Returns and Refunds

Everything we sell is vintage, and nearly all of it is one of a kind. That changes how returns work compared to a store selling new goods, so please read this before you order.

1. The window

You have 14 days from the date your item is delivered to request a return. Email orders@collectednorth.com with your order number and tell us why. We’ll reply with a return authorization and the address to ship to.

Items sent back without a return authorization can’t be refunded.

2. Who pays

Return shipping is your cost. So is the original outbound shipping — we refund the price of the item, not what it cost to get it to you. We don’t charge a restocking fee.

If the item arrived damaged, or if it’s materially different from how we described it, none of that applies. We pay for the return and refund you in full, including the original shipping. See Section 4.

3. Condition on return

The piece has to come back in the condition it left in, packed in the original materials. Vintage ceramics, glass, and lighting are easy to break in transit and a lot harder to repair than new goods, so this matters more here than it would at a normal retailer.

If a returned item arrives damaged because it wasn’t packed properly, we’ll refund what we can and document the difference for you with photographs.

4. Damaged in transit, or not as described

Inspect your order as soon as it arrives. If something is broken, or if the piece doesn’t match what we described:

• Email orders@collectednorth.com within 48 hours of delivery
• Send photographs of the item and of the packaging it arrived in, including the box

We need the packaging photographed because carrier claims fail without it. Once we have that, we’ll either refund you in full or arrange a repair, whichever you’d rather have, and we cover the return shipping either way.

5. What “vintage” means for a return

Every piece we sell is used, most of it decades old. We describe condition honestly and photograph it in detail, including the flaws — chips, crazing, scratches, patina, tarnish, old repairs, fading, upholstery and pile wear, foxing on paper.

The photographs on a product page are part of the description.

Wear that we’ve described or photographed isn’t grounds for a return under Section 4. It may still be grounds for a return under Section 1, within 14 days, at your cost.

If we’ve missed something or gotten a description wrong, that’s on us and Section 4 applies. Tell us.

6. Rules that vary by category

Most of what follows sits on top of the 14-day window, not instead of it.

Ceramics, glass, and tableware. Older glazes, decoration, and leaded glass can leach lead and other metals. Unless a listing specifically says a piece is safe for food, treat it as decorative — no serving, no drinking, no dishwasher, no microwave. Crazing and interior staining on old stoneware are normal and we photograph them.

Lighting and electrical. Vintage lighting is sold as a fixture, not as an appliance ready to plug in. Assume anything we sell needs to be inspected and usually rewired by a licensed electrician before use, and don’t energize it first to test it. A piece that fails after being put into service isn’t returnable under Section 4 — that isn’t a defect we concealed, it’s the condition the whole category ships in.

Textiles and rugs. Returnable within 14 days, but only unwashed, uncleaned, and unused — not laid down in a high-traffic room and then sent back. Vintage textiles carry the smell of wherever they’ve been stored, and light odor that airs out isn’t a defect. Where a piece has moth damage, staining, or a repaired section, we photograph it. Some textiles benefit from professional cleaning and we’ll say so, but we don’t clean before shipping unless the listing says we did.

Art, prints, and paper. Frames are usually original to the piece and carry their own wear. Where a work is framed, we say whether the frame is original and whether it’s been opened. Foxing, toning, and edge wear are photographed. We describe a work as signed, attributed, or unsigned, and we don’t provide authentication certificates unless one came with the piece.

Silver, brass, and metalware. Tarnish is expected and reversible and isn’t a defect. Plating wear is neither, so we photograph it. Where a piece carries hallmarks we photograph them and report what they say; where they’re worn past reading, we say that too.

Jewelry. Returnable within 14 days if unworn, with any tags or fastenings intact. We don’t resize, and a piece altered or resized after delivery can’t be returned. Pierced earrings are final sale for hygiene reasons unless they arrive damaged or misdescribed, in which case Section 4 applies as normal. Metal content and stone identification are reported from hallmarks and from what we can verify — if a listing doesn’t say a stone was tested, it wasn’t.

Books, ephemera, and documentation. Sold as collectible objects. We describe binding, spine, and page condition and note anything missing. Ex-library marks, inscriptions, and price-clipped jackets are disclosed.

Furniture and case goods, when we start carrying them: measure your doorway, stairwell, and elevator before ordering. A piece that won’t fit through your door is a return under Section 1 at your cost, and freight both ways on furniture is expensive. Ask us for a specific measurement before you buy — we’ll take it.

7. Items we can’t take back

• Custom, made-to-order, or commissioned work
• Pierced earrings, per Section 6
• Items listed as Final Sale on the product page
• Anything returned more than 14 days after delivery
• Gift cards

8. Refund timing

Once your return arrives and we’ve inspected it, we’ll approve or decline within 3 business days and email you either way. Approved refunds go back to the original payment method within 10 business days. Your bank or card issuer may take longer to post it than we take to send it.

If you cancel an order before it ships, we refund in full within 7 business days.

9. Exchanges

We can’t do a direct exchange — the pieces are one of a kind, so there’s rarely an equivalent to swap into. Return the item under Section 1 and place a new order.

10. Where to send returns

Collected North LLC
Attn: Returns
2692 Madison Rd, Ste N1 #361
Cincinnati, OH 45208-1320

Don’t ship a return until you have a return authorization from us.

11. Questions

orders@collectednorth.com

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Collected North LLC, doing business as Collected North.