Refund Policy
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This page is about money: when Pearltee owes you a refund, how much comes back, where it goes and how long it takes to arrive. The steps for physically sending a shirt back, packing it and choosing an exchange size are on our Returns & Exchanges Policy page. The headline numbers are simple: you can ask for a return on any product within 60 days of delivery, and once a refund is approved it reaches your original payment method within 7 calendar days.
The short version
- Speed: approved refunds land on your original payment method within 7 calendar days.
- Window: request a return within 60 days of delivery, for any Pearltee product.
- Full refund including shipping: damaged, defective, wrong, not-as-described or lost orders, and orders cancelled before they ship.
- Change of mind: the full price of the shirt is refunded once it is back with us unworn; return postage is yours.
- Fees: we never charge restocking, handling or refund-processing fees.
1. What “approved” means and when the 7 days start
Every refund has one clear trigger, which we call approval. Approval happens at a different moment depending on the situation:
- Returns: when your shirt has arrived back with us and passed inspection. We inspect returns within 2 business days of receiving them.
- Photo claims: for damaged, faulty or wrong items where we do not need the shirt back, approval happens when we accept your photos, usually the same day we reply.
- Cancellations: when we confirm in writing that your order has been cancelled before shipping.
- Lost parcels: when the carrier confirms the loss, or when a carrier investigation has run for 5 business days without finding the parcel.
We send the refund to your payment provider the same business day we approve it, and we email you a confirmation. From approval, the money reaches your original payment method within 7 calendar days. Most refunds appear sooner, but card issuers and banks control the last step, so we quote the full window rather than an optimistic one.
2. Situations where you are refunded
2.1 A shirt arrived damaged or defective
This covers a print that is cracked, peeling, smeared or badly misaligned on arrival, a hole or loose seam, a stain from the journey, or a print that fails after normal washing within the 60-day window.
Send us: your order number and clear photos of the problem, plus the shipping label if the parcel itself was damaged.
You receive: a refund of the full price of the affected shirt and any shipping charge on it, or a free replacement if you would rather have the shirt. In most cases you keep the faulty item, because we do not need it back.
2.2 We sent the wrong design or the wrong size
Send us: your order number and a photo of the shirt you received, showing the design and the size label.
You receive: the correct shirt shipped free, or a full refund. If we need the wrong shirt back, we provide a prepaid label so it costs you nothing.
2.3 The shirt is not as described
If the design, colour scheme or details are clearly different from the product page, for example missing text or a different graphic, the refund is treated exactly like a defect: full price plus any shipping, and free return postage if we need the shirt.
2.4 Your parcel was lost
If tracking has not moved for 7 business days, or the parcel has not arrived 7 business days after the latest estimated date, contact us. Once the carrier confirms the loss or our 5-business-day investigation ends without result, you choose: a full refund of everything paid for the order, or a free replacement.
2.5 You changed your mind or the size is not right
Return the shirt unworn and unwashed within 60 days of delivery and we refund the full price of the shirt. You pay the postage to send it back to us. Shipping to you was free, so there is no original shipping charge to deduct. If you would rather swap sizes than take a refund, see the exchange steps on our Returns & Exchanges Policy page.
2.6 You cancelled before the order shipped
If you ask to cancel within 24 hours of ordering and the parcel has not left us, we confirm the cancellation and refund every cent you paid, including any taxes. Our Cancel or Change an Order page explains how to ask.
2.7 We cancelled your order
Occasionally we have to cancel an order ourselves, for example if a size has sold out, a price was displayed incorrectly or a payment cannot be verified. We email you straight away and refund the full amount, which reaches you within 7 calendar days.
3. How much comes back
| Situation | Shirt price | Shipping you paid | Return postage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damaged in transit | Full refund | Refunded | Not needed in most cases |
| Defective print or garment | Full refund | Refunded | Free if we need it back |
| Wrong design or size sent | Full refund | Refunded | Free (prepaid label) |
| Not as described | Full refund | Refunded | Free (prepaid label) |
| Lost parcel | Full refund | Refunded | Not applicable |
| Cancelled before shipping | Full refund | Refunded | Not applicable |
| Changed your mind or wrong size chosen | Full refund | Not applicable (shipping was free) | Paid by you |
Because standard shipping to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand is free, the “shipping you paid” column is usually $0.00. If you ever paid a shipping charge, for example for an option we introduce later, the table shows when it comes back.
4. Where the money goes
- Refunds return to the same payment method you used at checkout. We cannot redirect a card refund to a different card or bank account, because payment providers do not allow it.
- If you prefer, we can issue store credit instead, which can be used straight away on your next order; the terms of any credit are confirmed in writing when we issue it.
- If your card has been cancelled or replaced since you ordered, the refund normally follows to the new card through your bank. If it bounces back to us, we will contact you to arrange another way.
- For gift orders, the refund goes to the person who paid. The gift recipient can ask for store credit instead, with the buyer’s agreement.
- Refunds are made in US dollars, the currency of the store. If your bank converted the original payment from another currency, it converts the refund back at its current rate, so the amount in your local currency may differ slightly. That difference is set by your bank, not by us.
5. Partial refunds, and when we would offer one
We keep partial refunds rare and transparent. The only time we offer one is a change-of-mind return that comes back clearly worn, washed, stained, stretched or with the print damaged after it left us. Before anything is deducted, we email you the proposed amount, the reason and photos of the shirt. If you do not accept, we post the shirt back to you instead, and nothing is deducted.
A defect is never a reason for a partial refund. If a print fails under normal care within the 60-day window, the refund is full.
6. Refunds for group and multi-shirt orders
Each shirt in an order is handled on its own. Say you ordered one design in five sizes for a family reunion and two of the five do not fit: those two can be refunded or exchanged while the others stay with you. If one shirt in a large order is faulty, we refund or replace that shirt alone, and you do not have to send back the rest.
7. Two example timelines
A change-of-mind return from Minneapolis. Your shirt is delivered on a Monday. Three weeks later you decide the design is not for you and email us; we reply the next business day with a return authorization. You post the shirt within the 14-day ship-back period and it reaches us the following week. We inspect it within 2 business days, approve the refund and email you. The money is back on your card within 7 calendar days of that approval email.
A faulty print on an order to Brisbane. Your parcel arrives and one shirt has a smeared graphic. You email two photos the same evening. We approve the claim when we reply, usually within 1 business day, and refund that shirt, or send a replacement if you prefer. There is nothing to post back, and the refund reaches you within 7 calendar days of approval.
8. If your refund is slow to appear
If 7 calendar days have passed since your approval email and you still do not see the refund, first check the statement for the card or account you used, including pending transactions, and look for an entry from the payment provider rather than “Pearltee”. If it is still missing, email [email protected]. We will send you the refund reference number, which your bank can use to trace the payment, and we will follow up with our payment provider until the money arrives.
9. Payment disputes and chargebacks
If something looks wrong with a charge, please talk to us first. Most problems, such as a duplicate charge or a cancellation that was not processed, can be fixed in a day by email, which is faster than a card dispute. Contacting us does not affect your right to dispute a charge with your bank or payment provider. If a dispute is opened while we are already refunding you, we will share the refund details with the provider so you are not refunded twice and then charged back.
10. What is not refunded
- Import duties, taxes or customs fees charged by Canada, Australia or New Zealand on delivery are collected by those countries, not by Pearltee. Some customs authorities offer their own refund process for returned goods; we are happy to provide the documents you need.
- Return postage for change-of-mind returns and size exchanges is paid by you and is not refunded.
- Bank foreign-transaction fees charged by your card issuer are outside our control.
11. Keeping your records
Keep your order confirmation email, any tracking receipts for returns, and our approval email until the refund shows on your statement. Those three documents answer almost every question a bank might ask. We keep our own records of every refund as well, so if you lose an email we can resend it.
12. Contact us about a refund
Email [email protected] or use Submit a Ticket with your order number, and we will reply within 1 business day. Related pages: Returns & Exchanges, Shipping & Delivery and Payment Methods.