Returns & Refunds

Returns & Refund Policy

We are doing our best to be as flexible as possible

And of course, you can send back products for exchange or refund - although KuSakuraShop is based in Japan. In all cases, note that it is imperative to contact us before returning your order to confirm that the product is eligible for a refund and so that we communicate to you the return procedure.

KuSakuraShop will not accept any return as a result of Dead letter mail, refusal of the parcel by the recipient, unclaimed package, wrong destination address or refusal to pay customs fees. In the latter case, the package will be forwarded to the new address provided by the customer at his expense.

For products damaged on arrival, please visit the shipping & delivery page for information on how to proceed.

Contents

Order cancellations prior to shipping

Orders on KuSakuraShop are processed very quickly: Either by forwarding the order content to the workshops and warehouse or shipped within a few hours if we have the products ready in our facilities. On business days, your order might be processed immediately and this means that the cancellation window is short. Once your order has been processed it can neither be modified, nor canceled. Please note that payment fees (~3%) are non refundable.

Charity events:
Orders placed during our charity events contain a fixed part of the order total amount that is donated to charities. The donated amount is non refundable.

Cancellation, Returns & Refunds after shipping

Because you have the right to change your mind, KuSakuraShop accepts exchanges / returns within 7 business days from the date of reception of the order. Returned products must be in perfect condition for resale in their original packaging, unworn, unwashed, and all accessories relating to the products must be returned with them.

If you are not satisfied with your order and want to exchange one or more products, shipping costs will be at your charge. You are free though to choose the carrier you want but we strongly advice you to opt for a traceable shipping service so your packages can be insured. Also, please verify that the item is properly packed and protected. Items damaged during transportation due to improper packing may result in cleaning fee charge, or even the refusal of the return.

Payment fees (3%) are non refundable.

In case of an order shipped under our free shipping offer, Shipping Fees paid to ship your order will be deducted of the refundable amount. Payment fees (~3%) are also non refundable.

Charity events:
Orders placed during our charity events contain a fixed part of the order total amount that is donated to charities. The donated amount is non refundable.

Products that cannot be exchanged

Embroidered or engraved products
Made-to-order products or custom orders. Including made to order Judogi existing sizes.
Items on sale
Items that are no longer being manufactured

Product return procedure

Please contact us via our contact form or simply answer the shipping confirmation email, and explain your reasons for wanting to return or exchange the product.
We will get back to you with the return and re-shipping costs and the refundable amount. You will also receive instructions on the return procedure.
It is indispensable to precisely follow the instructions after getting in touch with us. In short, this is what you would have to do:
- Check the "RETURN" box on the customs declaration form.
- Write "RETURN TO SENDER FOR EXCHANGE" on the outside of the package, clearly visible, capital letters.
- All items in the package have to be described for customs as precisely as possible.
- We will inform you about the product costs that have to be stated for customs.
If available, get back to us with the tracking number.
Once your package arrives at our office, we will confirm the return via email, after checking the item's condition. If intact, complete and in impeccable condition, it is your choice to either opt for an exchange or a refund.
- Exchange: You will receive a discount voucher for the refundable amount which can be applied to replace your item for another product.
- Refund: The refundable amount will be credited on your credit card.

If you do not respect the return procedure:
If this procedure and the indications stated in our emails are not respected, this can lead to unnecessary trouble. Customs duty might be charged or delivery issues can occur, and in such cases, we will deduct all additional costs from the refundable amount (payment fees will be refunded as well).

Note that "bounced" parcels (no longer at the address), unclaimed parcels, refused delivery (e.g. by declining to pay customs duty and taxes), or parcels sent back due to an incorrect delivery address do not receive any refund. In case of a re-shipping, it will be fully to the expense of the customer.

If the parcel is sent back to Japan for (e.g. reasons stated above), the return shipping is charged at flat rate. In case these shipping cost exceed the value of the order, or the order is customized, we will instruct the carrier to destroy the parcel. In this case, no refund or discount will be granted.

Returns if you received the wrong product

While we conduct thorough controls for each order before shipment, mistakes are extremely rare but possible. First of all, please accept our apologies! We will do our best to make the return process as smooth as possible and of course, the exchange is fully at our expense. Depending on the case e.g. order amount vs. shipping fees, different solutions are possible that will be discussed with you.

We do though need to verify exactly what happened and confirm the mistake before we can act and start the return procedure. You need to contact us within 7 business days after receiving the order. We then will ask you most likely for some pictures and this is not because we doubt your sincerity, but to avoid any possible misunderstanding. This avoids having the goods sent back and forth at your expense if the mistake was actually on your end, e.g. because information we provide on our site have not been read carefully. But if there was a mistake on our end, it also helps us to get as much detail as possible to be able to act fast, revise our logistics and immediately solve the matter.

Frequent mistakes

Judogi too big - sizing error: A new Judogi (pants and jacket) shrinks quite a bit (approx. 6%!) when washing especially during the first 2-3 times. Hence, it is normal that e.g. each sleeve is 3 cm - 4 cm too long. Please compare the size tag on the item with the size ordered and the size chart before contacting us.
Red and white oak weapons: Depending on the finish, and the piece of timber itself, red and white oak can easily be mistaken. As red and white oak weapons are stored separately at our facilities, it is unlikely that mistakes happen on our end.
Incorrect embroidery/engraving: as stated during the ordering process, if you did not order properly and selected (paid for) "one word" but request more than what you've paid for in the service comment, your comment is ignored (especially Logo/design embroidery requests). Check your order confirmation email if your order detail is consistent with your request.
Incorrect translation/transcription: we cannot accept claims if an alternative translation to that which you were expecting was provided with your order unless you attached a file to your order with the specific characters desired. In addition, not everything can be translated in Japanese (initials for example). If not translatable, it is embroidered/engraved in English without prior notice, as specified on the Embroidery information" page. In most cases, this page will explain why the result does not match your expectations.

Once you went through these information, and you think we really did a mistake, please contact us by answering the shipping confirmation email. From there, the procedure is as follows.

Claim procedure

First, we will ask you to send us pictures to verify the mistake.
If the mistake did happen on our end, we will offer you one or more solutions depending on the product's nature and your expectations: offer a partial / full refund, or a replacement. We are likely to ask you to send us the product back (see next step).
To send as back a erroneous item, we will indicate the carrier to send it back, and once we received the item, refund you for the shipping costs (the exact amount charged) and the item.

The latter can cause inconvenience, and we would want to offer a better service to avoid any further trouble for you. But for now, we have no other choice but to ask you to return and let us confirm the product first.