FAQs

What if I’ve forgotten my password?

If you have forgotten your password, you can request a new one by clicking on the Forgot Your Password? link on the log in page. You will receive an email to reset your password. If you do not receive an email within a few minutes, please check your spam and/or junk email folders. If you are still having difficulties, please email us at info@inkinddirect.org

Can I add additional users to my account?

Log in and go to the Account section. In the left-hand menu block, select User Accounts to view a list of named users for your organisation.

If you have Account Controller access you will be able to click on the button labelled Add New User. You can see your access level listed next to your name in User Accounts. Users with Account Controller access can add, remove and update any user. They can also place orders and renew the account.

If you want to add a user that can place orders but not be able to make any changes to the account or renew it, please assign them Order Authorisation access when adding them as a new user.

New users will be sent an email to notify them and invite them to log in.

How do I renew my account?

Once a year we require all organisations in our network to renew their account with us. This helps us to keep user information up to date and accurate and ensure all products are being used in accordance with our terms and conditions. We value your privacy, please read our Privacy Notice

1. Login using your email address and password.

2. If your account has expired, or is due to expire soon you will be prompted to renew your account.  Click on Renew Now to stepping through the renewal screens.

3. Check that the details we hold are still correct and then submit them.

4. We aim to process renewal requests within three working days.

Where can I find invoices from previous orders?

To view or print a pro-forma invoice after placing an order, log in and follow these steps:

My Account -> Order History (found in the left-hand menu block) -> Find the order details at the top of the page -> View Order -> Print Order.

To view or print a VAT invoice, log in and follow these steps:

My Account -> Order History (found in the left-hand menu block) -> Find the order details in the Invoice Details section -> View Invoice -> Print Invoice.

If you get an error when trying to print, please right click on the invoice and select ‘Print to PDF’.

If you are an Account Controller and wish to see invoices for all orders ever placed by your organisation, log in and follow these steps:

My Account -> Order History (found in the left-hand menu block) -> Invoice Details -> View All Invoices.

What delivery options are there ?

We currently aim to despatch all orders within 5 working days. At busy times please allow up to 10 working days.

We currently use three carriers:

Standard size parcels are delivered by DPD
Oversized parcels are delivered by APC (also known as G-Force).
Pallets are delivered by Palletways (also known as KRL).

DPD deliver between 8am and 6pm from Monday until Sunday. Although we request deliveries within business working hours, we are unable to guarantee this.

APC (G-Force) deliver between 8am and 5pm from Monday until Saturday.

Palletways deliveries are between 9am and 5pm and you can request the day of delivery directly.

Deliveries to Northern Ireland – Please be aware that we are only accepting orders up to a maximum charge of £135, before VAT. Orders above £135 will not be accepted at checkout.

We do not deliver to the Republic of Ireland.

For further details, please visit our delivery information page.

How can I track my order?

You can check the status of your order at any time by logging in and clicking on Account, scrolling down to My Orders and checking the Status of your order.

Delivery tracking details will appear a few hours after the order status has changed to Despatched.

Click ok Track My Order to view these. See image 1. When the status changes to dispatched, you will automatically receive notification as well.

If the order has been despatched but no information is available yet, via Track Your Order, then the parcels or pallets have been picked up from our warehouse but are still waiting to be scanned by the chosen delivery company. Please note that these details will appear after 5pm on a webpage provided by nShift.

For orders with multiple parcels/pallets, you can track these individually by clicking on Status on the nShift page. See Image 2.

For parcels that are being delivered by DPD, we strongly advise you to download the free DPD App, available from Apple and Android app stores, if you haven’t done so already. You will receive notification 30 minutes prior to arrival, you can pinpoint your location on the map, upload a photo of the premises to help the DPD driver locate you easily, add your “leave at safe place” location and amend the date of delivery if required.

Can I choose a new delivery address when I place an order?

Yes, you can add a different shipping address during the checkout process. Please note that you may receive an automated email to verify the reason why the order is not going to your organisation’s registered address.

If the name of the organisation you are arranging to deliver to is different to your own, for example you want to send the items directly to a local school, then please ensure the receiving organisation’s name is included in the first line of the ‘Street address‘ field.

If you no longer want to share products with this other organisation or they register with us in their own right, then please email us at info@inkinddirect.org to disable this shipping address

Can I change my delivery address after placing an order?

You can change the delivery address but please read the notes below about when charges will apply

Always email us at info@inkinddirect.org, with high importance, confirming your order number and new delivery address. Follow this up with a telephone call to the Customer Support team on 0300 302 0200. During busy periods we receive a large volume of emails, so a phone call will help us act on the information in your email promptly.

If your order status is showing as Order Placed, Awaiting Payment or Sent To Warehouse:

You can amend the address and there are no charges for this.

If your order status is showing as Dispatched and you have received an email to confirm dispatch:

You can amend the address but there may be an additional charge which will vary depending on location, delivery service and will also increase the more parcels/pallets you have ordered.

For orders being delivered via DPD: DPD will always send notifications to email address submitted on the order as well as the mobile number if one has been provided. Please note that DPD is unable to send notifications to landlines and therefore we ask you to ensure a mobile number is stated whenever possible. Although DPD provides an estimated time of arrival, please do not hold them to these exact times as driver can get delayed by traffic which will affect their schedule.

What if my items were not delivered?

Please read the notes below if an attempt is made to deliver items, but the delivery fails (for example premises are closed and no special instructions have been given, or items are turned away).

DPD are only required to attempt one delivery and if this fails, the parcel/s may be reconsigned back to us or be taken to a local pick up shop. The local pick up shop can refuse delivery of multiple parcels, oversize parcels or they have reached their capacity.

If the parcels are refused by the pick up shop and are reconsigned back to us. We do not refund for failed deliveries. Any further attempts to deliver will be charged at cost. This is because we make a charge for our service which includes delivery to you at your chosen address.

If the delivery attempt by APC (G-Force) fails, APC will send an email notification as well as a notification to a mobile number if provided and issue a calling card with their local depot’s contact details. It is your responsibility to contact the local depot directly to re-arrange the delivery. If you cannot find the calling card then call us on 0300 302 0200.

Please note that if APC do not receive any communication, parcel/s may be reconsigned back to us. We do not refund for failed deliveries. Any further attempts to deliver will be charged at cost. This is because we make a charge for our service which includes delivery to you at your chosen address.

With Palletways you get to book in the delivery on a day that suits you. Palletways will wait on-site for 15 minutes, then pull away if they still cannot deliver in that time. We do not refund for failed deliveries. Any further attempts to deliver will be charged at cost. This is because we make a charge for our service which includes delivery to you at your chosen address.

What if I no longer want an item I’ve received?

Unfortunately, items no longer wanted cannot be returned.  We do not refund for them either.  This is because we make a charge for our service which covers part of the cost of sorting, storing and delivering the order to you at your chosen address.   

If, however, you have been sent an incorrect item, please let us know as quickly as you can, but no later than five working days of receiving the delivery.  Please email us at info@inkinddirect.org, including your order number, and we will investigate this for you. 

What if an item arrives damaged or faulty?

If you receive a damaged or faulty item, please let us know as quickly as you can but no later than five working days of receiving the delivery. Please email us at info@inkinddirect.org including your order number. We will only be able to investigate if you also attach clear photos or video to show damage/fault to the items and describe how many of the items are unusable as a result of the damage/fault.

If the damage has been caused while items were in transit by our carrier, upon investigation we will usually issue a credit for any unusable items, where required.

We will not issue a credit when just the outer carton is damaged but the items themselves are deemed as usable.

If the items require collection, we will arrange this on your behalf and a return label will be provided to you.  Please note that the items have to be returned in their original packaging.

What if my items were not delivered?

Refer to the Orders And Delivery section of these FAQs

Can I change or cancel an order after it has been submitted?

Refer to the Ordering Products section of these FAQs.

What payment options are supported?

You can make payments by secure online card payment or bank transfer (BACS). We do not accept cheques however.

If paying by credit or debit card, your payment will be processed by our payment service provider Opayo (formerly SagePay). We accept Visa, Visa Electron, MasterCard, Delta, Maestro and Solo. You should use a card belonging to your organisation. If this is not possible, we may require evidence of how funds to an individual are being reimbursed.

If paying by BACS, please use your order number as a reference, this starts with 20000; or your account number, this starts with CH.

Please note that once the order is submitted (you have checked out), we are unable to amend the payment method. It is possible for you to cancel an order, however by doing so, you risk losing the items as they will automatically be released back into stock.

If you wish to cancel an order you have submitted due to selecting an incorrect payment method, please email us at info@inkinddirect.org with subject Cancellation to cancel the order.

If you are making payment for multiple orders, please follow up with an email to us at info@inkinddirect.org to confirm the reference numbers so we can allocate the funds to the correct orders. Failing to do so could result in a delay in order processing.

How secure is the payment system?

All card payments made on this website are processed by Opayo (formerly SagePay), our payment service provider.

In Kind Direct does not store your card details on the site and all transactions are encrypted between your browser and the secure server. No personal or financial details are left unencrypted or sent by email, and transactions are completed securely behind protected firewalls.

We value your privacy, please read our Privacy Notice.

How can I use account credits when I pay for orders?

Add products to your basket as normal. When you are ready to place your order, you have two ways to use your credit: in your cart or at the payment stage.

On the right-hand side, at the bottom, you will see a section called Account Credit. Your account credit will automatically be added to your order, and you will be able to see that the credit has been used against the order total underneath the Subtotal amount. See image 1.

If you want to change the amount of credit applied, click the Cancel button.

You can leave the Account Credit field empty or type in the amount that you want to use in the format 00.00, for example 12.50 for £12.50. When deciding how much credit you want to use up, look at the Order Total, as the subtotal amount does not include VAT or shipping costs.

If the amount of credit that you have does not cover your order cost, you will still need to select a payment option that covers the remaining amount. Once you have selected your payment option or added your credit you can continue to place your order as normal. See Image 2.

Are there restrictions on product use?

We believe everyone deserves access to life’s essentials so our main aim is to help you distribute products as part of your charitable activities to the people and communities you support.

We want to help you spend more of your funds on supporting people, not buying supplies, so you can also use products for your own premises and activities.

Still not sure about how you can use products ?  Answer these quick questions to check whether your organisation could be eligible to join.

Can I share stories with In Kind Direct?

Stories and photos that bring the impact of your work to life and how product giving can make a difference are vital to our work. We welcome stories, quotes, photos and videos of products in use and having an impact for the people your organisation supports.

Share your stories by posting and tagging us @inkinddirect on your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page or leave a comment on one of our social channels https://www.facebook.com/InKindDirect/ https://twitter.com/inkinddirect or https://www.instagram.com/inkinddirect

You can email an impact story, or feedback about any part of our service, through our Customer Support team at info@inkinddirect.org.

Where can I leave a review?

You can help us as well as your fellow users by leaving product reviews directly on our catalogue (you’ll need to be logged in to do this). Look at our review guidelines for more information.

You can also provide feedback about any part of our service through our Customer Support team at info@inkinddirect.org.

How do I make a product donation?

We take donations of new and unused products that are in date or ideally with a shelf life of at least 3 months, from manufacturers and retailers such as Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Disney, Asda, Kimberly Clark to name a few.  Products include toiletries, cleaning products, household goods, toys, sports equipment and a range of other items that charitable organisations can use to deliver their services.

We provide a national logistics solution to deliver at scale in the UK to charitable organisations, and track the impact that products have for the people and communities receiving them. Products we receive include toiletries, cleaning products, household goods, toys, sports equipment and a range of other items that charitable organisations can use to deliver their services.

To work with In Kind Direct and get your products to the people and communities that need them, please contact the Corporate Partnerships Team at donations@inkinddirect.org

To learn more about our corporate partners and how we work together, please visit our website inkinddirect.org/companies/our-supporters

How do I place an order?

To place orders online you must be registered  with In Kind Direct and logged in to the catalogue.

Once logged in, you can add products to your cart.  Note, there is a minimum order value of £20 before VAT and after any discount.

Once a product is added to your cart you have 72 hours to complete your order. After that, carts are automatically emptied.

When you are ready, complete your order by selecting card or BACS as your payment method. Here are some tips:

Please check the shipping address is correct before submitting your order.

Help us get delivery updates to you by providing a mobile number.

Paying by card is the quickest payment method.

You should use a card belonging to your organisation. If this is not possible, we may require evidence of how funds to an individual are being reimbursed.

Can I change or cancel an order after it has been submitted?

We are unable to amend, remove or add an item to an order that has been already submitted (checked out).

We can cancel the order, however you risk losing the items as they will automatically be released back into stock. You will need to re-add items back into your cart if they are still in stock.

If the status of the order you wish to cancel is showing as Sent To Warehouse, then we are unable to refund the order. This is because we make a charge for our service which covers part of the cost of sorting, storing and processing the order. You will be able to see the status of your order by logging into your account.

How are charges set?

We make a small charge for our service which covers part of the cost of sorting, storing and delivering the order to you at your chosen address.  We aim to set these charges for providing products, UK-wide, as low as we can to maximise the savings we unlock for charitable organisations while covering a proportion of these running costs.

We meet the rest of the costs ourselves – through fundraising and our partnerships.

When setting charges, we consider:

The amount of time and resources to source a donation.

Once at our warehouse, the amount of work required to sort through the donation and make it suitable for distribution.

The cost of transportation – bulky or heavy items are generally more expensive to transport.

Supply and Demand – a lower charge may be applied when we want to move items through our warehouse in anticipation of new donations arriving that we need to free up space for.

Why do you set quantity limits on products?

Maximum ordering limits are applied to all products on the catalogue to ensure that our service supports as many organisations as possible, and reflect the levels of stock received.

Limits are stated under each product as Max Qty Allowed.

Once payment is received for an order, the limit will be reset allowing your organisation to place a further order/s for the same product if stock still remains.

Is there a minimum order value?

Each order must exceed £20 in total before VAT and after any discount. This ensures the associated charge makes a contribution towards our overall running costs and our service remains viable. We regularly review this and are committed to keeping the charges for individual products as low as possible.

Where do I find free gifts?

Free gifts available with orders can be found here.

Free gifts must be manually added to your cart unless stated otherwise, and are subject to maximum ordering limits.  Limits on goods are stated under each product as Max Qty Allowed.

Please read the Details and More Information tabs on the product page for specific product information.

Free Gifts can’t be returned.

Who can join?

We welcome a wide range of charitable organisations, including registered charities, CICs, CIOs, community groups, foodbanks, most schools and nurseries and public sector run outreach projects.  

We also work with organisations registered in the UK who use products overseas.

We are unable to work directly with individuals.

Still not sure if you’re eligible?  Answer these quick questions to check whether your organisation could be eligible to join.

How do I register?

To use our service, register for free online. We aim to have you up and running within three working days, and you’ll receive a confirmation email with everything you need to get going.

Your organisation’s registration lasts for a year, then you’ll be prompted to renew for free so we can check if your details are still correct. We value your privacy, please do read our Privacy Notice.

What are the other benefits of joining?

In Kind Direct has teamed up with a number of companies and services to offer our charitable network partners additional discounts and benefits.

You will also receive a community newsletter every six weeks, containing news, signposts to funding sources and discounts.

As a charity ourselves we fundraise to keep our handling charges as low as possible. From time to time we secure funding to award account credits for specific programmes of work, meaning that products can be received at no charge to network partners accepted into these programmes.