Return Policy:

Beads and other items (hereafter simply referred to as "beads") may be returned in original condition for 90 days.  No restocking fee is charged in the first 30 days, but I reserve the right to charge a 15% restocking fee thereafter.  (I must count all the beads that are returned, so returns cause me extra work.)  No returns will be accepted after 90 days.  I will refund shipping costs (within 30 days only) if you feel that the beads don't match my pictures, or if they are defective and the defects were not mentioned on the site, or if they are inferior to other similar and similarly priced beads available on the internet.  Broken beads:  If you received broken beads, they most likely broke during shipment (pressure and cold temperatures can make beads break).  Please report the number of broken beads to me within 30 days, and I will issue a pro-rated refund.  Defective beads:  If you received defective beads (e.g., beads with cracks or pits), you may have already paid a discount for them.  Please go to the information page for the beads in question to find out if you paid a discount.  If I inadvertently sold you defective beads at full price, you may return them for a refund within 30 days (I will pay the return shipping), or I may choose to issue a refund without requiring a return.  Missing beads:  Please take an inventory of the packets in your shipment shortly after opening it, and certainly before you use any of the beads.  That doesn't mean you need to count all the beads within the packets; just make sure all the packets are present. Please report missing packets within 10 days.  You have up to 30 days to let me know if any beads are missing from within the packets.  Special orders:  Beads purchased as part of a special order may not be returned unless I agree to take them back while negotiating the original order.  (A special order is one which requires me to make a special purchase from the wholesale supplier to fulfill the order.)

Some necessary restrictions:

(1) Beads which are returned for a refund must be in original condition (unless you reported to me that they broke in transit); if they are damaged, or if beads are missing, I may choose not to issue a refund, or I may issue a pro-rated refund, or issue a refund at 3 cents per bead (or less if the beads were sold for less).

(2) Partial lots may not be returned.  Thus, if you purchased two lots of 50 beads, you must return either 50 or 100 beads.  If you return 33 or 45 or 65 beads, your refund will be calculated at 3 cents per bead (regardless of what you paid for them), or less if the beads were sold for less, minus any discount that was applied to your order.  The reason for that is that partial lots are thrown into the Odd-Lot jar and are sold for 3 cents each.

(3) Fire-polished faceted beads always have some imperfect facets.  If you are returning faceted beads because of imperfect facets, I will not refund shipping charges.

(4) If you qualify for a shipping refund, you will be paid for your actual return shipping cost up to, but not exceeding, the shipping fee that I charged you.

(5) If your original order exceeded the discount level of $100 or $200, and if the beads you returned caused the total of your original order to fall below the discount that you received, I reserve the right to recalculate your order without the discount, and to reduce your refund accordingly.  For example, if you purchased $100 worth of beads and received 10% off, but then returned half of those beads, I reserve the right to recalculate the original order without the discount, and the refund that you received will be reduced because the 10% discount will no longer apply.

(6) I prefer not to do exchanges.  If you return beads, I will issue a refund, and you can then place a new order if you want more beads.

Lost packages:

(A) If your package was small, my policy is to re-ship beads that are lost in transit rather than to give a refund.  You will, however, receive a refund for any beads that have gone out of stock.  If your package is large, I prefer to give a refund.

(B) I do not guarantee a refund or replacement for lost packages if the tracking information indicates that the package was delivered (see "Your Responsibility" below).  Whether or not you receive a will be determined by my package insurance company.

Incorrect address:

If a package is returned because you provided an incorrect or incomplete address, you will have to pay an additional shipping charge to have the beads re-shipped.  If instead you choose to receive a refund, the shipping cost of the original shipment will be deducted from the refund.

The purpose of the return policy is to give you the peace of mind of knowing that you will not be stuck with beads that are defective or which look substantially different from the pictures on my site and were not what you wanted.  It is not meant to give you an opportunity to see the beads in person and then return the ones you don't want.  I understand that ending up with beads you don't want is an unpleasant risk of buying on the internet, and that's why I try to post the best possible pictures.  However, I know from my own experience as a designer that all beads can be worked into a design somehow.  You may return beads you don't like, but I cannot afford to process a large number of returns.  Thus, if you return a portion of every order, I may eventually ask you to stop placing orders.  I run my business on small profit margins, so it is important that you not abuse the return privilege.

With polished table-cut beads, I examine each bead and eliminate defective beads before shipping.  However, imperfections which are very minor (e.g., very small pits in the glass) are not counted as defects.  If you receive any polished table-cut beads which, in your opinion, are seriously defective (malformations, cracks, partially polished windows), please contact me for a refund.

Please note that my near vision is not as good as it used to be, so sometimes I don't notice defects.  Also, my estimate of the percentage of defects may be off.  These are honest mistakes.  Please don't hesitate to let me know if I have overlooked defects in the beads you bought.

Shipping:

Carrier:
I ship all packages via the U.S. Postal Service (First Class, Priority, International First Class, International Priority).  I do not have a UPS or Fed Ex account and cannot ship via those carriers.  I rarely agree to ship via Express Mail because it is an inconvenience for me.

Domestic (U.S.A.) customers:
$3.50 flat-rate shipping regardless of order size.

International customers:
International customers must pay the full cost of shipping.  You must go partially through the checkout process to find out how much shipping will be.  Postal rates have gone up in recent years, so even small orders will have a high shipping charge.  The shipping charge is based on the value of the order instead of the weight, so in some cases you may be charged too much for shipping.  If that happens, a partial refund will be issued.

Shipping insurance:
All packages are insured.  I use a private insurance company, and the cost of the insurance is not included in the postage amount.

Shipping schedule:
Because Purebeads is a sole-proprietorship (a one-person business), packages generally ship 2 to 4 days after the order is received.  During a sale, or after a mailing announcing new beads, the delay can be longer.  There is a great deal of work to be done, and I have to pace myself.

Saturday shipments:

Orders which are shipped on Saturday are usually dropped in a mailbox and may be picked up by the post office Saturday morning or the following Monday.  Most packages mailed on Saturday are picked up on Monday.

Sunday/holiday shipments:

Orders mailed on Sunday or a federal holiday are always picked up by the post office on the next business day.

Payment Options:

1.  Credit card – all major cards are accepted.

2.  PayPal – my preferred payment method.*

3.  Money order – I stopped accepting personal checks when a customer sent me a bad check.

* PayPal requires me to say this in order to get cash back on my PayPal debit card.