
  • Payment must be received before your order is shipped.
  • Once an order has been dispatched, we’re no longer able to amend the address.

Once you're happy, click ‘Checkout’ and follow the steps to enter your delivery details and payment information. Your order will be confirmed as soon as payment is complete.
Can I cancel my order?

Yes — as long as your order hasn’t been dispatched yet, you’re welcome to cancel it.

Just email us at [email protected] with your order number, and we’ll take care of it for you.

Important to know:

  • We’re unable to accept cancellations via the online chat — email is the only way to request one.

If your order has already been shipped, it can’t be cancelled — but you can still return it to us under our 60-day no-quibbles returns policy once it arrives.
What about pre-orders?

We know you’re excited about your pre-order — and we are too!

Some of our products are available on a pre-order basis, which means you can reserve them before they arrive with us. Because these items come from different suppliers around the world, we’re not always able to give an exact delivery date.

Here’s how pre-orders work:

  • The date shown on the website is a guideline only, not a guaranteed dispatch or delivery date.
  • We rely on estimated delivery times from our suppliers, which can occasionally change due to manufacturing delays, customs, transport issues or supply chain hold-ups.
  • As soon as your pre-order arrives with us, we’ll pack it and send it straight out to you.
  • If your order contains both in-stock and pre-order items, everything will be shipped together unless you request — and pay for — separate shipping.

We’ll always do our very best to keep you updated with any news from our suppliers. Your patience and support mean the world to a small business like ours.
How do I know ordering with you is safe?

Your privacy and security are extremely important to us.

When you place an order with McIntosh, your personal information is protected using secure, industry-standard encryption. Payments are processed safely through trusted providers such as Shopify Payments, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay — we never see or store your card details.

We only use your information to process your order, communicate with you about it, and (if you choose to opt in) send you updates or offers. We will never sell or share your details with third parties for marketing.

You can read more about how we protect your data in our Privacy & Cookie Policy and Terms and Conditions.

If you ever have questions, just email us at [email protected] — we’re always happy to help.

Payments

What payment methods can I use?

We want shopping with McIntosh to be as easy as casting on your favourite project — so we offer lots of secure ways to pay.

You can pay using:

  • Credit & Debit Cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, Diners Club, Discover, Union Pay
  • Digital Wallets: Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal

  • Crypto: Crypto (USDC Stablecoin)
  • Buy Now, Pay Later Options: PayPal Pay in 3, and Shopify Payments, Klarna (where available)

All payments are processed securely through Shopify Payments or PayPal — we never see or store your card details
Do I need to create an account to place an order?

Nope — you don’t need to register or create an account to shop with us.

Just add your items to the basket, head to checkout, and agree to the terms and conditions. It’s quick, simple, and you’re all set.

If you’d like to create an account later to track orders or make future checkouts faster, you’re very welcome to — but it’s completely optional.
Will I be automatically signed up to the newsletter?

No — we’ll never sign you up to marketing emails without your permission.

At checkout, there’s an optional box you can tick if you’d like to receive our newsletter with special offers, new yarns and updates from the McIntosh Clan. If you don’t tick it, you won’t receive any marketing emails.

However, you will still receive essential emails related to your order — such as order confirmation, dispatch notifications and delivery updates.

Product Questions

Can I order yarn by dye lot?

It depends on the yarn brand — here’s how it works:

McIntosh Hand-Dyed Yarn

  • Every order is a custom batch. We hand-dye each skein to order using the same colour recipe, but because it’s truly handmade, no two batches will ever be identical.
  • Colours cannot be exactly matched later, so it’s always best to order enough yarn for your project in one go.

Other Yarn Brands

  • Opal, Schoppel and Symfonie: Specific dye lots are not available — these come to us mixed from the suppliers.

LANGYARNS and WOOLADDICTS by LANGYARNS: You can request a dye lot, and we will do our best to order it for you. However, we cannot guarantee availability, as it depends on what LANGYARNS has in stock at the time.
I’ve found a knot in my yarn — is it faulty?

We completely understand — finding a knot in your yarn can be frustrating, especially when you’re in the flow of knitting. But don’t worry — it doesn’t mean the yarn is faulty.

During production, yarn is spun in very long lengths. Occasionally, a break can happen and the mill will rejoin the yarn — this is standard across almost all commercial yarn brands. Most manufacturers allow up to two knots per 50g or 100g ball as acceptable industry practice.

What should I do if I find one?
The best way to deal with a knot is to:

  1. Gently break the yarn at the knot,
  2. Unpick back to the start of the row or round, and
  3. Continue knitting with a fresh strand, weaving in the ends neatly later.

Found several knots in one ball?That’s not ideal, and we’d really like to know. Please email us at [email protected] with your order number and a photo if possible — we’ll do our best to help.
Is the colour I see on the website accurate to what I’ll receive?

We do our very best to make sure that the colours shown on our website are as accurate as possible. All product photos are taken using natural light and are supplied directly by the manufacturers or photographed carefully by us.

However, colours can appear slightly differently depending on your device, screen brightness and individual display settings — so a small variation is normal.

Many of our customers have said they are delighted with how true-to-colour their yarns are when they arrive, which we’re very grateful for.

If you’re unsure about a shade or need colour-matching advice, feel free to email us at [email protected] — we’re always happy to help.

Delivery

What is the cost of delivery?

We aim to make delivery as simple and transparent as possible. 

Orders are packed and posted Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays. Delivery times apply from the moment your parcel is dispatched.

For UK customers:

Royal Mail Tracked 48 delivery is free on all orders of £100 and over. 

For orders under £100 Royal Mail Tracked 48 costs £4.99. Royal Mail Tracked 24 is available for £7.99. Please note that despite its name, Tracked 24 is not a guaranteed next-day service and, like Tracked 48, usually takes 3–5 working days from dispatch. If you prefer courier delivery, DPD Tracked costs £8.00 and UPS Tracked costs £10.00.

Some yarns, including LANGYARNS, WOOLADDICTS by LANGYARNS and Schoppel, are not held in stock and are ordered directly from the manufacturer when you place your order. Please allow up to 10 working days for these yarns to arrive with us before we can dispatch your parcel. This is in addition to the delivery times listed above. If your order contains both in-stock and on-demand yarns, we will usually wait and send everything together. Occasionally, we may choose to send part of your order first, and if so, we’ll email you to let you know.

We are proud to ship internationally. 

International shipping is £30

For customers in the United States, any duties or tariffs are collected at checkout and parcels are sent using a Delivered Duties Paid (DDP) service through Royal Mail, so you should not have to pay any additional fees on delivery. For all other countries, international delivery is charged at a flat rate of £30 per order. Unless otherwise stated at checkout, local duties, taxes and customs clearance charges are the responsibility of the customer. If a parcel is returned to us because import duties or taxes were not paid, we reserve the right not to issue a refund for those items.
How long will my order take to be dispatched?

We aim to dispatch all in-stock orders within 3 working days to most UK addresses. Some remote or rural areas may take slightly longer once your parcel is on its way.

However, some products take a little more time:

  • McIntosh Hand-Dyed Yarn is dyed to order, just for you. Please allow up to 10 working days for us to create your yarn before it is dispatched.
  • LANGYARNS, WOOLADDICTS by LANGYARNS and Schoppel are ordered directly from the manufacturers in Europe. Please allow up to 10 working days for these yarns to arrive with us before we can send your parcel.

If your order contains both in-stock items and yarns with longer lead times, we’ll usually wait and send everything together in one parcel. If we decide to part-ship your order, we’ll let you know by email.

Thank you for your patience — as a small business we pack every order by hand, and we want it to be worth the wait.
Why have I only received part of my order?

There are a few reasons why you may have received only part of your order, but don’t worry — the rest is on its way.

If your parcel was too large or heavy to send in one box, we may have split it into two or more packages. Each parcel will be clearly labelled with something like “1 of 2” or “2 of 2”, so you know how many to expect. They are sent at the same time, but they may not always arrive together.

If your order includes pre-ordered items, or yarns from brands such as LANGYARNS, WOOLADDICTS by LANGYARNS or Schoppel, these may still be on their way to us from the manufacturer. In that case, we’ll send the in-stock items first and dispatch the remaining items as soon as they arrive.

Either way, you’ll receive everything you’ve ordered — and if we ever expect a significant delay, we’ll email you to let you know.
What about customs and import duties?

If you’re ordering from outside the UK, your country may charge customs duties, taxes or handling fees when your parcel arrives. These charges are set by your local customs authority, and unfortunately we can’t predict or control them.

It’s always a good idea to check with your local customs office or tax authority before ordering, so you know what to expect.

United States Customers
Good news — we send all parcels to the USA using a Delivered Duties Paid (DDP) service. This means any duties or import taxes are collected at checkout, so your parcel should arrive with no extra fees at your door.

All Other Countries
For deliveries outside the UK (excluding the USA), any customs duties, VAT, import taxes or clearance fees are the responsibility of the customer. These charges are not included in the price of the products or our delivery fee.

If a parcel is returned to us because customs fees or taxes were not paid, we reserve the right not to issue a refund for those items.

Returns

What is the Returns Policy?

Returns, Refunds & Guarantees

See our Returns, Refunds and Guarantees.