Returns & complaints
Thirty days to change your mind, and a straight answer when something is genuinely wrong with a blade.
1.The short version
You have 30 days to return an item, no reason needed. EU consumer law guarantees 14 days for distance purchases; we extend that voluntarily. Separately from returns, you have two years to raise a complaint about a product that turns out to be defective — that right comes from EU law and cannot be signed away.
2.Returning an item
- Write to kyorai.kitchen@gmail.com within 30 days of receiving the order, quoting your order number and which items you are returning. A statement in your own words is enough — a formal form is not required.
- Pack the item in its original packaging, secured so the blade cannot move.
- Send it to our DPD parcel locker:
gen. Walerego Wróblewskiego 21/T, 93-566 Łódź.
Keep the proof of postage until the refund lands.
Return postage is paid by the customer. This is the direct cost of sending the goods back and it is stated here, and in the Terms of Sale, before you buy — as EU law requires. The original delivery cost you paid is refunded in full alongside the price, at our standard rate.
3.What can be returned
An item can be returned if it is unused and complete, in its original packaging with any sheath, box or documentation it arrived with.
With knives, "unused" has a specific meaning worth stating plainly: once a blade has been sharpened, honed or used for cutting, it can no longer be returned as unused. Unboxing a knife, handling it and deciding it is not for you is fine. Preparing dinner with it is not.
You are entitled to examine an item as you would in a shop. If it comes back showing use beyond that, we may reduce the refund to reflect the loss in value — that is what EU law permits, and we apply it sparingly and only where the difference is obvious.
4.Refunds
Refunds are issued within 14 days of us receiving the returned item, or of receiving proof that you have sent it — whichever comes first. The money goes back by the same method you paid with; we cannot redirect a refund to a different card or account.
If you paid by card, allow a few extra working days for your bank to post the credit. That delay sits with the bank, not with the refund itself.
5.Complaints about a faulty item
If a product is defective, describe the problem to kyorai.kitchen@gmail.com and attach photographs — for a chipped or cracked blade, a close, well-lit photograph usually settles the matter immediately. Include your order number and the date you noticed the fault.
You may ask for the item to be repaired or replaced; where that is impossible or disproportionate, you may ask for a price reduction or a refund. Complaints are answered within 14 days. If we do not respond within that period, the complaint is treated as accepted.
6.What counts as a defect
Being straightforward about this saves everyone time.
| Covered as a defect | Not a defect |
|---|---|
| A crack, lamination flaw or void in the steel | The edge becoming dull with use — that is maintenance, not a fault |
| A handle that works loose or splits in normal use | Chipping caused by bone, frozen food, or a glass or stone board |
| An edge that arrives visibly chipped or misground | Rust that follows storing a carbon blade wet, or a dishwasher cycle |
| The wrong item or the wrong variant sent | Patina — the grey or blue shading carbon steel develops naturally |
| Damage that occurred in transit | Variation in the Damascus pattern between individual blades |
Two of those deserve a note. Patina is not a fault — it is a protective oxide layer, and on carbon steel it is expected. And because each Damascus blade is forged and etched individually, no two patterns are identical; that variation is the point of the process, not a flaw in it.
7.Damage in transit
If a parcel arrives visibly damaged, photograph the packaging before opening it wherever you can — it makes a carrier claim far simpler. Report transit damage as soon as you reasonably can. Transit damage is our problem to resolve, not yours.
8.Dispute resolution
If a complaint cannot be settled between us, EU consumers may use out-of-court dispute resolution, including the national consumer ombudsman or an approved ADR body in your country. Details are in the Terms of Sale. Using these routes does not affect your right to bring a claim in court.