In this section you will find answers to frequently asked questions.
Q: Is the war in Ukraine (or Covid, etc.) affecting SIGI?
A: Production is up and running and there are no material shortages. Our production was delayed a little because in March/early April 2023 we’ve moved to new premises, but we’re back on track.
Q: Do you accept orders?
A: Unless stated otherwise on our social media accounts or even here, yes we do!
Q: How can I order from you?
A: Choose your sword in the product pages and press “Order form”. You can use our Order Form from the top menu for custom orders as well or just drop us an email with your order summary and contact details to sigi@sigiforge.com.
Q: Do you ship to my country?
A: We ship worldwide.
Q: How much is the shipping to my country?
A: Shipping costs vary quite a lot from country to country. For instance shipping a sword to Germany starts at 25€, to USA at 90€, to Australia at 110€. We’re constantly working on finding cheaper options but we want to make sure that your product will get to you in the safe and fast in the first place. We use DPD for EU orders, FedEx (and sometimes Slovak Post) for international orders. Shipping is ‘cheaper’ for multiple products, meaning the price for shipping two swords isn’t doubled, it’s usually just a bit more. Important: Some products, like rapiers, sabers with cuphilts, montantes or double-ringed swords may be a bit more expensive to ship since their boxes are considered ‘oversized’. This applies mainly for overseas deliveries. If you need a quote, feel free to get in touch with us.
Q: What are your prices?
A: Our prices can be found with each product in the Products section. If you want a customized sword, check the Customization section for more info. The order form has a complete pricing for every modification.
Q: How much do I need to pay upfront?
A: We may ask for a deposit of 50% of the value of your products upfront (or more depending on the complexity of your order). Our production is quite large and to ensure all materials and components are available and there are no delays, your deposit will be used towards the initial phase of pre-production. You can read more about deposits in our Terms of Use.
Q: What payment methods are available?
A: Within the EU, the best option is to use SEPA Bank transfer. Bank transfer might be also the cheapest option for you in many other countries. We also offer credit/debit card payment through a secure gateway (Stripe) and GooglePay/ApplePay (if applicable). Alternatively you can use PayPal or Wise, Revolut etc. Some of the payment options may include special fees up to 6% of the total sum of the order.
Q: Why are there extra fees on some payment methods like PayPal or Creditcard / Cardpay?
A: When doing international money transfer, mainly if there’s currency exchange involved, some services like PayPal or Stripe charge us, the vendor, up to 6% of the whole sum of the transfer, the fee included. Banks or other services charge the sender, which is correct. So to compensate for the fees, we need to charge extra when using this payment option. We sincerely recommend using standard bank transfer, Wise or other services which are cheaper and have the same amount of reliability.
Q: What are the fees for my payment method?
A: There is no extra fee for a bank transfer or services like Wise. With a credit/debit card or GooglePay/ApplePay, if you are from the EEA, the fee is approx. 1.2% of the total sum. Outside the EEA (US, Asia etc.) the fee is approx. 3.3% of the total sum. If you decide to pay with PayPal, the transfer fee for EEA members is approx. 3.5% of the total sum and for countries outside the EEA it’s approx 6% of the total sum. The total sum means that the fee is included.
Q: I’ve paid for my product(s) how long will it take for the package to get to me?
A: Assuming your order is finished and we have received your final payment, it will take us a few days to pack and clean your order. We ship large quantities and we usually ship 2 times a week. After that shipments within the EU usually take 2-5 days. Outside the EU, the delivery may take 1-3 weeks. During the pandemic and due to various political turmoils, in rare cases the shipping might take up to 1-1.5 months (but that is extremely rare).
Q: Do you cover customs fees?
A: No, we don’t – this is up to the end customer. Import duties are different with every country. We’re based in EU, meaning EU clients don’t pay any import duties. Customers from outside of EU might be required to pay (depending on the local law). The amount is calculated by customs offices and sometimes shipping carriers do it directly.
Q: Are there vendors or resellers who sell your equipment?
A: Not at this moment but that might change. We sell our goods directly.
Q: How long will it take to fulfil my order?
A: Current waiting time is about 5-6 months from order because of high demand. We’re trying to shorten the time as much as we can but there’s a limit to what we can do.
Q: Do you have anything in stock?
A: We rarely keep things on stock. If there’s something we usually offer it straightaway (unless it fits other customer’s specifications). Nothing bad in asking us on social media though 🙂
Q: How does the order process look like?
A: After you submit your order through our order form or through email, you will receive and confirmation email from us. The confirmation email lists the approximate finish time, price, payment methods and contains a copy of the current Terms of Use (no need to sign or anything, we’re just obliged to send it to you by law). When you’ll reply to the email with your choosen deposit method, we’ll send you an invoice/payment link etc accordingly. Once we receive your payment, we’ll send you a confirmation email with a payment receipt.
Once the sword is ready to ship, you’ll receive an email which includes the photo of the finished product. We’ll inquire about your current whereabouts (just in case you moved or something) and we will send you a final invoice (usually shipping plus the second half of the payment). When this is paid, you’ll receive another receipt and the full purchase invoice (listing all items) from us. And finally once Logistics has cleaned and checked your sword for the last time, you’ll get a tracking number for your order:)
Q: Is there a warranty?
A: Yes, please see the Warranty section for a brief description or our Terms of Use for full details.
Q: Can you make my custom design?
A: We can make some custom work to some extent but that is not our goal. Check the Customization page for more details. We want to create standardized, ready to use and fully tested products. But don’t hesitate to tell us what you’d need.
Q: I would like a wrap color that’s not available in your basic offer. Is that possible?
A: We dye our cord after it’s attached to the grip. They dyes we use have proven themselves with time so we prefer to use the colors which are available. However, we can certainly mix some dyes but the result is not guaranteed.
Q: The color of my wrap is different to a photo I have seen. How is it possible?
A: Despite our best attempts, it’s difficult to project the exact color of our wraps. Every camera we use has its own color science, almost every display shows different output. Furthermore, we are try to use as many natural materials as we can. Our cord wrap or leather is colored in the Forge using natural dyes. Therefore the final colors might slightly vary from piece to piece due to its nature and other conditions (our photos were taken in different light conditions etc).
Q: What is the difference between Maestro, Standard, Concept…?
A: Main qualities of our swords are described in their product details. Shortly, every Schilt or Shield (the wider area of the blade above the cross) does affect the blade contact in some way. Regular Schilt (Feder Standard or Shorty) helps to redirect the other fencer’s blade away from your fingers. The wider Schilt protects you even more. The Concept-sleek Schilt simulates a classical blade more by redirecting blade to your crossguard but still protects your fingers.
Furthermore, the Feder Standard has a versatile blade for all kinds of activities, from drilling to tournament fighting. The Feder XL is a little longer, has a heftier blade but still a fair POB relatively close to the cross to compensate the weight. It’s an advanced sword and suitable for those who use larger gloves and prefer a “handle grip” to “pommel grip”. The blade of SIGI Concept is similar in it’s behaviour to Standard Feder, so is the Maestro.
Summarized: All of our swords are great and optimized to perform well. We recommend you to get what you like. Just don’t forget to check your usual tournament area limits to fit within them with our larger swords.
Q: Can you sponsor my event?
A: We do sponsor some events. However there’s a limit to what we can provide. Contact us for more details.
Q: Do you offer discounts?
A: Our discount policy is the following: Any order with 5+ swords (bucklers, spare blades or other accessories do not count towards this number) is eligible for a discount. Any order of 5-9, full-priced swords automatically gets a 5% discount. A 10% discount is applied to any number of swords from 10 pieces up. Important: You cannot combine various discounts nor a discount for bundled items isn’t applied on the bundled price (e.g. a 10% discount on the S&B set is calculated from its base – full price instead of the cheaper bundle; the cheapest price is always used). Furthermore, some things will not be discounted. If you have a special customization we agreed upon (e.g. custom length, custom modification) and your sword is eligible for a discount (group discount, coupon, voucher…), the price for custom work will not be discounted and is final. This applies for any engraving as well. We reserve the right to change our discount policy at any point (for new orders). As much as we would love to give our swords for free, it’s still an honest work that takes many man hours and material costs to produce and it creates dozens of jobs in the process.