Returns & Refunds Policy

General

We only accept returns or exchanges for purchases made on our website.

Vintage/Used Japanese Tools

River Woodworks sells vintage and second-hand Japanese tools, every single one of which is unique. We source our tools directly from Japan and our stock changes regularly as we source our items from different locations. The majority are used, second-hand tools and we put our best effort in to restore their functionality. Occasionally we also source New Old Stock (NOS), such as plane iron blanks, kanna and chisels which have been sitting in a warehouse.

Due to our offerings being second-hand, we may not always be able to ascertain a brand name, blacksmith or manufacturing origin. Most of these tools will exhibit signs of wear and tear associated with age and use of a hand tool. Our second-hand and vintage hand tools may exhibit heavy wear and defects such as rust, pitting, scratches, dents, finish loss, chips, cracks and repairs.

Any defects to a particular tool or item will be noted and described to the best of our ability in the condition description. Please check all photos carefully, as the photos form a large part of the condition description, and please ask any questions you may have prior to your purchase.

Sharpening

Please note: No tool has been sharpened for use, although we may sharpen tools to get edges straight and dents out. Sharpening is a very personal affair and is left to you, our beloved customer. If an item was refurbished by us to get it into a working state, it will be marked as “Refurbished”.

Replacements

Due to the unique nature of used Japanese tools that we are not in a position to offer replacements, only refunds are possible. The item in question needs to be returned to us before a refund will be issued. If there is a problem after you purchase a tool, please contact us (see Time-frame below).

Gift card
Gift cards cannot be exchanged for cash and cannot be returned for a refund. If an amount remains on a gift card following a purchase, the remaining amount will not be cashed out though will remain on the card and be available for a future purchase.

Inspection

Please inspect your order upon receipt and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you received the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and find a solution for you.

Time-frame

We have a 20-day return policy, which means that you have 20-days after receiving your item to request a return. To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it in, unused, with tags, preferably with its original packaging. You will also need the receipt or proof of purchase.

To start a return, you can contact us us via our online form.

Refunds

If your return is accepted, the return costs will be initially covered by the consumer (tracked/registered AusPost standard delivery, unless otherwise agreed upon), and we will refund the postage amount along with the item refund amount, provided that we receive the postage cost receipt with tracking info - postage refund does not apply to Change of Mind, please see below. We cannot be held responsible for goods damaged or lost in return shipment. Therefore, we recommend an insured and trackable mail service. We are unable to issue a refund without actual receipt of the goods or proof of received return delivery.

Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not automatically receive a refund. Customers are advised to always contact us first. We will notify you once we have received and inspected your return and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you will be automatically refunded on your original payment method. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund. You can always contact us for any return question us via our online form.

Change of mind

Full price items: We will refund the purchase price of the item, minus the postage cost of the item from you to us.

Sale items: Refunds are not accepted for a change of mind after purchase - please choose well prior to purchasing.

Contacting Us

If you have any questions about our Returns and Refunds Policy, please contact us via our online form.

We may update this policy at any time at our discretion.