FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

Shoe Sizing

Clothing Sizing

Pricing

Ordering

Shipping

Returns/Exchanges

Wishlist

 

 

SHOE SIZING

 

Q: How do Highland Dance Shoe sizes compare to street shoe sizes? Are your shoe sizes in US or UK sizes?

 

A: Highland shoe sizing varies a great deal by manufacturer, so there is no exact formula. Most brands are closer to UK than US sizes, and a good starting point is your Highland shoe will usually be about 1.5 – 2 sizes smaller than your street shoe.

 

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Q: How do I know which size shoes to order?

 

A: There are several things you can do to try to determine the correct size:

 

1. See if there is another dancer in your studio whose shoes are the same brand and a good fit for you, and hope they know what size they are or that the information hasn’t worn off the shoe.

 

2. Measure the larger foot from heel to toe and across the widest point while standing up. You can email or call us with the measurements or just include them in the comments field of your online order. We’ll double check these measurements against our sizing template and send you the size or sizes that should be the closest fit.

 

3. In the comment field, you can request that we “send extra pair on spec for sizing”. This way, we’ll send you an extra pair or two so you have a few sizes to compare. As long as you return the extra shoes within 14 days and with no visible signs of wear, there will be no additional charge – you will be responsible for return postage, however.

 

4. If you ordered your previous pair of dance shoes from Highland Island and don’t remember the size, just give us a call – we keep a detailed record of all our customers’ shoe purchases for this very reason.

 

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Q. How do I know if the shoes I just received fit correctly?

 

A. The best advice we can give you is to bring the shoes with you to dance class and show them to your teacher. If you’re not sure of the fit, be sure to only wear them on clean surfaces (bring a towel with you to put down on the floor), so you can return them if needed. Most teachers – and judges – like to see a very snug fitting shoe. The shoes should fit like a leather glove and mold to the foot. The shoes will also stretch – some brands more than others, so if the shoe slides on easily at first, it’s probably too big.

 

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CLOTHING SIZING:

 

Q.    How do I know if I am ordering clothing in the correct size?

 

A.     When in doubt, call or email us.  Just like in the large retail stores, not all small, medium or larges are the same.  Sizing changes from manufacturer to manufacturer.  When we notice clothing that runs very much on the small or tight fitting side or on the large side, we will note that in the description of that particular item.  Otherwise, consider that the sizing is consistent with sizing you would normally see.  If you are not sure, we will always be glad to get measurements to you if you call or email us. 

 

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PRICING

 

Q. What currency are your prices listed in?

 

A. All prices are listed in US$. For the latest international currency exchange information, go to www.xe.com.

 

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Q. I noticed that prices online are different than in your catalog, why?

 

A. We publish our catalog only once per year, and do our best to keep prices level throughout the year. However, because so much of our merchandise is imported from other countries, changes in the value of the US$ can dramatically affect our cost for shoes, CD’s, and many other items. We do our best to keep our prices as low as possible, but we do occasionally have to raise them during the year meaning the price you see online will be higher than the catalog. When there is a difference in price, the on-line price will always be the accurate and prevailing price.

 

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Q. Do you offer wholesale or bulk pricing?

 

A. In most cases we do not offer wholesale or bulk pricing, as we are mainly a retailer. There are some products which we do import and distribute to other retailers (Dougies Dance Shoes for instance), so if there are particular products you are interested in carrying for re-sale, please feel free to inquire. 

 

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ORDERING

 

Q. What forms of payment do you accept?

 

A. We accept American Express, Discover, Master Card, Visa, PayPal, Google Payments, Check or Money Order.  All checks and money orders must be in US$. If you are ordering online and wish to pay by check or money order, simply print out your completed shopping cart page and mail to us at PO Box 676, Gt. Barrington, MA  01230. Please note, payments by personal check must clear our bank before order will ship.

 

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Q.    Is your shopping cart secure?

 

A.     Our shopping cart utilizes the latest version of ShopSite shopping cart software to ensure the most up to date security features available. ShopSite’s technology and safety features are approved by VeriSign and are compliant with Visa’s stringent CISP/PABP requirements.

 

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Q.     What if an item I order is not available?

 

A.     If an item you order is not currently in stock, we’ll notify you and give you an estimated delivery time. If you choose, we’ll ship the rest of your order right away, and not charge you for the back-ordered item until it is ready to ship.

 

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Q. Do I have to register on your web site to order?

 

A. No, the registration option is available so you can choose to have your delivery and payment options saved and not have to re-type them for future orders, but you do not have to register to order. To order without registering, simply proceed through the checkout process without logging in.

 

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Q. Do you ship to customers in my home country?

 

A. We will ship to customers in any country. Our shopping cart includes the countries from which we will accept credit card orders, including USA, Canada, UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and many others.  Payment for orders from certain countries must be made by US$ money order or cashier’s check. If your country is not listed in the shopping cart, please contact us by email for ordering instructions.

 

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SHIPPING

 

Q. Where do you ship from?

 

A. We ship daily to customers all over the world from Gt. Barrington, MA  USA.  Most of our products, with the exception of our portable dance barres and practice floors, and a few other products ship directly from Highland Island. The dance barres ship directly from the manufacturer in British Columbia, Canada and the flooring usually drop ships from the manufacturer in Utah, USA. Occasionally, when certain other items are back-ordered, we will have them shipped to customers directly from the manufacturer in order to get the item to the customer quicker – in these cases we will let you know to expect a package from someone other than Highland Island.

 

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Q. How will my order be shipped?

 

A. For standard shipping within the USA we prefer to use the US Postal Service Priority Mail. We have found they offer both the best rates and most reliable delivery times for domestic shipments.  For international shipments, we prefer to ship by US Global Priority Mail or US International Air Mail – again, these methods have proven to be the quickest, most reliable and cost effective. Also, when shipping by US Mail, our customers can usually avoid the automatic customs brokerage fees often charged by UPS, FedEx and other couriers. For expedited shipping we will use either US Express Mail, FedEx or UPS.

 

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Q. The shipping charges calculated by your shopping cart seem high for my order, do you mark them up?

 

A. While some merchants mark up shipping & handling charges significantly, our philosophy is that we would rather let you spend your money on our products rather  than on shipping – therefore, we do everything possible to keep our shipping costs as low as possible.  Sometimes our shopping cart calculates shipping charges higher than they need to be. This often happens if you are ordering multiples of particular items as the shopping cart software calculates by weight. We are often able to lower the actual shipping cost by using flat rate packaging. In both these cases we will always adjust the shipping charge down prior to charging your card.  Your final shipping charge from Highland Island will reflect only our costs in processing the order (postage, labels, packaging, processing fees, etc) and there are never any exorbitant handling fees. By using re-cycled packaging materials and packaging provided by the US Post Office instead of fancy and costly packaging, we save you money. If you ever see a shipping charge in your shopping cart that seems too high, just email us with your delivery address and items you are planning to order and we can give you an actual shipping quote.

 

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Q. Do you charge tax or customs fees on my order?

 

A. We only collect tax on non-clothing items shipped to customers in the State of Massachusetts, USA. If you are ordering from outside the US, you may be required to pay customs or duty fees upon delivery. While a majority of our customers report receiving their orders without having to pay these fees, this is completely beyond our control. Regulations differ from country to country regarding the value of a shipment that you can receive without paying duty. Also, we have found that by using the postal service, many of our shipments pass through customs without accumulating charges. Information on your country’s customs and duty policies can be obtained by clicking on your country:

 

Canada                Great Britain              Australia                    New Zealand                        South Africa

 

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Q. How long should my package take to arrive? Can I track my package?

 

A. We try to process and ship all orders within 1 business day of receipt (for example, if you place on order on Monday it should go out by Tuesday, if you place an order Friday and Monday is a postal holiday it will not ship out until Tuesday).  Shipments to US addresses should arrive within 3-7 business days of ordering. Shipments to international addresses should arrive within 4-10 business days of ordering.  Our shipping software automatically emails tracking information to the email address provided when ordering. Tracking information on the US Post Office web site, however, is often not updated until the package arrives at the delivery address. If your package has not arrived within 10 business days of ordering, please email us.

 

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RETURNS/EXCHANGES

 

Q. How do I return an item for exchange or credit?

 

A. For exchanges, please include a note including the size, color, etc.  you need, or measurements if you are unsure. We will bill the credit card from your original order for applicable shipping fees on the exchanged item.  For returns, you must include a copy of your invoice. Please refer to the back of your sales receipt for additional terms and conditions.  The address for returns and exchanges is:

 

Highland Island

PO Box 676

Gt. Barrington, MA  01230

 

If you are in the USA and would prefer to use UPS, FedEx, etc. for your return or exchange, please email us for street address. Please note, when returning items from outside the US we strongly suggest using the postal service, as we are often charged “Customs Brokerage Fees” by UPS and FedEx even on returned and non-dutiable items. These fees will be the customer’s responsibility. Also, we would suggest you consider insuring your package for return or exchange as any item damaged or lost in transit can not be accepted for credit.

 

 

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WISHLIST

 

Q. How can I let family and friends know about items on your site that I’d love to receive as gifts?

 

A. We have just added a “Wishlist” component to our shopping cart software.  Customers can use this function to add items to their list, and then invite people by email to view their list and purchase the items for them.  Directions for using the Wishlist function are as follows:

 

Wishlist Overview
Creating a Wishlist
Adding Item to a Wishlist
Finding a Wishlist
Purchasing from a Wishlist
Sending a Wishlist to a Friend

 

Wishlist Overview
Highland Island
Wishlists are a great way to keep track of your Highland Dance wants and needs. You can also email your Wishlist to friends and family, so that they can purchase items they know you will love. Just create a Wishlist and then click on the add to Wishlist link throughout the site to add an item to your list. You can even set priority levels, indicating the items you would most like to receive.

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Creating a Wishlist
There are two ways to create a Wishlist:

1.  From any product on our web site

·         Click on the add to Wishlist link next to any item you would like to add to your Wishlist

·         Click on 'I'd like to register!' at the log in screen

·         Choose a user name and password

·         Fill in your

·         Click the 'Register' button

 

 2.  From any page on our web site

·         Click on 'your Wishlist' at the top of any highlandisland.com page

·         Click on 'Create a Wishlist'

·         Choose a user name and password

·         Fill in your information

·         Click the 'Register' button  

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Adding Items to a Wishlist
Adding items to your Wishlist is simple. Just click on the add to Wishlist link next to the item you would like to add to your Wishlist, choose the quantity, priority (1 for you just sort of want the item, 10 if you can't live without it). You can even add a comment - like, "I must have this item!" Finally, click on the 'Add to Wishlist' button. This item will now appear in your Wishlist.

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Finding a Wishlist
Looking for a friend's Wishlist? Just click on 'your Wishlist' at the top of any highlandisland.com page. Click on 'Find a Wishlist'. Enter at least one piece of information and click the 'Search' button. This will bring up a list of Wishlists that meet the criteria you entered. Click on the Wishlist that matches your friend's information. You may then purchase items from your friend's Wishlist!

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Purchasing from a Wishlist
It's easy to purchase items on a Wishlist. Simply use the steps above in 'Finding a Wishlist' to find a specific Wishlist. The items on the Wishlist will be listed on the page according to priority, with “most wanted” listed first. You may click on the name of the item to view more information, or just go ahead and click on 'Purchase this item for [the recipient]'. The item will then be added to your cart. When you are finished purchasing from the Wishlist, you may click on 'view your cart' at the top of the page - or you can continue to shop until you are ready to check out.

When you reach the Checkout screen (on the secure second page of the checkout process), you may enter your friend's user name in order to record your purchase. This will remove the item from the Wishlist, so that others do not purchase the same item. If you do not know your friend's user name, click on 'Lookup Wishlist Users' next to the box and select your friend from the list. When you complete checkout, the item will be removed from the Wishlist. You may choose to have the item(s) delivered directly to the recipient by entering their information in the “shipping address” section of the checkout screen, or leave the billing and shipping information the same to have the item(s) shipped directly to you.

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Sending a Wishlist to a Friend
Isn't it great to get just what you want? We think so. That's why we've made it so easy for you to send your Wishlist to a friend, or multiple friends for that matter! Just log in to your Wishlist and click on 'Email List' at the top of the page. Here you can enter a subject, comment and up to 5 email recipients. Click 'Send Wishlist' and your friends will get an email with your comment and a link to your Wishlist.

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