Especially when using a certain payment instrument for the first time, such as direct debit via paypal, it can happen that paypal manually checks individual transactions and these payment methods are not released until they have been approved by a clerk. In such cases you will receive information directly from Paypal and can choose another payment method in the order process, such as bank transfer.

We are also happy to take your order by phone or e-mail. Please provide us with the minimum information for an order. These are:

• Billing address
• Delivery address (if different from billing address)
• E-mail address (for order, billing and tracking information dispatch - no forwarding to the dispatch service provider)

For telephone and e-mail orders we can offer the prepayment by bank transfer and the classic Paypal payment.

Contact details for orders: shop@vehi-mercatus.de or +49 (0) 9923 4939818 (08:00-12:00 and 13:00-15:00 monday-friday)

First of all you will receive an order confirmation by e-mail to the e-mail address you have provided. We will receive your order at the same time. After receipt of payment, your order will be prepared, packed and shipped by us. Immediately available orders usually leave our warehouse on the same working day if they arrive before 10 a.m. Otherwise we ship the following day. During the shipping process you will receive a tracking number and tracking link via email after the packaging and labeling process. With this tracking number you can then track your delivery.

Please note the information about the expected delivery time on the article detail pages. The delivery times differ, since some articles require processing or preparation. For example the colouring of the hand dyed shoe models. Please note that the indication of the expected delivery time can only be given more precisely if you have logged in as a customer or have given your delivery address in the ordering process. The reason for this is that the delivery times of our shipping partner DHL vary depending on the country of delivery.

Currently unavailable items are not available for order and are displayed in the store as "item not available". Items that are no longer available for delivery are taken offline, so it can be assumed that a sold-out item that is still displayed as "item not available" will be available again in the future. When exactly we receive individual deliveries, we can not always predict exactly, because it depends on our suppliers and their order books. However, our store offers a convenient function:

After we receive an order for pickup, we pack your order into a pickup basket. After this is packed, we will contact you by email and arrange a pickup date together.The preparation of your pickup basket will take about 1-2 business days less than the delivery time indicated on the item detail page.

This service is offered for german and austrian customer addresses in the check out process due to practical reasons. However if you plan a trip and want to collect your order just mail or call us so we can arrange that.

The care for sheepskins is related to the tanning method.

There are various methods of preserving sheepskin by tanning. Depending on the tannery, the care instructions also differ.A distinction is made:

white tanning

Alum salt is used to preserve the coat. Alum is also known from deodorant or shaving stones or as an additive in the food industry. Characteristic for this tanning beard is the refined surface of the fur, as the tanning process is very gentle on the fur. The leather on the back is white, hence the name of the tan.

Red tannage/herbal tanning

Tannins from plants, mainly tree bark, are used to preserve the skins. This type of tanning is hardly used today, as the process takes a very long time and is therefore uneconomical. Brownish leather dyeing Fat tanningGrease is rolled into the leather to make it durable. Especially in the traditional costume sector, the so-called "Sämischgerbung" (Tran) is still used. Yellowish leather dyeing

Chrome tanning

ChromIII salts are used to make the coat durable. Chrome tanning has a bad reputation due to the resulting waste water and the EU-wide ban on chromeVI salts in leather with skin contact. However, it should be mentioned that in Europe only ChromiumIII salts are used in approved plants. Bluish-white leather dyeing

Medical or Relugan tanning

Relugan is a synthetic tanning agent from BASF, which is considered to be particularly safe. Medically tanned skins are therefore often referred to as "baby skins". Yellowish leather dyeing as well as fur dyeing

If you have purchased a coat from Vehi Mercatus, as mentioned above, it is either a white tanning or a medical tanning.

Care instructions for white tanning: White-tanned hides should be cleaned by mechanical or dry cleaning where possible. Mechanical cleaning means that the fur can be brushed, vacuumed or beaten. As a rule, this is sufficient as the wool grease contained in the fur, the so-called lanolin, has a self-cleaning effect.Particularly well suited for combing out dog brushes with burls on the tips. For basic cleaning, it is also recommended to lay the coat in winter, if possible with the side of the coat in the snow and pat it out, or in summer on a particularly hot day for an hour in the sun to clean the coat with UV radiation.Another cleaning option is dry chemical cleaning. For this purpose, please contact a cleaning company near you.White-tanned skins are not particularly suitable for washing, as the tanning agent has only limited water resistance, but it is possible. However, we recommend washing the fur as little as possible. On the one hand the sheep's hair tends to mat, on the other hand the leather becomes a little less supple/harder with every wash.Please use a special fur detergent for washing. The washing itself must be done by hand. This is gentle on the coat and the coat is not in the water as long as with machine washing.After washing, the coat should dry well spread out. Do not lay in the sun or on the radiator. From time to time, knead the leather and pull it long enough so that it does not become hard when dry. By kneading the leather, the remaining tanning agent is distributed and the leather becomes almost as it was before.Attention: The drying process can take 24-36 hours depending on the temperature etcWhite tanned hides can be washed about 3 times until the leather becomes very hard and rigid. So only use the wash as a last resort.After washing, the coat must be combed thoroughly to loosen tangles in the hair. Due to the strong tendency to felting, we only recommend washing short pile skins. Long-pile skins should always be cleaned mechanically and dry-cleaned only.

Care instructions medical tanning: Medically tanned skins are particularly easy to wash. Nevertheless, mechanical cleaning is also very effective and usually sufficient as described under white tanning.However, you can also wash the coat at 30°C in the wool wash cycle using a coat detergent. Do not spin-dry or tumble dry.Spread out to dry and pull into shape from time to time. Do not place in the sun or on the radiator. In spite of the good washability, the leather will also become slightly stiffer than before due to the washing process.Attention: The drying process can take 24-36 hours depending on temperature etc.

Our sheep wool blankets do not need to be washed per se as wool has self-cleaning properties and airing out in the fresh air from time to time should be sufficient to keep the blanket clean. However, washing is possible in principle. We recommend hand washing in the bathtub. When drying the blanket afterwards, it should be spread out over a large area and not hung up at specific points, as wool becomes very heavy when wet and the weight would otherwise distort the shape of the blanket or the weave. Wool detergent is suitable as a detergent additive. But keep in mind that the wool grease or lanolin contained in the detergent will be washed out more and more and that this wool grease actually has great properties which are lost by washing a lot.

The blanket loses hair/fibres, which is due to the fact that hand weaving is not as dense as modern industrial weaving and the wool fibre only has a certain length. That the blanket is a little bit hairy is therefore normal and is simply a part of this product.

Before the first use, the bucket should be oiled inside and out (paraffin oil [medicinal white oil, paraffinum liquidum] is recommended) and left to dry well. Pour boiling water into the bucket and cover with a cloth. After cooling down, the bucket can be used. After using the bucket, wash it out and let it dry upside down. Before using again, water again and let the wood swell. From now on you can also use cold water. When using the bucket, it is advisable to stand the bucket on two wooden sticks so that as much air as possible can circulate around the bucket. At all times, there should be a sufficiently large bowl under the bucket to catch any liquid that may escape during the swelling process.