MTO vs Stock vs Limited
MTO stands for Make To Order, and it means that we don't make the item until an order is placed for it. In our twice weekly production runs, stock items get the highest priority, then MTO items. Times for custom items are quoted on an individual basis. Items marked MTO can take up to 10 business days to ship (as opposed to our normal 1-4 business days) and, in most cases, they cannot be returned, even with the seal intact. For this reason, we recommend ordering the smallest amount available the first time to make sure the ring is right for the intended purpose.
Rings are listed as MTO for one of several reasons, primarily low volume. We now have over 30,000 ring sizes, shapes and metal combinations and it isn't feasible to keep them all in stock. This is also why MTOs are not refundable or exchangeable. We can't simply return them to stock because there might be no definable market for that ring size. Secondly, the ring might not be a stable size for chainmaille. In general, rings with an aspect ratio larger than 8.0 tend to be unstable for chainmaille unless they are soldered or fused. When the aspect ratio gets too large, there might not be enough tension in the metal relative to its curvature for the rings to reliably stay closed on their own in a chainmaille application, yet the rings might be perfectly suitable for purposes other than chainmaille. The bottom line is that we trust that you know what you are ordering and why you are ordering it. We have countless resources and recommendations on our website and we are here to answer any questions you have about your order before finalizing your purchase.
It might be possible to cancel an MTO item before it goes into production, but once materials have been purchased or production of the item has begun, you will be responsible for costs related to the production of the item. If you need to cancel or return an MTO item, we will work with you to recover as much of the materials cost as possible, but in most cases the amount will be based on the scrap value of the material. Please see our return policy for more details.
Stock items are products that we make ahead of time and have on hand for our normal, expected sales volume. Most stock items ship in 1 to 4 business days. Very large orders may take additional processing time and we will contact you if we foresee significant delays. If there are adverse weather conditions or other factors that concern order processing time in general, this information will be posted in our News feed. Items marked as Stock are fully refundable and exchangeable under the following conditions:
For items that are sealed, the seal must be unbroken and the item unopened in order to receive the full value of the item. For items that are not sealed - like tools and clasps - the standard return policy is 30 days. Once ring containers have been opened, we can't guarantee the pristine condition of the rings to another customer, therefore we scrap the rings and can only offer the scrap value in return. Please see our Return Policy for more details.
Items can be marked Limited if they're 1) discontinued items that won't be restocked once they're sold out; 2) one of a kind or sample items which might or might not be restocked once they're sold out; or, 3) a low volume or seasonal item with questionable availability long term; 4) overruns from custom orders or items that were manufactured by mistake. We often list extra 18K gold rings and overruns from custom orders. These rings are often purchased in very small quantities for embellishments, earrings, etc.