Returns and refunds, without the maze
Everything ships from China, which makes sending things back genuinely awkward. Rather than pretend otherwise, I have written down what happens in each case, including situations where I may be able to settle a lower-value return without asking you to post it back. Nothing on this page affects your statutory rights.
Faulty or damaged
Send a photograph. In most cases, nothing needs to go back, and I will arrange a replacement or refund.
Changed your mind
Fourteen days to tell me. Returns go back to China, and for some lower-value items another option may be available.
No restocking fee
Nothing is deducted simply because you opened the box, unwrapped a stem or reasonably inspected what you bought.
If something is wrong with it
Damaged in transit, faulty, or not what you ordered: email me at hello@lifelikebloom.com with a photograph. A clear photo is usually all I need; if I need another angle or a little more information, I will tell you.
I will arrange a replacement or a full refund as appropriate. I will not ask you to pay return postage to China for something that arrived damaged, faulty or incorrect. In most cases, the item will not need to come back at all; if a return is genuinely necessary, I will arrange or cover it.
Wherever you are ordering from, any consumer rights that apply to your purchase remain unaffected. I would always rather hear from you as soon as you notice a problem, but nothing here is intended to shorten the rights the law gives you.
If you have changed your mind
You have fourteen days from the day the order arrives to tell me you are cancelling. An email is enough — you do not need a form, a reason or a reference number.
Once you have told me, you have another fourteen days to send the items back. We do not offer direct exchanges at the moment. The normal route is to return the item to the workshop in China. For some lower-value orders, I may instead be able to offer a partial refund without asking you to send the item back.
Send it back
You return the items within fourteen days of telling me you are cancelling. Once they arrive back, or once you provide evidence that you have sent them, I will make the refund within fourteen days.
If you cancel the whole order, I will also refund the standard delivery charge you paid on the way out, where applicable. If you return only part of an order, the original delivery charge is normally not refunded.
For a change-of-mind return, return postage is your responsibility and the return address is in China. The cost depends on where you are sending it from, the size and weight of the parcel, and the service you choose. Larger arrangements can cost more, so I recommend checking the price with your chosen carrier before you send anything.
If you contact me before posting it, I can give you a reasonable estimate based on the parcel. The final price is set by the carrier you choose. I strongly recommend using a tracked service so there is a record of the parcel on its way back.
I am telling you all of this here because I would rather you know before ordering than discover it at the Post Office.
Keep it, with a partial refund
For some lower-value items, I may be able to offer a partial refund and let you keep the item instead of paying to send it all the way back to China.
This is considered case by case. It is not automatic, and there is no fixed percentage. If the option is available for your order, I will tell you exactly what the refund would be before you decide.
You never have to accept it. You can simply use the normal return route instead and receive the refund that applies once the item is returned.
The option exists for one practical reason: sometimes international return postage costs more than the item is worth. It is an alternative I may be able to offer, not a replacement for your normal cancellation rights.
When the keep-it option is not available
For higher-value, oversized or otherwise unsuitable items, I may not be able to offer a partial refund without a return. If you are cancelling because you changed your mind, the normal return route above will apply.
There is no hidden penalty in that. You receive the refund that applies to the return, and you pay the cost of sending the item back to China. I simply cannot promise in advance that every order can be settled without a return.
How to start a return
Email hello@lifelikebloom.com with your order number and one line about what you want to do. There is no portal and no queue — it comes to me.
I will reply with the return address if the item needs to come back. If a no-return partial refund is available, I will explain that option as well. If you are returning something, I can also give you an estimate of the likely postage cost before you send it.
Refunds go back to the card or account you originally paid with. I cannot send a refund to a different payment method or account.
Two things worth knowing
Items should come back in a condition consistent with reasonable inspection. Unwrapping a stem, holding it up to the light and standing it in a vase to see how it looks is inspection. Cutting the stem down, wiring it permanently into an arrangement or otherwise altering it beyond what is reasonably necessary may reduce the refund to reflect any loss in value.
If you still have the original packaging, please use it for the return because it helps protect the stems. I do not require a box to remain completely unopened simply because you wanted to inspect what you bought.
If a parcel never arrives at all, that is not a return — it is covered on the delivery page, and a confirmed lost parcel is handled with a replacement or refund without asking you to post anything back.