Custom Postal Boxes • Returns & Refunds
Return Policy for Custom Postal Boxes
Return Policy information matters differently for made-to-order packaging because most boxes are produced or printed around an approved specification. This page explains when Custom Postal Boxes can consider a return, replacement, reprint or refund and what information helps us investigate a problem.
If your order arrives faulty, damaged or materially different from the approved proof or specification, contact us promptly. We will review the issue against the order details and explain the appropriate next step. Nothing on this page removes statutory rights that UK law gives you.
How the Policy Works
How Our Return Policy Applies to Custom Packaging
Custom packaging often combines a chosen size, structure, artwork, print specification and quantity. We therefore assess a return against the final approved order rather than treating a made-to-order box in the same way as an unused stock product.
When We Can Consider a Return, Replacement or Refund
We will investigate an order where the goods arrive damaged, contain a manufacturing or print fault, or differ materially from the final specification you approved.
Examples can include:
- significant transit damage present when the order arrives;
- a manufacturing or print defect that does not reflect the approved proof;
- dimensions that differ materially from the agreed specification; or
- another material difference between the delivered goods and the approved order.
The appropriate remedy depends on the issue, the affected quantity, the order type and any legal rights that apply. We may discuss a correction, replacement, reprint, price adjustment or refund after reviewing the evidence.
Reporting a Problem With Your Order
Contact Custom Postal Boxes as soon as you reasonably can after noticing a problem. If possible, report visible damage or obvious production issues within seven working days so that we can investigate while the delivery and order details are still easy to verify.
That reporting request does not shorten a statutory time limit or remove a legal right. Consumer rights can apply for longer periods depending on the circumstances.
Please include your order number, a clear explanation of the issue and photographs showing the affected packaging. For delivery damage, photographs of the outer shipping carton can also help us understand what happened in transit.
We will compare the evidence with the approved proof, specification and order records before confirming the next step.
Proof Approval and Customer-Supplied Information
Please review every proof carefully before approval. Check spelling, logos, dimensions, colours, artwork placement, finishing notes and any other information that forms part of the approved job.
If the finished packaging accurately follows the proof and specification you approved, an error already present in that approved material will not normally count as a production fault.
The same principle can apply where incorrect dimensions, artwork or other information came from the customer. We will still review the circumstances rather than assuming the cause before we have checked the order.
Change-of-Mind Returns for Custom or Personalised Packaging
Many Custom Postal Boxes orders are produced specifically for an individual specification or carry customer artwork. Because of that, a simple change of mind will not normally create a discretionary right to return the goods once production has followed the approved brief.
For consumer distance sales, the standard 14-day change-of-mind cancellation right generally does not apply where goods are genuinely made to the consumer's specifications or are clearly personalised. Whether that exception applies depends on the nature of the particular order.
This exception does not remove consumer rights where goods are faulty, not as described or otherwise fail to meet applicable legal requirements. For current general guidance, see GOV.UK guidance on returns and refunds.
Delivery Damage and Transit Issues
If the order arrives damaged, contact us promptly and keep the packaging available while the claim is reviewed. Clear photographs of the damaged goods and outer transit packaging can help establish where the damage occurred.
Where transport arranged for the order caused damage before delivery, we will review the issue under this policy and any rights that apply. Damage that happens after delivery through later storage, handling or onward transport arranged by the customer is treated differently.
If you are unsure whether the damage happened before or after delivery, send the available evidence and we will review it with the order details.
Returning Goods After Authorisation
Please do not send goods back until we have authorised the return and provided return instructions. An unauthorised return can make it harder to identify the order, preserve evidence or route the goods correctly.
When we authorise a return, package the goods securely and follow the instructions provided. Unless the goods must be handled differently because of the fault, keep them in the condition in which you received them and avoid unnecessary alteration or damage.
Where a statutory right places return costs or risk on us, that right remains unaffected.
Replacements, Reprints and Practical Corrections
A replacement or reprint can sometimes resolve an accepted claim more effectively than returning the entire order. In other cases, a practical correction may be possible.
If we confirm that our work caused the accepted issue, we will not charge you for the agreed remedy. Where only part of an order is affected, the remedy can focus on that affected quantity when that is appropriate and consistent with any legal rights that apply.
We will explain the proposed resolution before proceeding. If a replacement or reprint fully resolves the accepted issue, any further remedy will depend on the circumstances and applicable law.
Return Policy for Refunds, Deductions and Completed Design Work
When a refund is due because of an accepted fault or another legal entitlement, we will calculate and process it in line with the rights that apply to the transaction.
For a purely discretionary refund where our work did not cause the issue and the law does not require a full refund, we may take account of completed design, artwork preparation, proofing or other work already carried out for the order. Any deduction must remain consistent with the contract and applicable law.
Original delivery charges are not normally refunded on a purely discretionary return. However, if the law requires standard delivery charges or another delivery cost to be refunded, we will follow that requirement.
If only part of the order qualifies for a discretionary refund, we normally calculate the goods value around the affected quantity. We will use the original payment method unless another method is agreed or the law requires a particular approach.
Refund Timeframes
For discretionary or business-to-business refunds, we aim to process an approved refund within 14 working days after authorisation. If an authorised return must reach us first, we will normally begin that internal processing period after receiving the goods.
Consumer legislation can impose different or shorter deadlines. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, where a statutory refund is due in relevant circumstances, the refund must be made without undue delay and no later than 14 days after the trader agrees that the consumer is entitled to it.
Where a valid distance-sale cancellation right applies, separate refund timing rules can apply after the goods are returned or evidence of return is supplied. Custom-made or clearly personalised goods can be excluded from the standard cancellation right.
You can read the official Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 for the legislation itself.
Your UK Consumer Rights
Nothing in this Return Policy excludes or restricts a consumer right that the law does not allow us to exclude.
Consumer goods must meet applicable UK standards, including requirements around satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose and matching their description. Custom-made status does not remove rights relating to faulty or misdescribed goods.
Consumer law can provide different remedies at different stages, depending on the facts. This policy explains our normal process but does not replace the legislation that applies to a particular order.
Business Customers
Where an order is placed wholly for business purposes, consumer-specific protections may not apply in the same way. Business-to-business claims are considered under the agreed contract, this Return Policy and the law that applies to the transaction.
That does not mean a business buyer has no legal or contractual rights. The position depends on the agreement, the goods supplied and the circumstances of the claim.
Storage, Handling and Damage After Delivery
After delivery, keep packaging in conditions suitable for the material and intended use. Moisture, excessive heat, rough handling, alteration or unsuitable storage can damage paperboard and corrugated packaging after it has arrived.
We do not normally treat damage caused after delivery by misuse, inappropriate storage, customer alteration or onward transport arranged by the customer as a manufacturing fault. If the cause is unclear, contact us with photographs before disposing of the goods.
Policy Updates
Custom Postal Boxes may update this Return Policy when our processes, legal requirements or business practices change. The current version published on this website will apply according to its terms and the law relevant to the order.
Material changes will not remove rights that have already arisen under applicable law or an existing contract.
Custom Postal Boxes is a project of Vertex Packaging. Custom Postal Boxes provides a dedicated website for postal, mailer, shipping and related ecommerce packaging.
Contact Custom Postal Boxes About a Return
For a return, replacement, reprint or refund query, use our Contact Us page or email the team directly.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01902 509 334
Please include your order number, a short description of the issue and clear photographs where relevant. You can also review our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Practical Answers
Return Policy FAQs
These answers summarise common questions about custom packaging returns. The detailed sections above and any applicable statutory rights still govern the individual circumstances.
Can I return custom printed packaging if I change my mind?
Usually not as a discretionary return once packaging has been produced to an approved specification. For consumer distance sales, goods genuinely made to a consumer's specification or clearly personalised are generally excluded from the standard change-of-mind cancellation right. Faulty or misdescribed goods remain subject to applicable legal rights.
What happens if my boxes do not match the approved proof?
Contact us with the order number, photographs and a description of the difference. We will compare the delivered packaging with the approved proof and specification, then explain the appropriate remedy if we confirm a material problem.
What should I do if my packaging arrives damaged?
Contact us promptly and keep the outer transit packaging where possible. Send clear photographs of the damaged goods and shipping carton so we can review whether the problem occurred before delivery.
Are design or proof charges refundable?
It depends on why a refund is being made. We will not use design or proof charges to reduce a refund that the law requires in full. For a discretionary refund where our work did not cause the issue, completed design or artwork work may be taken into account where the contract and law allow it.
How long does a refund take?
For discretionary or business-to-business refunds, we aim to process an approved refund within 14 working days. Statutory consumer refunds can follow different legal deadlines, which take priority over our internal target.
Do I need permission before sending packaging back?
Yes. Please contact us first so we can review the claim, authorise any return that is required and provide the correct return instructions. This helps keep the order and evidence linked correctly.
Need Help With an Order?
Contact Us Before Returning Custom Packaging
Send your order number, photographs and a clear description of the issue. We can then review the Return Policy against the approved specification and advise what should happen next.
Contact Custom Postal Boxes