Frequently Asked Questions

Our standard production time is 3–5 business days from order placement and artwork approval. On the day your order ships, we'll email you with a tracking code so you can follow it through to delivery. If you're picking up, we'll SMS or call when it's ready.

If you need your job in less than our standard 5-business-day production time and we can fit it in, a rush surcharge of 10–15% of the total order value applies. For deliveries within the Australia Post Express Post network we can usually get it to you the next business day. Please flag rush requests in the comments at checkout and we'll confirm what's possible plus any additional postage cost for bulky or heavy items.

We deliver Australia-wide. Standard small-package orders under 3 kg ship for a flat $18.00 + GST. Larger or heavier items are quoted individually using live Australia Post rates — you'll see the exact figure at checkout based on your delivery postcode. Pickup from our Thomastown showroom is free.

Yes — Express Post only. We always recommend delivery to a business address where someone can sign for the package, but residential is fine if Express is selected.

We mostly only accept orders for delivery within Australia. If you have an international requirement, email us — we'll see what we can do. Overseas freight charges depend on Australia Post's rate to the destination, so the standard $18 + GST flat rate doesn't apply. If you have your own international carrier (TNT, DHL, FedEx) that makes things easier.

Sign in to your Etchly account and go to My Orders — every order shows its current status (new, in production, shipped, complete) and once dispatched, the tracking link is right there on the order page. You'll also get an email with the tracking link the moment it leaves our factory.

We use Australia Post Express Parcel and TOLL Priority for reliability — most orders arrive in mint condition. If you opted in to transit insurance at checkout and your order arrives damaged, contact us as soon as you notice and we'll replace it as a priority.

Standard delivery is not insured. If insurance matters for your order, please tick the option at checkout.

Please double-check your order before submitting — once it's in production, changes may delay it and incur additional charges. That said, we understand last-minute things happen. Contact us by phone or email as soon as you can and we'll work out the best path forward. If your order hasn't entered production yet there's usually no charge.

Yes — choose Pickup at checkout to collect from our Thomastown showroom during opening hours, free of charge. We'll let you know the moment it's ready.

Yes. Sign in and check My Orders; every previous order is there with the artwork attached, ready to reorder in two clicks. Note: products and material specs occasionally change year to year, so we can't guarantee a 100% identical reproduction in every case, but it works about 90% of the time.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal at checkout. Orders over $200 can also be paid by EFT (electronic funds transfer), cheque, or COD (cash on pickup). For EFT and cheque, your order won't leave our premises until funds clear, so please pay promptly to avoid delays.

Yes — pricing scales with quantity. The bigger the order, the lower the unit cost. Bulk discounts are calculated automatically in the cart. For very large or recurring jobs, contact us for a custom quote.

Yes. Our minimum order charge is $60.00 + GST ($66.00 inc. GST). Orders under that value are charged at the minimum, plus an $18.00 + GST setup fee and shipping. This covers the basic cost of setting up, running the machines, and packing.

Worked example for a small Australia‑wide delivery:

• Minimum order charge — $60.00 + GST
• Setup fee — $18.00 + GST
• Shipping (standard flat rate, < 3 kg) — $18.00 + GST
• Subtotal: $96.00 + GST  →  Total inc. GST: $105.60

If you choose Pickup from our Thomastown showroom at checkout, you skip the shipping line — total becomes $85.80 inc. GST.

If you need a physical production sample of your specific design, we can manufacture a prototype for a small fee. If that prototype leads to a full order of 100+ units, we refund the prototype fee — so it's effectively free with a volume order.

For projects in Melbourne CBD or metro, yes — call us to book a site visit. For larger build projects we're happy to travel anywhere in Australia. Just get in touch and we'll work out the logistics.

For laser and CNC engraving, vector files give the cleanest result:

• .eps Encapsulated PostScript (preferred)
• .ai Adobe Illustrator
• .pdf Portable Document Format
• .cdr Corel Draw (preferred)
• .dxf AutoCAD DXF (preferred)
• .dwg AutoCAD

For digital printing on flexible substrates, high-resolution rasters work too: .jpg, .tif, .png at 300 DPI minimum.

Etchly's batch generator accepts standard data files for automatic label generation:

• .xlsx / .xls Microsoft Excel (preferred)
• .csv Comma-separated values
• .txt Plain text

Just place a [V] Variable token in your label design at the position you want to substitute, then upload your spreadsheet. Etchly will generate one label per row using the values in your file.

It depends on the label size. Each preset has a sensible character allowance based on the engraving area and font size. The designer will warn you if your text won't fit cleanly. As a rule of thumb: trying to cram too many characters onto a small plate makes the result hard to read — keep it punchy.

For most online orders the artwork in the designer is the proof — what you see is what we make, so review it carefully before submitting. For complex jobs or anything we manually quote, we email a PDF proof for your sign-off. Approving a proof locks the artwork; we then proceed straight to production. Changes after sign-off may incur a redo fee.

All our labels come with medium-grade self-adhesive backing by default — peel and stick to most flat, clean, dry surfaces. If you need labels without adhesive (so you can mount with screws or rivets), let us know in the order notes. We can also pre-drill mounting holes or pilot holes on request.

Most plaques are designed to hang from a screw or nail head — there's a hole with a slot on the back. Some have a stand for sitting on a flat surface (the product description specifies). We can supply mounting screws and accessories — order these as extras at checkout.

Most of our labels and plaques arrive ready to install. Some larger label batches are packed in groups for easy on-site identification, which may need a craft-knife separation (sometimes we include the knife). Anything that needs assembly comes with instructions.

Easy: dust with a soft, lint-free cloth. Remove fingerprints with a metal-safe polish. Avoid abrasive cleaners, immersion in water, and adhesive tape — these can damage the surface. For specific care advice on your material, contact us.

Yes — every order from Etchly carries a 100% quality and satisfaction guarantee. Every item is checked before dispatch under our ISO 9001-aligned QA process. If you're not satisfied with our work, contact us and we'll make it right.

If we made the error, we'll remake and resend at our cost as a priority. If the error came from incorrect information you supplied at order time (typo, wrong dimension, etc.), we'll happily redo it for a redo fee plus delivery. Either way, contact us as soon as you spot the problem and we'll move quickly.

Absolutely — we love visitors. Our showroom is at 27 Northgate Drive, Thomastown VIC 3074. Pop in during opening hours or call ahead to book an appointment. Note that some products and prices are exclusive to the website — staff can help you place an online order in-store if you prefer.

In many cases, yes. Bring your item in and our team will assess whether we can help. We'll always give you the best, most cost-effective recommendation — sometimes a refurb saves you money over a remake.