Sometimes there is no ready link to send us. You describe what you want, for example a commercial dough mixer or a specific model of pushchair, and we do the work of finding it: researching options, identifying a suitable item from a UK retailer, website or private seller, and confirming it is the right thing before we quote.
Where we have to find an item for you like that, a sourcing fee of £30 per item covers the research. It is charged only on the items we source ourselves, so an order made up of links you send us never incurs it, and most orders never do.
We do not charge it for a search that fails. If we cannot find what you asked for, there is no fee.
It is separate from the handling fee, and it is not marked up. It does not form part of the items subtotal your handling fee is worked out on; it is the cost of the work, passed on as its own charge.
Where a sourcing fee applies, it appears as its own line on your quote, so you see it before you pay. How quotes work explains the quote, and What the handling fee covers explains our main fee.