Our ghosts are in high demand and we try our best to offer as much as we can online in way of large or small releases dependant on how much the workshop can accommodate at the time of year. Our priority are our shops here in York and maintaining the high standards of our unique and handmade product, which is still made in small batches. Despite our growing popularity we remain a small business and the rarity of our ghosts is not by design but by the restrictions of its production.

How do our online releases work?

We release batches of ghosts online on specified dates and times, these are usually announced via social media and email (if you have clicked yes to receive emails) a couple of days ahead of a release.

There are several ‘types’ of release:

Limited number releases have a set amount of ghosts for sale and once sold, are no longer available. These releases sell very quickly and are harder to obtain due to their nature.

Open releases honour each order made within the specified timeframe regardless of number, these releases do not require speed at the checkout and we try to offer them as often as we can.

Clandestine releases are not announced and happen at our discretion on any given time or day.

Recommendations for online sales

We recommend you set up a customer account with pre filled details, we cannot help you with this as your personal information should be private to you and no one else. Agreeing to receive emails will keep you appraised of our releases if you do not follow social media.

The speed of checkout is dependant on many factors and having an item in your basket does NOT secure that item. Purchases are only successful if money has been taken and a confirmation email sent.

Logging on at the correct time may not ensure you get a ghost if the release is limited. There will be hundreds of other customers doing the same and for this reason error messages and glitches may occur due to high traffic on the site.

Error Messages

We have recently found that customers are receiving error messages relating to an ID number which asks them to contact us. We do not know why this is and we cannot help in this instance. If you receive this message please do not contact us, it simply means the product has sold out and you were not successful. We are currently trying to resolve this issue with Squarespace.

Queue Fair

Due to the continuing instances of website errors and failed purchases we have experienced this year we have taken the decision to trial virtual queueing software.

This software is designed to ease the stress placed on our website during online releases and to ensure none of our customers experience glitches regarding payments or ordering.

What is Queue Fair and why are you using it?

Queue Fair is a virtual queueing system we will be using for our online releases moving forward from summer 2023. The system lets us have a high number of customers access our site all at the same time without experiencing the error messages, glitches and payment issues which have become increasingly common as the demand for our ghosts increases.

We will announce our use of Queue Fair ahead of releases to keep you better informed and prepared.

How does it work?

When you access our website for an online release at the specified time, instead of going straight to the shop page, you will be directed into a virtual waiting room. There you will be told your number in the queue and the wait time expected. The programme then lets a number of customers through every minute so that the website doesn’t become overloaded. If there are a small number of ghosts and a large amount of people all trying to access the shop page at the same time, you may find that your queue number is bigger than the amount of ghosts available. This will allow you to decide whether to wait it out or leave the website.

Once you access the shop page, we would urge you to complete your purchase quickly as you would have done before. You will have 5 minutes to complete your purchase but if the amount of ghosts is small, the people being let in after you may still be able to get a ghost before you if they are quicker or you spend time filling in details- this only applies to limited releases.

The actual queue is first come first served, which is how the old system worked too, this just means that customers who want to purchase and get through to checkout, aren’t then kicked out or sent error messages instead of being able to purchase through technical issues.

If we have a PRE SALE page enabled, this works a little differently…

PRE SALE

If we use the Pre Sale setting, when you try to access our site BEFORE the allotted time, you will be placed in a Pre Sale waiting room- this is NOT first come first served. This will allocate everyone also in the Pre Sale area a random place in a queue before anyone else joining at the allotted time. In theory this would mean you are at the front of the queue, but if 1000 are also in Pre Sale and only 500 ghosts are available (for example) this will not feel like the front of the queue. We may use the Pre Sale function as a fairer way of selling certain ghosts as it means every customer in that Pre Sale page has an equal chance of getting a ghost regardless of browser function, internet speed or physical ability.

POST SALE.

After the sale you will see a page which informs you that the queue has ended and the product has sold out.