Return, Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Geographic Scope & Applicable Region

This Return, Refund & Cancellation Policy applies to all direct pre-orders, reservations, and fulfilled purchases placed through vale-and-vessel.com for delivery to addresses within the United States. All transactions are billed in United States Dollars (USD) through Stripe.

2. Returns Accepted for Defective Products Only

In strict alignment with our Google Merchant Center settings and product safety protocols, Vale & Vessel Wellness accepts returns and issues remedies exclusively for products that arrive defective, damaged, leaking, broken, or spoiled.

An item is classified as defective or damaged if it exhibits any of the following upon initial delivery:

• Physical Container Breakage: Cracked or shattered glass jars, chipped ceramic or stone vessels, broken amber dropper pipettes, or split tubes occurring during transit.
• Compromised Safety Seals: A factory-applied tamper-evident seal or outer maker shrink-band that arrives punctured, peeled, broken, or missing.
• Dispenser Malfunction: An airless vacuum pump, fine-mist actuator spray, or dropper bulb that fails to dispense product or leaks excessively upon initial inspection.
• Liquid Leakage: Formulations that have leaked into the outer shipping carton during transit.
• Formula Flaws: Noticeable curdling, foul odor, phase separation, or foreign material inconsistency indicative of shipping temperature compromise or manufacturing defect.

Customers have 30 calendar days from the confirmed date of carrier delivery to inspect their set and report any defective or damaged product to our studio team at [email protected].

3. Product Exchanges: Not Accepted

Exchanges are not accepted. Vale & Vessel Wellness does not offer product exchanges, scent swaps, or variant trades under any circumstances.

Because our sets are curated from independent craft studios in limited, sealed 15-box allocation runs (Batch N° 01, N° 02, and N° 03), we do not maintain unallocated open inventory for customer taste exchanges. If an item in your order is verified as defective or transit-damaged, we will either dispatch an identical replacement unit of that specific studio product or issue a 100% full refund to your original payment method. We do not swap items for different products.

4. Non-Defective Items & Personal Care Hygiene Safety Exemption

All items curated by Vale & Vessel Wellness—including restorative mushroom moisturizers, magnesium sleep butters, wild herbal bath steeps, blue tansy facial balms, hinoki cypress room mists, and bronze sculpting wands—are topical personal care, cosmetic, and bath formulations.

Under applicable federal and state health regulations, topical cosmetics and intimate wellness products cannot be safely restocked or re-circulated to other patrons once they have left the custody of our certified fulfilment chain. To uphold our ironclad promise that every patron receives brand-new, factory-sealed goods direct from independent maker studios, all non-defective sales are final upon shipment.

5. Return Process & Free Return Shipping for Defective Items

If your item arrives defective or damaged, Vale & Vessel Wellness covers 100% of the return costs. You will never be charged a return shipping fee or a restocking fee.

6. Refund Processing Timelines & Methods

When a full or partial refund is approved for a defective or damaged product:

• Method: Refunds are credited strictly to the original payment method (Stripe Credit / Debit Card) used during reservation or checkout.
• Disbursement Timeline: Vale & Vessel Wellness authorizes the refund in Stripe within 24 hours of claim approval. Your bank or card issuer will typically post the credit to your account within 3 to 5 business days.
• Restocking Fees: $0.00. We never charge restocking fees, processing fees, or return shipping deductions.

7. Free Pre-Funding Group Reservation Cancellations ($0 Charged Today)

Vale & Vessel operates on a small-batch group reservation model:

• $0 Charged Today: When reserving a spot in Batch N° 01, N° 02, or N° 03, your card is authorized via Stripe SetupIntent for $0.00. No funds leave your account until all 15 spots in your batch cohort are filled.
• Self-Service Cancellation at $0 Cost: You may cancel your reservation at any time prior to the 15th spot filling at $0.00 cost. You can do this directly on the website by clicking "Cancel Reservation ($0)" inside the Reservation Drawer, by responding to the 24-hour advance pre-charge confirmation email, or by emailing [email protected].
• Cohort Expiration: If your selected seasonal batch does not reach all 15 customer orders by the cohort deadline (November 24, 2026), your authorization is automatically released and you are charged $0.00.

8. Statutory Compliance & Consumer Protection Disclosures

This policy operates in full compliance with United States consumer protection standards:

• California Civil Code § 1723: Conspicuously posts store refund, return, and exchange terms prior to checkout, stating that returns are limited to defective merchandise and non-defective personal care cosmetics are non-refundable.
• New York General Business Law § 218-a: Discloses clear refund disclosure, reporting windows, and free remedies for defective goods delivered to New York residents.
• FTC 16 CFR Part 435 (Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule): Orders dispatch within 10 to 14 business days of batch completion. If any unforeseen delay occurs, patrons are immediately notified and offered an immediate 100% full refund upon request.

9. Merchant Identification & Contact Details

If you have questions regarding this policy, need assistance with an existing order, or wish to report a defective product, please reach out to our studio desk: