RETURN, REFUND, AND EXCHANGE POLICY

1. GENERAL RETURN FRAMEWORK & APPLICABILITY

• Domestic Return Window: For eligible domestic orders fulfilled within Indian territory (specifically products marked with the vendor designation "Bear Hugs"), the Customer has a strict period of five (5) calendar days from the verified carrier date of delivery to submit a formal return request.
  
  
• Condition Precedent for Acceptance: To qualify for return consideration, products must remain in pristine, unaltered condition: unworn, unused, unwashed, with all original tags attached, intact internal and external packaging, accompanied by the original receipt or proof of purchase.
  
  
• Pre-Authorization Requirement: No returns will be accepted without prior written approval from the Company. Any parcel returned unilaterally without prior authorization will be rejected, and the Customer will bear all return shipping costs to reclaim the item.
  
  

2. MANDATORY UNBOXING PROOF & DEFECT NOTIFICATION

• Video Proof as a Mandatory Condition: To raise any claim regarding a damaged, defective, missing, or incorrectly shipped item, the Customer must provide a single, continuous, and unedited unboxing video.
  
  
• Technical Evidentiary Standards: The video must clearly show:
  
  
  1. The intact, untampered outer parcel and legible shipping label showing the Customer's name and tracking details prior to opening.
     
     
  2. The continuous opening process from start to finish.
     
     
  3. The immediate physical identification of the damage, defect, or erroneous dispatch.
     
     
• Strict Waiver: Failure to produce a continuous, unedited unboxing video that meets these specifications constitutes an absolute waiver of all claims against the Company.
  
  

3. INTERNATIONAL FULFILLMENT & NON-CANCELLATION POLICY

• Automated Logistics & Batch Shipping: Products designated with vendor tags "Bear Hugs HK," "Bear Hugs US," or "Bear Hugs UK" (collectively, "On-Demand Direct / International Warehouse Products") operate on automated, third-party logistics pipelines optimized via consolidated batch shipping.
  
  
• Strict Prohibition of Cancellation: Because international warehousing and cross-border transport operate without manual domestic intervention, all orders for International Warehouse Products are strictly final, automated, and non-cancellable under any circumstances once placed.
  
  
• International Territory Orders (Non-Indian Jurisdictions): All orders delivered to international jurisdictions outside India are strictly non-returnable and non-refundable, except when an incorrect item was erroneously dispatched. In such cases, the Customer must provide the mandatory unboxing video and written notice to care@bearhugs.in within three (3) calendar days of delivery.
  
  

4. CATEGORICAL EXCLUSIONS & NON-RETURNABLE PRODUCTS

• Electronics, Battery-Powered Devices & Flammable Items: All electronic goods, battery-operated toys, mobile phones and items with internal cells (sold strictly without warranty), hazardous materials, gases, and liquids.
  
  
• Intimate & Personal Care: Innerwear, intimate apparel, cosmetics, and personal hygiene products.
  
  
• Wheeled & Ride-On Goods: Bicycles, tricycles, cars, motorbikes, ride-ons, and prams/strollers.
  
  
• Collectibles & Mystery Items: Blind Boxes, figurines, anime display models, and delicate vinyl items.
  
  
• Custom & Personalized Goods: Custom-printed, made-to-order, or personalized goods, example with a name or a picture of the customer.
  
  
• Clearance & Deep Discount Inventory: Any product purchased from the "Clearance" section or marked at a 50% to 70% discount. These items are sold strictly "AS IS" and may feature minor packaging or cosmetic wear due to prolonged storage that does not impair general performance.
  
  
• Gift Cards: All digital and physical vouchers or store credits.
  
  

5. SIZE, FIT, AND REPLACEMENT GUIDELINES

• Domestic Inventory Size Exchanges: Size replacement is available solely for clothing, bags, and footwear fulfilled from the domestic Indian warehouse ("Bear Hugs" vendor tag), subject to inventory availability.
  
  
• International Sizing Exclusions: No size exchanges, replacements, or refunds will be permitted for clothing or footwear fulfilled from international hubs ("Bear Hugs HK," "Bear Hugs US," or "Bear Hugs UK"). Customers are legally obligated to review the measurement charts provided on the listing prior to order submission.
  
  
• Measurement & Dimensional Tolerances: All items are subject to manual measurement variations. A discrepancy of 1 to 3 cm falls within allowable industry tolerance and does not constitute a valid defect.
  
  
• Other Non-Apparel Items: No size replacements or refunds are provided for toys, plushies, figurines, or accessory items.
  
  

6. PRODUCT REPRESENTATION & PACKAGING VARIANCES

• Visual Variances: Slight color, lighting, or texture variations between product photography and physical goods are standard due to digital rendering, studio lighting, and monitor calibrations, and do not constitute a defect.
  
  
• Display Packaging & Boxes: Due to customs regulations and volumetric weight restrictions on international freight, collectible items, toys, and figurines may ship with modified, flattened, or omitted outer retail packaging. The condition or omission of external display packaging does not warrant a return, refund, or claim.
  
  
• Variant Selection: Customers are solely responsible for selecting correct colors, styles, and options on multi-variant product pages. User error or misinterpretation of options does not qualify for return, replacement, or post-processing cancellation.
  
  

7. CUSTOMS, IMPORT DUTIES, AND STATUTORY KYC COMPLIANCE

• Customer Obligation for Import Clearance: For cross-border logistics, logistics partners may require the recipient to furnish government-mandated Know Your Customer (KYC) documentation and settle local import duties, surcharges, or taxes.
  
  
• Zero Liability for Import Charges: All duties, regulatory taxes, or carrier customs-processing fees remain the exclusive financial and legal responsibility of the Customer.
  
  
• Duty Non-Refundability: The Company does not refund customs duties, clearance fees, or import taxes under any circumstance.
  
  
• Secondary Duty Notification: If regional authorities assess unexpected secondary tariffs during clearance, such fees must be remitted by the Customer prior to final last-mile dispatch.
  
  
• Failed KYC / Abandonment: If a package is rejected, delayed, destroyed, or returned by carriers due to Customer failure to submit KYC documentation or pay assessed duties, the order is deemed forfeited with zero refund eligibility.
  
  

8. RETURN WORKFLOW, EXCHANGES & REFUND SETTLEMENT

• Return Initiation: All formal requests must be submitted via email to care@bearhugs.in within the applicable notice window, detailing the order number, claim reason, and the unedited unboxing video.
  
  
• Inspection & Determination: Upon receipt of the item at the authorized warehouse, the Company will inspect the return. We reserve the absolute right to reject any item failing to meet pristine return standards.
  
  
• Exchange Execution: Standard product replacements are processed via the return-and-reorder method: upon return approval, the Customer must complete an independent purchase for the replacement variant.
  
  
• Refund Settlement Schedule:
  
  
  • Store Credit (Expedited): Processed within one (1) business day of approval directly to the Customer's registered account.
    
    
  • Original Payment Method: Reversals to the original payment source are completed within ten (10) business days following inspection approval. Financial institutions may require additional business days to post the balance.
    
    
• Inquiries: If refund credit is not reflected within fifteen (15) business days of written approval, contact care@bearhugs.in.