FAQ's

1. Production & Turnaround Times

How long will my order take to make?

Our standard production time is noted here. This is the time it takes us to design, create, finish, check and pack your order.  All items are made to order and are created just for you in our Sydney studio.   We take great pride in creating the perfect pieces for you and this time is used to get your item just right!

Please note that production time is separate from postal delivery times. We always recommend placing your order 2–3 weeks ahead of your event!

I’m in a hurry! Can I request a Rush Order?

We love helping out with tight event deadlines whenever our studio schedule allows!

    • Contact us first: Please send us a quick email before placing your order to confirm our machine capacity.
    • Rush Processing Fee: If we can fit your job in, a $25 Rush Fee applies to move your order straight to the front of our design, cutting, or printing line.
    • Express Delivery: We strongly recommend choosing Express Post or arranging a scheduled pickup for urgent requests.

Can I drop in to the warehouse to place an order or view samples?

To keep us safe around heavy laser-cutting and UV-printing machinery—and to keep production running smoothly—our Hornsby workshop is strictly closed to the public. We don't have a retail display area or walk-in service, so all design chats, proofs, and orders are handled online, with pickups arranged strictly by appointment.

Can I call you to discuss my order?

As we need full focus when operating machinery, and our workshop has significant background noise, we do not have an advertised phone line. Having a written paper trail via email ensures we both have a clear record of every custom detail and layout requirement!

Please note that social media messages are not continuously monitored during production, so email is always the best way to reach us - audrey@cabeandco.au

2. Orders, Shipping & Communication

I haven't received an order confirmation email. Was my order received?

Order confirmation emails are generated and sent automatically as soon as your order is placed. If you haven't seen yours arrive within a few minutes:

    • Please check your Spam/Junk folder first, as automated receipt emails occasionally get filtered there.
    • Ensure there were no typos in the email address entered at checkout.
    • If it's still missing, drop us a quick email and we can verify your order details and resend your confirmation!

Will I get progress updates while my item is being made?

Once your initial order confirmation is sent, we do not send step-by-step progress updates while your item is in production.

Our team is focused on designing, laser-cutting, UV-printing, and hand-finishing your order. You won't hear from us during the 8–10 business day turnaround window until your piece has been fully created, quality-checked, and packaged up. Once it's ready for dispatch or pickup, you will automatically receive a notification email containing your Australia Post tracking link or Hornsby collection details.

Where do you ship, and what are the delivery times?

We ship Australia-wide (and to select international destinations) via Australia Post, with full tracking details emailed upon dispatch.

    • Standard Post: Takes approximately 3–10 business days depending on your location.
    • Express Post: Takes approximately 1–3 business days within the Australia Post Express network.  AusPost offers a next day guarantee to select postcodes within Australia, details of which can be found here
    • International: Please see the AusPost website for International delivery timescales.  You can find a link for that here

Note: Selecting Express Post expedites postal transit time with Australia Post, but does not alter the 8–10 business day manufacturing time required to make your item.   

Delivery timeframes provided above are estimates supplied directly by Australia Post. While we always guarantee that your order will be created and dispatched within our advertised production time, postal transit times and delivery dates are completely outside of our control. For this reason, we are unable to offer absolute delivery date guarantees.

What if I enter the wrong delivery address or need to change it?

Please double-check your shipping details carefully at checkout! The responsibility for providing a complete and correct delivery address rests entirely with the customer.

Because orders enter our dispatch workflow rapidly and follow-up emails can occasionally be filtered into spam folders, we cannot guarantee that address change requests sent after an order is placed will be caught before your parcel ships.

What happens if my parcel is returned to sender due to an incorrect address or non-collection from the PO?

If a parcel is returned to us by Australia Post due to an incomplete or incorrect address supplied at checkout, or failure to collect it from your local Post Office in time:

    • The customer is responsible for covering the cost of re-shipping the parcel to the corrected address.
    • We will send you an invoice for the standard re-postage fee, and your parcel will be dispatched as soon as payment is cleared.

Can I collect my order in person?

Yes! Local collection is available from our Hornsby warehouse by appointment only. Once your order has been carefully cut, printed, and packaged, we will send you an email with available collection time slots.  These can generally be arranged between 10am-3pm, Monday to Friday, but must be by appointment as these hours do vary.

3. Design Proofs, Materials & Care

Will I see what my design looks like before it’s made?

No, proofs are not automatically sent as this slows production time and takes our focus away from current orders. You can absolutely request a proof by leaving a note on your order at checkout; however, please note that this extends our advertised production timeline while we wait for your written approval.

Can I get a mockup before purchasing?

Pre-purchase mockups are not available.  All artwork require a confirmed order before our design process begins.

Once ordered, you can request a proof in your order notes.  Your order includes up to two minor design adjustments (such as font or spacing tweaks) before we cut or print. Any further alterations past this, would require an additional design fee of $10.

Will my physical item look identical to the screen proof?

Digital proofs are great for confirming spelling and layout, but natural materials and manufacturing processes have unique characteristics:

    • Timber & Plywood: Variations in wood grain, subtle shading, engraving depth, and faint edge burnishing from the laser are natural features of real timber—not faults!
    • Acrylic & Inks: Colours on phone or computer screens can vary slightly from physical acrylic batches or UV-printed ink layers.
    • Design Adjustments: Once an item is prepared for production, minor structural or layout tweaks may be made to ensure the item cuts or prints to the highest structural quality.

How do I clean and handle my acrylic pieces and cake toppers?

    • Acrylic Care: Gently wipe clean using a dry or slightly damp microfibre cloth. Avoid glass cleaners, methylated spirits, or alcohol wipes, as these cause acrylic to micro-crack.
    • UV Printed Surfaces: Wipe very gently with a dry microfibre towel. Avoid scrubbing or scraping the raised ink layers.
    • Cake Stems: Acrylic stems inserted into cakes are non-toxic and food-safe. Simply give the stem a quick wipe with warm, soapy water before placing it in your cake.
    • Handling: Delicate script lettering can be fragile! Always hold toppers by the stem—never pull or press on the thin script lettering, as it can snap!

Are your items toys?

No. All items created by Cabe & Co.—including milestone disks, name plaques, cake toppers, and nursery decor—are designed strictly for decorative, display, and photo-prop purposes only. They are not toys and are not covered under toy safety standards. Please ensure all items are kept out of reach of babies and children, and are never left with a child unsupervised.

4. Returns, Cancellations & Damage in Transit

What is your return policy?

Because every item is custom-made to order, we do not accept returns, refunds, or exchanges for change of mind or spelling errors supplied at checkout. Please double-check all wording, names, dates, and shipping addresses before placing your order.

Can I cancel my order or change my design choices (e.g. colour, name, or address) after placing it?

Because every item we make is custom-crafted to order, all sales, design choices, and details are final once your purchase is complete.

Behind the scenes, our workflow begins quickly after an order comes through—setting up vector cut files, assigning material colours, preparing artwork, and queuing job batches. Furthermore, because we are often hands-on in the workshop operating machinery, emails and social media messages are not monitored continuously and can sometimes filter into spam folders.

Because of this, we cannot guarantee that requests to cancel, change a colour, tweak wording, or update a shipping address sent after checkout will be caught before your item is designed or cut.

Please double-check all your order details, material colours, spelling, and event dates carefully before submitting your order!

What happens if my order arrives damaged in the mail?

All orders dispatched via Australia Post include cover for loss or damage during transit. Because Australia Post requires physical inspection of damaged goods to process compensation claims, the claim process works as follows:

    1. Take your parcel to AusPost: Take the damaged item along with all original packaging and protective wrapping to your local main Post Office.
    2. Present for Assessment: Australia Post staff will assess the packaging and lodge the damage claim on the spot.
    3. Direct Compensation: Australia Post will pay the approved claim compensation directly to you.
    4. Re-ordering: Once your claim is lodged with Australia Post, simply get in touch with us to place a replacement order, and we will fast-track your job through production!

Please note: Because Australia Post requires the physical item and box brought in by the recipient, we cannot lodge this in-person assessment on your behalf.

5. Community & Sharing

Can I tag Cabe & Co in my event photos?

We absolutely love seeing our creations out in the wild celebrating your special moments! If you share a photo of your cake topper, name plaque, or custom piece on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, feel free to tag us @cabeandco.au. We’d be thrilled to reshare your gorgeous setup to celebrate your big day with our community!