This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which Stocking Showcase Inc. collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a "User") of the www.stockingshowcase.com website ("Site"). This privacy policy applies to the Site and all products and services offered by Stocking Showcase Inc..

Personal identification information

We may collect personal identification information from Users in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, when Users visit our site, register on the site, place an order, fill out a form, and in connection with other activities, services, features or resources we make available on our Site. Users may be asked for, as appropriate, name, email address, mailing address, phone number, credit card information. Users may, however, visit our Site anonymously. We will collect personal identification information from Users only if they voluntarily submit such information to us. Users can always refuse to supply personally identification information, except that it may prevent them from engaging in certain Site related activities.

Non-personal identification information

We may collect non-personal identification information about Users whenever they interact with our Site. Non-personal identification information may include the browser name, the type of computer and technical information about Users means of connection to our Site, such as the operating system and the Internet service providers utilized and other similar information.

Web browser cookies

Our Site may use "cookies" to enhance User experience. User's web browser places cookies on their hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about them. User may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If they do so, note that some parts of the Site may not function properly.

How we use collected information

Stocking Showcase Inc. may collect and use Users personal information for the following purposes:

- To improve customer service
Information you provide helps us respond to your customer service requests and support needs more efficiently.
- To personalize user experience
We may use information in the aggregate to understand how our Users as a group use the services and resources provided on our Site.
- To improve our Site
We may use feedback you provide to improve our products and services.
- To process payments
We may use the information Users provide about themselves when placing an order only to provide service to that order. We do not share this information with outside parties except to the extent necessary to provide the service.
- To run a promotion, contest, survey or other Site feature
To send Users information they agreed to receive about topics we think will be of interest to them.
- To send periodic emails
We may use the email address to send User information and updates pertaining to their order. It may also be used to respond to their inquiries, questions, and/or other requests. If User decides to opt-in to our mailing list, they will receive emails that may include company news, updates, related product or service information, etc. If at any time the User would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email or User may contact us via our Site.

How we protect your information

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information and data stored on our Site.

Sensitive and private data exchange between the Site and its Users happens over a SSL secured communication channel and is encrypted and protected with digital signatures. Our Site is also in compliance with PCI vulnerability standards in order to create as secure of an environment as possible for Users.

Sharing your personal information

We do not sell, trade, or rent Users personal identification information to others. We may share generic aggregated demographic information not linked to any personal identification information regarding visitors and users with our business partners, trusted affiliates and advertisers for the purposes outlined above.We may use third party service providers to help us operate our business and the Site or administer activities on our behalf, such as sending out newsletters or surveys. We may share your information with these third parties for those limited purposes provided that you have given us your permission.

Third party websites

Users may find advertising or other content on our Site that link to the sites and services of our partners, suppliers, advertisers, sponsors, licensors and other third parties. We do not control the content or links that appear on these sites and are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from our Site. In addition, these sites or services, including their content and links, may be constantly changing. These sites and services may have their own privacy policies and customer service policies. Browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link to our Site, is subject to that website's own terms and policies.

Compliance with children's online privacy protection act

Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. For that reason, we never collect or maintain information at our Site from those we actually know are under 13, and no part of our website is structured to attract anyone under 13.

Changes to this privacy policy

Stocking Showcase Inc. has the discretion to update this privacy policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. We encourage Users to frequently check this page for any changes to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to review this privacy policy periodically and become aware of modifications.

Your acceptance of these terms

By using this Site, you signify your acceptance of this policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our Site. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

Contacting us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, please contact us at:
www.stockingshowcase.com
Stocking Showcase Inc.
P.O. Box 352922
Palm Coast, FL 32135-2922
386-446-6937
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This document was last updated on March 6, 2016

Several payment options can be used to pay for your order:

• Credit Card, Visa, MasterCard, American Express
• Money Order/Cashiers Check, cash
• PayPal

There are 3 ways to complete your purchase.

• Credit card payments can be used in three ways:

  Shopping Cart

  Browse the website, select products and add them to the shopping cart. When finished shopping, 'Check Out' by clicking on the "Pay" button (at the top of every page) and follow the directions. Your credit card WILL NOT be charged until the order is reviewed by the sales staff. If an item is out of stock, you will be emailed and given a chance to modify the order. You can also choose to pay using PayPal (directly from the shopping cart).

  Emails

  If you prefer not to use the shopping cart (or are unable to), you can pay using a credit card by sending your order (description/size/color/qty) and 'half' the credit card number in one email. Then send a second email with the remainder of the credit card info (last 4 numbers and expiration date, for example). Although we don't prefer this method (your email to us is NOT encrypted but all orders using the Shopping Cart ARE encrypted), it is commonly used as a 'last resort'.

  
  Telephone

  Call our Sales Dept and place the order verbally by telephone.

• We accept payment using money orders (international money orders must be drawn on a US bank or institution) and cashier's check or cash. We gladly accept US postal money orders. Please make them payable to 'Stocking Showcase, Inc' and mail to:

  Stocking Showcase, Inc
  PO Box 352922
  Palm Coast, FL 32135

• When paying with PayPal, money order, cashier's check or cash, email us first with your order so that we may verify the items are in stock. We will reply to that email and quote a cost for the order

  You may call our office and speak to a live sales representative:
  Mon-Sun 9:00AM - 11:55PM (EST)
  
  Within the United States call: 1-386-446-6937
  Our voicemail will record your message during all other times. A sales representative will call you back.
  
  All prices are quoted in US dollars. (The price listed for stockings is PER PAIR unless noted otherwise).
  
  International Orders:
  We are glad to accept you order. For speedy response, we recommend you use the services of PayPal. This 'electronic payment' is free (no fees for the sender) and is instant. If you do not currently have an account, we will gladly explain the process for you. As mentioned, we do accept payments using money orders and cashier's check (drawn on a US bank or institution) or cash. Cash is sent at your own risk.
  
  Please make them payable to 'Stocking Showcase, Inc' and mail to:
  
  Stocking Showcase, Inc
  PO Box 352922
  Palm Coast, FL 32135 USA
  
  Sales Tax
  Florida Residents Only:
  We will add 6% sales tax on your total order (merchandise and shipping charges).

Shipping is extra. There are no handling charges or 'other' charges of any type.

DISCRETION is assured! Our return address label simply says "Showcase Inc" with no mention of the word 'stockings'.

Overseas orders will have customs paperwork with the word "Apparel" on the outside of the package. The word 'stockings' will not appear on the outside of the parcel.

Orders for hosiery will be shipped in either a new white glossy hosiery box or the original vintage stocking box wrapped in our custom tissue.

Domestic (US):

A FLAT RATE charge of $6.00 will be charged for orders for shipping destinations within the United States. This is a 2-3 day delivery using PRIORITY MAIL. For large (or frequent) orders, we may offer a "discounted" rate (we will pay all or some of your shipping) to you. Factors include size of order and number of orders placed.

This fee also covers the cost of packaging and shipping cartons.

All orders are processed in the order in which they are received. We make every attempt to ship your order within 24 hours of receiving it.

Books and printed media will ship separately by 'Media Mail'.

If you have an "Apartment Number" in your address, be sure to include it. Your order will not be delivered without it. The postal service will return your order to us.

One final note worth mentioning. If you feel your mail receptacle is not secure or feel your shipment should not be left unattended, we can utilize signature confirmation which requires you to sign for the shipment or pick it up at the nearest post office.

International Orders:

For international orders (outside the USA) we use the "First Class Mail International" delivery service. The shipping cost is based on weight. We will quote your shipping costs if they exceed $10USD and await your approval before processing your order.

Arrival times to your customs department will vary from 6 to 10 days. We are unable to quote exact delivery dates due to the additional delays that may occur at your customs department.

It is very important that we obtain the correct mailing address for your order. If for any reason you are unable to enter the full address using the shopping cart, please email us and we will verify the information with you. You may also place this information in the "Comment" area on the shopping cart. We use the services of the US Postal Service. Postal rates to your country can be calculated here: http://postcalc.usps.com/.

Due to the intimate nature of our products, we regret to say we cannot accept returns on items that have been 'worn'. Hosiery in which the packaging has been opened cannot be returned. Returns for credit/refund must be returned within 30 days of purchase. After 30 days, there are no refunds except under the following conditions:

• We clearly misrepresent an item. If you are unclear about ANY detail, please email us before placing an order.
• You receive a wrong item. If the item is not what you ordered (or the size is CLEARLY not the size you specified), we will exchange it for the correct item. We will not charge you shipping for the replacement item.

Returned merchandise must be unworn and with original packaging. Merchandise that is damaged is not returnable. If we can further assist you with any questions, feel free to call (or email) us. We are waiting by the phone to help you!

If we examine the history of vintage hosiery, we recognize that the advent of nylon stockings in the 1940's and 1950's were the hottest thing to hit the market. Demand clearly outstripped supply. Remember, unlike today's woman, it was unheard of NOT be wearing garter stockings back then. Clearly, half the adult population put a pressing need on the hosiery mills to keep up with demand.

Stockings were manufactured on the 'Reading Knitting Machine'. This was an enormous, complex and finicky device. See "History of Stockings".

If we place the events in the order in which they occur, we see that un-dyed nylon thread was knitted into a tubular 'form', it was 'finished' and then 'boarded', a process where the leg is heated and formed into the final shape of a leg. This was later followed by the dying process to give the stocking its color. After sizing, the stocking is finally inspected.

Not all 'legs' were perfect. It was the inspector's responsibility for assigning a uniform classification to sort the product. Almost all hosiery was stamped with one of the following:

• "FIRST QUALITY"
• "IRREGULAR"
• "SECONDS"
• "THIRDS"

Later we would discover the following designations:

"SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT" or "SELECT IRREGULARS" (si) "IF PERFECT" (ip)

The following was a common proclamation manufacturer's enclosed with a shipment which included:

The (si) hosiery are garments with very small almost imperceptible flaws perfectly wearable that can be bought at extraordinary savings.

A very high percentage of these are not flawed; the reason for the separation/selection is that the strict quality control of the manufacturer of the hosiery did not allow this particular dye-lot to pass; perhaps because the color is not with the correct quantity of dye to control hue/shade/color (in the color spectrometer). This was the most common cause. The color will be a little off, a little lighter or a little darker than the normal shade you are familiar with in this particular brand.

Also the manufacturers have odd lots, close outs, overruns, store returns, samples and trial hosiery [one of a kind] that they will mix in the (si) hosiery; and have no defect at all.

The (si) hosiery WILL NEVER have a hole, a tear, or a run. Those with noticeable imperfections would fall under 'lesser' quality categories such as "Seconds" or even "Thirds". There is also a last classification called "FW" (Fabricated Waste). Fourths would not be stamped, but merely be grouped into this class to be recycled or disposed of.

There is also hosiery called "Run of the Mill" that is 95% perfect and this one is also labeled 'SI' or 'IP'. It is perfectly good hosiery the mill needs to clear inventory of, so out it goes with the lots of IR's.

Clearly, the speed and volume at which the stockings were produced did not allow for individual inspection of each leg. If the entire 'run' had to be stamped 'irregular', it certainly included all the 'perfect legs' in the lot as well. As you can see, these 'perfect legs' were distributed with the 'irregular' ink imprint.

The important point we would like to emphasize is that you can buy 'Irregular' hosiery with confidence! They would contain no imperfection that would adversely affect the appearance or wear.

If you are new to vintage stockings, you may wonder why such importance is placed on the 'denier' of the stocking. Stockings were manufactured with (single) threads of nylon of varying thickness. This, in turn, varied the 'sheerness' and weight of the stocking (leg only, excluding welt and heel & toe). A simple but effective method was devised to uniformly measure this property. Technically speaking, you obtain a 9,000 meter sample of the thread and weigh it (in grams). When you divide the weight by 9,000 you obtain the 'denier' of the thread (stated as weight-per-unit-length).

The lower the denier, the lighter (and finer) the nylon thread. The lowest practical denier nylon used to knit stockings is 6 or 7 denier. Nylon stockings are generally classified by denier as follows:

• 15 Denier (or less) Ultra Sheer (or Dress Sheer)
• 30 Denier Walking Sheer
• 40 Denier Business Sheer (Denier can vary somewhat)
• 70 Denier Service Weight

Generally speaking, the higher the denier, the more durable the stocking (and the less sheer). We have made 'spot inspections' with every lot we buy and have removed any with visible defects.

Gauge is a term used to describe 'quantity' of thread found in a woven product in a specified width. Historically, it dates back to the knitting machines of earlier years. It is the number of needles found in a 38 millimeter section of width. A 51 gauge knitting machine has 51 needles in this 38 millimeter section. Hence, the finished product is a '51 gauge' knit. Other common gauges that were in use are 54 gauge and 60 gauge. Rarely found, 75 gauge was also in use. (View the 'Fine Feathers' stockings on this website). Generally, the higher the gauge, the silkier the stocking will feel.

'Reinforced Heel and Toe' is a term used to indicate that both the heel and toe section of the foot has been knitted with a heavier gauge thread. The knitting machines pulled another darker thread from a bobbin and knit in a reciprocating motion to form the heel and toe. The effect is to strengthen these areas to reduce the chance of a mishap. It is an easily identifiable feature to determine if the stocking is true 'vintage' or not. More modern hosiery will not have the reinforced heel. There are two other variations worthy of mention:

• Demi Toe - Reinforced toe, nude heel.
• Sandalfoot - Nude toe, nude heel.

There are two types of seams: "Self Seam” and the "Black Seam". To avoid confusion, it is helpful to recognize the difference between the seam styles.

The seam (or what many refer to as “backseam”) will appear as a thin tubular “gathering” of nylon fiber travelling the length of the leg. It is sewn in place and appears as a dark(er) line, the color being similar to the leg. This is called a “SELF SEAM”. If we add one black thread and coil it around this self seam, we would have created a seam that has a darker appearance. This is called a “BLACK SEAM”. If the ‘coiling’ is spaced closer together (or if a second thread is intertwined), the color will appear darker (the denser the spacing, the blacker the seam). Keep in mind that the mere existence of ONE black thread (in the seam) defines what is considered a ‘Black Seam’.

In some of the ‘Self Seamed’ full fashioned stockings, you may have noticed the existence of an additional ‘single’ or ‘double thread’ coiled on the seam. When viewed up close, the striking effects are evident. If the thread is highly reflective of light, it will glisten when light strikes it and have the look of a “coppery” or “gold” colored seam.