AstralKnots Return & Refund Policy

Last Updated: October 24, 2025

This Policy applies to physical products (including handmade braided bracelets and related materials) and virtual products (limited to braiding courses) purchased from the AstralKnots cross-border independent website. For physical products, the return and refund rules are detailed in Chapters 1–3 and Chapter 4 (excluding Section 4.4); for virtual products (braiding courses), the refund rules are specified in Section 4.4 of Chapter 4. We strictly comply with major global consumer protection regulations, including the European Union’s Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU), the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, and the UK Consumer Rights Act, to safeguard your legal rights.

1. Scope of Application & Excluded Scenarios

1.1 Eligibility for Return/Refund (Physical & Virtual Products)

(1) Physical Products

Must meet all the following conditions:

  • Calculated from the date you actually receive the product: requests for return without reason must be submitted within 14 days; requests for return/refund due to quality issues must be submitted within 30 days.
  • The product is unused, undamaged, with no wear on braided patterns; the original packaging (including tags, dust bags, and accessories) is intact and unopened/unstained.
  • The product is non-customized (customized bracelets, such as those with engravings or custom sizes, only support after-sales service for quality issues and do not qualify for return without reason).
(2) Virtual Products (Braiding Courses)

Must meet all the following conditions:

  • Refund requests must be submitted within 14 days from the date the course is purchased and access is activated (whichever is later: the order payment success time or the platform’s access activation time).
  • Course viewing progress does not exceed 20% (based on platform backend data, including the watched duration of live course replays).
  • No core course materials have been downloaded (e.g., exclusive braiding diagrams, instructional video files, post-course practice templates).
  • No exclusive course benefits have been used (e.g., one-on-one tutoring appointments, student-exclusive community access, course Q&A services).

1.2 Scenarios Ineligible for Return/Refund

(1) Physical Products
  • Requests submitted beyond the above timeframes.
  • Products that have been used (e.g., wear marks from wearing, thread abrasion), modified by yourself (e.g., shortened, accessory replacement), or damaged due to improper personal storage.
  • Customized products (including bracelets with size adjustments, engravings, or special thread selections requested by you) — unless there are braiding defects or quality issues that seriously deviate from the order description.
  • Non-functional defects caused by force majeure (e.g., natural disasters, slight packaging compression during customs inspection) that do not affect product use.
  • Free gifts, trial samples, and other non-salable products (unless returned together with the main product, and the main product meets return eligibility).
(2) Virtual Products (Braiding Courses)
  • Refund requests submitted more than 14 days after purchase.
  • Course viewing progress exceeds 20% (inclusive) or core course materials have been downloaded.
  • Exclusive course benefits have been used (e.g., participation in one-on-one tutoring, activation of student community access, completion of course Q&A services).
  • Inability to access the course due to personal device issues (e.g., incompatible device systems) or network problems (e.g., local network fluctuations) — rather than issues with the course content itself or platform technical failures.
  • Minor defects in course content (e.g., subtitle errors, slight video blurriness) that have been fixed within 72 hours after we receive feedback.
  • Refund requests due to personal reasons (e.g., changes in learning plans, shifts in subjective interest) that fail to meet the core conditions in Section 1.1(2).

2. Eligibility & Required Materials for Return/Refund Requests

2.1 Eligibility for Application

(1) Physical Products
  • You must be the actual purchaser of the order and provide valid order proof (order number, purchase email/phone number).
  • For after-sales requests due to quality issues, you must provide clear photos/videos of the product defect (including the overall appearance, defect details, and order information label) for verification.
  • The returned product must match the item in the original order; replacement with other products or inclusion of non-order items is not allowed.
(2) Virtual Products (Braiding Courses)
  • You must be the actual holder of the course purchase account and provide valid order proof (course order number, purchase email/phone number, account registration information).
  • For refund requests due to “course content seriously deviating from the description” (e.g., incorrect course theme, teaching duration, or instructor information), you must provide comparison evidence (e.g., screenshots of the course promotion page at the time of purchase, screenshots/clips of the actual course content).
  • For refund requests due to “platform technical failures causing inaccessibility,” you must cooperate in providing your device model, browser version, error message screenshots, and other relevant information to facilitate verification.

2.2 Required Materials

  1. General Materials: Order number (available in “Account – Order Center” or the purchase confirmation email), purchaser’s name, and contact information.
  2. Supplementary Materials for Physical Products:
    • Description of the product issue (clearly mark “return without reason” or the specific quality issue, e.g., “braided section unravelled” or “thread color inconsistent with the product page description”).
    • Product photos/videos (for returns without reason: photos of the product and intact packaging; for quality issues: photos focusing on the defect area, from at least 3 different angles).
    • Your shipping address (for communication regarding return logistics, required only for returns without reason or returns due to quality issues).
  3. Supplementary Materials for Virtual Products (Braiding Courses):
    • Description of the course issue (clearly mark “refund for unused course benefits” or the specific issue, e.g., “course content inconsistent with promotion” or “inaccessible due to technical failure”).
    • Supporting evidence (e.g., screenshots of the course promotion page, viewing progress screenshots, error message screenshots — required only for requests due to “content inconsistency” or “technical failure”).
    • The registered email/phone number of the course purchase account (for the platform to verify viewing progress and benefit usage records).

3. Return Process for Physical Products

3.1 Submitting an Application

  1. Initiate the application via one of the following methods:
    • Email: Send the application materials to info@astralknots.art with the subject line “Physical Product Return Application – Order No. XXX”.
    • Website Form: After logging into your account, fill in the information and upload materials in “Order Center – Corresponding Physical Product Order – Apply for After-Sales Service”.
  2. We will review your application within 24 hours (based on Los Angeles Time). The review result will be notified to you via email or website message:
    • Approved: An exclusive return address (including logistics notes) and a return authorization code (must be marked on the exterior of the package) will be provided.
    • Rejected: Specific reasons (e.g., incomplete materials, expired timeframe) will be explained, and we will inform you whether supplementary materials can be submitted for re-application.

3.2 Returning the Product

  1. You must ship the product back to the designated address via a trackable logistics channel within 7 days of receiving the “approved” notification (ordinary mail or logistics services without a tracking number are not accepted).
  2. Logistics Cost Responsibility Rules:
    • Return without reason: Logistics costs shall be borne by you (if the package is lost due to logistics-related reasons, you shall negotiate compensation with the logistics company on your own).
    • Return due to quality issues: Logistics costs shall be borne by us. You need to advance the freight first; after we confirm receipt of the returned product and verify the quality issue, the freight will be refunded to you via the original payment method (a freight voucher — such as a logistics waybill or payment record — is required).
  3. When shipping the product back, please mark “Return Authorization Code + Order No.” on the exterior of the package to avoid failure to identify your return due to missing information.

3.3 Quality Inspection & Processing

  1. After receiving the returned product, we will complete the quality inspection within 3 working days:
    • Qualified Inspection (meets return conditions): The refund process will be initiated immediately, or an exchange will be arranged according to your request (exchanges are only available for products of the same style and specification; if the product is out of stock, a refund will be prioritized).
    • Unqualified Inspection (e.g., used product, damaged packaging): The inspection result will be notified to you via email, and the product will be shipped back to you in its original condition; the return logistics costs shall be borne by you.

4. Refund Policy

4.1 Refund Eligibility

  • Physical Products: The returned product passes the quality inspection (meets the requirements of Chapter 2 and Chapter 3); or the product has quality issues and you choose “refund only” instead of an exchange; or we are unable to fulfill the order (e.g., the product is out of stock with no alternative style, or sudden logistics channel restrictions make delivery impossible).
  • Virtual Products (Braiding Courses): Meets the provisions of Section 1.1(2) and Section 2.1(2) of this Policy; or the course content has serious quality issues (e.g., unplayable videos, distorted audio, missing core teaching content) that cannot be fixed within 72 hours of us receiving feedback.

4.2 Refund Method & Timing

  • Refunds will be credited to your original payment account (e.g., credit card, PayPal, etc.). Changing the refund account, converting the refund to store credit, or using the refund to offset other orders is not supported.
  • Refund Crediting Timing by Payment Method:
    • Credit Card: 3–7 working days (subject to the bank’s settlement cycle; delays may occur during holidays).
    • PayPal: 1–5 working days.
    • Debit Card: 2–5 working days.
  • Refund Amount Calculation Rules:a. Physical Products: The actual amount you paid for the product (excluding the international shipping fee of the original order — unless the return is due to our fulfillment error, such as shipping the wrong product or missing items).b. Virtual Products (Braiding Courses): The actual amount you paid for the course (excluding the amount deducted by coupons/discount codes used at the time of purchase; if you purchased a “course + materials gift package”, only the separate selling price of the course will be refunded, and the materials shall be handled in accordance with the rules for physical products).

4.3 Special Refund Scenarios (Physical Products)

  • Order Cancellation Refund: If you cancel the order before the product is shipped, the full product amount will be refunded (excluding any incurred payment processing fees, if applicable), and the refund timing follows the rules above; if the product has already been shipped, the “Return Process for Physical Products” in this Policy shall apply.
  • Logistics Loss/Damage Refund: If the package is lost during transportation (logistics tracking shows “confirmed lost”) or severely damaged upon receipt (you must take photos on the spot and refuse acceptance), you may apply for a full refund or re-delivery within 7 days:
    • Refund Option: After we verify the logistics status, the refund process will be initiated within 3 working days.
    • Re-delivery Option: We will arrange for re-delivery within 5 working days after confirming the loss/damage; the re-delivery freight shall be borne by us.

4.4 Refund Process for Virtual Products (Braiding Courses)

  1. Application Submission: Submit materials via email (info@astralknots.art with the subject line “Course Refund Application – Order No. XXX”) or through the website’s “Order Center – Corresponding Course Order – Apply for After-Sales Service”.
  2. Review: We will review the application within 24 hours (based on Los Angeles Time), verify the conditions with reference to platform backend data (viewing progress, material download records), and notify you of the review result via email.
  3. Refund Processing: If approved, the refund process will be initiated within 1 working day, and the crediting timing follows the rules in Section 4.2; if rejected, specific reasons (e.g., excessive viewing progress, used benefits) will be explained.

5. Legal Basis & Dispute Resolution

5.1 Compliance Basis

This Policy is formulated with reference to the following regulations:

  • European Union’s Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU): Guarantees consumers’ 14-day right to return/refund without reason (including digital products) and a 2-year product quality guarantee period.
  • U.S. FTC Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule: Requires merchants to fulfill orders in a timely manner; if unable to provide the goods/services, merchants must proactively inform consumers and offer refund options.
  • UK Consumer Rights Act: Specifies that goods must be “as described, of satisfactory quality, and fit for purpose,” and digital services must be “fit for their intended function”; otherwise, consumers have the right to request a refund or exchange.
  • Australia’s Australian Consumer Law (ACL): Provides “consumer guarantees” for physical products and digital services, covering quality, after-sales service, and refund rights.

5.2 Dispute Resolution

If you have objections to the return/refund processing result, you may negotiate through the following methods:

  1. Contact customer service first (info@astralknots.art); we will provide a further solution within 3 working days.
  2. If negotiation fails to reach an agreement, you may file a complaint with the consumer protection authority in your country/region (e.g., European Consumer Centre, U.S. FTC Consumer Complaint Center, UK Citizens Advice Bureau) or resolve the dispute through arbitration (subject to the legal provisions of your region).

6. Contact Us

For inquiries related to returns or refunds, please contact us via the following methods:

  • Email: info@astralknots.art (Emails will be replied to within 24 hours, based on Los Angeles Time).
  • Website Form: After logging into your account, submit your inquiry in the “Contact Us” section.
  • Note: Do not submit after-sales applications via social media private messages, as this may cause processing delays due to missing information.