Legal
Returns & Refunds
A marketplace, not a store — but that doesn't mean you're on your own. Veil Vault processes every payment and holds the seller's payout until the return window closes, so a sale that isn't right can be made right. This page tells you exactly how, in plain words, before you buy.
Last updated: September 13, 2026
A marketplace with protection built in
Veil Vault connects individual buyers and sellers of pre-loved formalwear. We don't own the pieces, and every sale is an agreement between buyer and seller — but we do process the payment, and we hold the seller's payout in the platform balance until the return window closes. That hold is what makes returns real: an approved return is reversed before the money moves, not after.
The plainest version: when you buy, your payment goes through Stripe, and the seller isn't paid until the return window closes — three days after you confirm receipt, or 14 days after shipping at the latest.
Your window to report a problem
Your window opens when the order ships: you have the listing's return window — chosen by the seller, 3–30 days (the standard is 7) — to report a problem from your order dashboard. Reporting pauses the seller's payout while it's reviewed. The seller's money is held until three days after you confirm receipt, or 14 days after shipping at the latest, so an approved return is reversed before the money moves.
- Item not as described — the piece doesn't match the listing's condition, color, measurements, or story.
- Damaged in transit — the piece arrived harmed despite (or regardless of) careful packing.
- Wrong item — what arrived isn't what you ordered.
- Wrong size — the piece doesn't fit. This is a buyer-fault return: the seller decides, and the listing's policy may not accept it.
- Changed my mind — the gala moved, the color feels off. A buyer-fault return, decided the same way.
Returns follow the listing's policy. Most sellers accept returns, including for fit or changed-mind — but a seller can choose not to, and then those two buyer-fault reasons are refused for their pieces. The first three reasons above (as described, damage, wrong item) are covered on every listing, and every order keeps Veil Vault's formal dispute path. The policy is shown on the listing and acknowledged at checkout.
How a return actually works
Report a problem from your order dashboard — pick one of the five fixed reasons and add photos if you have them (they help everyone reach a fair answer faster). The seller reviews it and can approve it or refuse it with a reason. On approval you get a prepaid return label, the piece travels back with tracking, and you mark it received. Once the returned piece is checked and its condition noted, your refund is issued in full — item and shipping — before the seller's payout moves. If the seller doesn't resolve it, escalate from the same dashboard: a formal dispute freezes the payout while Veil Vault reviews the evidence and decides.
Disputes and chargebacks
A dispute is the formal referee step: from your order dashboard you can escalate any order in the return window (or after a refused return) with your reason and evidence. The seller's payout freezes while it's reviewed. Veil Vault looks at the full evidence bundle — listing, messages, return photos, shipping proof — and decides one of three ways: buyer-wins (full refund, piece returns to the Vault), seller-wins (the held payout is released to the seller), or a split (partial refund, remainder released). If your card network files a chargeback, Veil Vault records it against the order and it goes through the same evidence review; sellers with repeatedly upheld buyer-favourable outcomes or chargebacks are flagged in their review standing.
One rule to remember: your report pauses the money; a dispute freezes it. Either way the seller can't move your money before a fair answer.
What happens on an approved return
If your report is approved, you're refunded in full — the item and the shipping you paid — and the piece returns to the Vault, ready for the next buyer. A return label is provided the same way the original label was; its cost comes out of the seller's held payout, because a sale that's reversed isn't a sale. You'll be told plainly what's happening at every step.
Changed your mind?
Any order can be cancelled with a full refund up until the moment the seller marks it shipped — right from your order dashboard, and the piece returns to the Vault. Once a piece is on its way, it's a returns question rather than a cancellation. See our FAQ for the quick version.
Ask before you buy
Pre-loved is pre-loved: no two pieces are alike, and the best questions happen before the purchase, not after. Before you order, we recommend you:
- Read the listing's full description — condition grade, measurements, and the piece's story are all there for a reason.
- Request additional measurements or photos from the seller if anything matters to you — most sellers are happy to share.
- Compare measurements to a garment you own and love — that's the truest size chart.
- Check the seller's profile, history, and reviews from past sales.
Damage in shipping
Veil Vault provides the prepaid label for every sale, so every order ships with tracking. If a piece arrives damaged, report it within your return window — damaged in transit is one of the covered grounds above. When you report, include photos of the damage and the packaging; it helps everyone reach a fair answer faster.
Contact
A dispute almost never needs email: escalate it from your order dashboard and Veil Vault reviews it as a formal dispute with your evidence attached. For anything else, write to us at help@veil-vault.com with the item's name or link and what happened. A human reads every message and replies within two business days. You can also read how the marketplace and its fees work, or our full Terms of Service.
Contact
Something arrived wrong?
Report it from your order dashboard within the return window — or write to us with the item's name or link and what happened. A human reads every message and replies within two business days.
help@veil-vault.comWe reply within two business days