Buyer Protection

Every order on Crafter’s Market is covered by Buyer Protection: if your order doesn’t arrive, we refund you in full. There is no additional buyer fee and no seller fee. The scheme is funded by the commission and subscriptions makers already pay, so the price you see is the price you pay, and the maker receives their full item price and postage.

What Buyer Protection is

When you buy on Crafter’s Market you are buying directly from an independent maker, who makes and posts your order themselves. Almost every parcel arrives without a hitch. For the rare one that goes missing in the post, Buyer Protection means you are not left out of pocket and you do not have to argue with anyone about it: Crafter’s Market refunds you.

Included with every order. Nothing to opt in to, nothing to add at checkout.
No buyer fee. We do not add a protection fee, service fee or any other charge to your basket.
No seller fee. Makers are not charged for Buyer Protection and it does not reduce what they are paid.
Full refund. Item price and delivery, back to the payment method you used.

What is covered

Buyer Protection covers non-delivery: your order has not arrived within 10 days of the estimated arrival date shown on the product page when you bought, and repeated in your order emails.

Every order placed on Crafter’s Market, from the moment you pay.
A full refund of the item price and the delivery charge.
You do not need to prove anything. Telling us the order has not arrived is enough to start the process.

What is not covered

Buyer Protection is a non-delivery guarantee. Other problems are handled by the maker, backed by your rights under UK consumer law and our Sales & Returns Policy.

Arrived damaged, faulty or not as described. Contact the maker first. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can reject a faulty item for a full refund within 30 days, and ask for a repair, replacement or refund after that.
Change of mind. The maker’s returns policy applies. For most items you can cancel within 14 days of receiving them; personalised and made-to-order items may be excluded.
Personalisation details you supplied. A misspelt name or the wrong date entered at checkout is not covered.
Digital downloads once the download has been made available to you.
Late claims. Claims raised more than 30 days after the estimated arrival date.

How to make a claim

Check the obvious places first. Neighbours, a safe place, your building’s post room, and any “something for you” card from Royal Mail or the courier.
Check your order status. Use Track your order to see whether the maker has marked it as dispatched and whether there is a tracking number.
Tell us. Once 10 days have passed since the estimated arrival date, fill in the claim form with your order number and the email address you used. That is all we need. Prefer email? Write to [email protected] with your order number instead.

Please raise claims through the form or by email. A message to the maker or a post on social media does not start a claim, although you are welcome to contact the maker too.

What happens next

We check the order against the maker’s dispatch record and any tracking. The maker has two working days to confirm when the order was posted. Once non-delivery is confirmed, we refund the full amount you paid to your original payment method, normally within two working days. Depending on your bank or card issuer, the refund can take a further 5 to 10 working days to show on your statement.

If the parcel turns up after you have been refunded, please let us know so we can put things right for the maker.

Delivery estimates and timing

Each maker sets their own dispatch time in working days (Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays). Because items are handmade, some are made to order and take longer to dispatch than others. We combine the maker’s dispatch time with typical Royal Mail delivery times to show an estimated arrival date on every product page. Estimates are just that: estimates. The 10-day allowance after the estimated arrival date gives the post time to catch up before a parcel is treated as lost.

For makers: what Buyer Protection means for you

You keep 100% of your item price and postage. Buyer Protection is not a fee and it does not reduce your payout. It is funded from the commission and subscriptions you already pay.
Lost parcels are on us when you posted within your stated dispatch time and can show proof of postage. You do not refund the buyer yourself and nothing is deducted from your payout.
If the order was not posted, was posted late, or you cannot show proof of postage, the refund is recovered from your payout as set out in section 9 of the Terms of Use.

When a claim comes in

We will email you the order number and ask when it was posted. Please reply within two working days with the posting date and your proof of postage (a Royal Mail certificate of posting, a tracking number, or a courier receipt). A tracking number settles most claims straight away.

Keeping claims to zero

Set an honest dispatch time in your shop settings, and update it when you are busy.
Mark orders as dispatched on the day you post them and add the tracking number if you have one.
Always get proof of postage. It is free at any Post Office counter.
Use a tracked service for higher-value items.

Quick answers

Does Buyer Protection cost anything?
No. There is no buyer fee and no seller fee. It is included in every order.

My order arrived damaged. Am I covered?
Not by Buyer Protection. Contact the maker: they handle damaged and faulty items as any UK retailer would, and your consumer rights apply.

I have changed my mind.
The maker’s returns policy applies. Most items can be returned within 14 days of receipt; personalised and made-to-order items may be excluded.

When will I get my refund?
Normally within two working days of us confirming the order has not arrived, plus your bank’s processing time.

Who do I contact?
Buyers: email [email protected] with your order number. Makers: reply to the claim email we send you.

Buyer Protection sits alongside our Sales & Returns Policy and Terms of Use, which set out the full terms.