Shop User Guide and FAQ

A user guide is provided above as a PDF document to assist NGS Members in how to use the Online Store to purchase products.


NGS Shop FAQ.

Below are some commonly asked questions about the NGS Shop.

When will I receive my order?

Under normal circumstances you should receive your ordered items within one week for deliveries to the UK. Orders posted to most European countries are the same, but further afield are longer and depend on the destination country. Circumstances are not normal when – there are bank/public holidays; the Shop Manager is away or when then are high levels of ordering underway – such as with the release of a new product.

My order is overdue – where is it?

There are a number of reasons why your order can be delayed:

  • Your membership as expired (expect a prompt from the Membership Secretary).
  • You didn’t add P&P (expect a prompt from the Membership Secretary).
  • The shop is particularly busy (look out for notices on the NGS website)
  • The Shop Manager is away (never more than 2 weeks)
  • Your order contains a large number (10 or more) of the same item, then it may be processed differently and so be delayed.
  • Your order contains both membership subscription and product purchases, then it may be delayed as it has to go through two separate processes.

Check to make sure your membership is current and that you paid the appropriate P&P. If the order is over 21 days delayed, then contact the Shop Manager to make enquiries. Note that the vast majority of orders are tracked through Royal Mail these days and members who supply an email address will normally receive a tracking number when the order is posted.

I forgot to add P&P to my order – what can I do?

The simplest and quickest solution is to use the appropriate menu item on the NGS online shop/membership site to create a “Sundry Payment to the Society” to the value of the P&P charge appropriate to your order. Please add a comment in the ‘Additional Information’ box to say what the sundry payment is for, for example “To pay P&P for order number xxxxx”. If you are unable to use the internet for payment, then please send a cheque or payment card details to the Shop Manager.

How can I get help on using the NGS online shop?

The NGS online shop can be daunting for the first-time user. There is however a beginner’s guide available by clicking here.

If that doesn’t help, please contact the Shop Manager or just post you order instead.

Can I phone-in an order?

It is possible to phone in an order, but this is generally discouraged.

The Shop Manager is a voluntary role and so is not available at all times to take member’s calls. The Shop Manager’s phone is a personal one – not a Society phone and so is used for other calls and outgoing calls are paid for by the Shop Manager. If the Shop Manager is ‘out and about’ it may not be possible to record details of the order. However where a member has accessibility issues with other ordering channels, it is possible to arrange for orders to be taken over the phone. Phone order payments can be made by payment card, or a follow-up cheque in the post. PayPal is not acceptable. Ensure you are in a safe location where no one can overhear you payment card details. Do not leave payment card details in a voice-mail message if the Shop Manager is not able to answer in person.

Can I email an order?

It is possible to email an order to the NGS shop, but members are warned that emails are inherently insecure and that under no circumstances should payment card details be included within the text of an email.

*Debit and Credit Cards – it is not recommended that orders which include bank card details should be sent by ordinary post, because of the risk of fraud. If necessary, use a tracked method of delivery for anything containing such information.

Can I pay with my PayPal Account?

The NGS Online Store accepts payment by PayPal (and payment cards*). PayPal is not accepted for mail orders which must be paid by cheque made payable to “N Gauge Society”, or by payment card*.

Why doesn’t the NGS Shop sell to non-members?

We enjoy charitable status from a tax perspective by being a member only society. This means we pay no Corporation Tax and also have no bank fees. Also we cater to the needs of our members and as such they are the ones who should enjoy the benefits and price value that we offer.

Also consider that we are volunteers that run it and none of us would be happy about non-member requests and sales coming through – it then means we turn into a commercial enterprise and that is not what we are about as we are here to further the aims of N gauge generally so cannot do that if we become a commercial enterprise.