Returns & Exchanges
We want you to be happy with the piece you receive. If you aren't, here's exactly how it works — no fine print, no games.
The 30-day window
You have 30 days from the day your parcel is delivered to request a return. Tracking tells us the delivery date, so there's nothing to argue about.
Condition we need it back in
To be accepted, the piece must come back:
- Unused and unsharpened
- Free of scratches, marks or handling damage
- With its sheath, box and all original packaging
- With any documentation it shipped with
A knife that has been used, resharpened, carried or modified cannot be returned. We resell returned pieces, and a piece that has been used is no longer a piece we can honestly sell to someone else.
How to start a return
Email us at [tumhara support email] with your order number and, if something is wrong with the piece, clear photos of the problem. We'll reply within one business day with the return address and instructions.
Please don't post anything back before you hear from us. Parcels sent without an agreed return can go missing at customs, and we can't refund what never reaches us.
Who pays return shipping
If the piece has a manufacturing fault, we pay. We'll arrange the return or reimburse the cost — you shouldn't be out of pocket for our mistake.
If you're returning for any other reason — changed your mind, ordered the wrong size, didn't like the handle in person — the return shipping is yours to cover.
Refunds
Once the piece reaches us and we've inspected it, we refund to your original payment method within 5 business days. Your bank may take a further 5–10 days to show it.
Change-of-mind returns carry a 15% restocking fee, deducted from your refund. Every piece is made by hand, and a returned knife takes real work to inspect, re-oil and re-list.
Faulty or incorrect items carry no restocking fee. You get the full amount back, or a replacement — your choice.
If you paid for Priority or Rush production, that upgrade is not refunded on a change-of-mind return. The work was done at the speed you asked for.
Faulty or wrong items
If your piece arrives with a genuine fault, or we sent the wrong item, tell us within 7 days of delivery and send photos. We'll repair it, replace it, or refund you in full — and we cover the shipping both ways.
Please note that hand-forged blades are not machine-made. Small variations in grain, patina, handle figure and finish are the marks of hand work, not faults. Every piece is inspected before it leaves us.
What can't be returned
- Custom-built knives made through Build Your Custom Knife
- Personalised or engraved pieces
- Any piece made to your own specification or measurements
These are made for you and for nobody else, so we can't resell them. This does not affect your rights if such a piece arrives faulty — a fault is a fault, and we'll put it right.
Cancelling an order
- Before we start work — cancel free, full refund, no questions.
- After forging has begun — we refund everything except the work already done, assessed case by case and explained to you before we deduct anything.
- Once the parcel has shipped — it's a return, and the rules above apply.
To cancel, email us with your order number as soon as you can.
Customs seizures
If a parcel is seized or destroyed by customs because the item is restricted where you live, we can't refund it. Please check your local laws before ordering — our Shipping Policy explains this in more detail.
Exchanges
Want a different piece instead of your money back? Say so when you contact us. We'll treat it as a return and put the refund straight toward the new order — no restocking fee on exchanges.
Questions
Email [info@handforgedwork.com]. We answer within one business day, and a person reads every message.