Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Buyers who return Products purchased through the Platform, and all Sellers who receive returns of Products sold through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document is the platform rule for returns and refunds for every sale made through the Platform. This document states the return window, the Products that are always returnable, who pays return shipping in each case, refund timing and method, the categories that are not returnable and the reasons for each, and the protection that applies where a Seller does not satisfy a return obligation.
1.2 The seller-side obligations under this rule are stated for Sellers in the Seller Returns and Refunds Policy (Return and Refund Policy — Sellers), which incorporates this document. The buyer-side statement of this rule is stated for Buyers in the Buyer Returns and Refunds Policy, which incorporates this document. In any conflict between either of those documents and this document on the return window, return shipping, or refund timing, this document controls.
1.3 Prescription products are also governed by the Prescription Products Policy, and live animals are governed by the Live Animal Policy and not by this document, except as this document expressly states.
1.4 If a provision of this document conflicts with the Terms of Use, this document controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this document conflicts with the terms of a program in which the Buyer or the Seller participates, the program terms control for that program. Policies and help pages explain this document; they do not amend it, and in any conflict this document prevails.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 Account: the account a person or business establishes with the Company to use the Platform.
2.2 Buyer: a person who purchases Products or Services through the Platform.
2.3 Company: All About Pawz, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company.
2.4 Delivery: arrival of a shipment at the delivery address stated in the Order, as confirmed by the carrier's delivery record, as governed by the Shipping and Delivery Policy.
2.5 First-Party Sale: a sale of Products identified on the Platform as "Sold by Pawz Shop," in which the Company is the seller.
2.6 Order: a Buyer's purchase of Products or Services through the Platform, accepted in accordance with the Order Formation and Acceptance Policy.
2.7 Platform: the websites, applications, and services the Company operates under the name All About Pawz, including aapawz.com.
2.8 Products: goods offered for sale through the Platform.
2.9 Seller: a person or business the Company has accepted to offer Products or Services through the Platform.
2.10 Third-Party Sale: a sale of Products identified on the Platform as "Sold by {Seller name}," in which the Seller is the seller.
Article 3: The Return Window
3.1 A Buyer may return an unused Product in its original condition within thirty (30) days after Delivery. The window runs from Delivery, not from the date of the Order and not from the date of shipment. A Seller may offer a longer window for that Seller's Products; a Seller shall not offer, state, or apply a window shorter than thirty (30) days.
3.2 The window applicable to a Product is the window stated on the product page and on the Order, which shall not be shorter than the minimum in clause 3.1. A return initiated in the Account on or before the last day of the window is timely, regardless of the date the returned Product is handed to the carrier.
3.3 A change-of-mind return under clause 3.1 requires no reason. The Product shall be returned in the condition clause 3.1 requires. Where a returned Product is used or damaged after Delivery, the seller of that Product may make a partial refund reflecting the diminished value, and the deduction shall be itemized to the Buyer in the refund record. No deduction shall be made without itemization.
Article 4: Products That Are Always Returnable
4.1 A Product that is not as described is always returnable, without regard to the window in Article 3. A Product is not as described where the Product materially differs from its listing, including the wrong item, the wrong size or variant, a missing feature the listing advertised, or a Product that is defective on arrival.
4.2 The remedy for a Product that is not as described, or that is defective, is return and a full refund of the price, tax, and any shipping charged for that Product. Return shipping for such a Product is not the Buyer's cost, as provided in Article 6.
4.3 A Product recalled under the Product Recall Policy is returnable or refundable as that policy and the recall notice state, without regard to the window in Article 3.
4.4 No statement by a Seller: including a statement made after purchase that all sales are final: limits the rights in this Article.
Article 5: Categories That Are Not Returnable, and Restricted Categories
5.1 Food and consumables. Opened food, treats, and consumables are not returnable, because an opened food product cannot be verified as safe for resale and must not re-enter commerce. The exception is clause 5.2.
5.2 Where opened food or a consumable is defective, contaminated, or not as described, Article 4 controls: the Buyer is entitled to a full refund, and the Product shall not be returned in the post. The Buyer shall document the condition as the return process directs, and the Product shall be discarded as the Company directs, for safety reasons.
5.3 Prescription products. A prescription product is returnable only if unopened and only in accordance with the pharmacy handling rules stated in the Prescription Products Policy. An opened prescription product is not returnable, because a dispensed prescription product that leaves pharmacy control cannot be verified as unadulterated and must not be redispensed. A prescription product that was dispensed in error, or that is defective or not as described, is governed by Prescription Products Policy and entitles the Buyer to a refund without return of the Product where that policy so provides.
5.4 Perishable products. A perishable product that is not a prescription product is returnable only as stated on the product page before purchase, and only where return transit would not render the product unsafe. A perishable product that arrives spoiled, at an unsafe temperature, or after its stated use-by date is not as described under Article 4, is refundable in full, and shall not be returned in the post; clause 5.2 applies to documentation and disposal.
5.5 Live animals. Returns, health guarantees, and remedies for live animals are governed by the Live Animal Policy, not by this document.
5.6 Final-sale items. A Product marked final sale before checkout is not returnable for change of mind. Final-sale marking is effective only where the marking was stated on the product page and in the checkout summary before purchase. A final-sale Product that is not as described, defective, or recalled remains returnable under Article 4 and clause 4.3; final-sale marking does not displace those rights.
5.7 No category other than those stated in this Article, in Live Animal Policy, and in Prescription Products Policy is excluded from return. A Seller shall not create an additional non-returnable category.
Article 6: Return Shipping: Who Pays
6.1 Seller or Company pays. Return shipping is at the cost of the seller of the Product: the Company in a First-Party Sale, the Seller in a Third-Party Sale: in each of the following cases: (a) the Product is not as described; (b) the Product is defective; (c) the wrong Product was shipped; (d) the Product was damaged in transit to the Buyer; and (e) the Product is recalled.
6.2 Buyer pays. Return shipping for a change-of-mind return under Article 3 is at the Buyer's cost, unless the seller of the Product offers free return shipping for that Product, in which case the offer controls for that Product.
6.3 The party bearing the cost under this Article shall be identified to the Buyer when the return is initiated, by reference to the return reason the Buyer selects, before the Buyer ships the return.
6.4 Where a prepaid return label is provided, a return lost in transit on that label is the risk of the party that provided the label, not the Buyer's risk. The Buyer shall keep the return tracking number until the refund posts.
Article 7: How a Return Proceeds
7.1 A Buyer initiates a return from the Account, selecting the Order, the item, and the reason. The reason selected determines return-shipping cost under Article 6.
7.2 The seller of the Product shall respond to a return request within two (2) business days and shall provide a return label within one (1) business day after approving the return, where a label is required.
7.3 If the seller does not respond within the period in clause 7.2, the Company shall issue the return label and shall debit the cost to the Seller where the Seller bears that cost under Article 6. Silence by a Seller does not stall a return.
7.4 The Buyer shall ship the return promptly using the label provided, or, for a Buyer-paid return, by a trackable method.
7.5 The seller shall inspect the returned Product within two (2) business days after receiving it and shall initiate the refund within two (2) business days after inspection. Inspection verifies condition against the stated return reason; inspection is not a second determination of whether the return was permitted, where the return was initiated within the applicable window or under Article 4.
Article 8: Refunds: Timing, Method, and Amount
8.1 A refund shall be initiated within the period stated in clause 7.5 and shall reach the Buyer's original payment method within ten (10) business days after initiation. "Initiated" means the refund instruction has been issued by the Company. Card network settlement after initiation may add time; the refund receipt shall state the expected posting window.
8.2 Where a refund has not posted within ten (10) business days after initiation, the Buyer may contact support@aapawz.com with the refund reference, and the Company shall trace the refund and report the result.
8.3 A refund is made to the original payment method. Where the original payment method cannot receive funds, the refund shall be issued as store credit with the Buyer's consent, or by another method the Company states to the Buyer, in accordance with the Gift Card Terms.
8.4 A refund made for an Order paid by more than one tender returns to each original tender in proportion to that tender's contribution, in accordance with the Payment Terms: the gift card portion returns to the gift card, and the card portion returns to the card.
8.5 Tax collected on a refunded amount is refunded with that amount, in accordance with the Marketplace Facilitator Tax Policy.
8.6 A Seller shall not charge a restocking fee except where the fee was disclosed to the Buyer before purchase, on the product page and in the checkout summary, and the amount deducted shall in every case be itemized under clause 3.3. No restocking fee applies to a return under Article 4.
Article 9: Buyer Protection for Third-Party Sales
9.1 For a Third-Party Sale, the Buyer Protection Program is the backstop for the obligations in this document. Where a Seller fails to respond to a return request, fails to provide a required return label, fails to initiate a refund within the period in clause 7.5, or denies a return that this document permits, the Buyer may claim under Buyer Protection Program, and the Company shall decide the claim and, where the claim is allowed, shall refund the Buyer and recover the amount from the Seller in accordance with Buyer Protection Program and the Payment Terms.
9.2 A claim under clause 9.1 does not require the Buyer to pursue the Seller first beyond initiating the return under Article 7 and allowing the period in clause 7.2 to lapse.
9.3 For a First-Party Sale, the Company is the seller and bears the obligations in this document directly; Buyer Protection Program is not required for a First-Party Sale and does not limit the Buyer's rights against the Company for such a sale.
Article 10: Return Abuse
10.1 The return right is not a right to temporary use. The Company treats the following as return abuse: repeated purchase, use, and return of Products; return of an empty package; return of a different item than the item shipped; and coordinated return conduct across Accounts intended to obtain refunds without returning the Products purchased.
10.2 Where return abuse is established, the Company may, proportionate to the conduct: give a written warning; restrict return privileges, including limiting the Account to final-sale purchasing; and take action on the Account under the Fraud and Abuse Policy. Each measure shall be documented and communicated to the Buyer. Return privileges shall not be removed without notice.
10.3 A Buyer who disputes a finding of return abuse may appeal under Article 13.
Article 11: Seller Duties and Records
11.1 A Seller shall honour the return windows in this document as minimums, shall respond and provide labels within the periods in Article 7, shall inspect and initiate refunds within the periods in Article 7, and shall keep records of each return: the request, the reason, the label, the inspection result, and the refund: for the period stated in the Selling Terms of Service.
11.2 A Seller's return performance: response time, refund time, and the rate at which returns become disputes: is measured under the seller performance standards in the Selling Terms of Service.
11.3 A Seller shall not discourage a return, require a Buyer to contact the Seller outside the Platform as a condition of a return, or condition a refund on the removal or alteration of a review.
Article 12: Liability
12.1 Exclusion of certain damages. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages, or for lost profits, lost revenue, or loss of goodwill, arising out of or relating to this document, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
12.2 Cap. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this document shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the Buyer paid for the Order giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
12.3 Carve-outs. This Article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this document; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts owed for Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this document; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
12.4 Essential purpose. The parties agree that this Article allocates risk between them, that it is an essential part of the basis of their bargain, and that it applies even if a limited remedy fails of its essential purpose.
Article 13: Indemnification
13.1 Duty. The Seller shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company and its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against every claim, demand, action, loss, liability, judgment, settlement, cost, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) the Seller's breach of this document; (b) the Seller's Products and listings; (c) the Seller's violation of any law or of the rights of any person; and (d) taxes for which the Seller is responsible under the documents of the Company. The Buyer shall give the same indemnity, proportionately, for claims arising out of return abuse by the Buyer and out of the Buyer's breach of this document.
13.2 Procedure. The Company shall give prompt written notice of a claim under this Article. The indemnifying party shall control the defense with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company may participate in the defense at its own expense. The indemnifying party shall not settle a claim in a manner that imposes any obligation or restriction on the Company, or that does not release the Company fully, without the Company's prior written consent.
13.3 Survival. This Article survives the termination of this document.
Article 14: Enforcement and Appeals
14.1 Investigation. The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this document. The Buyer and the Seller shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this document requires that party to keep.
14.2 Notice. If the Company determines that a party has violated this document, the Company shall give written notice stating the provision violated and the facts relied on, except where notice would compromise an investigation of fraud, a safety risk, or a legal obligation.
14.3 Opportunity to cure. Where a violation is capable of cure, the party has ten (10) business days from notice to cure it and to confirm the cure in writing. No cure period applies to fraud, counterfeiting, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
14.4 Measures. If a violation is established and is not cured within the period allowed, the Company may, proportionate to the violation: (a) issue a written warning; (b) remove or suppress a listing or content; (c) cancel an Order; (d) suspend the Account, in whole or in part; (e) terminate this document and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under this document or at law.
14.5 Seller disbursement hold. The Company may hold disbursements to the Seller while an investigation under this Article is pending, and shall release amounts not required to satisfy the Seller's obligations when the investigation closes.
14.6 Appeal. A party may appeal a measure under this Article by written notice to legal@aapawz.com within thirty (30) days of the measure, stating the grounds and attaching the records relied on. The appeal is decided by a person who did not make the original decision. The Company's decision on appeal is final. A measure remains in effect during an appeal unless the Company directs otherwise in writing.
14.7 No waiver by delay. The Company's delay in acting on a violation is not a waiver of the violation or of any later violation of the same kind.
Article 15: Term and Termination
15.1 Term. This document takes effect when the Buyer places an Order or the Seller is accepted to offer Products through the Platform, and continues until terminated under this Article.
15.2 Termination by the Company. The Company may terminate this document and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if a party materially breaches this document, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
15.3 Termination by the Buyer or the Seller. A party may terminate this document on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the party has no Order, booking, or investigation outstanding.
15.4 Effect of termination. On termination: (a) the rights granted under this document end; (b) obligations that arose before termination: including payment, refund, return, record-keeping, and indemnification obligations: survive until satisfied; and (c) the Company shall disburse amounts owed, less amounts the Company may set off under this document, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
15.5 Survival. The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions Articles survive termination.
Article 16: Dispute Resolution
16.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this document, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this document by reference. A return or refund dispute shall be raised under Dispute Resolution Policy within thirty (30) calendar days after the decision or event disputed, as that policy provides.
Article 17: General Provisions
17.1 Amendments. The Company may amend this document by posting the amended document in the Document Center and giving notice to the Buyer and the Seller at the email address in the Account. An amendment that materially increases a party's fees or obligations takes effect thirty (30) days after notice; other amendments take effect on posting. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an amendment is acceptance of it. If a party does not accept an amendment, that party's remedy is to terminate under Article 15 before the amendment takes effect. No amendment shortens the return window for an Order already delivered.
17.2 Notices. (a) Legal notices under this document shall be sent to legal@aapawz.com. Operational notices and all other communications shall be sent to support@aapawz.com. A notice to the Company is effective when the Company acknowledges receipt or, for email, one business day after sending, whichever is earlier. (b) Notices to a party are effective when sent to the email address in the Account or posted to the Account's notice facility in the portal, whichever occurs first. Each party shall keep the email address in the Account current. (c) DMCA notices are given as provided in the DMCA and Copyright Policy, to the designated agent at legal@aapawz.com.
17.3 Governing law. This document is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to the Dispute Resolution Policy, any proceeding arising out of this document shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.
17.4 Severability. If any provision of this document is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
17.5 Entire agreement. This document, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and the Buyer, and between the Company and the Seller, for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral.
17.6 Assignment. A Buyer or a Seller shall not assign this document or any right or obligation under it without the Company's prior written consent, and an assignment without consent is void. The Company may assign this document to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the affected party.
17.7 Waiver. A waiver of any provision of this document is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
17.8 Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This document shall not be construed against a party as its drafter. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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