Returns, Replacements & Refunds Policy

When you shop on Verndly, you are protected by our multi-layered Buyer Protection framework. Payments made online via Paystack are held in secure escrow settlement accounts and are not disbursed to the merchant until the item is delivered and you have had a full opportunity to inspect your purchase.

The return inspection window spans seven (7) calendar days, commencing immediately upon the verified delivery timestamp recorded by our courier partner or your delivery confirmation notice.

To qualify for a valid return and refund, items must satisfy the following physical condition standards:

• The item must be in its original condition, with no customer-inflicted scratches, stains, tears, or signs of wear.
• All original packaging, manufacturer boxes, anti-tamper seals, warranty cards, manuals, and accessories must be returned intact.
• For consumer electronics and smart devices, all personal accounts (Google, Apple ID, Samsung accounts) must be completely unlinked and factory reset prior to return handover.
• Garments, footwear, and fashion accessories must have all original brand tags, labels, and hygiene liners intact and unremoved.

Return and refund claims are approved under the following verified circumstances:

In accordance with statutory health, safety, and consumer hygiene regulations, the following categories are strictly non-returnable and non-refundable, unless received in a damaged or defective state upon initial delivery:

• Personal Hygiene & Intimate Goods: Underwear, lingerie, swimwear, earrings, hair accessories, cosmetics, skincare formulations, and perfumes once the protective hygiene seal has been broken or unsealed.
• Perishable Consumer Goods: Fresh food items, beverages, perishable grocery goods, and fresh flowers with short shelf lives.
• Custom & Personalized Items: Products made to custom specifications, engraved jewelry, customized apparel, or tailor-made merchandise that cannot be resold.
• Digital & Virtual Products: Delivered software serial keys, gift cards, digital vouchers, or prepaid download codes.
• Customer-Damaged Items: Goods damaged through customer misuse, liquid exposure, unauthorized electrical surges, physical drops, or unapproved repair attempts.

Initiating a return on Verndly is fully digitalized and tracked directly through your account:

1. Locate Your Order: Sign in and navigate to My Orders. Select the order containing the item you wish to return.
2. Initiate Request: Click the "Request Return" button. Select the appropriate return reason from the dropdown menu (e.g. Defective, Damaged in Transit, Incorrect Item).
3. Upload Verification Evidence: Provide a clear written description of the issue alongside at least two (2) clear photographs or a short video demonstrating the defect, transit damage, or serial number. Clear photographic proof accelerates approval.
4. Seller Review Window (48 Hours): The merchant is notified immediately and has forty-eight (48) hours to review your evidence and approve the return or offer a free replacement.
5. Courier Handover: Upon return authorization, a return waybill is issued. Hand over the securely packaged item to our designated courier or return it to the merchant's authorized collection point.

Financial responsibility for return shipping costs is governed by fault:

• Seller-Covered Return Courier (100% Free for Buyer): When a return is initiated due to merchant error, defective merchandise, transit damage, or an incorrect item dispatched, the seller is legally responsible for 100% of the return courier fees. Verndly covers or coordinates courier pickup at zero cost to the buyer.
• Buyer-Covered Return Courier: If an individual merchant voluntarily agrees to accept a return or size exchange due to buyer change of mind (where the original item was delivered fully intact and accurately described), the buyer covers the return courier transportation fee.
• Packaging Obligations: Buyers must package returned goods with adequate padding and protective cardboard. If an item is returned damaged due to reckless or unpadded packaging, deductions may apply to the final refund value.

Once the returned item is delivered back to the merchant or Verndly fulfillment inspection center:

• The merchant has forty-eight (48) hours to physically inspect the returned parcel, verify the reported defect, and confirm that all original accessories and serial numbers match the initial dispatch record.
• If the merchant approves the return, or fails to act within the 48-hour inspection SLA, the escrow system automatically triggers immediate refund execution.
• If the merchant disputes the condition of the return (e.g. claims the buyer returned a different or used item), the claim is escalated to Verndly Trust & Safety for binding arbitration.

Approved refunds are executed immediately through Paystack and credited directly back to the original payment method used during initial checkout:

Full Shipping Refund: When an entire order is returned due to defect, transit damage, or merchant fulfillment error, your refund includes 100% of the initial delivery fee paid at checkout.

In the rare event that a Buyer and Seller cannot reach an amicable resolution within forty-eight (48) hours of a return inquiry, either party may escalate the case to Verndly Trust & Safety by clicking "Escalate to Verndly Support".

The Mediation Process:

• Both parties are requested to submit supporting documentation (photos, courier waybills, chat transcripts).
• Verndly compliance officers review the evidence impartially under these published standards.
• Verndly issues a binding administrative determination. If the buyer's claim is verified, Verndly will unilaterally disburse a 100% escrow refund directly to the buyer, irrespective of merchant resistance.

To maintain a fair, trusted marketplace for honest entrepreneurs and consumers, Verndly enforces strict anti-abuse measures against return fraud:

• Prohibited Conduct: Returning substitute or counterfeit goods, returning empty parcels, engaging in "wardrobing" (purchasing items for temporary event use with intent to return), or filing false transit damage claims.
• Enforcement Consequences: Accounts found engaging in pattern return fraud will have their buyer protection revoked, pending refunds denied, accounts permanently closed, and may face civil recovery or referral to law enforcement agencies for investigation.