The following are a variety of questions that we have received over time.  If your question or concern is not listed here, feel free to contact us at inquiries@tabletopdesigns.com, and we will do our best to assist you.

Q:  Do you keep a Wants List?
A:  Yes, if you do not see an item you are looking for on our website, or if it is presently out of stock, you can use the Contact Us link on our store header and send all the pertinent information, or simply e-mail us at inquiries@tabletopdesigns.com.  We will keep your request on file and contact you when pieces in that pattern become available. 

Q:  How about a Gift Registry that my friends and family can view?
A:  Yes, there is a search box on the lower right column called "Shopping Lists".  This can be for your own private use to keep track of items you're interested in, or for others to see.  You will need to register (see the "Create an account" link in the Login window to the right), and then you will see the option that enables you to create up to 10 Shopping Lists.  You can then e-mail your lists to other people, and these lists can be made private or public, such as for a Bridal Registry.

Q:  Do you offer a layaway payment option?
A:  We are open to dividing the payment for an order into multiple payments on a set schedule.  You can suggest a payment amount and time frame for our consideration; we will do our best to accommodate what works best for you.

Q:  How do I pay by check?
A:  We can accept a check or money order from a US bank account, or US Postal money orders,  issued in US dollars.  Place your item(s) in the site’s shopping cart, and when you check out you will first enter your billing/shipping addresses, then the next page will provide shipping costs (see the "How much is shipping?" question for more shipping info;  this will also explain how to proceed if you do not know the shipping amount because your order is over $750, or you are not within the contiguous United States). 

On the third page of the process you will be able to indicate your method of payment, e.g. check, from a drop-down box.  Fill in the date you intend to send the check, and then click on Process Order. Unless you have contacted us previously, it is only when you click on the Process Order button that we are informed of your order, and the inventory deducts the quantity of your order accordingly (then no one else can purchase the item while your check or m.o. is on its way!).  Our mailing address is: Tabletop Designs, P. O. Box 448, Cheshire, CT 06410.

Q:  Do you sell single saucers, cups, or lids?
A:  In such cases, we would refer you to our sister site, Odd Dish Depot on eBay.  There is a link to the Odd Dish Depot store under “Links” in the right hand column of this page.

Q:  Do you have a quantity discount?

A:  Quantity discounts may be considered for significant quantities of certain patterns; please inquire if you are making a large purchase.  In general, we offer a quantity discount for 8 or more 5-piece place settings.  Sorry, we cannot add any further discount if the items are already on sale.  Complete dinnerware sets that are being offered on the site have already had the quantity discount applied to the purchase price.

Q:  Is it safe to use my credit card information online?
A:  Our site is secure transaction enabled, using encrypted information at the highest level to protect all personal and financial data.  This can be verified by seeing https:// within your browser window (with the "s" indicating a secure site), and there may also be a padlock icon down in the lower right hand corner of your screen when you are in the shopping cart area of the website.  A further safety requirement is the CVV (card verification value) code off the back of your credit card, so the buyer must be in actual possession of the card, not just the account number, to make the purchase.  Furthermore, we will not ship to an address other than the card's billing address unless you contact us previously to arrange a different shipping destination.  Shipping to a different address is a red flag for fraudulent purchases, so we need to be able to verify that the cardholder is the actual purchaser.

Q:  I see a different price on a Tabletop Designs item I found through an internet search.  Which price is correct, the one I found or the one posted on your website?

 A:  In the case of any price discrepancy, higher or lower, the price posted on our website is the correct price.  We have no formal association with any search sites, and no control over when a price search service took its 'snapshot' of our products to post on their website.  So, if in doubt, the price on our site is the current and correct price.

Q:  Is there a coupon code offered?  I see a space for it on the Checkout page.

A:  Coupon codes come into play for customers who qualify for a quantity discount, or for other special circumstances.  In these cases, we generate a unique coupon code to fit the situation and give it to the customer to fill in at the time of checkout.  There currently are no general coupon codes available. 

Q:  My order doesn't seem to be going through, what should I do?

A:   There are any number of things that might be going on.  (See the next question for one example.) Once you have clicked the 'Process Order' button at the end of the checkout process, you should see a page confirming your order, and you should receive a confirmation e-mail as well.  If this is not the case, and you have read all instructions guiding you through the checkout process, it may be difficult for us to determine what the problem might be.  The simplest solution would be for you to call us at 1-800-801-4084 (remember we are on Eastern Standard Time), as you are always welcome to make an order by phone. We can also verify whether or not your order did or didn't go through. Alternatively, you can e-mail us at inquiries@tabletopdesigns.com and describe the situation, and we will do our best to provide a solution to the problem. 

Q:  I put some items in the Shopping Cart, and now that I want to purchase them it says they aren't available.  What happened?

A:  One of two things has happened:  Either the items were purchased by another customer, or you need to remove the cart you made previously to "clear the slate."  Click on the 'View or Edit Cart' link in the top right column, and click on Remove.  Then refresh/reload the page, and try again with adding the items to your cart when you are ready to check out.

Q:  I am a US customer and I can't enter my state on the Check Out form.  What do I do?
A:  Once you have entered your zip code, hit the Tab key on your keyboard.  The system will then automatically enter your city and state into the form and you can proceed to entering your telephone number.

Q:  I am an international customer and the shipping form won't accept my zip code.  What do I do?
A:  Once you have changed the default country from the United States to your country on the Check Out form, the system will automatically fill in the first province or other region alphabetically (this is situated below the zip code entry box).  If you fill in your zip code before changing the province/region first, the system won't recognize it as a viable zip code for that area (unless you happen to live in the default province/region).  Simply skip over the zip code box and enter your appropriate province, then go back and fill in the zip code.

Q:  Have these dishes been used?
A:  As we are primarily in the business of offering discontinued patterns of dinnerware, most of our stock is secondary market and represents previously owned merchandise.  In many cases, the pieces do not appear to have ever been used, but we cannot guarantee this to be the case.  Condition overall is very good to excellent, with no chips, cracks, or obvious trim wear unless specifically noted.  We weed out unsuitable pieces, and will only offer goods with more than average wear in the case of rare, hard-to-get patterns, and will price and note the condition accordingly.  If we should miss a hairline crack or a tiny chip, by all means please return the item with our apologies (see the next question and our Return Policy for more on this topic).

Q:  Are your items returnable?
A:  Yes, we accept returns, if our T stamp or sticker is still on the returned item in unaltered condition.  For example, a sticker that has obviously been removed and then replaced is not valid.  Please read the complete details of this process in our Return Policy (scroll down to find the link at the bottom of your screen).

Q:  What if something arrives broken in my shipment?  Is it insured?

A:  Twenty-plus years of experience shipping china has its benefits, including very few incidences of breakage.  However, we cannot control everything that your package may encounter on its way to you, so all shipments are fully insured.  *Please note* that the claims process is lengthy (several months may be involved, especially for international purchases) and may require you to take the broken item/packaging to your post office for confirmation of damage.  If any customers are unwilling/unable to agree to this claims procedure, they are welcome to order a replacement piece if available, at their expense. 

Q:  How much is shipping?
A:  A chart is available via the 'Shipping Rates' link on the right column.  For US orders within the contiguous 48 states, we have a flat fee structure based on price (up to $750), which will be calculated automatically as you proceed through the shopping cart’s check out process.  This fee covers shipping, handling, and insurance for your purchase(s).  Orders over $750, as well as international orders and US orders going to Alaska, Puerto Rico, or Hawaii, require custom shipping.  You can either contact us for the shipping amount prior to purchase (there is an easy Contact Us link at the top of the site's Home page, or you can e-mail us directly at inquiries@tabletopdesigns.com), or complete the cart process and when we receive the order we will contact you via e-mail to confirm the shipping total before charging that amount to your card.  (If paying by check or postal money order, refer to the "How do I pay by check?" question for more information.) 

Complete details can also be found on our Shipping Policy page (the link is at the bottom of your screen).

Q:  How do I know what size plate I need?
A:  As a general rule of thumb, a dinner plate is about 10-1/2" in diameter, a luncheon plate is about 9", a salad plate about 8", and a bread and butter plate about 6" in diameter.

Q:  How do I make sure I'm purchasing the correct Lenox liner?

A: 1. If you have other liners and just need to replace one or more:

Bouillon liners are generally a standard size.  For the demitasses, however, it is true that matching a liner may be more complicated than merely measuring the height, rim diameter, and base of any existing liners you have, but we have to start somewhere.  The problem is that the overall shape (e.g., curve of wall, rim flare, etc.) can vary significantly from liner to liner. And, realistically, people often measure things differently. Therefore you should consider the liner measurements provided on our listings as a guideline for narrowing down your potential candidates.

 

Ideally, if you were to send in an existing liner that you wish to match (it can be a broken liner), or even one of your sterling holders, we can then search our stock for a custom fit.  We have hundreds of Lenox liners on hand, and are happy to do our best to find you a match.  The customer is responsible for all shipping costs for liner matching ($6 return fee within the US). You can opt for us not to return a broken liner if no match is found right away.

 

A: 2. If you do not have any existing liners, just the holder(s):

The easiest option is to send us a holder to find the right liner size/shape.  The odds are that simply measuring the holder and extrapolating the liner measurements won't work. Again, the customer is responsible for all shipping costs with regard to liner matching ($6 return fee for holders within the US).

 

Please note that some sterling holders were made to contain glass inserts, or originally held liners made by Rosenthal or some other manufacturer besides Lenox.  In such cases, the holders may run larger than the average Lenox liner was designed for -- so again, some preliminary measuring will be helpful in avoiding the disappointment of searching down the wrong path.