Womyns'Ware

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Contact Us? We can be reached via email: info@womynsware.com Or by telephone: From within Canada or the United States, call toll-free 1-888-WYM-WARE (996-9273). From elsewhere, call (604) 254-2543. If you want to speak to a real live person, please call the store directly at (604) 254-2543 or 1-888-WYMWARE during business hours. Or by fax:(604) 254-5472. Or by plain old snail mail: 896 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y5, Canada

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How will my order be packaged? Let us assure you that your order will be shipped in an appropriate sized box, wrapped in brown paper and secured with packing tape, with a small return address stamp in plain type (not our logo) with our company name and mailing address. The name is necessary because of possible lost packages or insurance claims for damaged goods - no that doesn't happen a lot, only five times in five years, but it's best to be prudent. Our company name was designed to allow customers the discretion of explaining women's wares as kitchen utensils, clothing, toiletries, or sexual products according to the customer's comfort level. It has been our experience that people (postal carriers and customs officials alike) do not read into a product description any more than is necessary to deliver the product. If your situation requires more discretion, let us know, and we'll do our best to accommodate your concerns.

Please note that if you are ordering from OUTSIDE of Canada, we are required by law to affix a label to the outside of the package stating the contents. Now, don't worry! We certainly don't say "Great Big Sex Toy Enclosed!" We are as discreet as possible within the legal requirements. For example, we describe dills as "silicone sculptures", vibrators are "electronic massagers" and bondage gear is "leather belting". The customs officials don't care what you're going to use it for; they just need to know WHAT IT'S MADE OF in order to know how much tax to assess. If you have concerns or special needs, please contact us, either by phone or e-mail. We can work with you!! Our goal is to have happy, comfortable customers.

How do I get a paper catalogue? Well, you download one or you contact us to get your hands on a published Sex Toy Guide. ... more on how that looks below. We use the term "Guide" rather than "Catalogue" to indicate that these materials do more than simply present products available for purchase. We've created an educational tool addressing how the products function in relation to how people's bodies respond to erogenous contact, solo or with a partner. Crammed with tutorials, the Guide imparts our basic sexual health and consumer protection philosophies and also provides you with a Sex Toy Primer education. As with the consumption of other consumer goods, you can't be expected to make an informed decision without product knowledge. This Guide arms you with that necessary information.

While remaining practically free (we'd happily give away the Guide but must ask that you purchase a $5 gift certificate included in each Guide in order to qualify - this helps us hold on to our Sex Toy Guide for folks that want to read it, not wall paper their bedroom with it!). You can also download the entire guide for free from our website. If you still want a paper copy, you can order it online using our secure server. Or, send a $5 cheque or money order to Womyns'Ware, 896 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y5. Or you can email or fax (604-254-5472) or telephone (toll free: 888-WYM-WARE) us your Visa or MasterCard number and expiry date, and we'll send both your $5 Gift Certificate and our Sex Toy Guide out.

What should I expect when I visit the store?

Check us out on CBC's Living Vancouver! With the enticing words "follow me.... to the happiest place in the city!", Looking for Love segment columnist Christine Lippa invites CBC's Living Vancouver viewers into our store. You may end up as Christine said she did-- "...with a big smile on my face!"

If you could tell me just three things to do before I buy a Sex Toy, what would they be?
1. Research your options. Start with consumer-supported research on-line or in print (and don’t be in a rush, take your time, it’s not a race to the finish line!). This doesn’t mean that you should walk in claiming to be “Professor Sex-Toy”, it means that you can spend your time in-store wisely, focusing on those product groups that you’ve identified as likely to answer your needs.

2. Make a declaration of vulnerability at the outset. In other words, face your fears. If you have even the slightest feeling of vulnerability, state it at the outset. “Once you make it clear that you’re afraid of heights, we can start teaching you the basics of safe, sane rock climbing within your comfort zone and make sure you have all the tools for YOUR skill set!”

3. Have at least one question to ask. And don’t hold back out of embarrassment, any question is a good one!

4. (Well, OK, *Four* things!) Focus on your end goal; let us worry about how you can get there."We can book you an airline ticket but we can't tell you where you’d like to holiday!" Be open with us about what you need and want, and we can do our job, which is to help you find the right toy!

And most importantly, beyond what we publish, we will always make every effort to assist you with what you are trying to achieve. We'll try to narrow the field of options and make our best recommendation to fit your goals while stubbornly staying clear of what at first glance may appear to be easier methods. We give you the best support, not the quickest answer. That said, bring on the questions! We're here for you! ;)

Why are there line drawings on your site? We've found that the to-scale line drawings give people a better 'picture' of the size differences between products, while photographs obscure details such as scale and pronounced ridges (i.e. the G-force dill) or texture (i.e. the Nouveau dill) so that people are better prepared with their line drawing view to assess crucial factors with penetrative products. The other problem we've experienced with photos is the colour resolution of each viewers computer screen and hence expectation of colour of the actual product. This leads to disappointment when the colour doesn't match the expectation. We've thus tried to strike a happy medium with group photos, photos at the time of product launch, and then to-scale line drawings as the standard.

How do I select colour choice when there is only one colour shown? You select your colour choice from the drop down menu where we list the colours by name. The photographed products are there to help you 'see' what they look like, not to show you colour. Due to all the possible variants - light source, monitor quality, variance in stock colour because with silicone for example, each is hand crafted so pigment varies -- we can not guarantee that the photographic images accurately represent the product colours so we don't even try for that! We go with the colour names instead. If it's really really crucial and you feel like you have spare time (as our within two business days shipping won't apply to this kind of special request!), you can send us an email letting us know what colour choice you're leaning towards and we can photograph and send you a shot of stock on hand within that pigment choice. Of course, this still won't rule out lighting and monitor quality as variants to what you 'see' on a computer screen versus what you will 'see' when you have product in your hand. Our best advice, go with the colour choice by name and love the toy you get!

Other sex toy retailers offer women-only days or hours, why don't you? We never have because we view the practice as tantamount to discrimination against both men and women whose partners are men. Women with male partners have every right to want equal access to shopping alongside their intimate partner. They're engaged in making an important decision about adding sexual products to their sex life. They ought to be able to have their partners along, at their choosing. Additionally, the very concept has the tinge of painting men with a negative brush. We welcome every one who shares in our mandate to celebrate and empower women sexually and we certainly do NOT wish to send the message that men can't or won't participate in this mandate in a positive way. Every day is women's day at Womyns'Ware!

How should I clean my new toys? Just click on over to the Cleaning Tips for Toys page. If your specific cleaning question isn't answered, just ask us!

Can I order a customized toy from you? It never hurts to ask! Many of the leather, nylon or fabric handcrafted items can be altered, and some special colours in certain silicone products may be possible. If the maker can customize the toy for you, we'll have it done. There will likely be some additional cost to you, but we won't mark it up--whatever additional cost the maker charges us is what we'll charge you. It's difficult to provide a quote on the cost beforehand (the maker probably needs to perform the alterations to know how much it will cost), but we guarantee that no profit will be tacked on. If the request appears impracticable or unaffordable, we'll let you know at the outset. Also, regular quick shipping rules probably won't apply - it's going to take longer than a two day turn around to change most anything. That said, if you want to pursue customizing a product, please inquire about it before you order; once we've discussed the modification over email, you can just order the item normally, being sure to remind us what you want changed in the comment section of our Shopping Cart order form. We'll also need to receive a written request from you, indicating that you agree to pay the additional cost associated with the custom work. A related topic "word to the wise", we advise against trying to make your own alterations - that'll void applicable warranties.

I see a lot of sex toy sellers have customer ratings for all their stuff. Why don't you? Customer (or retailer) ratings are an interesting feature that we've looked at and set aside, mainly because ratings don't suit our style. They reflect an aspect of 'reviewing' over 'evaluating' a product. It's true that you'll find plenty of sex toy seller sites with ratings- we suspect because it takes a lot less time to set up a rating feature than it does to evaluate each and every product, run it through field tests, grill the supplier or maker about warranties and conditions of manufacture, develop and apply a buying policy, analyze the buying threshold points, and then write and edit an evaluation that picks apart the design features - which would be our style! So why do we take that time? Because we honestly believe it's the only truly non-persuasive way to select a sexual product. But wait?! Isn't that crazy? did we say we do NOT want to persuade you in your choice?! Yes, we did.

Unless you ARE the customer posting the rating, there is no reason to believe that your experience will be the same. Sex toys and sexual response is just that -- unique to the individual. There are so many different factors that define a toy rating that we don't actually have the broadband space to list them all. They are as wide ranging as experience with intimacy, sexual and self confidence, past and present sexual history, anatomy, favourite colours, hobbies, career and family choices, etc. etc. etc.

If you take a look at our Buyer Be WomynsWare regarding staff picks, we think you'll notice that the theme is the same as for most popular or highest rated. To quote the similar principles: "we still don't want to classify products that way because we don't want to distract our customers from making the decision that's right for them."

What makes a vibrator a Classic? To recognize a classic you need to be aware of a few common attributes. (1) Its mechanical mechanisms might not be newly inventive in that the technology is old-school. Like a mechanical watch in comparison to a Widget on your desk top, this is tried and true technology, reliable and well tested, not cutting edge and in need of a specialized power source or ongoing upgrades. (2) It might have a vintage air. (3) It might offer room for improvement (which is why it’s not a fundamental) but be the first and last choice for many. (4) It might make you smile ‘cause you’ve seen it somewhere in the past! Many people come into the store, look at the coil models and exclaim "My grandmother had one of these!" Well guess what, it wasn’t just for her sore neck. If you can get grandma to give it up, it’s probably still working. They last a long time and there is likely an authorized repair center in your area. If you can’t get grandma to part with her "massager", then buy your own and leave it to your granddaughter in turn.

After a couple decades of feminist-driven sex toy selection, the toys we’ve placed in our Classic category are all the best in show! There are many would be classics that exist in the market place but do not earn the title “Classic” in our book because of the materials they have been constructed out of leading to unhealthy materials and/or shoddy mechanics. To be a Womyns’Ware Classic you must be good quality, functional and at the very least have a nice personality and charm that mellows with age.

These vibes generally hail from reputable sex toy makers in Japan, North America, Australia or Europe and/or reputable companies that produce small home appliances. All have been around as long or longer than we have, and are no less for wear (just like us!). With the sex toy models, compact design and mobility are part of the overall appeal along with basic switches, easily available alkaline battery power sources, and just enough design to get the job done. The no frills or excess approach is easy on the budget and offers a good place to start and, if more than satisfied, a good place to stay. Production by small home appliance makers translates to very solid units with relatively quiet operation and, in most cases, intense vibration. If power is what you’re after, the small home appliances have got it. What you don’t get from the small home appliance models is compact design and mobility, though there is one that runs on rechargeable batteries. Who knows, you may find room for one of each option - stalwart appliance and retro design - in your toy collection.

What is the difference between a Fundamental and an Innovative Vibe? What makes a toy a Womyns’Ware classified fundamental? Well for starters once you discover a fundamental toy you might just stop there! It’s like your bread and butter, your 501s, your flannel pjs; you just feel good about them and pleased to recommend them to a friend. They are a good fit and fit good! If we find a sex toy that is well designed to serve a fundamental sexual purpose, is an easy to use product you can count on in the long term, and is gimmick free, we plunk it into our fundamental category. After all, isn’t reliably scratching a predictable itch the fundamentals of fun?!

Fundamentals include toys designed with such fundamental purposes in mind as to provide clitoral stimulation which is unobtrusive during play with your partner, to pair clitoral stimulation with stroking of the vaginal walls and a vibrating penetrative option, to apply strokes of pressure along the G-spot, to bridge the divide during missionary sex, and to cover the fundamentals of anal play from beginning to end. The basic operating philosophy at play here is that there may be a number of ways to provide fundamental stimulation but if it’s going to be a fundamental part of your collection it should be a long term solution. When you find a toy that works, not only do you not want to fix what ain’t broke, you shouldn’t need to worry and fret that a toy will break just when you start to get where you want to go!

These vibes are classified as fundamentals because we feel they are a great choice for covering in a basic and reliable way the fundamental aspects of sexual stimulation. If a certain form of stimulation is a fundamental part of your sexual repertoire, chances are you’ll find the right tool for that job here.

An innovative product always has to incorporate the newest in technology. If it has staying power past being the "height of fashion", it'll one day find itself out of the innovative category and residing in either fundamental or classic. If its design is such that it addresses a specific sexual stimulation really well for a broad range of users, it'll end up as a fundamental. If it gets the job done for a smaller subset of users but is an extremely reliable tool for that subset, it'll end up a classic.

How about adding a vibrator power scale (like from 1 to 10) to your site? That'd be easy to set up but near impossible to do! How's that for a confusing answer?! Vibe power scales are remarkably similar to the customer toy ratings we also don't use because a rating is only accurate to the person doing the rating. Everyone's personal nervous system perception of vibe strength varies with the individual! What we've discovered is that translating what you experience into what some one else WILL experience isn't as simple as it may first appear. Consider just this one fact: often when a first time purchaser evaluates their vibrator, their perception of the strength of the vibration differs significantly from later, when they gain more familiarity with the product. Never mind the perception between different users!or different uses. Powerful on the clitoral hood is not the same thing as powerful on the labia for the same user.

We've tried to overcome this 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' effect by making evaluative statements regarding vibrator power in situations where we feel most confident that the evaluation will hold across a broad spectrum of users. For example with Palm Pets we note that because silicone is very conductive "the vibration is even throughout", with Joy Berry "you'll get the maximum benefit from the various settings on the vibe "Low, Medium and High steady vibration", for Titan "twice the power [than Tsubo] substantially more rattle noise", Lava Spot "extremely quiet", Wahl is the choice "for a woman who prefers directly focused intense vibration" and Hitachi Magic Wand "lots of power".

Isn't it best to use "no name" batteries in my vibrator? I heard that good quality, name brand batteries will burn out a vibe motor. While you most certainly *can* use "no name" batteries in your vibe (just as you *can* use "no name" batteries in your TV remote), we don't recommend it. We recommend good quality batteries for good quality vibes. Cheap batteries are designed to provide the exact same voltage as a good quality brand-name battery, but they are manufactured to a lower quality standard. The result is that sometimes cheaper batteries vary in voltage…either higher or lower than rated! So there is actually a *greater* chance of damaging electrical devices with cheap batteries. Another factor to consider is that cheaper batteries often have a lower amp-hour capacity…in other words, they don’t last as long. Another area where the quality difference becomes apparent lies in the battery casing. A cheaper battery casing is more likely to leak or corrode, while a good quality battery will retain the same secure, sealed exterior, even when the battery runs out of juice. If a cheap battery corrodes inside your vibe's battery compartment, it is often difficult and many times impossible to adequately remedy the damage done. In our decade-plus of experience we have never recommended cheap batteries for anything, not even the TV remote!

I'm confused about the warranty process. I don't understand if I can bring a product back to return it if I don't want it? What if it isn't working? Womyns'Ware Inc. does not (and will not) offer returns! We do offer a blanket 60 day workmanship Warranty and support extended supplier-backed warranties, when applicable, on all the products that we sell. Returns and Warranty Claims are not the same thing. Returns are related to the terms of sale. Warranties are related to the quality of the goods sold.

Basically, a return is a period of time after having paid for a product that a buyer has to decide if they actually want to own that product. If they comply with the terms or conditions of the return, they can bring that product back to the seller. They can return the product. Usually returns have a set time frame for the buyer to act, require a receipt, are either for money or credit, and often require that the buyer pay for shipping if the product is shipped back. Almost always they require original packaging and all parts. This is because the product is coming back as unused. It is being returned to inventory as new - that is the underlying presumption in a return. Returns are offered by the direct seller, and that is who the buyer goes back to. This makes sense since a return is about whether a buyer maintains ownership of the product past the return date. Once this is understood, we think it is pretty obvious why a Sexual Product retailer should NOT offer returns! Yuck!!

A Warranty on the other hand, is about the workmanship/quality of the product. The buyer owns the product. It is found wanting, presumably because there is a problem in workmanship that needs to be addressed by the buyer. The buyer wants to own the product but the product is not functioning as it is supposed to. Again, Warranties usually have a set time frame for the buyer/owner to act, often require a receipt, and are either for exchange or repair. Often a buyer must pay for shipping. Frequently a buyer must pay a fee just to have a warranty. This is sometimes referred to as an "extended warranty" and the cost will vary from $20 to $120 for small items. Mercedes-Benz sells an extended warranty on their cars for around $5000. The original packaging may be required though tends not to be the longer the warranty term is. Often buyers must register, as well as pay a fee, or their warranty isn't activated. Without registration, they get nothing. Warranties are also normally offered by the maker. It is rare for a direct seller to offer a warranty on quality of someone else's product. Once the product is returned to the maker, it is assessed to decide whether there is a problem in function, if that problem is due to misuse, normal wear and tear or to workmanship, and if the problem is due to workmanship - a defect in manufacture - the product is repaired or exchanged. The customer's remedy is restoration of a working product.

WWI offers NO RETURNs. We do offer a 60 day warranty on all products we sell if they do not have a manufacturer warranty and we provide the warranty processing service on all products we sell for the length of the makers warranty - customers do not have to pay a fee, register, or deal directly with a manufacturer during these time frames.

Now that you have that all cleared up we hope that you are less confused when you are discussing a return when in fact you can not have a return, but you are well protected in the quality of your goods department when discussing a very generous warranty!

I have a defective toy made by XTCFX, is the Lifetime Warranty any good? The warranty is good if you bought the toy from Womyns'Ware! It's true that after ceasing to make the products exclusively for Womyns'Ware, the maker XTCFX cancelled the manufacturer warranty formally offered by XTCFX on these items. Cancellation of the warranty negated the XTCFX manufacturer warranty offered with the Clit Lane, G-Force, and Butt Really... but it didn't change how Womyns'Ware feels about standing behind our designs with our customers! This is why Womyns'Ware will extend a special lifetime replacement-warranty on the Clit Lane, G-Force, and Butt Really... to anyone who has purchased one of these items from us. In the case of a defect in manufacture, we will replace the defective product with the equivalent product from our new line-up of Womyns'Ware Exclusive toys (Clit Capsule, Golly Gee, and Butt Seriously). A receipt showing that the toy was purchased from us (or equivalent satisfactory evidence such as a Bank or Credit Card statement, Frequent Purchaser Card or mail/internet packing slip) must be produced at the time of exchange. This is a special replacement-warranty offer that applies only to XTCFX manufactured products previously sold under the understanding that the manufacturer offered a warranty against defects. People who have purchased any of these items through any other store must contact the manufacturer for warranty issues.

Do visiting foreign DIPLOMATS have to pay the sales tax on their purchases? Generally, HST and GST apply to diplomats and consular staff even if you show us your diplomatic identification card! There is no point-of-sale GST (federal, Goods and Services Tax) or HST (provincial rate, federal Harmonized Sales Tax) exemption for diplomats. Diplomats must pay the GST and HST at the time of purchase but they can, in some circumstances, apply to Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (phone 1.800.247.3577 for instructions and to complete form GST498, GST/HST Rebate Application For Foreign Representatives, Diplomatic Missions, Consular Posts, International Organizations, Or Visiting Forces Units) for a rebate. As always, we're delighted to welcome our visiting foreign Diplomats to the shop!