Looking for a quick answer? These are the questions I get most often. For exact legal terms, current policies and product-specific information take precedence.
Ordering & Payment
What currency do you use?
Undercover Otter's base store currency is EUR. Currency conversion tools may show prices in another currency for convenience. The final currency and amount shown at checkout are the amount you agree to pay.
Which payment methods do you accept?
The payment methods available to you are shown at checkout. They can vary depending on your country, currency, device, and the payment services currently available.
How do VAT, taxes, and import duties work?
Taxes and import charges depend on the destination and how the shipment is imported. Some taxes or duties may be collected at checkout, while others may be charged by customs or the carrier when the parcel enters your country.
Read the full Taxes & Duties information.
Can I use a discount code after I have paid?
No. Discount codes need to be entered before payment is completed, so please check your cart and checkout before placing the order.
Can I change or combine orders after placing them?
Contact me as soon as possible and I will see what is still possible. Changes and combined shipping are not guaranteed, and are generally no longer possible once an order has been processed or shipped.
Shipping
Where do you ship?
Undercover Otter ships to most destinations where a suitable shipping service is currently available. Availability can change because of carrier, customs, tax, legal, or other restrictions. The shipping methods offered for your address at checkout are the most reliable indication of whether I can currently ship to you.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping is calculated at checkout based on the destination, parcel weight or size, available service, and applicable shipping profile. Free shipping may be available for some destinations above a certain order value.
When will my order ship?
Ready-to-ship orders normally leave the studio within 2 to 5 working days, Monday through Friday. Dyed-to-order, made-to-order, pre-order, club, and other products that require production or preparation can have different lead times. The timing shown on the relevant product page applies to those products.
How long does delivery take?
Typical delivery estimates after you receive your shipping confirmation are:
- Netherlands: 2 to 5 working days
- Europe: 1 to 2 weeks
- North America: 3 to 8 weeks
- Asia and Australia: 3 to 8 weeks
These are estimates, not guaranteed delivery dates. Customs processing, carrier delays, peak periods, strikes, severe weather, and other circumstances can affect transit times.
Is tracking included?
Orders fulfilled directly by Undercover Otter are shipped with tracking. Your tracking information is included in the shipping confirmation. International parcels may be transferred to a local postal or delivery service after leaving the Netherlands.
What if my parcel appears to be missing?
If your parcel is substantially overdue or tracking has stopped updating for an extended period, contact me. A delayed parcel is not automatically considered lost. Where appropriate, I will contact the carrier and open a missing-parcel investigation.
Read the current Shipping Policy.
Can I pick up my order at the studio?
No. The dye studio is a production workspace and is not open to the public.
Returns & Cancellations
Can I return an order?
That depends on where the order was delivered and what you bought. EU customers have statutory withdrawal rights, while customers outside the EU are covered by Undercover Otter's voluntary return policy. Exclusions can apply to products made to your specifications, personalized products, digital content, and other products covered by a legal exception.
Please do not send anything back before checking the applicable return process. Read the current Returns & Refunds Policy or use the Withdrawal and Cancellation page.
Can I cancel a pre-order or dyed-to-order item?
Contact me as soon as possible. Cancellation is not guaranteed simply because an item has not shipped yet. Dyed-to-order, made-to-order, personalized, and other products produced to your specifications may be excluded from the standard right of withdrawal where the law allows. Pre-orders and other advance-purchase products can also have their own terms.
Can I exchange something because I changed my mind?
Undercover Otter does not offer a general exchange service. If your order has not shipped yet, contact me and I will see whether a change is still possible. After delivery, the current return policy applies. Defective, damaged, or incorrectly supplied products are handled separately.
Yarn & Products
How should I care for hand-dyed yarn?
Gentle washing is recommended for hand-dyed yarn and finished projects. The exact care depends on the fiber content and finish of the yarn base, so check the information for the specific yarn you bought.
Read the complete Caring for Hand Dyed Yarn guide.
Is it normal for hand-dyed yarn to bleed a little?
A small amount of residual color can sometimes appear during the first wash, particularly with very saturated or speckled colorways. The yarn care guide explains bleeding, crocking, rinsing, and what you can do if it happens. If the bleeding seems excessive, contact me.
Will two skeins of the same colorway match exactly?
No two hand-dyed skeins can be guaranteed to be identical. I use repeatable recipes and careful measurements, but small-batch dyeing naturally creates variation in shade, saturation, speckling, and color placement. For larger projects, buy enough yarn at the same time where possible and alternate skeins every few rows if you want the variation to blend more evenly.
What if I need more skeins than are currently in stock?
If the colorway is repeatable and the yarn base is available, I may be able to dye a batch for you. Check the available dyed-to-order options or contact me if you need a larger quantity.
I found a knot or mill join in my yarn. Is that a defect?
Not necessarily. Yarn is made from finite lengths at the mill, so an occasional knot, splice, or joined length can occur. Skeins are checked during several stages of production, but I cannot guarantee that every skein will be completely join-free. If the yarn appears genuinely damaged or unusable, contact me with your order number and a photo.
Why can't I check out with both a set and the last single item from that set?
Some sets and individual products share the same physical inventory. If both items in your cart are trying to use the final available unit, Shopify prevents checkout so the same stock cannot be sold twice. Remove the duplicate single item from the cart, or contact me if you need help with the quantity.
What does a certification shown for a yarn base mean?
A certification shown for a yarn base may apply to the undyed yarn as supplied by the mill or wholesaler. Hand dyeing is an additional production step. A certification held by the undyed base does not automatically mean that the finished hand-dyed yarn carries the same certification unless that is explicitly stated.
Dyed to Order
What does Dyed to Order mean?
Dyed to Order means I will be dyeing the selected skeins for you after you place the order.
Why would I want that?
- In case the colorway is sold out.
- In case you wanted 3, but there are only 2 available on the site.
- If you are making a sweater and need all of your skeins from the same dyebath.
- You like the idea of making this yarn goblin dye just for you.
Why do some new releases allow single-skein Dyed to Order orders?
For some new releases, I may temporarily accept Dyed to Order requests from just 1 skein. Because I am already planning production runs for those new colorways, individual orders can be grouped together into those batches.
Why do established colorways have a 3 skein minimum?
For established colorways, Dyed to Order is normally offered with a 3 skein minimum. My dye recipes are developed around batches of 3 skeins, which gives me the most reliable color placement, saturation, and consistency from one dyebath to the next.
So the minimum is not about making you buy more yarn than you need. It is simply the batch size that works best for regular production.
How long does it take you to dye them?
That depends on my workload and commitments. Dyed to Order skeins will ship as fast as I can dye them, but it can take up to 4 weeks for your custom dyed order to ship.
Is every colorway repeatable?
Nope. Dyed to Order is only offered on listings where I’m confident I can reproduce that colorway on the selected base.
There are a few reasons a colorway/base combo might not be available:
- The yarn base isn't available to me anymore, or has a very long delivery time.
- The pigments used for the colorway aren't stable enough to rely on them always being identical. I've had to reformulate Citadel multiple times in 15 years.
- It was a one-of-a-kind colorway and I have no recipe.
Basically: if you don’t see the Dyed to Order option, that colorway is currently only available as Ready to Ship.
Discounts
What is the Anti Fat-Tax discount?
Purchases of 6 or more qualifying skeins are eligible for a 10% discount using code AntiFatTax at checkout. Qualifying skeins can be mixed between bases and colorways.
Some yarns are excluded, including yarn that has been priced down, dyed-to-order yarn, subscriptions, and Yarn Box yarns. Read the current Anti Fat-Tax details.
I'm straight-sized. Can I still use Anti Fat-Tax?
Yes. I do not police anyone's body size. If your qualifying yarn purchase meets the discount requirements, you can use the code.
Working With Undercover Otter
I own a yarn shop. Can I stock Undercover Otter?
Yes, depending on production capacity and whether the shop is a good fit. Use the Wholesale Application to tell me about your shop.
Do you offer yarn support or collaborations?
I work with designers and other creative partners when the project is a good fit and production capacity allows it. Read the collaboration information or contact me with the project details.
Which languages can I contact you in?
You can contact me in English or Dutch. The original store content is written in English. Translated storefront content is provided for convenience and may not always reflect every nuance perfectly, so please contact me if anything seems unclear or inconsistent.
Do you use generative AI?
Undercover Otter does not choose to use generative AI for the creative process, product development, dyeing, marketing copy, customer service, or business decision-making. Some third-party software may contain automated or AI-powered features outside my control.
How quickly will I get a reply?
Undercover Otter is a one-person business, so please allow up to a week for a reply. If your question is about an order, include the order number. If you are looking for tracking information, please check the shipping confirmation first.