We want you to feel confident in your purchase. This policy explains how returns, cancellations, refunds, damaged items, and the statutory EU right of withdrawal are handled.

1. Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to purchases made through our online store.

If you are a consumer located in the European Union or, where applicable, the European Economic Area, you may have a statutory right of withdrawal as described below.

This policy does not limit any mandatory consumer rights that may apply under the laws of your country.

2. EU Right of Withdrawal

If you are an EU consumer, you have the right to withdraw from your purchase contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period expires 14 days after the day on which you, or a third party indicated by you other than the carrier, receive the goods.

If your order is delivered in several shipments, the withdrawal period expires 14 days after the day on which you receive the last item.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your withdrawal statement before the 14-day period has expired.

3. How to Exercise Your Right of Withdrawal

To exercise your right of withdrawal, you must inform us of your decision to withdraw from the contract by a clear statement.

You may do this by:

• Using our online withdrawal form at the top of this page.
  You will be asked to provide or confirm the information needed to identify your order before submitting your withdrawal request.
  
• Emailing us at: support@tsukushi-japan.jp
  Your email must include enough information to identify your order, including your name, order number, the item or items you wish to withdraw from, and the email address used for the order.
  You do not need to give a reason for your withdrawal.
  

After you submit and confirm your withdrawal request through our online withdrawal function, we will send you an acknowledgement of receipt by email without undue delay, including the content of your withdrawal request and the date and time of submission.

If you contact us by email, please make sure your message includes the information listed above so that we can identify your order and send you the return instructions.

4. Returning Goods After Withdrawal

After you submit your withdrawal request, we will provide the return address and return instructions without undue delay.

Please do not send goods back before receiving our return instructions.
We need to coordinate the return shipping method, packaging requirements, tracking details, and any customs information needed for the return, including the information to be used for customs declarations where applicable.
This is especially important for fragile handcrafted items shipped internationally.

Returns sent without following our instructions, or with incorrect or incomplete customs information, may be delayed, refused by customs, returned to sender, damaged in transit, or difficult to identify.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, we are not responsible for delays, additional costs, customs charges, failed deliveries, or loss of value caused by return shipments sent without following our return instructions or with incorrect or incomplete customs documentation.

This does not affect your statutory right of withdrawal.

You must send the goods back without undue delay and in any event no later than 14 days from the day on which you informed us of your decision to withdraw.

The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the 14-day period has expired.

Please include your order number or another clear reference that allows us to identify your return.

5. Return Shipping Costs
For returns made under the EU right of withdrawal, you are responsible for the direct cost of returning the goods, unless we have agreed otherwise or the item is damaged, defective, or incorrect.

Items should be packed carefully, especially fragile ceramic, wooden, or handcrafted items.

We recommend using a tracked shipping method and appropriate protective packaging.

6. Refunds After Withdrawal

If you withdraw from the contract, we will reimburse all payments received from you for the returned goods, including the standard outbound delivery cost where applicable.

If you chose a delivery method more expensive than our least expensive standard delivery option, we will not reimburse the additional delivery cost.

We may withhold the refund until we have received the returned goods or until you have provided evidence that you have sent them back, whichever is earlier.

Once this condition is met, we will issue the refund without undue delay and within the timeframe required by applicable law.

Refunds will be issued using the same payment method used for the original transaction. You will not be charged any fee by us for the refund.

7. State of the Goods & Diminution of Value (Ceramics, wood & Crafts)

You have the right to examine and inspect our crafts to establish their nature, characteristics, dimensions, weight, finish, and appearance, in the same way you would normally be allowed to inspect them in a physical gallery or boutique.

However, the right of withdrawal is intended strictly for visual and tactile inspection, not for ordinary use before return.

• What is permitted:
  Opening the protective packaging, handling the piece carefully to check its weight and ergonomics, and evaluating its aesthetic placement on a shelf or table.
  
• What is NOT permitted (Usage):
  Using cups, teapots, or bowls for beverages, preparing tea or matcha, placing food on plates, using wooden items for kitchen preparation, or exposing the item to oils, food, liquids, heat, smoke, or other substances.
  
  Because high-end ceramics and traditional glazes (including porous, unglazed, or crackled finishes) can instantly absorb oils, organic residues, or tea stains, any practical use alters the item permanently.
  
  If a returned piece shows clear signs of use, food or liquid contact, watermarks, stains, odors, scratches from cutlery, residues, or other handling beyond what is necessary for inspection, we may deduct an amount from your refund corresponding to the loss of value. This deduction may be up to the full purchase price if the item can no longer be resold as new.

8. “Crafted for you” and Custom-Made and Personalised Items

Some items may be labeled as “Crafted for you” meaning that they are sourced, prepared, or produced after your order is placed.

For EU consumers, the statutory right of withdrawal is not excluded merely because an item is handmade, limited in availability, sourced for your order, or labeled as “Crafted for you”.
However, the right of withdrawal does not apply to goods made to your specifications or clearly personalised, such as items made with custom dimensions, custom inscriptions, initials, names, engravings, or other individual specifications requested by you.

If an item is custom-made or clearly personalised and therefore excluded from the statutory right of withdrawal, this will be stated clearly before purchase where applicable.

This exclusion does not affect your rights if the item arrives damaged, defective, or incorrect.

9. Cancellations Before Shipment
If you wish to cancel an order before it has shipped, please contact us as soon as possible.

If the order has not yet been dispatched and has not entered a non-cancellable custom or personalised production process, we will try to cancel the order and issue a refund.

If the order has already shipped, you may still have the right to withdraw from the contract after receiving the goods, where the statutory right of withdrawal applies.

Nothing in this section affects your statutory consumer rights.

10. Damaged, Defective or Incorrect Items

Please inspect your order as soon as it arrives.
If an item arrives damaged, defective, or incorrect, please contact us promptly with your order number and clear photos of the item and packaging.

Returns due to damaged, defective, or incorrect items are handled separately from change-of-mind returns and the statutory right of withdrawal.

Where the item is damaged, defective, or incorrect, we will review the issue and arrange a suitable resolution, such as replacement, repair, refund, or another appropriate remedy.

In these cases, we will bear the reasonable return shipping costs where a return is required.

11. Import Duties, Taxes and Customs Fees
Unless otherwise stated at checkout, import duties, taxes, customs clearance fees, brokerage fees, or carrier fees charged by customs authorities or carriers are not collected by us and are not refundable by us.

If you paid import duties or taxes directly to customs authorities or a carrier, you may need to contact your local customs authority or carrier to ask whether a refund is available when goods are returned.

If you refuse to accept delivery of the package due to local customs duties, VAT, or import fees, the package may be returned to us.
In this event, where permitted by applicable law, the actual direct costs of the international return shipping incurred by us may be deducted from your final refund. See our Shipping Policy for more information.