Age Checks
If your order does not contain an age-restricted item!
We will not require any ID to complete your order.
If your order contains an age-restricted item!
We are legally required to check a customer's age in accordance with UK laws. To confirm your age and identity we require a legal document containing both a picture of you and a reference to your date of birth; this includes documents like a Drivers License, Passport or in some cases a firearms or shotgun certificate.
Alternatively, we need to be able to find you on the public electoral roll using your exact name and address. This just involves searching the details you provide against a national database of over 18's. We must find an exact match at your address to use this method.
If you're sending a gift to friends or family, we will also require a copy of their ID document as well.
'We reserve the right to notify the police of any orders which appear to be an attempt to break the law or raise other concerns to us. We reserve the right to decline any order at our absolute discretion.
Age verification
Please be aware that we use AgeChecked, a third-party Age Verification software provider, for any orders that contain age-restricted products. This complies with our legal obligation to ensure that we are not allowing minors to purchase age-restricted items from our website. AgeChecked Ltd do not store any personal data and all accounts are anonymised and private.
Providing your ID is really simple...
The whole process is quick and easy, simply take a photo of your license or passport using your mobile phone and then send it to us at sales@mountainsteel.co.uk. Once we have checked your information our warehouse team will despatch your order. If you've ordered with us before, we won't need to check your ID again unless your address or any other personal details change.
Please note, if you place your order, but then refuse or are unable to comply with our age checks or do not provide proof of age on request, we reserve the right to cancel your order and refund you minus a 20% restocking fee capped at £5. This helps us to cover the costs of running our age checks.
For more information please email us at sales@mountainsteel.co.uk.
Ensuring age-restricted items arrive in the right hands
In October 2017, the UK government consulted on changes to legislation to restrict the sale of knives and corrosive substances in response to an increase in serious crimes involving knives and ‘acid attacks’. In June 2018, the Home Secretary introduced the new Offensive Weapons bill, which received Royal Assent on 16th May 2019
The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 (‘OWA’) is coming into effect from 6th April 2022. From this date, couriers are legally not permitted to deliver age-restricted items unless the Age Verification (‘AV’) service is used.
Under the OWA, if an item is sold via the internet, the seller must check the buyer is not under 18 at the point of sale and take steps to ensure bladed items are not delivered into the hands of someone under 18.
What this means about your deliveries
From the 6th April 2022*
All orders containing age-restricted items will now require an Age Verification delivery service. This means you will now need to prove that you are aged 18 or over unless you clearly look over 25. You will also be asked to sign for the item before it is handed to you.
Changes to our service
Age verified delivery costs £5.95. Orders can be collected directly from our warehouse or if you spend £60+ you will receive free delivery. You will be notified at the time of purchase that proof of age is still required at the point of delivery.
What you will need
Only a valid Passport or Driving Licence will be accepted by the couriers. If the item is delivered to a neighbour they will also need to provide valid ID (Passport or Driving Licence).
How our Age Verified order process works...
Placing your order
Once you place your order you'll receive an email confirming your order has been received.
Our Age Checks
First, we check your details with AgeChecked our third party software to confirm your age. If you do not pass we will request ID from you directly.
Age Confirmed
When your age has been confirmed we will ship you order via the Royal Mail's Age Verified Delivery Service.
Keeping you informed
You will receive SMS updates regarding your order, containing delivery details.
Receiving your order
You will need to produce a driving license or passport to receive your parcel unless you clearly look older than 25 years old.
If you're not going to be in
Your parcel will need to be collected from your local sorting office, where proof of ID will need to be shown to receive your package.
Useful Points
Previously, if you change your address we would have required up-to-date address information but this is not needed now because of age-verified deliveries.
If you do not collect your parcel from the Royal Mail sorting office it will be returned to us and you will have to pay for re-delivery.
If you look under 25 years old and do not have ID (Driving License or Passport) your items cannot be delivered and your postage will not be refunded.
As per our policy, dropshipping orders to an address other than your own is strictly prohibited. However, you may opt to have your order shipped to a business address under your name after we have successfully completed the age verification process.
For returning customers with unchanged details, your order will be automatically processed and shipped without the need to go through the age verification process again.
Accurate Identification: When placing an order, it is imperative to use your full legal name, which must precisely match the identification provided. Using nicknames or shortened names may result in inaccurate age verification outcomes.
Failure to provide adequate proof of age or if the customer is under the age of 18 will result in a £5 administrative fee, as per our terms and conditions.
