Every Padelism piece is made to order. That's why UK delivery takes 7 to 10 working days, not two. Next to the big retailers, that can look slow. So here's what actually happens in those days, what to plan around, and why it's a better way to buy clothes.
What made to order means
Made to order means your piece is produced after you pay for it. There's no warehouse of finished hoodies in every size and colour waiting on a shelf. The order comes in, then it gets made, then it ships.
Our shipping policy puts it plainly: all Padelism products are made to order. The 7 to 10 working days for UK delivery covers both making it and sending it.
What happens in the 7 to 10 days
Here's how the time breaks down, using the numbers in our shipping policy. Working days are Monday to Friday, not counting UK bank holidays.
| Stage | What's going on | Roughly how long |
|---|---|---|
| Order placed | Payment goes through and the order goes into production | Day 0 |
| Made and checked | Your piece is produced and packed | 2 to 5 working days |
| Dispatched | You get an email with a tracking link | Same day as dispatch |
| In transit | Tracked UK delivery to your door | The rest of the window |
| Delivered (UK) | Total from order to door | 7 to 10 working days |
| Delivered (outside the UK) | Total from order to door | Typically 7 to 14 working days |
Two things worth knowing. Tracking can take up to 24 hours to show anything after the dispatch email lands, so don't panic if it's blank at first. And during big drops or sale periods, the policy says the making stage can run slightly longer.
What "made" looks like for a printed tee
Take direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, a common way to print tees to order. The usual trade process starts with a blank garment in the right size and colour. Dark fabric, or any design using white ink, gets a pretreatment first, which gives the ink a layer to bond to and acts as a primer. Then it's printed. Then the ink is cured with heat, usually in a heat press or a conveyor dryer, so it sets. After that comes a check, a fold and a bag.
None of that is slow on its own. The time comes from making each piece after it's ordered instead of pulling something off a pile. If you want the design side of the story, from blank to artwork to print method, it's all in how a padel t-shirt is designed.
Small things run on the same window
The grip socks, overgrips and Wake Up For Padel mug are made to order too, and their product pages show the same 7 to 10 working days. So adding something from accessories to a hoodie order doesn't change your date. UK delivery is free on orders of £75 and over, whatever the mix, and a single Mk1 Box Hoodie is £75 on its own.
Why made to order means less waste
This is the part I'd like more people to know about.
A lot of clothing is made in advance. The brand guesses how many of each size and colour will sell, produces the lot, and hopes. When the guess is wrong, the leftovers have to go somewhere. The European Commission estimates that 4 to 9% of unsold textiles in Europe are destroyed every year before ever being worn. It puts the emissions from that at around 5.6 million tonnes of CO2. The problem is big enough that the EU has banned large companies from destroying unsold clothes and shoes from 19 July 2026 (with some exceptions), with medium-sized companies expected to follow in 2030.
Made to order sidesteps the guessing. A hoodie only gets made once someone has paid for it, so there's no pile of unsold hoodies in sizes and colours nobody picked, waiting to be cleared at the end of a season. It's also how a one-person brand can offer the Mk1 Box Hoodie in eight colours without a back room full of guesses.
I won't pretend it solves everything. Clothes still get worn out and thrown away. WRAP, the UK waste charity, reported in 2024 that on average each person in the UK throws 35 items of unwanted textiles into general waste every year. That's why the other half of the answer is buying things you'll actually keep wearing. It's why the tees and hoodies here are heavyweight. My rule from the start was simple: "It always had to be heavyweight and high quality."
How to order well when it's made for you
Made to order rewards a little planning. Four habits make it painless.
Get the size right first time. A new size means a new order and another 7 to 10 working days. Our tees are an oversized unisex fit: take your usual size for the oversized look, or size down for a regular fit. The hoodie pages say the same, and say sweatshirts are true to size. Women's pieces are more true to size. Check the size guide and the plain-English version in Padelism sizing explained.
Work back from your date. Birthday, holiday, a team social? Count 10 working days back and order before that. For Christmas, the last UK order date is 10 December 2026, and the Christmas delivery dates guide has the full table. Outside the UK, allow 7 to 14 working days and order earlier still.
Know that returns still apply. Made for you doesn't mean you're stuck with it. The refund policy says 30-day returns cover made-to-order pieces too, as long as they're unworn, unwashed and have tags on. Return postage is on you unless the item is faulty or wrong. The full details are on the returns and refunds page.
Open the parcel when it arrives. Made to order doesn't mean you're stuck with a mistake. A faulty, damaged or wrong item needs reporting within 7 days of delivery: send returns@padelism.co.uk a photo and your order number, and you'll get a replacement or a full refund, with postage covered.
The short version
Made to order means waiting up to 10 working days in the UK. In return, your piece is made for you, nothing sits unsold, and a one-person brand can offer more colours than it could ever keep on a shelf. If that sounds like a fair trade, start with what's just landed in new in, or pick two tees from the 2 for £90 range, which clears the free delivery line by itself.
FAQ
Is made to order the same as print on demand?
They overlap. Print on demand usually means a design is printed onto a garment after it's ordered. Made to order is the wider term for anything produced after you buy it. Our refund policy uses both, and both mean the same thing for you: it's made after you pay, and it takes 7 to 10 working days in the UK.
Can I return something that was made for my order?
Yes. You can return any item within 30 days of receiving it, made-to-order pieces included. It needs to be unworn, unwashed and in its original condition with tags attached. Socks and headwear must be unworn, unused and in their original packaging. Return postage is paid by you unless the item is faulty or incorrect.
Does delivery take longer during sales or new drops?
It can. Our shipping policy says processing normally takes 2 to 5 working days, and may run slightly longer during peak drops or promotional periods. If you need something by a set date, order before a big sale rather than during it.
When will I get a tracking number?
When your order is dispatched, you get a confirmation email with tracking details. Allow up to 24 hours for the tracking to start updating.
Can I cancel a made-to-order item?
Under the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations, you can cancel an online order within 14 days of receiving it. Email returns@padelism.co.uk within those 14 days, then send the items back within a further 14 days. Our refund policy covers the full process.
