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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who are you guys?
A: We are a group of people from around the world who are passionate about pipes, tobacco and, most of all, serving our customers. We all wear a few different hats, as is usually the case in small companies. You can read more about each of us and what we do in our staff list.
Q: Where is your physical store located?
A: Unlike our US sibling, Smokingpipes.com, we are online only and don’t have a physical store. That being said, our other sister company, Peterson of Dublin, have a store at 48-49 Nassau St, Dublin 2, Dublin, D02 R983, so feel free to drop in and say hi to the staff there.
Q: Ok, I've found a really nice looking pipe; how do I pay for it?
We have a number of different payment methods available. The simplest is to simply use the secure shopping cart and use your VISA or MasterCard credit or debit card. Please note that all payments will appear on your statement as Smokingpipes Europe. However, if you do not feel comfortable giving out your billing information online, you can check-out using the 'offline payment' option and either send us a direct deposit, ask for a PayPal invoice or call in with your credit card number. If paying by direct deposit please include the order number, which can be found on your offline order invoice, in the description line. When we are notified by the bank of your payment we will process and ship your order.
Direct Deposit Details:Account Name: Kapp & Peterson Ltd
BIC: AIBKIE2D
IBAN: IE77AIBK93340658933021
Alternatively, you can call us and we will process your order manually for you and accept your credit card number over the phone. If you have any problems using the cart, we would be happy to assist you with the order or place it over the phone on your behalf.
Q: Do you accept PayPal?
We accept PayPal at checkout, and can also send PayPal invoices on request. For the latter, just put your purchase through as an ‘offline order’, shoot us an email or leave a comment on the order itself, and we’ll send you a PayPal request for the invoiced amount. Alternatively you can send it straight to [email protected] through PayPal’s send money feature (with the invoice number) and we’ll do the rest.
Q: What is your return policy?
A: It is available here.
Q: What is your privacy policy?
A: It is available here.
Q. Does Smokingpipes.eu sell pipe tobacco?
A. No. As much as we wanted to make this happen, regulatory challenges to selling tobacco in Europe — especially those pertaining to labels and cross jurisdiction sales — make it impractical to do so on our European store.
Q: My Tax Authority (customs, etc) is sticking me with a bill. What do I do?
A: As stated when you placed your order, it is the customer's responsibility to be aware of and pay for any taxes or duty that is due on their order. Smokingpipes.eu cannot and will not be liable for any taxes or duty. If you refuse delivery of the package, and would like a refund, the package must be sent back to us at your expense if the courier or postal service assesses return fees. If you refuse to do so and the package has to be abandoned you will not be eligible for a refund.
Q: Where do you ship to?
A: As we only sell pipes and accessories, we can ship to absolutely anywhere that has a postal or package delivery service.
Q: I found a typo/error/etc. To whom do I complain?
A: We try to maintain an error free website, but occasionally, these things do happen. If you do spot one, please send an email to [email protected], and somebody will rectify it as soon as possible.
Q: Sometimes the pipe measurements seem slightly odd or off; how do you measure the pipes?
Pipe measurement is not quite as simple as it initially seems since the shapes vary so radically.
Basically, here is the process we adopted so that we would have a standardized system:
Tools: Plastic calipers, wooden ruler and postal scale that measures in 0.01 gram increments.
Length:
The horizontal distance from the end of the stem to the farthest point of the bowl. Therefore, this is a measurement of how far the end of the bowl is from the smoker more than a measurement of how long the stem, shank and bowl are. Therefore, many bent pipes that are very large do not have very high 'Length' measurements because they are so heavily bent.
Outside Diameter:
We measure the bowl at its widest point perpendicular to the smoker (i.e. left-right rather than front-back).
Bowl Height:
From the bottom of the bowl to the highest point on the bowl, including any additional carvings (such as ornamentation on a meerschaum or freehand briar pipe).
Chamber Diameter:
We measure the diameter of the chamber at the very top of the bowl. This means that conical bowls (most Dublins, for example) are measured at their widest point. Straight vertical bowls sometimes flare slightly at the top of the bowl (but usually not more than 1.5mm). We adopted this approach in an attempt to standardise the system. Therefore, measurements half-way down the bowl could be slightly narrower than the listed diameter.
Chamber Depth:
We measure from the deepest point of the bowl to the middle of the top of the bowl (so that one side being higher than the other on a freehand, the results are not skewed). If there is a doubt as to where the top of the bowl is (such as in the parenthetical example above), we do our best to determine where the tobacco could be packed up to.
Q: How do I use my Smokingpipes.eu Gift Card?
If you already have an account with us, login using your email address and password to process your order. Once you reach the checkout page, have verified your billing/shipping address, and have chosen the shipping option, select the Gift Card option under Payment Information. Enter the 16 digit card number and click on the Apply button. Your gift card will be applied to the balance due on the right. Once you see this update on the right, you can finalize the order with another payment option if needed. If you do not use the entire amount of your gift card, the remaining balance will be automatically posted to your house account.
If you do not have an account with us and plan to spend the entire amount of your gift card, feel free to check out as a guest. If you do not have an account with us and do not plan to use the entire amount of your gift card, we recommend creating an account. An email address and password are required to access any remaining balance left on your house account on a future order.
Q: How do I access and use my Smokingpipes.eu House Account?
You can access and use House Account funds by logging in using your email address and your password.
Once you finish loading the shopping basket, click on the Checkout button. Once on the checkout page go ahead and verify your billing/shipping address and choose the shipping option like always. Then look at the Payment Information options. You will see one titled House Account that will show your available funds. Select House Account and then click the Apply button. The information on the right will update to show any remaining balance due. Then process out like normal, finalizing the payment with your credit card or another payment option.
If you do not use all of your house account funds, just apply the house account funds and once the balance due updates to zero, finalize the order by selecting Offline from the payment options and click Place Order to complete.
Q: I have a pipe that I loved for a long time and the stem finally wore out/I broke the stem/shank etc. Can your repair the pipe or replace the stem?
A: We do not do pipe repairs on site. We may be able to replace Peterson System stems, but we cannot repair or replace any other stems/shanks/etc on site.
Q: What do you mean by 'estate' pipes?
A: An estate pipe is a pipe that has been previously owned by someone else. Each estate pipe that we sell has undergone a thorough cleaning and disinfecting regimen before it is ever offered for sale. Estate pipes are generally far less expensive than a new pipe of the same make, thereby representing an excellent value for the money, and for many smokers, a way to sample the wares of pipe makers they might not otherwise be able to afford.
Additionally, please be aware that Smokingpipes.eu is always interested in acquiring quality estate pipes. If you have any pipes that you are interested in sending to us, please click here to find out more about our policy.
Q: Do you accept trades?
A: Of course we accept trades! For more information check our trade policy here or email us to discuss the particulars of your situation.
Q: Why do some estate pipes have a 'Repair!' Tag?
A: Pipes tagged 'Repair!' are pipes that, through no fault of their own, have encountered some misfortune that we (or another shop) have corrected. A pipe that comes to us with a replacement stem or tenon, for example, would be tagged 'Repair!'. When a repair of this nature has been performed in house, the pipe will also bear an 'SPCR' stamp on the shank. While we do not actively seek out pipes in need of repair, sometimes issues present themselves during cleaning that require us to undertake more intensive restoration efforts. The prices on all pipes with this tag reflect the fact that they have been rescued from calamity.
Q: I saw a pipe on your site a while ago, and when I came back to buy it, I could not find it. What happened to it?
A: Every pipe we carry is individually photographed and described on the website, and our website software automatically removes those photographs and descriptions from the publicly available portions of the website when a pipe is sold, in order to avoid situations in which two persons attempt to purchase the same pipe. So, in short, we sold it.
Q: What is a tenon/ferrule/english/aromatic/etc?
A: Please visit our Pipe Smokers Glossary for definitions of pipe and tobacco related terminology.
Q: What kind of pipe should I buy?
A: Please refer to our Guide To Selecting A Pipe.
Q: My pipe keeps going out. Can you help me?
A: Please refer to our Guide To Packing & Lighting Your Pipe.
Q: How do I take care of my new pipe?
A: Please refer to our Guide To Cleaning Your Pipe.
Q: Why do items keep disappearing from my basket?
A: While their use is entirely at your discretion, it should be noted that to fully utilize this site, it is necessary for your browser to accept the use of cookies (especially per-session cookies). For more information on our use of cookies, you can see our privacy policy here.
