Returns & refunds

If something's not right

This page explains how returns, refunds, and disputes work on Rare Kind. The short version: your payment is held by Stripe until you're happy with the item, and you have seven days from delivery to flag a problem.

Buyer protection

Every purchase on Rare Kind is covered by buyer protection. When you pay at checkout, the money goes into an escrow account at our payments partner Stripe. The seller isn't paid until:

• you confirm the item arrived and matches the listing, or
• seven days pass since delivery without you raising an issue — at which point we presume the order has been delivered satisfactorily and the funds release to the seller. This is a rebuttable presumption, not a hard cut-off: if you later discover an issue and need to get in touch with us, email hello@joinrarekind.co.uk and we'll look at the circumstances individually.

That seven-day window is your time to check the item and flag anything wrong on the Service. The seven-day cut-off applies to the in-platformdispute process only. If you open a dispute after seven days, we may still be able to help but we no longer hold the seller's funds in escrow, which limits the remedies we can offer through the Service. Your statutory consumer rights under UK law, any rights to initiate a chargeback through your card network, and your right to seek help from Citizens Advice or Trading Standards, remain available to you after the seven days have passed — see “Your statutory rights” below.

How to raise a dispute

Go to your order page and tap Raise a dispute. You'll pick a reason (item didn't arrive, doesn't match the listing, counterfeit, damaged, wrong item, other), describe what went wrong, and attach photos if relevant. Our team reviews every dispute; most are resolved within two working days.

What we can do

The outcome depends on what happened. In order of how common they are:

• Item never arrived— full refund. No return needed (there's nothing to return). Tracking evidence from the carrier is the main input.
• Materially different from the listing— full refund after you return the item to the seller. Photos help. "Materially different" means a real mismatch: wrong size labelled as right size, significant undisclosed damage, different item entirely. Minor differences (colour slightly off on a screen) don't qualify.
• Counterfeit — full refund after return. We investigate seriously; confirmed counterfeiters are suspended pending review and may be permanently banned.
• Damaged in transit — full refund after return, or partial refund if buyer chooses to keep the item at a discount.
• Minor discrepancy not mentioned — usually a partial refund (amount negotiated with the seller or platform-decided).
• “Just didn't fit” on an individual seller listing— no marketplace refund; buyer and seller to sort directly. Individual sellers aren't legally required to accept change-of-mind returns (see below).

Change of mind: business vs individual sellers

Rare Kind hosts two kinds of sellers. Your consumer rights on change-of-mind returns differ.

Business sellers (registered companies on Rare Kind, marked with a verified-business badge next to the handle) are required under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 to offer a 14-day cancellation right on items sold in the course of their business. If you bought from a business seller and change your mind within 14 days of delivery, message them from the order page. The refund covers the item price andthe standard delivery cost you paid at checkout. You'll arrange and pay for the return postage yourself, unless the seller explicitly offers free returns.

Business sellers may deduct a reasonable amount from the refund to reflect any diminishment in the value of the goods caused by handling beyond what was necessary to establish the item's nature, characteristics and functioning (as permitted by the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). A try-on to check fit is fine; wearing the item out for an evening or removing tags that came with it is not.

Individual sellersaren't selling in the course of business, so the 14-day cancellation right doesn't automatically apply. Many are happy to accept change-of-mind returns anyway — always message them before raising a dispute, it's often the fastest path. Where a seller is in fact trading (listing at volume, running a resale shop etc.) we may reclassify the account as a business seller and the 14-day right then applies — see our Terms of service.

Return postage

Who pays to post the item back depends on why you're returning it:

• Rare Kind pays when the dispute is upheld — item not as described, counterfeit, damaged, wrong item. We generate a return label and email it to you, or reimburse tracked postage up to the cost of the original shipping.
• Buyer pays for change-of-mind returns on business-seller items (standard for UK distance selling).

Arrange the return yourself via Royal Mail, Evri, or any tracked service of your choice. Use a service with tracking — we ask for the tracking number before releasing the refund.

You have 14 days from a refund being approvedto post the item back. Returns that arrive outside that window can be refused and the refund reversed.

How postage is priced

Outbound postage is set by Rare Kind based on the parcel size the seller selected when listing. You pay a flat rate at checkout — no haggling, no per-postcode variation. Sellers don't handle shipping costs themselves: we pay the carrier directly from the postage you paid, so the seller keeps their full item price minus our commission.

Current flat rates: Letter £1.50, Small parcel £3.49, Medium parcel £4.99, Large parcel £7.99. Rates are reviewed quarterly.

Condition on return

The item must come back in the condition you received it — unworn, undamaged, with any original tags still attached. Reasonable handling to check the item (trying clothes on, inspecting seams) is expected and fine; using the item is not.

On returns to individual sellers, if the item comes back with wear, damage not present on arrival, or with tags or accessories that came with it missing, the seller can refuse the return and the refund is reversed. There are no partial refunds or restocking-style deductions from individual sellers.

On returns to business sellers, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 permit sellers to deduct a reasonable amount from the refund to reflect any diminishment in the item's value caused by handling beyond what was necessary. In practice that might mean a partial refund rather than a full one. If the business seller proposes a deduction you disagree with, raise a dispute through the Service and our team will review the amount proposed against the actual diminishment.

What a refund includes

When Rare Kind approves a full refund you get back:

• the item price
• the postage you paid at checkout
• the buyer protection fee

Every component comes back to the card or wallet you paid with. Return postage is not refunded by Rare Kind — see the previous section for who bears that cost.

Partial refunds only cover the portion agreed for the specific issue; other components (postage, protection fee) aren't refunded on a partial.

Evidence we look at

We take every dispute seriously and we take fraud seriously too. When you raise a dispute, share anything that helps us understand what happened. You don't need a perfect evidence pack to open a dispute — we investigate even when evidence is limited.

• Item never arrived— we look at the carrier's tracking record first. If tracking shows the parcel delivered to your postcode we'll follow up to find out what happened (mis-delivery, taken-in by a neighbour, parcel-locker issue). If tracking was never scanned or has stalled, the outcome is typically in your favour.
• Not as described, damaged, counterfeit— photos are really helpful and speed up the outcome. Unboxing videos help if you have one. If you can't take photos for any reason, tell us — we'll still investigate.
• Everything else — describe what happened in as much detail as you can. Screenshots of relevant messages with the seller also help.

Repeated disputes with the same reason across many orders, or patterns that suggest fraud, trigger a closer look — including a temporary hold on the account while we investigate.

Timing

Once a refund is approved, Stripe typically releases it the same day. It appears on your statement within five to ten working days depending on your bank. Partial refunds follow the same timeline.

Cancelling before shipping

If you paid but the seller hasn't shipped yet, message them directly to request cancellation. Most are happy to cancel and relist; you'll get a full refund. If the seller doesn't reply within 48 hours of you requesting, or if 10 days pass with no shipment, contact hello@joinrarekind.co.uk and we'll step in.

Counterfeits

If you receive an item you believe is a counterfeit, open a dispute immediately and pick Counterfeitas the reason. Attach photos — tags, stitching detail, seams, logo close-ups all help. We'll investigate, issue a full refund if confirmed, and the seller is suspended pending review. Brands that maintain IP protection registers with us may also be asked to corroborate.

Your statutory rights

None of the above affects your statutory consumer rights under UK law. If you believe those rights have been infringed, you can contact Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) or Trading Standards.

Questions not covered here? See the Help centre, read the Terms of service, or email us at hello@joinrarekind.co.uk.

Last updated: 22 April 2026