The short version
Every commission at PawForge Art is custom-made. We've structured the process so you never pay until you approve the proof — eliminating the most common reason for refund requests on custom work.
- Before payment: if the proof isn't right, restart the commission at no cost. No charge has been taken.
- After payment: your order is custom-made and cannot be re-stocked, so we don't offer refunds for change of mind, or for an item that matches the preview you approved. We will, however, replace or refund any item that arrives damaged or faulty, is lost in transit, or is wrong because of our mistake.
None of this affects your statutory rights. If you are in Europe, see our European consumer information.
1. Try-before-you-buy (no charge until approval)
The PawForge Art commission flow is built around a free proof. After we generate your portrait, you'll see both the raw painted-style portrait and a mockup showing how it sits on the canvas size or phone model you chose. No charge is taken until you explicitly approve the proof and proceed to Stripe Checkout.
If the likeness isn't quite right, you can simply restart the commission — choose a different collection, upload a different photograph, or refine your notes — at no cost, no questions, and as many times as needed. (That is a new proof; the phone-case version below is different.)
Phone cases. To fit a case and clear the camera, we compose your portrait again, so the case shows a new version of it rather than the proof as it is. Our checkout shows the printer's preview of your case and asks you to tick a box to confirm it. Changing the case's picture there clears the tick, and you confirm the new preview before paying. The case version can be re-made a limited number of times, and each render comes out a little different.
2. Custom-made = non-returnable
Once you approve a proof, pay, and we send your file to print, your order is custom-made for you. It cannot be resold, re- stocked, or fulfilled for another customer. For this reason, we do not accept returns or offer refunds for "buyer's remorse," change of mind, or general dissatisfaction with an approved proof after fulfilment has begun. The same goes for an item that looks as it did in the preview you approved, even if it is not what you expected.
This policy is consistent with industry standards for custom- made and personalised products and is supported by U.S. consumer-protection regulation (FTC) and most international consumer-rights regimes (UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, EU Consumer Rights Directive — both of which exempt bespoke goods from default return rights).
3. When you qualify for a refund or replacement
We will refund or replace your order, at no cost to you, in any of the following circumstances:
- Damaged in transit — a canvas arrives torn, creased, water-stained, or with the stretcher-bar frame broken; a phone case arrives cracked or split, or with the printed surface scuffed, scratched or lifting.
- Lost in transit — per the carrier's tracking, after the carrier's standard investigation period (typically 10–14 business days for domestic, 30 days for international).
- Print defect — significant deviation from the proof or preview you approved: wrong size or wrong phone model, wrong portrait, visible print banding, colour-cast issues outside normal print-to-screen variance, or a print misaligned on the item so that the portrait is cut off.
- Wrong order — you receive someone else's commission shipped to you, or your order is shipped to the wrong address due to our error (not yours).
Screens and printed items never show colour and texture exactly alike, so your item can look slightly different from your screen. That is normal and not a defect.
How to request a refund or replacement
Email curator@pawforgeart.com within 30 days of delivery with:
- Your order number (in your confirmation email)
- A clear photograph of the issue (for damage, defect, or wrong order)
- Whether you'd prefer a refund to your original payment method or a free replacement
We aim to respond within 2 business days. Most replacements ship within 5–10 business days of authorisation. Refunds to your original payment method are processed within 5 business days after we authorise them; the funds typically appear in your account 5–10 business days later, depending on your bank.
4. Cancellations before production
Between your payment confirmation and our submission of the order to the print partner, there is a brief window — typically a few minutes to a few hours during business hours, longer overnight. If you contact us at curator@pawforgeart.com within this window with your order number and the subject line "Cancel order," we will cancel the order and issue a full refund.
Once the order is sent to print, cancellation is no longer possible — the file has been transmitted to the print partner and the production materials have been allocated.
5. Address errors and undeliverable shipments
Please double-check your shipping address before approving and paying. We are not responsible for orders shipped to addresses provided incorrectly. If you notice an error immediately after placing the order — and before production has begun — contact us and we will correct it where possible.
If a package is returned to us due to an undeliverable address (incorrect, incomplete, or unclaimed), we will contact you and re-ship at cost — you cover the additional postage. If you do not respond within 30 days of our re-ship inquiry, we may treat the order as abandoned and the item may be destroyed or donated. No refund is issued in this case.
6. Customs, duties, and international orders
International recipients may be charged customs duties, import taxes, or fees by their country's customs authority on delivery. These charges are the responsibility of the recipient and are not reflected in your purchase price or shipping quote at checkout.
If a recipient refuses delivery to avoid customs charges, or fails to pay them and the package is returned, we are unable to refund the order — it is custom-made and cannot be resold.
7. Gift commissions
For commissions placed as gifts, the same refund and replacement policy applies. Either the patron (you) or the recipient may initiate a damage or loss claim, but the patron remains the customer of record for refund processing — refunds are issued to the original payment method.
8. Chargebacks
If you experience an issue with your order, please contact us before initiating a chargeback with your bank or card issuer. PawForge Art is a small studio and the overwhelming majority of issues can be resolved via email — usually faster than a chargeback would take to process. Chargebacks initiated without prior contact may be contested with documentation of the order, fulfilment, and delivery, particularly where the order was successfully delivered.
9. Limitation
All refunds and replacements are limited to the amount you paid for the original order, including shipping where applicable. We do not refund consequential damages (e.g. an event you wanted the portrait for, or framing, wall-hanging or phone accessories you purchased elsewhere). See our Terms of Service for the full limitation of liability.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Refund Policy from time to time. Changes apply to orders placed after the "last updated" date at the top of this page; orders already placed are governed by the policy in effect at the time of order.
11. Contact
All refund and replacement inquiries: curator@pawforgeart.com. Use the subject line "Refund request" or "Replacement request" so we can route quickly.