Return policy

We want you to be able to return something that genuinely does not work, without arguing about it. This page explains what can be returned, who pays to send it back, and how long a refund takes.

1. Return Window

You may request a return within 30 days of the date your order is delivered, as shown in the tracking information. Requests made after 30 days cannot be accepted, and we will tell you straight away if an order has fallen outside the window rather than leave you waiting.

Email us before you send anything back. Items returned without a prior request cannot be matched to an order and cannot be refunded.

2. Condition of Returned Items

To be accepted, an item must be:

Unworn, unwashed and free of marks, make-up, deodorant and any scent, including perfume or smoke.
Complete, with all tags, labels and any belt, tie, bow or detachable trim still attached and in place.
Free of snags and pulls — please read section 5 on lace and fine fabrics.
Returned in packaging that protects it in transit — a thin mailer is not enough for a lace blouse or a pleated skirt.

If an item comes back in a condition we cannot resell, we will refuse it and send it back to you at your cost, with photos showing why. We do this rarely, and never without explaining ourselves.

3. What Cannot Be Returned

Final sale and clearance items, clearly marked as such on the product page and at checkout.
Gift cards.
Free gifts and promotional items supplied with an order.
Items damaged in wear. Lace caught and torn by jewellery, bag hardware or a zip, a pleated panel pressed flat with a hot iron, a sheer layer snagged after wearing — these are not faults, and how to avoid them is in section 5.

4. Who Pays Return Shipping

This is the part most people want to know, so here it is plainly.

You pay the return shipping when:

The item does not fit, or you ordered the wrong size.
You do not like it, or it is not what you expected.
The colour, fabric or fit is different from what you imagined — including the characteristics listed in section 5, which are not faults.
You changed your mind, or the order was a gift that was not wanted.

We pay the return shipping when:

The item arrived damaged.
We sent the wrong item, the wrong size or the wrong colour.
The item is faulty — a broken zip, a failed seam, a trim that arrived detached, hardware that arrived broken.
The item differs materially from how we described it on the product page.

In those cases we will choose whichever is simplest for you: a prepaid return label, reimbursement of your postage on receipt of the item, or — for a low-value item where return postage would cost more than the item is worth — a refund or replacement without asking you to send it back at all.

Original shipping charges are not refunded unless the return is our fault. In practice: if you paid $6.99 shipping on an order under $50, or $3.99 on an order of $50–$99.99, that amount stays deducted from your refund. Orders of $100 or more ship free, so there is nothing to deduct.

5. Characteristics That Are Not Faults

These are normal properties of the fabrics we sell. We mention them here and on the product pages so you can decide before you buy, because a return for one of these reasons is a change-of-mind return and the return shipping is yours:

Lace and openwork snag. Fine lace catches on rings, watches, bag hardware, zips and Velcro. We check every piece before dispatch, but a snag that happens while dressing is not a manufacturing fault. Take care with jewellery when putting a lace piece on and taking it off.
Sheer and unlined fabrics. Where a piece is described as sheer or unlined, it is designed to be layered. The product page says whether it needs a camisole underneath.
Pleated and crinkled fabrics. These arrive with soft creases and are meant to look unstructured. Hang the item for a day or steam it lightly from a distance — do not press them flat with a hot iron, because a pleated panel pressed flat cannot be restored and the item is then not returnable.
Print placement. Floral and printed fabrics are cut differently on every piece, so the position of a motif varies from the photograph.
Fine knit and lyocell. These soften and relax slightly after the first wash. Follow the care label — a cold, gentle wash and drying flat keeps the shape.
Colour on screen. Displays and lighting shift colour, so a shade may look slightly different in person. We do not alter the colour of our photography.
Sizing tolerance. A difference of 1–3 cm against the stated measurements falls within normal manufacturing tolerance.

6. How to Return an Item

Email us at service@iotean.com with your order number, the item you want to return and the reason. Photos, if the item is faulty or damaged.
Wait for our reply. We will confirm whether the return is at your cost or ours, and give you the return address and any label.
Pack it properly. Include all tags and any detachable ties or belts. Fold lace and pleated pieces as they arrived and use protective packaging, not a thin mailer.
Send it with tracking. An untracked return that goes missing cannot be refunded — we have no way to prove it reached us. If you are paying the postage, choose a service that insures the item for what you paid.
Email us the tracking number so we can watch for it.

7. Damaged, Faulty or Wrong Items

Contact us within 7 days of delivery with your order number and photos showing the problem. We will not ask you to jump through hoops: once we can see what happened, we will either send a replacement, refund you in full, or — if you would rather keep the item — offer a partial refund that reflects the problem. Return shipping in these cases is ours.

8. Refunds

Refunds are issued once the returned item arrives and passes inspection, which we do within 1–2 business days of receipt.
We process the refund within 5–7 business days of approving it.
Your bank or card issuer then needs a further 3–5 business days to post it to your account. That timing is theirs, not ours.
Refunds go back to the original payment method. We cannot refund to a different card or account.
Original shipping is refunded only when the return is our fault.
Duties or import taxes you paid on delivery are reclaimed from your local customs authority, not from us.

9. Exchanges

We do not hold stock aside for exchanges. If you need a different size or colour, place a new order for it and return the original under this policy — that is faster than waiting for us to receive and re-send the first one. The two orders are handled separately: the new one ships normally, the returned one is refunded when it arrives.

10. Cancelling or Changing an Order

Email us as soon as possible. If the parcel has not been dispatched, we can usually cancel it and refund you in full. Once it has been dispatched with the carrier, we cannot intercept it — in that case, refuse delivery or return it once it arrives, under this policy.

11. Refused or Undeliverable Parcels

If a parcel is refused at the door, not collected, or returned to us because of an incorrect address you provided, we refund the value of the items minus the shipping we paid to send it out and any return charge the carrier bills us.

12. Contact

Returns, refunds and anything you are unsure about: service@iotean.com. Service hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00–18:00 (GMT+8), closed Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. We reply within one business day.