Returns & Exchanges Policy
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A shirt bought to honour someone should fit them and look right. When it does not, you should not have to argue to fix it. This Returns & Exchanges Policy explains the practical side of sending something back to Proud Vet Tee: how long you have, what we need from you, how to swap a size or colour, who pays postage in each situation and what happens once your parcel reaches us. The money side, meaning how much is refunded and how fast it arrives, is covered separately in our Refund Policy.
Returns in short
- Window: 60 days from the delivery date shown in tracking.
- Our mistakes: misprints, damage, defects and wrong items are fixed at no cost to you, usually without sending anything back.
- Change of mind and size swaps: accepted on every item, personalized ones included, within 60 days; you pay the postage back, we pay to send the replacement.
- Restocking fees: none.
- After approval: refunds reach your original payment method within 7 calendar days.
1. The 60-day window
You have 60 calendar days from the day your parcel was delivered to tell us you want to return or exchange something. The delivery date is the one shown on the carrier’s tracking page. You only need to contact us inside those 60 days; you do not need to have posted the item by then. Once we approve your return, you have 14 days to send it.
Gifts work the same way. If you gave a hoodie to your uncle for Veterans Day and it turns out to be too snug, the 60 days run from the date it was delivered, and either you or he can contact us. We just need the order number or the buyer’s name and email so we can find the order.
2. What can be returned or exchanged
What we ask for depends on why the item is coming back.
2.1 Something is wrong with the item
If an item arrives misprinted, damaged, faulty or different from what you ordered, it is covered for 60 days whatever its type, including personalized and custom items. Examples: a name printed with a letter missing that was spelled correctly in your order, a cap with loose stitching, a mug with a crack, a polo sent in the wrong colour, a print that peels or cracks after following our care instructions. You do not need to keep the item unworn; you only had to wear or wash it to find the problem.
2.2 You changed your mind, or the size or colour is not right
Every item can be returned for a change of mind, or exchanged for a different size or colour, within 60 days. Please send it back unworn and unwashed, with any tags still attached and, if possible, in the original mailer. Items that come back worn, washed or marked may receive a partial refund, which we always explain and offer to you first.
2.3 Personalized and custom items
Items printed with a name, years of service, a date or any other text you supplied are made for one person, so we cannot resell them, but the same 60-day right applies to them as to everything else. A change-of-mind return of a personalized item follows the same steps and the same postage rule as any other change-of-mind return. When we make a mistake, for example the printed text does not match what you typed, or the item is damaged or defective, we reprint it free or refund you. If you are unsure about sizing before ordering a personalized piece, check the Size Guide or write to us first; getting it right the first time saves everyone a trip to the post office.
3. How to start a return or exchange
- Email support@proudvettee.com or use our Submit a Ticket page. Include your order number, which items you want to return, the reason, and whether you would like an exchange or a refund.
- For a misprint, damage, a defect or a wrong item, add clear photos of the item, a close-up of the problem and the shipping label. For personalized items, a photo of the printed text is enough for us to compare it with your order.
- We reply within 1 business day with a return authorization and instructions. If the return is our responsibility, the reply includes a prepaid label or tells you how we will reimburse your postage; in many cases we simply tell you to keep the item.
- Pack the item securely, write your order number on a note inside the parcel, and send it within 14 days using a tracked service. Keep your tracking number until we confirm the return is complete.
Please do not post anything back before you hear from us. Parcels that arrive without an authorization are harder to match to an order and take longer to process, and the return address is not the same as any address printed on your parcel.
4. Who pays for return postage
| Reason | Do you send it back? | Who pays postage |
|---|---|---|
| Misprint, damage or defect | Usually not | Proud Vet Tee |
| Wrong item, size or colour sent | Sometimes, with our label | Proud Vet Tee |
| Change of mind (any item) | Yes | You |
| Size or colour exchange (any item) | Yes | You pay to send it back; we pay to send the replacement |
When the return is our responsibility, we email a prepaid label or reimburse a reasonable tracked postage cost on presentation of the receipt. For change-of-mind returns, choose any tracked service you like; we do not require a specific carrier. We never deduct a restocking fee.
Customers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand: sending a parcel back to the United States can cost more than the item is worth. Before you post a change-of-mind return internationally, write to us. In some cases we can suggest a cheaper option, such as an exchange where you keep the original, and we will always tell you the options honestly.
5. Exchanges
An exchange swaps an item for another size, colour or garment style of the same design, for example a Medium tee for a Large, or a black hoodie for a military green one. Because every item is made to order, your replacement is printed fresh once we receive the original (for change-of-mind exchanges) or as soon as we approve your photos (for our mistakes). It ships free, and printing takes the usual 2–5 business days.
If you would like a different design altogether, we handle that as a return plus a new order. We refund the returned item under our Refund Policy, and you order the new design at its current price. If a style or colour you want is no longer offered, we suggest the closest alternative or refund you.
6. Inspection and what happens next
We check returned items within 2 business days of their arrival and email you the outcome. When the return is approved, we either print your exchange or issue your refund, which reaches your original payment method within 7 calendar days of approval. If an item comes back worn or damaged after delivery and we can only offer a partial refund, we tell you the amount and the reason first; if you would rather have the item back, we send it to you instead.
7. Common situations we see
7.1 The tee runs smaller than expected
Garment brands size slightly differently. If a tee is too small, ask for an exchange within 60 days. Tell us the measurements of a shirt that fits well and we will suggest the best replacement size so the second one is right.
7.2 A name or year is printed wrong
Send a photo. If the text differs from what you typed in your order, we reprint it free, ship it free and you keep or discard the faulty one. If the text matches what was typed at checkout but contained a typo, we cannot treat it as our error, but it is still covered as a change-of-mind return within 60 days, and we are glad to print the corrected version as a new order.
7.3 The recipient already has the same shirt
A change-of-mind return or an exchange for another design works within 60 days, as long as the item is unworn and unwashed. This applies to personalized pieces too.
7.4 A mug arrived broken
Photograph the mug and the box before throwing anything away, then email us. We send a new one free; there is nothing to return.
7.5 Part of a family or reunion order does not fit
Large group orders are common before reunions and homecomings, and it is normal for one or two sizes to be off. You can return or exchange individual pieces from a group order without sending back the rest. List each piece and the size you need in one message, and we will handle them together so the replacements travel in a single parcel.
7.6 The person you bought for would prefer another colour
Gift recipients sometimes have firm views on colour; a veteran who wore one shade for years may want nothing to do with it now. Ask for a colour exchange within 60 days. If the gift was shipped straight to them, they can write to us with the buyer’s name, and we will keep the conversation discreet about the price.
8. Packing your return
- Fold apparel and place it in a plastic mailer or a small box; the original mailer is fine if it is still intact.
- Wrap mugs and drinkware in paper or bubble wrap and use a box, so the return does not break on the way to us.
- Include a slip of paper with your order number and your name. This is the single most useful thing you can do to speed up your return.
- Do not include anything that is not part of the return. We cannot be responsible for personal items sent with a parcel.
- Keep the postage receipt and tracking number until we confirm the return is closed.
8.1 Returns that arrive without a note
If a parcel reaches us with no order number and no authorization, we try to match it using the sender name and the postmark. This can add several business days, and in rare cases we have to email around before we can identify it. That is why we ask you to contact us first and to include a note inside.
9. Orders that have not shipped yet
If your parcel has not left us, you do not need a return at all. Our Cancel or Change an Order page explains how to cancel or change sizes, colours, personalization text or the address before printing starts.
10. Your statutory rights
This policy adds to, and does not reduce, any rights you have under the consumer law of your state, province or country, including the consumer guarantees in Australia and New Zealand. Where the law gives you a stronger remedy, that remedy applies.
11. Help with a return
Write to support@proudvettee.com and we will reply within 1 business day. You can also read our FAQs, our Shipping & Delivery policy and the Help Center.