A packing bench, a short list and a mailbox

What the business is

Pretty Effect sells five kinds of hair accessory: acetate claw clips, satin and velvet bows, silk-blend scrunchies, pearl and enamel slides, and padded or knotted headbands. That is the whole range. The name sounds like a beauty brand, so we will say it plainly: there are no creams, sprays, oils, colours or treatments here, and there never will be. We sell things that hold hair, not things that go on it.

Where it works from

The studio is in Adelaide, South Australia. It is a working room with a packing bench, labelled drawers of stock and a shelf of cotton pouches, not a shop you can walk into. Because there is no counter, there is no collection point either: every order goes out by post with tracking.

How an order runs

You choose pieces on the checkout page and send the form. Someone at the studio reads it, checks that each piece is in stock in the colour you asked for, works out postage for your region and replies by e-mail with the order and a secure payment link. Once payment comes through, the order is packed into a reusable pouch, the pouch goes into a padded mailer, and the parcel is lodged with tracking within two working days. The tracking number arrives by e-mail on the same day.

What it will and will not do

We will describe every piece by its size and material, answer sizing questions before you buy, post to anywhere in Australia and to New Zealand, and sort out a faulty piece promptly. We will not:

• sell cosmetics or hair-care liquids of any kind;
• offer salon or styling appointments, in person or online;
• make custom or personalised pieces, including initials or names;
• sell wholesale or supply other shops.

Getting in touch with the studio

The mailbox is [email protected], read Monday to Friday between 9 am and 4 pm Adelaide time. Order questions, sizing questions and returns all go to the same place, and a person answers each one. The checkout form lands in the same mailbox.