Answers we give most days

We hold no floor stock, pay no retail rent, and keep the chain between the bench and the player as short as we can. That takes margins out of the price rather than out of the bat. The trade-off is transit time: 15–20 days rather than same-day off a shelf.

Not by default. You can add our hand knocking-in service when you pick a bat: $37.99 on junior sizes, reduced from $45, and $40 on Harrow and full-size blades, reduced from $50. It adds 2–3 days to the delivery window. Be clear on what that buys you: it is a head start, not a finished job. You should still expect further mallet work on the edges and toe, plus time against an old ball, before facing a new hard ball. Without the service, budget 4–6 hours of your own work. Either way, once a bat has been knocked in it cannot be returned, because we can no longer tell arrival damage from preparation damage.

Because it is hours of someone's time, not a machine cycle. A blade is worked over with a mallet in stages, starting soft at the edges and toe where the willow is most fragile, then building up across the face, with rest between stages so the fibres compress rather than bruise. There is no way to rush it: hit too hard too early and you crack the edge you were trying to protect. A press can flatten a bat in minutes, but it compresses the surface without knitting the fibres underneath, which is why pressed-only bats fail early. What you are paying for is bench time and judgement, and it is the single biggest thing you can do to make a bat last a season rather than a month.

Not straight out of the box. Treat our service as the first and longest stage of the job done for you. Work the edges and toe with a mallet, then face 30 to 40 deliveries with an old ball before you use it in a match. Bats that go straight from the parcel to a new ball are the most common cause of early cracking, and that is not a manufacturing defect.

Yes. Orders over $1,500 get 10 percent off. Email orders@getdiamond.com with the numbers and sizes and we will put a quote together, including sizing help for a full squad if you need it.

Photograph it before you oil or knock it in, and email orders@getdiamond.com. Surface hairlines in the edge are normal in natural willow and are not a fault. A crack through the face or toe is a different matter, and we would want to see it. All sales are final so we cannot promise a replacement, but write to us and we will look at it. Once a bat has been knocked in or used we can no longer tell arrival damage from use damage, so get in touch before you start work on it.

No. We ship exclusively within the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, US territories and APO/FPO addresses. Allow 15 to 20 days, which is longer than a domestic warehouse would need.

Our 4-piece balls are made to the standard weight and circumference for the grade listed, but leagues vary and many mandate a specific approved brand. Check with your league before you order, because all sales are final and we cannot take a return if it turns out your competition requires something else.

No. All sales are final, and that includes change of mind, the wrong size ordered, and kit that turns out not to suit. We are a small operation and cannot carry the cost of a returns scheme, which is part of why the prices are what they are. If there is a genuine problem with your order, email orders@getdiamond.com with a photo and we will look at it case by case and tell you honestly what we can do. Before you order, use the sizing guide and ask us anything you are unsure about. We would much rather answer a question than have you stuck with the wrong bat.

No. We do not offer instalment or buy-now-pay-later plans. Payment is in full at checkout.

Grade is a trade convention rather than a certified standard, so it is worth knowing what you are looking at. The Players bat is made to our Grade 1 specification: a hand-selected cleft with the grain count stated on the listing. Check the grains against the description when it arrives, and if it does not match, tell us and we will look into it.