Buying

Do you carry stock?

Kind of.

Furniture is a capital-intensive business — more-so for small studios like ours. So we basically make everything to order.

Dining tables are made one at a time. Smaller items, like the Mesa Bedside Tables, are made in batches when we receive an order.

If you order a smaller item that is out of stock we’ll schedule it in to our production run and deliver it to you in line with current lead times (see below). We’ll use this opportunity to do a batch run where extra units go on the website as stock and ready to ship. We’ll let this stock run down to zero until we get a new order.

Larger items like dining tables are not kept in stock and not made in batches.

What are your lead times?

Our current lead times are:

• Dining tables: 8 weeks
• Coffee tables: 8 weeks
• Bedside tables: 4 weeks

If you would like something sooner we will do our best to work with your timelines. The best thing to do is send us an email with the following information:

• Your name and phone number
• Item/s you’d like including dimensions and material/finish
• Delivery address
• Ideal delivery date

Do you take commissions?

When the production schedule allows we can take commissions. This is available to both private clients and those in the trade such as architects and interior designers. More information is available in our commissions process.

I have a photo of something I like. Can you make this for me?

We only make things we design. We don’t make other people’s designs or replicas. If you’d like to commission a piece we ask you to complete a questionnaire where you can include reference material.

Can you customise a piece?

Yes. They can be customised in size and material. We don’t work with recycled timber.

Can I pay using buy now, pay later platforms?

No. Sorry, we just don’t like these platforms that encourage people to buy on credit. We believe they encourage unnecessary consumption. Yes, we take credit cards, but this is necessary to run an ecommerce website.

Do you charge a surcharge on credit card transactions?

No. We don’t like surcharges and wish merchants didn’t charge them. It’s a cost of doing business and it’s factored into our pricing.

Do you ship internationally?

No. We only ship to New Zealand addresses.

Do you have sales?

No. Everything is made to order. When we release a new product the finished archetype is sometimes available for purchase at a reduced price. This happens once or twice a year.

What's the archetype store about?

All our products go through a process of design and testing. When we’re happy with a product the final archetype is sanded, finished and photographed.

This prototype is then available for purchase and added to the prototype store.

How do items in the archetype store differ from the final product?

They are mostly identical. They are still made to a high quality, sanded and finished to the same standard.

But there are some differences.

• As it’s already made it ships 7-10 days after the order is placed rather than being subjected to our regular lead time.
• It’s heavily discounted — around 20-30%
• It’s available in one size and in some cases this differs from the product line
• It comes with a five year guarantee rather than our lifetime guarantee.

Do you have a trade program?

This is a work in progress and we would like to work with industry professionals like architects, interior designers, developers and builders. Please contact us if you are interested.

Materials and quality

Where is your furniture made?

Our furniture is designed, made and packaged in our small Nelson studio.

What materials do you make the furniture from?

Our primary timbers are Black Walnut, Hard Maple, White Ash and White Oak.

Is the timber responsibly sourced?

Our timber is sourced in the United States where trees are being planted quicker than they are being felled. Between 1953 and 2017 volume of hardwood trees grew by 130%.

The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) developed the American Hardwood Environmental Profile which allows exporters in the U.S. to provide full information about the legality, sustainability and environmental impact of the timber.

More information is available on the AHEC website.

We are working with our suppliers to gain greater information about the provenance of the materials.

What finish do you use?

Our finish is completely natural and low-VOC. We use a plant-based oil made by Livos. The main ingredients are:

• linseed oil,
• lemon oil,
• beeswax,
• turpentine,
• orange oil and
• rosemary oil.

You can read more about manufacture process of Livos oils and its technical data sheets. We primarily use product codes 243 and 245.

Can I see the items in person?

This depends on the item. If we have the item you’re interested in production you’re welcome to book an appointment to visit the studio.

It’s possible someone has the item in their home near you and they may be willing to show you.

Contact us and we’ll see what’s possible.

We have finish and joint samples that can be viewed in our Nelson studio.

Guarantees, returns and delivery

How long is your guarantee?

For life!

Guarantees can be funny things. The industry standard is 5-10 years which isn’t good enough. Furniture made from trees that are decades old should last longer than that. Otherwise we’re better off leaving the trees in the ground.

So who’s lifetime? What good is a lifetime guarantee when people generally live longer than businesses? So here’s how we think of it: the lifetime of the original owner as long Hey, Porter is still here. Should Hey, Porter cease to exist you will still be able to contact Jeremy who’ll make it right.

This doesn’t cover wear and tear and damage caused either intentionally or through misuse. Basically, it covers our work as long as it’s used as intended.

Can I pick my order up?

Yes. Contact us to arrange pickup. You will need enough people to comfortably lift the item you ordered. In the case of larger dining tables this could be more than 100kg.

I changed my mind. Can I get a refund?

We get it — things happen in life. Refunds are possible in some cases. As most of our items are made to order there is a window to request a refund. Our refund policy covers this.

Can I return it?

Generally not. This is covered in detail in our order process.