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Refund & Returns Obligations

Effective Date: 3 July 2026 · Version 2.0 · Applies To: Shop Operators

Vyete does not process or hold payment for your product sales — Customers pay you directly, and refunds are yours to issue directly, using whatever method you and the Customer agree. This document sets out your platform-wide obligations as a Shop Operator when a Customer requests a refund, return, or raises a dispute. It supplements the Shop Terms and Conditions and forms part of Vyete's platform-wide Refund & Returns Policy.

1. When You Must Refund the Customer Directly

You must refund the Customer directly, using the amount they actually paid you, in the following circumstances:

| Reason | Your Obligation | Refund Amount | |---|---|---| | Item not delivered | Mandatory full refund | Product price + any delivery fee the Customer paid | | Item significantly different from listing | Mandatory full or partial refund | Product price; delivery fee at your discretion | | Item received damaged | Mandatory partial or full refund depending on severity | Product price or proportionate reduction | | Item expired or unsafe | Mandatory full refund | Product price + any delivery fee the Customer paid | | You cancelled the order after accepting it | Mandatory full refund | Full amount the Customer paid you |

Discretionary refunds (e.g., Customer changed mind after acceptance) are at your option, but you may not penalise Customers for exercising their legal consumer rights.

2. Response Requirements

When a Customer contacts you through the Platform with a refund request:

  1. You should respond within 24 hours.
  2. You may approve the refund (full or partial) and pay it directly to the Customer.
  3. You may decline the request with a written reason.
  4. If you do not respond within 24 hours, or the Customer disagrees with your decision, they may raise a formal dispute — see Section 4.

Because Vyete never held the Customer's payment, it cannot approve or process a refund on your behalf. Its role at this stage is limited to the dispute process below.

3. Mandatory Return Acceptance

You must accept returns in the following minimum circumstances, regardless of your published return policy:

| Circumstance | Obligation | |---|---| | Item materially different from listing | Accept return; provide full refund | | Item defective or unsafe | Accept return; provide full refund or replacement |

Where the return is due to your error (wrong item sent, defective item) or a listing inaccuracy, you must arrange or cover return shipping.

For discretionary returns (Customer change of mind), your published return policy applies. If you do not have a published policy that permits discretionary returns, no such obligation exists.

4. Disputes

If a Customer raises a dispute against a delivered sub-order (within the 14-day window described in the Dispute Resolution Procedure):

  • You're notified and can see the dispute and its reason.
  • You should resolve it directly with the Customer — including issuing any refund owed — and then close the dispute with a short resolution note.
  • Vyete's Trust & Safety team may also close an escalated dispute if you're unresponsive.
  • Vyete does not adjudicate a binding money outcome and has no funds of yours to withhold or apply toward the refund — the dispute exists as a visibility record, not a payment mechanism.

5. Dispute and Refund-Rate Visibility

Your total and open dispute counts, and your dispute rate against settled orders, are visible on your shop dashboard and factor into your public trust signals. Shops with a persistently high dispute rate are subject to enhanced monitoring by Vyete's Trust & Safety team and may be suspended pending review.

6. Order Cancellations by You

When you cancel an accepted order:

  • You must refund the Customer directly and in full for anything they already paid you.
  • The cancellation is recorded against your cancellation rate metric.
  • A cancellation rate above 5% in any month triggers a review and potential penalties.

You may cancel an accepted order only for legitimate reasons (sudden stock failure, safety concern). Cancellation for operational convenience is a policy violation.

7. Prohibited Practices

You must not:

  • Pressure Customers to withdraw refund requests or disputes.
  • Offer partial goodwill gestures (vouchers, replacement goods) as a substitute for a refund the Customer is entitled to under these Terms.
  • Withhold cooperation from a Customer's dispute or from Vyete's Trust & Safety team.
  • Systematically provide goods materially different from listings with intent to avoid refunds.

8. Contact

Shop policy questions: [email protected]