Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, any time before it ships. Reply to your order confirmation email or send me a message with your order number and what you'd like changed. Once it has shipped, it becomes a return.

A Foundation Belt can't be canceled once I've started making it. A canceled order can't be brought back; just place a new one.

Link to this answer: Can I change or cancel my order?

If it hasn't shipped yet, yes. Send me a message with your order number and what you'd like to add, and I'll send you an invoice for the difference so it all ships together.

Link to this answer: Can I add something to an order I already placed?

Me. Guarded Goods is a one-person shop in Savage, Minnesota, so the person who packs your order is the one who answers your email. I read every message and reply within 3 to 5 business days.

Link to this answer: Who will I be talking to?

Use the contact form or reply to any email about your order. The contact form can't take attachments, so for photos (a damaged item, a color question, your boots), reply to your order confirmation email and attach them there.

Link to this answer: How do I reach you, and how do I send photos?

Yes. Digital gift cards are delivered by email and never expire. They're a safe pick when you don't know someone's lace length or belt size.

Link to this answer: Do you sell gift cards?

• Ready-to-ship items (laces, kilties, in-stock wallets and watch straps): within 3 to 4 business days.
• Foundation Belts are made to order: 4 to 6 weeks.

You'll get a tracking email when your label is printed. Tracking can say "label created" until USPS scans the package at pickup, so give it a day before it starts moving. If your order is going to ship later than this, I'll email you, and you can cancel for a full refund.

Link to this answer: When will my order ship?

• US orders of $50 or more ship free.
• Under $50, most US orders are $7 by USPS (packages over 2 lb are $10).
• International shipping is calculated at checkout.

Link to this answer: How much is shipping?

US orders ship by USPS First Class. International orders can choose USPS, UPS or DHL at checkout. Faster US shipping isn't offered at checkout; if you need something by a certain date, message me before you order and I'll tell you honestly whether it can make it.

Link to this answer: Which carrier do you use? Can I get faster shipping?

Yes, worldwide. Delivery usually takes 1 to 2 weeks to Canada and can take up to 5 to 6 weeks elsewhere, depending on customs. Packages are declared at their full value. Import duties, taxes and customs fees are set by your country and paid by you, and I can't mark packages as gifts or lower their value.

Link to this answer: Do you ship internationally?

USPS sometimes scans a package as delivered a day or two early, so check your mailbox, porch, building mail room and with neighbors, and give it 2 business days.

Still missing? Start a Missing Mail search at usps.com and send me the confirmation number. Once the search is open, I'll ship a replacement at no cost. If the first one turns up after the replacement ships, please let me know, and I'll tell you how to send it back.

Link to this answer: Tracking says delivered, but my package isn't here.

Please double-check your address at checkout, including any apartment or unit number. If a package comes back because the address was entered wrong, I'll reship it once you cover the new postage. If the mistake was mine, I reship it free. If you use a forwarding service, my responsibility ends once it's delivered to them.

Link to this answer: My package came back to you, or the address was wrong.

You can return unused laces, kilties, and in-stock wallets and watch straps within 30 days of delivery.

These can't be returned: belts (final sale, including wrong sizes), leather laces that have been cut, and laces or kilties that have been laced into boots or worn. Anything that arrives wrong or defective is covered separately; see below. Full details are on the Shipping & Returns page.

Link to this answer: What is your return policy?

1. Fill out the return form with your order number and what you're sending back.
2. I'll reply with an approval and my return address.
3. Ship it back with tracking (I can't refund a package that never arrives).
4. I refund you within 2 to 3 business days of receiving it.

Link to this answer: How do I start a return?

You pay to ship a return back to me. I refund the price of what you return; the shipping you paid on the order isn't refunded. If your order shipped free (US orders of $50 or more) and the return brings it under $50, or you return everything, I deduct the shipping I paid on your order from the refund.

If the return is because of my mistake or a defect, I refund everything, shipping included, and cover the return postage.

Link to this answer: Is shipping refunded on a return?

The fastest way is to place a new order for what you want, then send back the original using the return steps. I refund the original as soon as it arrives, so you aren't waiting on the mail twice. Sending from outside the US? Mark the package "returned goods" so you aren't charged duties again.

Link to this answer: How do exchanges work?

Sorry about that. Within 90 days of delivery, if an item arrives wrong or damaged, or fails in normal wear (a lace snaps, stitching lets go), reply to your order email with a photo. I'll send a replacement or a refund, whichever you prefer, and I cover the shipping.

Link to this answer: Something arrived wrong, damaged or defective.

I issue refunds within 2 to 3 business days of receiving your return, to your original payment method. Your bank can take another 3 to 5 business days to show it.

Link to this answer: When will I see my refund?

Yes. Every lace listing is one pair (two laces), so order one for one pair of boots.

Link to this answer: Are laces sold as a pair?

Count the eyelets (or eyelets plus speed hooks) on one side of your boot. Each lace listing shows the range it fits:

• 27 in.: 3 to 5 eyelets (shoes)
• 33 in.: 4 to 7 eyelets (shoes and low boots)
• 48 in.: 4 to 7 eyelets
• 54 in.: 5 to 9 eyelets (most 6 in. boots)
• 60 in.: 6 to 10 eyelets
• 72 in. and 108 in. leather laces: cut to length for anything from boots to tall boots

Between two sizes? Go longer: extra length can be wrapped or tied off, and short laces can't be fixed. For 10 in. and taller boots, the 108 in. rawhide laces are the longest I carry.

Link to this answer: What length do I need?

Leather laces, yes: cut them with sharp scissors once they're laced and tied. Waxed cotton laces, no: they have finished tips that can't be redone, so pick the right length.

Link to this answer: Can I cut laces shorter?

Each listing shows the width. As a guide:

• Small eyelets and dress boots: thin round or Italian round (2 to 3 mm).
• Most work and service boots: braided round (3 to 4 mm) or skinny flat (4 to 5 mm).
• Larger eyelets and speed hooks: wide flat (about 6 mm).
• Leather laces are 3 to 4 mm; the thicker ones can take a little coaxing through tight eyelets.

Link to this answer: Will a lace fit my eyelets or speed hooks?

No, only the lengths and colors listed. If you need 50 pairs or more (a mix of styles and colors is fine), email me about a bulk order.

Link to this answer: Do you make custom lengths or colors?

Each listing says under Origin. The waxed cotton and American Tanned leather laces are made in the USA, the Italian laces in Italy, and the rawhide laces in Mexico.

Link to this answer: Where are your laces made?

A kiltie (or false tongue) is a leather piece that sits on your boot's tongue under the laces. It protects the tongue from wear, takes up a little room if your boots run roomy, and changes the look. Each pair has a lace keeper so it stays centered.

Link to this answer: What is a boot kiltie?

Order by the height of your boot, not counting the heel: 6 in. for most 6 in. boots (Red Wing Iron Ranger, Alden Indy, Wolverine 1000 Mile), 8 in. for 8 in. boots and 10 in. for tall boots. Limited Release leathers come in 6 in. only.

Link to this answer: Which kiltie height do I need?

Reply to your order email with a daylight photo of your boots, or message me with their make and color, and I'll suggest a match.

Link to this answer: Which kiltie matches my boots?

Yes, every kiltie listing is a pair. They're cut with one standard die, so I can't do custom shapes, widths or a version without the slits.

Link to this answer: Are kilties sold as a pair? Can I get a custom shape?

Lay the belt you wear most flat, and measure from the fold at the buckle (not the buckle itself) to the hole you use most. That number is your belt size. It's usually 2 to 3 inches more than your pant size. Step-by-step photos are on the belt sizing page.

Link to this answer: How do I find my belt size?

Foundation Belts are made to order and ship in 4 to 6 weeks. If yours is running late, I'll email you.

Link to this answer: How long does a Foundation Belt take?

Belts are final sale, including the wrong size, so please measure carefully. If there's a defect, the 90-day promise covers it like everything else.

Link to this answer: Can I return or exchange a belt?

The strap width has to match your watch's lug width exactly (the space between the lugs, usually in the watch's specs), or it won't stay on. I don't offer custom widths or tapers.

Link to this answer: Will a watch strap fit my watch?

Each wallet listing has photos and its details. If you're not sure one will carry what you need, ask me and I'll tell you, with photos of it loaded if that helps.

Link to this answer: How much does a wallet hold?

Lightly, and not too often. I use Bick 4 on leather because it doesn't darken it. The Care & Durability guide covers kilties, belts, wallets, shell cordovan and laces, plus what's normal wear and what isn't.

Link to this answer: How do I care for my leather and laces?

Wallets, belts and watch straps, yes, for free. If stitching comes loose or a strap keeper stretches, message me with a photo first. You ship it to me, and I ship it back to you at my cost.

Link to this answer: Do you repair what you sell?

Bulk orders of 50 pairs or more are possible. Email me with the style, colors and quantities you need. I don't take on private-label or new product development.

Link to this answer: Do you sell wholesale or in bulk?

Sometimes. Many leathers come in limited batches from the tannery, and when a batch is gone it may not return. I don't have restock dates, but you're welcome to ask about a specific one.

Link to this answer: Will a sold-out item come back?

It shows as Guarded Goods. Some banks shorten it to something like "Guarded Goo".

Link to this answer: What will the charge look like on my statement?