Policies

How we take money, what happens when a price is wrong, and what we mean by in stock. Returns have their own page: returns. Warranty is a different thing again and lives on warranty claims.

How can I pay?

Cash and card at the counter, bank transfer for anything over $1,000, and trade account if you hold one. We do not take cheques and we do not offer finance. Card payments carry no surcharge.

Trade accounts

Open to commercial operators — fishing boats, charter, yards, harbour services. Payment terms are net 30 from statement — not to be confused with the returns window on Returns, which is a different thing entirely. Statements go out on the first working day of the month, and the discount is 12% off catalogue on everything except Acme-manufactured products, which are 5%. We ask for two trade references and we decide within a week. Accounts more than 60 days overdue go back to cash terms, and we ring you before that happens rather than after.

Special orders and deposits

Anything we do not hold and bring in for you is a special order — roughly one catalogue item in nine. We take a 50% deposit and tell you the restocking fee at the counter before we place it, never after. The fee and the rest of the returns position are on returns.

What if the price on the site is wrong?

We honour it, up to $200 of difference, once per customer per year. Beyond that we will tell you what happened, show you the correct price, and let you decide — and if you have already paid, you get the money back rather than an argument. Prices here are reviewed on the first Monday of each month, so a figure can be a few weeks stale without being an error.

What does "in stock" mean?

That it was on the shelf when the counter last closed. We hold roughly three quarters of the catalogue at any time. If something sells out between your order and the dispatch run, we tell you the same day and you choose: wait, substitute, or refund. We do not part-ship an order without asking, because two parcels cost you nothing extra but arrive on different days and that has caught people out.

Pricing for volume

Chain and rope over 100 metres, and any single order over $5,000, are priced by conversation rather than by table. Ask at the counter or on the VHF — details on Contact.