Returns
Returns & Refunds
We want you to feel completely confident buying vintage and antique jewellery from MagpieChats. This policy explains how returns work, what to expect from second-hand pieces, and your rights if something isn't right.
It covers: (1) condition & wear, (2) UK returns, (3) international returns, (4) US returns, (5) resized & customised items, (6) faulty or not-as-described items, (7) items that can't be returned for change of mind, (8) refunds, and (9) how to start a return.
Nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights. For UK customers those rights are set out in the Consumer Rights Act 2015; international customers keep the mandatory consumer protections of their own country.
1. Condition & wear
Antique and vintage pieces carry the marks of a life well lived: light surface wear, patina, and small signs of age are part of their character, not flaws.
Every item is checked by a professional goldsmith before it's listed. We do our best to describe any flaws that go beyond normal age-related wear, and to photograph each piece clearly and accurately.
Please treat the photos as part of the description and check them carefully before buying. Anything visible in the images or noted in the listing is part of the condition you're agreeing to. We're always happy to send extra photos or answer questions before you purchase.
Once a piece is yours, we can't take responsibility for loss of stones or damage caused by later wear, impact or accident. If something does happen, do get in touch: we'll always try to help arrange a repair where we can.
2. UK returns (change of mind)
If you simply change your mind, you have 14 days from the day your order arrives to let us know you'd like to return it. Once you've told us, you have a further 14 days to send it back.
To qualify for a refund, the piece should come back in the same condition it left us, with any original packaging and documentation. Please note that if the items value has been reduced by handling (for example, signs of wear from being worn out and about), we may make a proportionate deduction from your refund.
Return postage. For change-of-mind returns, you cover the cost of sending the item back. Please use a tracked and insured service such as Royal Mail Special Delivery. We can't refund items lost or damaged when returned by an uninsured or unrecorded service.
Delivery costs. If you return your whole order within the window, we'll refund standard outbound delivery. Upgraded or express delivery isn't refundable.
3. International returns (outside the UK)
Please contact us within 14 days of receiving your item to request a return.
You're responsible for arranging and paying for return shipping. We strongly recommend a tracked, fully insured courier (e.g. DHL Express, FedEx, USPS) and keeping your tracking number: we can't be responsible for items that don't reach us.
Customs labelling. Because we're UK-based, returns re-enter the UK. To avoid your parcel being taxed a second time, please mark the outer package and all customs paperwork clearly as "UK RETURNED GOODS — FAILED SALE — NO COMMERCIAL VALUE", and show the original HS code. If a parcel arrives without this and we're charged unexpected customs or clearance fees, that amount will be deducted from your refund. We'll send you a short Customs Instructions Sheet when you start your return.
A restocking deduction may apply to international change-of-mind returns to offset unrecoverable duties and fees prepaid on your behalf — see the US section below for how this works on US orders.
4. US returns
For orders shipped to the United States, we prepay the main import duties on your behalf where they apply. Because these charges aren't refunded to us when an item comes back, change-of-mind US returns are refunded minus those costs. The current state of tariffs is changeable, so please note that the tariff deduction will tend to be 10-15'%, but this is liable to change. We reserve the right to deduct the full import charges, and will provide documentation to this effect. Any state-level taxes, local charges or courier fees you paid directly are set by the authorities or courier and aren't refundable by us.
These deductions never apply to a faulty or not-as-described item — those are refunded in full (see section 6).
5. Resized & customised items (worldwide)
Any piece made or altered to your specification is a customised item and can't be returned for change-of-mind reasons. This includes rings resized by us before dispatch at your request, and rings altered by another jeweller after delivery. This applies to UK and international orders alike.
This exclusion is about change of mind only. It does not affect your rights if the item turns out to be faulty or not as described (section 6).
6. Faulty or not-as-described items (worldwide)
The deductions, restocking fees and change-of-mind conditions above do not apply if a piece is not as described or has a defect that was present when you bought it. Please tell us within 30 days of delivery to reject a non-conforming item for a refund.
For second-hand antique jewellery, "faulty" means one of two things:
- Not as described. For example a difference in period, metal or hallmark, gemstone identity or treatment, undisclosed repair or replacement of parts, or provenance that doesn't match the listing.
- An undisclosed defect present at the time of sale that isn't consistent with the item's age, price and our description, for example a concealed structural crack or a failed old repair. Normal age-related wear and patina, and anything shown in the photos or noted in the listing, are not faults.
How we resolve it. Because every piece is one of a kind, we can't offer a like-for-like replacement. If an item is confirmed not as described or defective, we'll offer a repair where appropriate, a price reduction, or a full refund of the product price and outbound shipping and we'll either send a prepaid return label or reimburse your return postage.
Inspection. Returned items are inspected in our UK workshop. If the fault is determined to have happened after delivery then we reserve the right to cancel the refund.
Please come to us first. So we have the chance to put things right, contact us before arranging any third-party repair. We can't reimburse outside work we weren't given the opportunity to carry out or authorise.
7. Items not eligible for change-of-mind returns
The following can't be returned for change of mind (your rights if an item is faulty or not as described are unaffected — see section 6):
- Rings that have been resized, altered or specially adjusted, including those resized by us before shipping.
- Items purchased via a payment plan.
- Digital Insurance Valuations once processed.
8. Refunds
Approved refunds are processed within 14 days of us receiving the returned item, or valid tracked proof of postage, and inspecting it. Refunds go back to your original payment method.
For orders placed outside the UK and EU, change-of-mind refunds may be issued less any unrecoverable payment-processing or currency-conversion fees charged by our payment providers, as these aren't returned to us. If you'd prefer, you can instead take the full eligible value as store credit, which avoids those deductions.
Refunds for faulty or not-as-described items are never reduced by any of the deductions in this policy.
9. How to start a return
- Email returns@magpiechats.co.uk with your order number and the reason for your return.
- We'll reply with return instructions and our UK return address. For international orders we'll also include a Customs Instructions Sheet.
- Pack the piece securely and send it via a tracked, insured service.
- Once we've received and inspected it, we'll process your refund within 14 days.
Returns and Refunds
1. Condition & wear
Antique and vintage pieces carry the marks of a life well lived: light surface wear, patina, and small signs of age are part of their character, not flaws.
Every item is checked by a professional goldsmith before it's listed. We do our best to describe any flaws that go beyond normal age-related wear, and to photograph each piece clearly and accurately.
Please treat the photos as part of the description and check them carefully before buying. Anything visible in the images or noted in the listing is part of the condition you're agreeing to. We're always happy to send extra photos or answer questions before you purchase.
Once a piece is yours, we can't take responsibility for loss of stones or damage caused by later wear, impact or accident. If something does happen, do get in touch: we'll always try to help arrange a repair where we can.
2. UK returns (change of mind)
If you simply change your mind, you have 14 days from the day your order arrives to let us know you'd like to return it. Once you've told us, you have a further 14 days to send it back.
To qualify for a refund, the piece should come back in the same condition it left us, with any original packaging and documentation. Please note that if the items value has been reduced by handling (for example, signs of wear from being worn out and about), we may make a proportionate deduction from your refund.
Return postage. For change-of-mind returns, you cover the cost of sending the item back. Please use a tracked and insured service such as Royal Mail Special Delivery. We can't refund items lost or damaged when returned by an uninsured or unrecorded service.
Delivery costs. If you return your whole order within the window, we'll refund standard outbound delivery. Upgraded or express delivery isn't refundable.
3. International returns (outside the UK)
Please contact us within 14 days of receiving your item to request a return.
You're responsible for arranging and paying for return shipping. We strongly recommend a tracked, fully insured courier (e.g. DHL Express, FedEx, USPS) and keeping your tracking number: we can't be responsible for items that don't reach us.
Customs labelling. Because we're UK-based, returns re-enter the UK. To avoid your parcel being taxed a second time, please mark the outer package and all customs paperwork clearly as "UK RETURNED GOODS — FAILED SALE — NO COMMERCIAL VALUE", and show the original HS code. If a parcel arrives without this and we're charged unexpected customs or clearance fees, that amount will be deducted from your refund. We'll send you a short Customs Instructions Sheet when you start your return.
A restocking deduction may apply to international change-of-mind returns to offset unrecoverable duties and fees prepaid on your behalf — see the US section below for how this works on US orders.
4. US returns
For orders shipped to the United States, we prepay the main import duties on your behalf where they apply. Because these charges aren't refunded to us when an item comes back, change-of-mind US returns are refunded minus those costs. The current state of tariffs is changeable, so please note that the tariff deduction will tend to be 10-15'%, but this is liable to change. We reserve the right to deduct the full import charges, and will provide documentation to this effect. Any state-level taxes, local charges or courier fees you paid directly are set by the authorities or courier and aren't refundable by us.
These deductions never apply to a faulty or not-as-described item — those are refunded in full (see section 6).
5. Resized & customised items (worldwide)
Any piece made or altered to your specification is a customised item and can't be returned for change-of-mind reasons. This includes rings resized by us before dispatch at your request, and rings altered by another jeweller after delivery. This applies to UK and international orders alike.
This exclusion is about change of mind only. It does not affect your rights if the item turns out to be faulty or not as described (section 6).
6. Faulty or not-as-described items (worldwide)
The deductions, restocking fees and change-of-mind conditions above do not apply if a piece is not as described or has a defect that was present when you bought it. Please tell us within 30 days of delivery to reject a non-conforming item for a refund.
For second-hand antique jewellery, "faulty" means one of two things:
- Not as described. For example a difference in period, metal or hallmark, gemstone identity or treatment, undisclosed repair or replacement of parts, or provenance that doesn't match the listing.
- An undisclosed defect present at the time of sale that isn't consistent with the item's age, price and our description, for example a concealed structural crack or a failed old repair. Normal age-related wear and patina, and anything shown in the photos or noted in the listing, are not faults.
How we resolve it. Because every piece is one of a kind, we can't offer a like-for-like replacement. If an item is confirmed not as described or defective, we'll offer a repair where appropriate, a price reduction, or a full refund of the product price and outbound shipping and we'll either send a prepaid return label or reimburse your return postage.
Inspection. Returned items are inspected in our UK workshop. If the fault is determined to have happened after delivery then we reserve the right to cancel the refund.
Please come to us first. So we have the chance to put things right, contact us before arranging any third-party repair. We can't reimburse outside work we weren't given the opportunity to carry out or authorise.
7. Items not eligible for change-of-mind returns
The following can't be returned for change of mind (your rights if an item is faulty or not as described are unaffected — see section 6):
- Rings that have been resized, altered or specially adjusted, including those resized by us before shipping.
- Items purchased via a payment plan.
- Digital Insurance Valuations once processed.
- Gemological Certificates once processed.
8. Refunds
Approved refunds are processed within 14 days of us receiving the returned item, or valid tracked proof of postage, and inspecting it. Refunds go back to your original payment method.
For orders placed outside the UK and EU, change-of-mind refunds may be issued less any unrecoverable payment-processing or currency-conversion fees charged by our payment providers, as these aren't returned to us. If you'd prefer, you can instead take the full eligible value as store credit, which avoids those deductions.
Refunds for faulty or not-as-described items are never reduced by any of the deductions in this policy.
9. How to start a return
Email returns@magpiechats.co.uk with your order number and the reason for your return.We'll reply with return instructions and our UK return address. For international orders we'll also include a Customs Instructions Sheet.Pack the piece securely and send it via a tracked, insured service.Once we've received and inspected it, we'll process your refund within 14 days.