Help

Before you can order goods you must be registered with In Kind Direct. For more information on who can join and the benefits of joining with In Kind Direct please click here.

Your registration will be processed within three working days. Once you are successfully registered with us we will send you an email and you will be able to use your email address and a password to access the online catalogue and place orders.

Your registration is valid for 12 months, after which we ask you to renew your registration by updating and resubmitting your organisation's details online.

We hope ordering online is a straightforward process for you. To place orders online you must first log in to the site using your e-mail address and password. You can then browse the catalogue using the sections available in the menu. You can also use the search facility to find the products your require.

When you have found items you wish to order simply add them to your basket, taking note of any item restrictions that may be in place. You can continue browsing and add more items to your basket to make up your order, noting the minimum order value displayed on the basket page. There is no rush, once something is in your basket it is allocated to you and cannot be ordered by someone else. You have twenty four hours to complete your order before the basket is automatically emptied and the goods returned to stock.

When you are finished shopping, simply complete your order and choose whether to pay by secure online card payment or send a cheque to us by post.

When you complete your order you may choose whether to pay by secure online card payment, bank transfer (BACS) or send a cheque by post. Orders are only despatched when full payment has been received.

If paying by cheque you should print a copy of the order confirmation you receive by e-mail and enclose this with your payment. Your order will normally be held for seven days so ensure you send you cheque or bank transfer payment promptly to avoid your order being cancelled.

If paying by credit or debit card your payment will be processed by our payment service provider Sage Pay. We accept Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard, Delta, Maestro and Solo cards.

The charge for providing goods you pay includes delivery by courier to any UK address. On our standard service your order will generally be delivered within 10 days from the day we receive your order and payment. Express delivery is also available for certain products.Click here for more information about delivery.

Summary

Many of you have asked for In Kind Direct to allow goods to be used for fundraising purposes. This has not been allowed due to donor company concerns about brand protection and wish for products to be used directly for charitable purposes. Most donors still feel quite strongly about this. However we have been donated a small number of items which the donors have agreed could be used for events fundraising. By events fundraising, we mean raffles and tombolas which take place at physical events, as opposed to online. We hope that by offering a small number of items for events fundraising, we are able in one small way to support you in raising much needed funds whilst still ensuring that our donor companies’ wishes are respected.

As with all In Kind Direct orders, you will need to agree, and adhere to our terms and conditions each time you order from In Kind Direct

What is events fundraising?

By events fundraising, we mean raffles and tombolas which take place at physical events, as opposed to online. Using any goods received from In Kind Direct for online fundraising activities, such as e-auctions remains strictly prohibited. This is because online activities such as e-auctions involve the selling of the goods, as opposed to raising funds through selling raffle or tombola tickets.

Why can I only use a small number of goods for fundraising events?

The companies which donate goods to In Kind Direct generally do not allow their goods to be used for fundraising. This is because they require assurance that goods will go to people who need them, and will not be sold. When items are raffled, or used in tombolas or auctions, it is difficult to control where they end up. Most companies therefore do not allow their goods to be used for fundraising and we generally, sign contracts with them agreeing to this. However, recognising the need for charities to raise funds, a small number of donor companies have allowed their goods to be used for fundraising purposes. In order to retain the trust of all of our donor companies, it is important that only goods which have been made available for events fundraising are used for this purpose.

How do I know which goods are available for events fundraising?

When a company donates goods which are suitable for events fundraising, these will be notified to you on the events fundraising page. Of course, you can still choose to use these for your charitable activities, as usual. Generally, these will be goods donated one off, such as electrical items or jewellery which wouldn’t ordinarily feature on our catalogue. There will also be a sticker on the item which will identify that it is suitable for fundraising. Only goods which feature on this page, and which have the sticker, are able to be used for fundraising purposes. All other goods on the catalogue must only be used to run your operations or be given for free to the people you support.

How often will goods be available for events fundraising?

This depends on how often we are donated goods which companies have agreed can be used for events fundraising. The vast majority of donor companies still will not permit their goods to be used for this purpose. The availability of goods for events fundraising may therefore be sporadic but we will continue to approach companies with a view to securing more goods which can be used for events fundraising.

Why aren’t there any goods listed on the events fundraising page?

If there are no goods listed on the events fundraising page then this means that we don’t currently have any goods for which In Kind Direct has been given permission for events fundraising.

All of your charity’s invoices are stored in the ‘My Account’ section of the website. If you want to find any invoice, log into your account as normal and then:
- Click on ‘My Account’ on the top right hand side of the page
- Click on ‘Order History’ on the left hand list
- You’ll then see all of your orders in a list. Click ‘View Invoice’

From here you’ll be able to view and print any of your charity’s invoices.
See our video tutorial on how to find your invoice.

To ensure our service benefits as many organisations as possible, we sometimes place limits on the number of items an organisation can order. This is stated under each product as "Max Qty Allowed". Your organisation will only be able to order up to the maximum quantity permitted in each order (or any current open orders) and will not be able to order the product again until payment is received for the first order

In Kind Direct’s charges for providing goods contribute to a range of costs associated with delivering our service to you. These include sourcing donations of goods, sorting them at our warehouse and delivering them to you. The charges do not cover the entire cost of delivering In Kind Direct’s service. As with any charity, fundraised income is important and makes a significant contribution to our running costs. More information about how In Kind Direct sets its charges can be found in the frequently asked questions below.

- How does In Kind Direct set charges for providing goods?

Our general principle at In Kind Direct is to set charges for providing goods as low as we can to ensure both that charities are getting the best deal we can give while at the same time covering logistics costs and making a small contribution towards In Kind Direct’s overheads. Charges for individual items fluctuate depending on such things as:

• The amount of work that a donation requires to make it suitable for distribution. At In Kind Direct we receive all shapes and sizes of goods, donated from companies across the UK, arriving in all manner of assortments and arrangements. The cost of receiving, sorting and preparing these products varies greatly.
• The cost of transporting the item. Bulky or heavy items are expensive to transport. A higher charge may be applied to bulky or heavy items to contribute to some of the additional costs of transporting these items both into and out of our warehouse.
• Supply and Demand - Some items are more popular than others. A lower charge may be applied to less popular items to ensure that they move through our warehouse. Charges for more popular goods may be set at a higher level in order to contribute towards the costs of handling the entire range of products across the catalogue.

- Why can’t In Kind Direct offer goods for free?

The charges for providing goods contribute to the costs associated with sourcing donations of goods, processing them at our warehouse, producing the online catalogue and delivering the goods to you. The charges also contribute to investment in improving the service, in developing new donor partnerships and continuously improving and growing the service we offer. We are committed to keeping the charges as low as possible. In the longer term, our strategy is to increase the savings made by organisations using our service.

- Why are charges for providing computers and other technology products set differently to other items on the catalogue?

Computers and laptops generally are not donated to In Kind Direct but are available on the In Kind Direct catalogue because of deals we’ve negotiated with selected partner companies. For more information on these products, please see our partner products page.

Each order you place must be at least £20 in total before VAT, and after any discount.

Unwanted goods cannot be returned, unless we are at fault in delivering the wrong goods in which case you must notify us within 7 days of the delivery. In all other circumstances we are unable to exchange any goods.

You should examine all goods on receipt. Should you receive goods which are broken or do not function, or you are missing items from your order, you should advise In Kind Direct within seven days from receipt. You can do this by telephone (0300 3020200) or online by clicking Customer Service once you are logged in to the catalogue. Please send us photos, if possible, since you will probably have signed to say the goods were received in good condition.

In Kind Direct cannot accept responsibility for problems reported to us after seven days from receipt.

Although you can browse the catalogue without logging in, to view charges for providing goods and place orders you must log in by entering your user name and password in the boxes provided on the log-in page.

If you have forgotten your password you can request to have it sent to you by email. Please enter your e-mail address and follow the instructions on screen.

If your account information cannot be retrieved online please call us to have your account reset.

The main contact person for your organisation will be assigned the access level of Account Controller. This person may then log-in to the online catalogue and create further accounts for other members of staff. This is done in the My Account section of the site.

If the new user's details are already held on our system you can simply assign them a password and access level to allow them to log in and use the catalogue. If not, then just enter their details in the boxes provided.

They will be sent an automated e-mail when their user account is created.
See our video tutorial on how to add new users.

Using the facilities in the Account section, you can view and manage the user accounts for your organisation. There are two levels of account with different permissions:

Account Controllers may add, remove and update any user accounts associated with their organisation.

Users of Order Authorisation level may view other user accounts but may only update their own account information.

All users may place orders

Please click here to read our privacy policy.

We need your help to protect everyone that uses and benefits from In Kind Direct. Please ensure that your staff, volunteers and service users know the importance of In Kind Direct’s Terms and Conditions and the potential consequences of breaking them.

We take any breaches of our Terms and Conditions very seriously and investigate any suspicion that products are not being used appropriately.

Please click here to read our terms and conditions.

Please be assured that any credit or debit card details you provide will be processed, transmitted and stored with the utmost care and security.

All credit and debit card payments made on this website are processed by Sage Pay, our payment service provider. In Kind Direct does not store your card details on the site and all transactions are encrypted between your browser and the secure server. No personal or financial details are left unencrypted on a remote server, and such details are never sent by e-mail.

The partnership with Sage Pay means the In Kind Direct can safely process your card payment through your bank, and complete the transaction securely behind protected firewalls.

If you would like to make a donation or if your organisation is ever offered a donation of new goods which you cannot accept, or is more than you need, please call our Donations Department on 0300 30 20 243 (or ask the company involved to call us). Thank you.

Call us between 09.00am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday on 0300 3020200 or e-mail us at info@inkinddirect.org. Click here for more contact information.

PLEASE HELP US TO GET YOU MORE!

Please help In Kind Direct to encourage additional giving by sending in thank you notes and appropriate photos of the donated goods being used.

All correspondence should be addressed to the donor company, but sent to In Kind Direct. We will then forward it on to the appropriate donor.

If you would like to offer feedback about any part of our service, please contact us at the above address or call 0300 3020200 or info@inkinddirect.org. We welcome your views are always seeking ways of improving our service.