Returns & Refunds

We want you to genuinely love what you wear. If something is not right, you can request a return or exchange within 30 days of delivery — which is more generous than the statutory no-reason return period in most places (7 days in China Mainland, 14 days in the EU and UK).

Your statutory rights come first. Nothing in this policy limits or replaces the rights given to you by the law of your own country. Where any term here conflicts with a mandatory local rule, the mandatory local rule prevails.

Return conditions

Returned items must meet all of the following:

  • Unworn, unwashed and unaltered, with no odour, stains or signs of wear;
  • The item itself, its accessories and its tags/labels all present and uncut, with original packaging complete (belts, straps, dust bags, etc.);
  • Accompanied by the order number or proof of purchase;
  • Returned together with any free gifts — physical gifts, points, vouchers or coupons. If a gift cannot be returned, we may ask you to pay the gift's price as previously stated.

By law, opening the packaging in order to inspect the goods, or reasonably testing them to establish their quality and function, does not affect the goods being "intact". For apparel, footwear and bags, goods are intact where the tags/labels have not been removed or cut and the goods are not soiled or damaged.

Items excluded from change-of-mind returns

Only four categories are excluded by statute: goods made to your specification, perishable goods, digital content such as audio/video recordings or software that you have unsealed, and delivered newspapers or periodicals.

Other goods may be excluded on the basis of their nature only where you confirmed this at the time of purchase (the law requires us to provide a prominent confirmation step in the purchase flow). Such items include:

  • Lingerie, bras, nipple covers, underwear and hosiery — goods that, once unsealed, may affect personal safety or health or may change in quality (in the EU and UK this corresponds to "sealed goods which are not suitable for return for health or hygiene reasons and which have been unsealed after delivery");
  • Pierced jewellery such as earrings once opened;
  • Customised, engraved or otherwise altered items.

Where that confirmation was not obtained at the time of purchase, we will still accept the return as a change-of-mind return — we will not refuse it on the ground that the item is "not eligible", nor on the ground that it has been unsealed. The same applies to items marked final sale / clearance, short-dated or imperfect, which likewise require confirmation at purchase.

How to start a return

Email info@melece.com or contact us via Contact Us, including:

  • Your order number;
  • Which item(s) you want to return or exchange, and why;
  • For faulty or wrong items, photos of the item (full view plus a close-up of the issue).

We will review and reply within 1–2 business days with the correct return address. Please do not send anything back before we confirm, so your parcel does not get lost.

Who pays what

There are two different costs here — please note the difference:

  • The cost of sending goods back: by law this is borne by you. However, where the return is due to a fault, wrong item or missing item, we cover the return shipping and will either replace the item or issue a full refund. Consumers in the EU and UK likewise bear only the direct cost of returning the goods — and if we did not inform you in advance that you would bear it, we bear it.
  • The delivery fee we charged you at checkout: in China Mainland, if you took part in a free-shipping-over-threshold promotion and a return brings the order below that threshold, we may deduct the corresponding shipping fee from the refund. In the EU and UK, on a change-of-mind return we refund the cost of the least expensive standard delivery you paid (if you expressly chose a more expensive delivery option, the difference above the standard cost is not refunded).
  • Customs duties and import taxes are payable by the recipient, are not part of the item price, and are not refunded.

Refund timing and method

  • Refund deadline (statutory): once the goods are returned and found intact, we return the price you paid within 7 days of receiving the returned goods. For the EU and UK we complete the refund within 14 days of being informed of your decision to withdraw, and refund the standard delivery cost as the law requires.
  • Refund method: we refund using the same means of payment you used for the order. Unless you expressly agree otherwise, we will not choose a different method, and we will not substitute a voucher for a cash refund.
  • When it lands: once we process the refund, the time for it to appear is handled by the payment provider and card issuer (typically 3–5 business days). That part is outside our control, but our refund is always processed within the statutory deadline above.
  • Where you paid with points, vouchers or coupons, we return the value in the corresponding form; if that coupon's terms clearly stated at issue that it is not restored on return, those terms apply.
  • Where you paid by credit card and we waived the handling fee, we may deduct that fee on refund.
  • Cash-on-delivery orders: we will confirm payout details with you first (i.e. with your express agreement) and then send the refund.

Exchanges

If you need a different size or colour, say so in your request. We do not charge extra for dispatching the replacement, subject to stock. If the size or colour you want is sold out, the exchange becomes a refund.

Damaged or incorrect items

Please contact us within 7 days of delivery with photos. We will prioritise a replacement or refund and cover all related shipping costs. After 7 days we will still help where we reasonably can.

Good to know

  • Keep your return tracking number until the refund is complete.
  • We cannot be responsible for parcels sent back without confirmation, or lost in transit.
  • Refunds are based on the amount you actually paid; where a partial return from a bundle or spend-and-save promotion means the promotion no longer applies, the order is recalculated at the individual prices agreed at purchase and any difference settled.
  • We do not widen the list of items excluded from change-of-mind returns. If you disagree with a refusal, you can raise it with us first, or use the consumer body or regulator available to you under your local law.

This policy is a general framework; we will always try to reach a fair outcome for individual cases. See our Terms of Service for more.