FAQs

Answers to your most frequently asked questions:

Shop Opening Times - We are open Monday - Friday 9am - 4.30pm. The design team are available Tuesday - Friday 10- 4pm  (we do not undertake custom /bespoke work on a Monday which are reserved for weekend sales output) Check our Holiday & Shop Closures page to avoid delays. 

How quickly will I get my order? We manufacture fast, usually there is a 24 - 48hr lead-in time. We manufacture to order and aim to make those orders the next working or 'business' day (weekends and holidays do not count). During busy periods or post-holidays, it may take 2 working days to manufacture. The manufactured order is then packaged and passed to the relevant courier for delivery to the customer. Dispatch delays due to a holiday, shop closures or public holidays will be clearly advertised on the website as and when appropriate. 

New from June 2026 - increased discounts! 
We operate Multi-buy discounts Discounts are calculated while you shop and are applied automatically to your prices and basket totals. No account is necessary, and you do not need to do anything else at checkout. The product prices adjust automatically as you shop. Simply, the more you buy, the less you pay for items:

Buy 2+ Discount for 10% discount (was 5%)
Buy 4+ Discount for 15% discount (was 10%)
Buy 6+ Discount for 20% discount (was 15%)

New from 1st July 2026 - no more International Standard (non-tracked) shipping 

Shipping abroad has become much more expensive. Due to new customs & tariff obligations globally we can no longer offer international non-tracked shipping options. All International orders are now Tracked. Either Royal Mail International Priority / Tracked / Tracked & Signed or FedEx International depending on the rate and destination.

International Customs: Please be advised that the customs departments are a governmental authority of each country, and we have no control over their processing times. Once the shipment is released from customs, it will be delivered according to usual timescales. 

Is Delivery Tracked? UK customers usually get two shipping choices at checkout: Tracked and Non-Tracked options. For small orders a customer may prefer an economical untracked postal service such as Royal Mail 1st Class, should your item not get delivered we will post replacements free of charge if we confirm the item has been lost in transit or miss-delivered. Tracked services do not necessarily mean your item will arrive more quickly. Tracked 48 and an upgrade to Tracked24 are available for larger items tracked to destination. 

I've never fitted decals before - Are they okay for DIY 'home' fitting? Yes, these are professional grade products, but as long as the fitting instructions we provide are followed you should not have any issues. We design our decals expressly to be fitted by anyone, but that does not mean skill is not required. As long as the steps are followed you should achieve a great finish. We offer full support and troubleshooting to customers who are encountering difficulties. If you are inexperienced then consider purchasing a spare, you may simply need a practice run to get the feel for it. Fitting vinyl decals does not always go smoothly even for the professionals, it is an understood part of the process, so a spare is often a good idea. Fitting instructions are included with every order, it is imperative you read them!

Large Decals - The 500mm sizes or large roundels are our 'hardest to fit' item, they require quite a bit of flat suitable space to prepare for fitting. Often they arrive rolled, as the only method of shipping, which does mean the backing paper in the decals may crease and wrinkle. This complication is unavoidable, so please unpack you decals as soon as possible and store them appropriately flat and follow the instructions included with your order. We do not recommend you keep our products packed-up or rolled for strictly longer than necessary i.e.transit time to you. If you are a novice, and unused to handling large sized decals, we recommend caution. You may want to start smaller or seek hands-on assistance.

Intended Use / Inappropriate Application. Sporty40 decals are manufactured for largely external use on automobiles, houses & shop exteriors, window signage etc. These are professional high-grade decals and the qualities and adhesives used will not be useful for paper / card based crafts. A list of appropriate applications can be found on our application page.

Non-delivered, rejected, return to sender: If your order is returned to us as not deliverable, not collected from the Post Office - can you re-post to me? Yes, we are more than happy to resend your item, but this will incur an additional postage charge. We also may need to verify the address provided. If your item is posted to you again another postage fee is required. If international orders are rejected or returned to sender (due to customs or wrong address) we are not under any obligation to refund either the purchase or delivery costs.

Combined postage We offer combined and discount postage on multi-purchases, you will need to ADD ITEMS TO BASKET (add each item to your shopping basket) before payment to allow us to make the correct postage calculation. We are not able to refund postage fees after checkout. Please contact us before checkout if you have any concerns.

My Item has not been delivered yet! The shipping dates on our Delivery Information page are estimates, guaranteed delivery dates are not offered. If an item is not delivered customers may request a refund or re-send after 10 working days from the dispatch date (NB not purchase date) for UK domestic postage, and 25 working days from the dispatch date for International postage. You are always welcome to contact us about any concerns you may have over the delivery of your order.

Internationals: Once an item leaves Great Britain, we have no control over the delivery of an item.  All updates will come from the Receiver Postal Service and will be available via track and trace as soon as they become available. We advise that you contact the Receiver Postal Service for an update on the status/location of this item. We have no control over the speed of customs procedures of any country, especially with incoming new ITTMAT requirements, delivery delays are possible. (June 2026).

Please remember, it is of course, our responsibility to get your order to you, but we cannot be held responsible for failures or delays by shipping companies, but we will always do our best to help. There are many worldwide factors, from postal workers strikes to natural disasters that could effect your post. You can check to see on local issues here: https://www.royalmail.com/international-incident-bulletin

I've never fitted vinyl before? We offer full support to our customers. Just follow the detailed instructions supplied with your order. We recommend you watch YouTube for tips and tricks and to see how the professionals do it. Visit our YouTube channel by searching  <<Fitting Sporty 40 vinyl decals>> Also, see our Fitting page.

These aren't just stickers are they?  No, these are traditionally made cut-vinyl decals, what's the difference? Stickers are images printed onto a (usually white) backing using ink and can be of a poorer resolution (fuzzy). Cut-vinyl is high pigment solid colour, computer-cut from rolls of solid colour, all assembled by hand. These can be quite detailed and intricate to make. They are considered permanent graphics and of a much higher quality, but both products have their merits and their place. The main difference between vinyl decals and stickers is their durability. Printed stickers will be cheaper, have inferior longevity (mainly in terms of colour fading) and are more susceptible to scratching and shrinkage than solid decals, so not a good choice for vehicle liveries or lacquering. Decals are made of high-quality, durable vinyl that can last for years if properly applied. Stickers are made of a thinner, more flexible vinyl material that may not hold up well over time, and will certainly fade. A printed sticker can be produced from any low-grade artwork (potentially finish can be poor). Click here for more information on traditional solid decals v. printed decals.

Our brand offers unshrinking, fade-resistant colours; ideal for lacquering over (varnishing), though lacquering is not required. Our products offer clean removal properties as well, so there will be no harm to your precious paintwork and no nasty chemicals or residues left behind from the adhesive. 

You did not send my order! If you commit to a purchase and create an order, but fail to enter all the information required (i.e. Race Numbers, Colours, Custom wording, complete address) we will contact you and your item will be delayed until you respond with the information we need. if you have an account, your order status will be set to << Query: Awaiting customer response>> and an e-mail will have been sent to you. You will need to respond via e-mail or telephone to our queries.

If you wish to cancel your order please send us a cancellation request so we can cancel the order before manufacture, and in all cases please respond promptly so we can complete your request. Your order will be placed on 'hold' until we have the information we require to manufacture.

Unpack and check your order on arrival -  You have a 14 day window to open and check your products and report any issues or flaws to us. Ideally you should unpack your decals on arrival, if not fitting straight way store flat, in a cool and dry place where they cannot be spoiled. After weeks of storage in uncertain conditions, we can not offer a refund against the product even for alleged flaw. We will likely offer you a replacement or service compensation. We manufacture to order as vinyl decals do not like being stored, and should be purchased to be fitted soon after delivery. We do not recommend you keep our products packed-up or rolled for strictly longer than necessary i.e.transit time to you.

I got the wrong order delivered We pride ourselves on our service, so if you find we have sent you an incorrect order or we have made an error in design, colours or size, please message us straight away and we will send you a new item. We DO NOT expect you to return the original items to us.

Can I cancel my order? Yes, we are more than happy to cancel any order BEFORE manufacture and dispatch. Contact us immediately after purchase or as soon as possible. Remember we aim to make your decal in 24 - 48 hrs, and cancellations or amendments can only be accepted before manufacture. If your item is marked 'In Progress' or 'Despatched' in your Account Dashboard (formembers), or you have received a notice of dispatch via email (members & guests), then your order has already been made and can no longer be cancelled.

My item came all wrinkled? We supply all our decals ready to fit with a layer of clear application film already applied over the top. This clear application film may lift and separate on the journey to you which looks like air pockets, wrinkles and bubbles. Follow the instructions included with your item, lay the decal on a hard flat service and go over it quite firmly with a flat edge, squeegee or credit card to re-affix the application film to the vinyl underneath and push out the air. This is particularly important for large items which need to be rolled for shipping.

Do your Road Legal number plates include your legal details? / Are your number plates MOT compliant?
Our Road Legal number plates feature the required legal markings. This means that the text "SP40 EX39 4DA" will be shown on the bottom centre of the plate and "BSAU 145e" will be shown on the bottom right of the plate. This text allows the relevant authorities to find out which company produced the number plates if required and are MOT compliant.

Do you require original documentation for road-legal plates?
As a DVLA registered number plate supplier, we have to request documents that prove your identity and that you can use the registration number. This is to prevent plate cloning. We understand this is a slight inconvenience, but we do our best to ensure getting documents to us is made as simple as possible. You may submit your order online, and we ask you to upload a copy of your documents with the order, but you must then proceed to send us the original documents by post. These will then be verified against the copies you supplied at the time of order, and only then will we proceed to manufacture your order. Your documents will be posted back to you with the plate(s).  Remember ALL our products are stickers, so our plates are stickers (not hard perspex). When sending in documents we require one of each of the following:

To confirm your identity:
Utility, Council Tax or rates bill from the last 6 months (we recommend)
Bank or building society statement from the last 6 months
National identity card
Driving licence 

To confirm you can use the registration:

Certificate of entitlement (V750 or V750NI) 
Vehicle registration certificate (V5C or V5CNI)
New keeper supplement (V5C/2 or V5C/2NI)    
Retention document (V778) - not applicable in Northern Ireland
Renewal reminder for vehicle tax or SORN (V11 or V11NI)
Temporary registration certificate (V379 or V379NI)
Number plate authorisation certificate (V948) with an official stamp from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) or Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
Electronic number plate authorisation certificate (eV948)
Letter of authorisation from a fleet operator (including lease or hire company) quoting the document reference number from the registration certificate

Can I alter the spacing on a road-legal number plate?
No - Incorrectly spaced number plates are illegal and can result in a fine, along with an MOT failure. As a DVLA registered number plate supplier, Sporty40 Plates only manufactures road-legal number plates with the correct, legal spacing as represented on your V5 or similar. If you try to use incorrect spacing when ordering a road-legal plate, it will be corrected to the legal spacing.

Get number plates that are completely bespoke? There’s a lot more to number plates than a standard 520mm x 111mm UK registration plate. We manufacture custom plates, for decoration, show, competition and event use (as well as garage and home signage). There are numerous customisation options, size and font options! To avoid any possibility of confusion, we will never manufacture custom plates with a road-legal reflective background, or bearing any false markings. Remember ALL our products are stickers, so our plates are stickers (not hard perspex). These plates are for decoration and fun, or racing and are not road-legal or MOT compliant.

NB: Decorative custom plates do not obviate any legal obligation to display license plates, appropriate to a vehicle under the law. A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate or license plate or licence plate, is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes when used on the road.