Q: Do you have a store near me?

A: Carolina Rustica is, in fact, a small operation based in Concord, NC with only one store. In May 2008, we greatly expanded our retail store, tripling our floor space. We are now located in a 100-year old textile plant that has been redeveloped for high-end retail. This location, Gibson Mill, will help us better serve you by providing many more opportunities to show our suppliers' products. Our new address is: 325 McGill Ave, Suite 175, Concord, NC 28027. You can get driving directions by clicking here, and you can see some photos of our great new store by clicking here. This new space, because of its size, also allows us to show some fantastic abstract paintings by famed artist Han Cashion, who showed in one of our previous locations in downtown Charlotte. You can see some of her paintings on display by clicking here.

At this time, we have no plans to open any more stores, but you never know!

Q: Why do I have to call or email for prices?

A: Carolina Rustica is committed to our suppliers and we respect their marketing policies. The internet has changed the dynamics of furniture shopping, and many high-end manufacturers do not want prices shown to minimize the disruption to their valued dealer networks. As a stocking dealer as well as an online retailer, we appreciate the value these policies have in keeping a "level playing field" among all dealers.

Q: What are Lead Times all about?

A: Lead times are the estimated time it takes from when you place your order to the time it gets delivered to the customer. These are our best estimations based on what the manufacturer tells us it will be, plus the time it takes for us to process the order and the manufacturer to process the order and ship it. Delivery times can also vary depending on the shipper, time of year and weather conditions to and from the shipping areas. We strive to place accurate lead times on our site in each of the product details. Again, these our the best estimations based on the information we have on hand.

Q: I am uncertain about making such a large purchase over the internet without having first seen your product. Where can I see your products? Do you have any stores in my area?

A: For those of you within driving distance of the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area, we invite you to visit our newly expanded showroom located in the just-renovated Gibson Mill in Concord, NC (click for directions). We are particularly excited about this showroom as it allows us to showcase some of our most popular, in-demand product lines, like Bob Timberlake and Trump Home from Lexington, Palecek, Fine Art Lamps, Wesley Allen and more. Click here for pictures of our new retail store

Carolina Rustica represents dozens of brand-name manufacturers. We are authorized dealers for every line that we sell. Other competing stores near you may carry the same lines, but we do not have specific information as to who they are and what they have in stock. That being said, we will do everything we can to familiarize yourself with our products and to make sure you have complete information before you order from us.

Q: What other assurances do you have that the furniture will meet my expectations?

A: Every day, we ship furniture, beds, and lighting all over the country. Most of our customers buy from us "sight unseen" because of our detailed product knowledge, product descriptions, and unconditional customer satisfaction pledge. We stand behind our wrought iron furniture 100%, and want to make sure you have a good experience doing business with us.

Q. Why buy from Carolina Rustica?

A: Over the twelve years we have been in continuous operation, we have developed an outstanding portfolio of leading brands in the field of furniture and lighting. We feel truly proud and honored to represent companies such as Lexington Home Brands, Charleston Forge, Wesley Allen, Hubbardton Forge, Currey & Co., Casablanca and many, many more. It is our belief that you will find no finer furnishings, home accents, or lighting products anywhere for such competative pricing. We strive to make your purchase as easy as possible, from our great customer service staff to our product guarantees. We want to provide you with as much information as possible before your purchase. It is our belief that an educated customer is a happy customer, and to that end we try to provide as much product informatin as possible on our site. Please take a look at some of our Customer Testimonials as well as our Customer Service Policies to see how this ethos is put into action. You can also check our ratings on Amazon.com, one of our marketing partners where we sell products. We are an organization completely committed to the customer.

Q: When will my credit card be charged?

A:When you order through our shopping cart or over the phone, in most cases you will be charged in full. We keep many of our products in stock and are able to ship out most within 10 days. However, some items with custom-ordered finishes or upgrades may take longer. We will always state the projected lead time on the product to prepare you for the anticipated wait. In some cases of long lead times or very large orders, you may request that your order be charged a 50% deposit instead of 100% in advance. Products from Lexington Home Brands, Johnston Casuals, Thayer-Coggin, Charleston Forge, Palecek, Bauer, Lexington, Padma's Plantation, and Corsican are all eligible for a 50% deposit.

Q: What is your return policy?

A: We want you to enjoy doing business with us and to be delighted with your product, plain and simple. If you are not satisfied with your for any reason, we will gladly replace the product or refund the cost of your purchase. However, certain terms and conditions apply. If you decide to return your purchase, you will be responsible for freight costs. If you are exchanging an item, or returning one item that is part of a larger order, we will typically waive any kind of restocking fee. We may apply a restocking charge equivalent to 10% of the purchase price for returns of certain items that are not exchanges or part of a larger order. Some items, such as Clearance items and Custom items, are not eligible for returns. Returned beds may be charged a 25% restocking fee. You have up to 30 days to request a refund or exchange. In both cases, you must contact Carolina Rustica Customer Service to obtain a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA). You may contact Customer Service at 800-205-7819 or

Please see our Customer Service section on Returns and Cancellations for more information.

We are sorry, but this does not apply to custom items, which require a 100% prepayment.

Q: What about site security? How will you protect my information?

A: The security and integrity of our site, our processes, and our people is one of our top priorities. Due to greater concern of identity theft and unauthorized use of credit card information, we have dedicated an entire page to these issue which you can find by clicking on this link. We have also passed an extensive security audit mandated by our card processing banks. This audit examined both our physical (office) security and our systems security.

We DO NOT sell, lease, or make available to third parties your personal information. This information is kept internally, although we may use it to send occasional newsletters or special offers. You can very easily opt out of these infrequent emails if you wish. Please see our Privacy Statement for more information. When you transmit your information to us via the internet, it is via an encrypted server on the last page where your card information is actually input. If you cannot see the small yellow lock on that page, you should activate your status bar under "View" in your Explorer options. We use a 128-bit encrypted server with an SSL certificate (your guarantee of safe shopping) issued by Verisign, the leader in SSL Certification

We also physically protect your information from being misused. We are a small company of ten employees, all carefully screened before employment. Customer information is kept in locked files with limited accessibility, and our office is fully alarmed. Customer card information is destroyed in a shredder when we have processed your transaction. We are probably more secure than many other business who collect such information.

Q: There is a supplier (or product) I am interested in but I don't see it on your site. Can you still get it for me?

A: Some of our best suppliers were recommended to us by our customers! So yes, most likely we can get the product you are looking for. With our national distribution and growing business, we are increasingly able to negotiate with non-regular suppliers to get the product you want. At a minimum, we will try to help you find it elsewhere if we cannot get it for you. If you are looking for a product from an existing supplier on our site, and cannot find it, please inquire by calling 800-205-7819. It may be discontinued or it may be a new product we have not put on our site yet.

Q: Do you sell components or replacement parts?

A: It is our policy to sell components or replacement parts to existing customers. Replacement parts sales are extremely time-consuming and we do this a service for our existing customers. We do not replace P & P seats if bought through another dealer, nor do we replace lighting or kitchen components when the item is purchase through another dealer other than Carolina Rustica.

Q: What if something goes wrong with shipping?

A: It is an unfortunate fact that, once in a great while, products may get damaged at the factory or in transit. If your order arrives and there is obvious, visible damage to one or more of the boxes, please refuse receipt of those boxes and notify us immediately. You will not be held responsible for any damages, but signing that a box was received damage helps us immensely in the claims process. If your order consists of several boxes, it is okay to accept the undamaged boxes and refuse the damaged ones . We will have the manufacturer send a replacement and we will handle the shipping issues on our end. Typically, these replacement orders take much less time than the original order. Please see our shipping section for more detailed information on shipping.

Q: Why does it take so long to get my furniture?

A: While we do keep a good inventory of items in our retail store, it is impossible to predict who will order what. This means that in many cases, your order will have to be hand-forged by the blacksmith just for you! We quote lead times of 4 to 6 weeks because there are many steps involved in getting the product to you before and after its made. However, your order may actually be shipped earlier than our quoted lead times. We will always let you know when it ships.

Q: I see that you accept all major credit cards, but what if I want to pay by check?

A: No problem! After you place your order, just mail us a check for the full amount of your balance within 3 days of placing your order. Your check will clear before the furniture is shipped out. Personal checks are okay.

Q. What if I realize that I want inside delivery of my order?

A: It is extremely important that customers understand we charge very very low freight because 1. we absorb much of the freight costs ourselves, and 2. we have contract with our carriers for "curbside delivery" only. If you want enhanced service such as inside delivery, you have two options. If your order has not shipped, you can contact us beforehand and we will give you a quote on the enhanced service. Typically, for inside deliveries, a $50 surcharge applies. If your order has already shipped, you will have to work with the trucking company directly, as you will be paying the driver when he arrives. We will always give you all the necessary contact information for the trucking company beforehand.

Q: Do you sell to the trade (designers, architects, etc)?

A: Absolutely, but you need to provide us with proper documentation. Please call us at 800-205-7819 for more information.

Q: What if I want actual samples of the iron or wood finish?

A: We get hundreds of requests for finish samples for customers who would like to "touch and feel" before they make their purchase. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to mail out actual physical samples to all those who desire them. In many cases, our suppliers simply do not make samples, as the digital photography they use is very accurate. We want to make sure our customers make the right choices, and will do everything we can to provide you with descriptions to help make that process easier. In limited situations, we can mail out samples, but the varies with suppliers and availability. You must have already placed an order to receive a sample.

Q. What if I decide I don't want the product when I receive it?

A: We highly recommend that if you have doubts about your order, you cancel it before it is shipped. Otherwise, if you refuse the shipment when it arrives, you will be responsible for all shipping costs and a possible restocking fee. We will refund you the product cost less these charges. Please see our Customer Service section on Returns and Cancellations for more information.

Q. My order was declined. Why?

A: There are two possibilities. The first is that there is a mismatch between your actual billing address and what you have input into the order form. This is known as an AVS mismatch. An AVS mismatch can also occur if the CVV code (the three or four digit number on your card that is not part of the actual credit card number) is not input accurately.

It is important to understand that in the event of an AVS mismatch, your credit card may still be authorized for the purchase amount. An authorization is NOT a purchase. No funds have been charged to your card, but rather, the those funds has been temporarily made unavailable. This funding hold will be removed after five (5) to seven (7) days. This is the issuing bank (your credit card issuer) policy to first authorize then funding hold and then verify address information with our payment processor, Authorize.net. If your purchase transaction has not been successful due to an AVS mismatch, we can release this funding hold by calling your issuing bank, but you will need to provide us with complete contact information.

The second reason for a declined order is unavailable funds. Your purchase may exceed your card-issuing banks credit limit. In the case of debit cards, you may have a daily spending limitation imposed by your issuing bank.

Q: I live close to your Concord, NC store but don't have a truck to take my purchase home with me. Do you provide local delivery?

A: YES, we do have the ability to deliver items to our local North Carolina customers.

Since we can now use our truck for residential deliveries, and we know that there is a much lower chance of things going wrong with our own truck than with a common carrier, we want to encourage shipments to customers from our store and warehouse that are close to our Concord location.

Here are our local shipping charges:
• If the delivery location is in a 1 hour (50 mile) radius, and they order from us EITHER in the store or over the phone, their shipping charge is $75.00
• If the delivery location is in a 2 hour (100 mile) radius, the same rule applies but shipping is $95.00. We will ship to Raleigh/Durham for $115.00.

**Items that qualify for FREE SHIPPING also ship free on a local basis**

All delivery options include inside delivery. We will not set-up.

Items may be picked up in the store that are ordered off the web site. Items that ship to the store VIA UPS will be no extra charge to you, items that ship VIA Common Carrier will incur an upcharge of $40.00.

In order to take advantage of the lower delivery charges, you must order over the phone (800.205.7819) or visit our store.

Q: Do you gift wrap items for holidays or special occasions?

A:This holiday season, 2008, we will be offering gift wrap for an additional $5.00 per parcel on items that ship directly from our warehouse. However, we do not offer any gift wrapping services for our items that ship directly from the manufacturer to the customer. Quick Ship and Clerance items are always in-stock and we can provide wrapping services for these products.