FAQ

29 April 2020   |   Buying Advice

How quickly do you ship tags ?

Seritag stock over a million NFC tags in ready for immediate shipment. We aim to get most orders, including encoding orders, out within 48 hours. 

If you are ordering a custom print product or non-stock product then we will discuss with you manufacturing and delivery timeframes. For some custom printed labels, we can manufacture as quickly as 48 hours. 

What if I need more tags than you have in stock ?

All our stock tags are manufactured on a regular basis so we can often supply additional quantities quickly. We can also provide split delivery so you can have any stock we do have and follow with additional quantities as required. Send us a quick email for lead times on non-stock tags.

Can I pay by bank transfer ?

Yes. You can place your order online as you would by credit card and at the payment page just choose pay by bank transfer. All the order details are stored. If you need a pro-forma invoice to enable payment, then we can provide this for you from the information you provide. Please note that we cannot reserve stock or ship goods until payment is received for orders placed online !

Which tag will be best for my application ?

If you are getting started with NFC then the selection of tags can seem a little confusing. Each tag we sell is selected for a specific purpose and you can find some more information on our NFC tag selection or NFC tags explained help pages. However, we are here to help. We've supplied tags to thousands of projects all over the world and can always provide advice.

Do you sell encoding or ID printing machines ?

We don't. The machines are extremely complicated and carefully calibrated to run very quickly and accurately. Unlike some NFC suppliers who simply bolt together various parts and hope for the best, our machines are designed from the ground up specifically for the job. We don't have the ability to support providing the machines to others.

How long does it take to encode NFC tags ?

Our machines are capable of encoding over 250,000 tags per day. However, Seritag take a strictly accuracy first, speed second approach. We will schedule or slow down a job to ensure 100% accuracy rather than trying to rush it through and make mistakes. That might, for example, mean splitting a job between multiple encoding machines. If you are on a tight deadline, then speak to us. We don't make promises we can't keep and will usually be able to suggest a solution such as batch deliveries, alternative tags, direct shipments or whatever can help.

As a general rule, unless you are ordering over 100,000 tags or have a very complex order, adding encoding is very unlikely to delay your tag shipment.

Can you encode tags that I supply ?

We can't. Our encoding and ID print machines are tuned for specific tags. We know that it is never cost effective to attempt to use other tags.

Can Seritag produce full colour custom printed tags ?

Yes. We have a vast amount of experience manufacturing and supplying printed NFC labels and products, such as keyfobs, PVC cards, wristbands or disc tags. If you have a bespoke requirement for size or material, just speak with us and we can advise you on the best and most cost-effective solution.

Are there any NFC tags suitable for metal surfaces ?

Yes. We currently stock a number of high quality NFC tags suitable for metal surfaces including labels, disc tags and industrial tags. These can be used on both metal and non-metal surfaces. 

Can you ship tags anywhere in the world ?

We can ship NFC tags to most countries worldwide however online ordering is only currently available for certain countries. If your country is not listed online, then please just contact us and we can provide shipping times and costs.

Can you encode data other than a web address ?

We can technically encode anything onto the tags. Anything other than a web address means that we usually either require a sample encoded tag from you or we will encode and ship you a sample tag for testing. We have extensive experience with encoding and this is the best and most reliable way to encode anything other than a web address. It works and it causes no problems. However, it does mean that at present, the order needs to be placed offline.

Are the tags unique ID always unique ?

Yes and no. Technically the UID is unique but it depends on your application whether you should rely on it. Seritag have strict control over our supply chain and we will never supply you with non-genuine NFC chips. However, there are both fake chips on the market and also chips that allow the UID to be encoded. This means that a UID can be duplicated. In short, for high security applications, you should not rely on the UID.

Are some NFC tags more secure than others ?

Yes. The NTAG213 chip has a password protection feature which can 'hide' some of the data on the chip however, we don't recommend using this. We stock even more secure chips such as NXP's  NTAG424 DNA chip which can create a special unique code with each scan. These are often called 'Authentication chips', we have a large range of NTAG424 stock available for immediate dispatch. Note that that the 424 chip is a specialist product which require advanced encoding and tag management software to function.

Why are quality tags important ?

If you are using NFC tags in your application and reliability is not an issue and few pence/cents is - then you can save money. However, we've come across very, very few applications where both short term and long term reliability isn't worth the small amount extra. Therefore, Seritag only work with genuine chips and the best tags on the market.

Can the ID / QR Code print be in different colours ?

For standard ID printing where we print onto the surface of a white tag, then no as we use a very high quality resin ink that's only available in black. However, we also offer an express custom print option for full colour NFC labels. Delivery is quick and you can have anything you like printed in full colour.  

Why do the tags mostly have NTAG213 chips ?

NXP's NTAG213 chip is the most popular NFC chip for use with NFC tags and mobile phones. It's full featured and has more than enough memory for most applications and web addresses. Therefore, the costs associated with mass production of this chip and tags with this chip mean that it's a great value chip. 

NFC & QR Code Management
Contact
©Copyright 2023 Seritag.
Seritag is a trading name of TabDesk Ltd, a UK Registered company 10474154. VAT Registration Number GB256328005.
Seritag
£