Frequently

Frequently Asked Questions + T&C’s

QUESTIONS FOR THE QUEEN?

Where are your snow globes manufactured?

From my office in Melbourne, Australia I work directly with all clients to agree on their snow globe design, and all initial 2D designs are created free of charge by myself, or by my graphic design assistant Alvin.

Once the design concept is agreed on, we brief the project to my team, including our 3D designer. We then create a fully rendered concept of the inner design and base, so that you can review from every angle before signing off. Once the full design is confirmed, the project is then briefed to my specialist manufacturing team based in Xiamen, China. The team takes over production of an initial sample, and following on from that, they produce the larger order for shipment direct to clients. I engage a fully independent team member in Shanghai; Frank is on hand to personally inspect our production line. He also completes a Quality Assessment report for each project, prior to shipment. All clients are requested to sign off on this report, providing complete reassurance that the promised quality and results are of the highest standard.

Snow globes are not produced in any reasonable quantity or quality anywhere other than China. Snow Globes require incredibly unique engineering and highly specialised equipment to ensure no air bubbles and a long-lasting, water-tight globe that will last a life-time.

There are many low-cost snow globe manufacturers in China – my team is not one of them. Wages and conditions are the highest on offer for this field of work and specialists are required for hand sculpting, hand painting and hand assembly. My team and I have a close working relationship and our focus is always on the highest quality output.

We are embarking on doing some small quantity production in the United States from late 2023. This will be utilising full colour 3D design and printing, and I’m excited about where this will lead us.

Do you make single custom snow globes?

Queen Of Snow Globes is unable to produce single custom snow globes for sale. Snow globes are quite technical in terms of their engineering, and for this reason, to preserve the quality of my output, I only specialise in producing quantities of 500 globes or more. We are working on some smaller production capabilities in the United States, as of late 2023.

If you are looking for a single custom piece, please contact Lisa at “It’s A Snow Day”: lisa@itsasnowday.com and tell her The Queen referred you.

What is your pricing range?

The price per globe and/or glass ornament is highly dependent on how many pieces you order, the size and how you require them to be shipped to you. You can see some pricing indications and much more info here. As a rough indication, an order of 500 globes in the 100mm diameter size will cost about $35 USD per globe, plus shipping costs. This size globe sells on average for about $79 USD or more at retail. For a personal quote based on your required quantities and design concept, just complete my quote request form.

How long does production take?

Quantity orders take between 90-120 days from our first agreement on the design, until mass production is completed. You can also see a more detailed outline of the production process here. Request a quote to receive my full Client Deck and a personalised schedule.

Can you include a music box?

Custom music boxes can definitely be incorporated in your snow globes, along with other cool features such as lights, rotating settings and auto-snow-blowing functions! However it’s important to note that music boxes are often readily available only in very traditional tunes, due to copyright restrictions. If a music box is not already produced, you will need to provide me with the copyright release and music notation in order to get custom music boxes made and fitted. They are an additional cost to the snow globes.

Do you repair broken snow globes?

No, I don’t repair snow globes but my best recommendation is to contact Herb Rabbin in California, who specializes in snow globe repairs and restoration. Herb’s email address is globerepair@earthlink.net. Tell him The Queen sent you!

Do you sell the snow globes you make?

Generally my company produces custom designs in direct collaboration with clients. This means that if a design is being produced for public sale, it will be sold by the client, and not by my company. If you are looking to purchase any of the snow globes in my project gallery, you would be best getting in touch with the listed client directly, as I am not able to sell these pieces. I am working on some designs and products for sale to the public from mid 2024, so stay tuned!

Got more questions that aren't answered here? You can find answers to almost everything you could imagine on my Snow Globe and Christmas Ornament pages, which you can access from the top main menu above. Feel free to complete the request forms on either page to receive a free personalized quote and no obligation consultation, plus direct contact from me ~ Leah, Queen Of Snow Globes

The Queen’s Terms & Conditions

Shipping & Delivery

I will do my best to ensure your Snow Globes are shipped within 2 days of completion and on receipt of full payment, which will be confirmed with you at that time. I will always communicate with you on receipt of your order to let you know when you can expect delivery, and for air freight deliveries I also provide a tracking number so you can monitor the delivery at your own leisure. Please note that sometimes there may be delays with your delivery that may be beyond my control (e.g. Public Holiday, Post Strike Action, Peak Season Deliveries)

Privacy & Security

In terms of correspondence, all emails sent from The Queen Of Snow Globes will be from emails ending with “@queenofsnowglobes.com”. I will never ask for your credit card or payment details via email, and should you feel that you have received a fraudulent email, or you receive an email from a different address above claiming to be “Queen Of Snow Globes”, please do not respond and send an email immediately to thequeen(at)queenofsnowglobes.com. I will never share your email address with any third parties.

Breakages/Damaged In Transit

As the Queen Of Snow Globes, I’m committed to bringing you the highest quality hand-made snow globes.

Whilst all snow globes are handled and packed with the utmost care, there may be occurrences where the product or box/es may be damaged in transit with couriers or postal services. Full insurance and tracking is included in your purchase regardless of where you live, so if your product arrives with defects or damage due to mishandling of the box, I will produce or provide a replacement globe/s at no charge. In the case of box damage, you must retain all the packaging and the damaged snow globe so that I can make a claim with the relevant carrier. After that claim is made, I will arrange for you to send back the damaged goods to me, at no cost to you.

If you receive your globes and there is an issue with any of the globes, but no visible box damage, please contact me immediately via email thequeen(at)queenofsnowglobes.com to discuss the issue. Please rest assured I will always go out of my way to make sure you are happy with your purchase, no matter what the issue.

Warranty

By their very nature, snow globes are quite inclined to develop air bubbles over time. Usually if a snow globe is produced completely free of any (even tiny) air bubbles, it will stay that way for many years, as long as it’s not displayed in direct sunlight or consistently high temperatures. In addition, very cold temperatures and/or high elevation can cause the water to contract, sometimes causing temporary air bubbles. Often in this case, the bubble will disappear when the globe returns to normal temperatures and/or elevations.

I am 100% committed to sending your globe/s only when they are completely free of any air bubbles – this is why we always let snow globes rest for a few days before shipping. Often bubbles will develop that need to be filled during that time, which we always do prior to shipping and as part of our QC process. This is my Zero Air Bubble guarantee which is unmatched by any of my competitors. If you take delivery and any of your globes have visible air bubbles, I will refund or replace those pieces. Please take date and time-stamped photos after unpacking and I will be ready to help.

It is possible that with differing temperatures and elevations around the world, globes could develop an air bubble after delivery. The bubble will grow faster if the globe is kept in direct sunlight and/or high temperatures. In very cold temperatures air bubbles, temporary or permanent, can also develop due to contraction of the water.

It’s important if your globes are being delivered in Winter, and you are located in sub-zero temperatures, that you track the delivery and make sure the globes are not left outside on your door-step at the point of delivery. Snow globes do contain anti-freeze and are capable of resisting freezing for about 4-6 hours, in very low temperatures. We have seen them freeze before though, so please do be vigilant with delivery in these situations.

The inner setting is sealed and the water contains a formaldehyde solution to prevent any mould or fungus growing inside the globe. Also, in a sealed environment with no air, it is highly unlikely that this will occur. However, the sealed water environment can be volatile, so if it does occur within the first 12 months of your purchase, please let me know and I will assess the issue and offer options for repair.

For any issues from 12 months onwards, please let me know and I will always endeavour to provide a suitable and fair solution.

Change of Mind Returns

Due to the highly individual and custom nature of my work, there is no refund available if you change your mind after purchase. Returns and credits are only applicable for globes that are delivered broken, damaged or defective in some way.

Payment & Pricing

Queen Of Snow Globes accepts the following forms of payment:

Bank Transfer to my US account – no fees for wire transfers to my USD account, however if your bank charges a fee at point of payment, that should be covered by you during the payment process. You should check with your bank as to their charges if you intend to make a wire transfer.
Bank Transfer to my AUD account – no fees for wire transfers to my AUD account, however if your bank charges a fee at point of payment, that should be covered by you during the payment process. You should check with your bank as to their charges if you intend to make a wire transfer.

Paypal – you can use your credit card or bank account to pay securely via Paypal, even without having a Paypal account. If you wish to pay for a bulk order project via Paypal, a 2.6% fee will be added at the final stage of purchase to cover the cost of Paypal’s service.
Credit Card – credit card payment is available on request, and will incur a 2.6% fee to cover the cost of bank fees.

At the times of listing, prices are correct and up-to-date. Queen Of Snow Globes reserves the right to make price adjustments on products and shipping without prior notice to consumers. As there are many 3rd party “Price Comparison” websites that display information gathered from shopping websites, Queen Of Snow Globes does not work or give direct information about our products and prices to them, and all quoted prices on their sites should be confirmed on this website to be sure.