Getting stuck
The expensive mistakes are all ordinary actions
None of what follows is exotic. The things that cost people money here are the natural reactions: trying the trainers on, opening the box to check, waiting a few days to see whether a parcel turns up.
Each of them has a specific rule behind it, and each rule is on an official page. If you are already past one of these, the who pays page works out what it costs, and the categories page lists the same conditions arranged by shelf instead of by mistake.
Unpacking past the point of no return
The special standards table on the returns page sets, per category, what condition an item has to be in for a return to be accepted.
Cutting the clasp on new trainers
The standard asks that the anti-counterfeit clasp has not been cut or removed and that the shoes remain fully functional. This is the single most common way people take themselves out of scope.
Breaking a one-off seal
Cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare and personal care items are all required to keep their disposable sealing intact.
Pressing the shutter twenty-one times
Cameras are covered by a specific standard: the shutter must not have been pressed more than twenty times. Digital goods generally must have the network access permit undamaged and no water damage.
Asking for tags to be removed
Goods whose packaging, tags or accessories were removed at your request are named as ineligible. A request that seems helpful at the time closes the door behind it.
Items that were never going to travel
The notes before purchasing page is short and worth reading once. Tobacco, alcohol and contraband are not accepted at all. Restricted items include, but are not limited to, Swiss army knives, kitchen knife sets, kitchen knives and paper blades.
The warehouse opens every parcel to check for these, so an item that slips past the seller does not slip past intake. Where goods are found not to meet transport requirements, the official inspection page describes the order being marked so you can arrange a return with the seller, which is a better outcome than finding out at customs.
The three clocks, and what starts each one
Missing a deadline is the one mistake with no remedy at all, because every other problem on this page can at least be argued.
| Clock | Starts at | What it governs |
|---|---|---|
| 120 hours | The next full hour after stock-in | Return or exchange under the seller guarantee. Requests after it may not be accepted. |
| 7 days | The parcel being signed for | Raising a compensation claim for loss or damage. |
| 45 days | The parcel leaving the warehouse | The outer limit on the same claim, whichever deadline arrives first. |
| 14 days | The day of delivery | The separate change-of-mind window quoted against the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. |
Deadlines from the OOTDBUY returns and insurance pages, read on 2026-08-06.
The doorstep is the last place anything can be proved
The receipt page asks for three checks before signing: whether the outer packaging is intact, whether the box seal is intact, and whether there is a significant difference in weight. Where something is visibly wrong, the instruction is to check in front of the courier and either sign with a remark or refuse the parcel.
This takes about thirty seconds and it is the difference between a claim with evidence and a claim without. The disclaimer list rules out claims where the customer cannot provide related proof, and it also rules out anything stolen after delivery, which is what a parcel left on a doorstep becomes.
One quieter mistake: assuming the guide is the authority
Everything on this site is a reading of pages that OOTDBUY can change without telling anyone. We date what we read and link to the original in every section for exactly that reason.
Where a number here disagrees with the number on the official page, the official page wins, and we would be glad to be told. The contact address is in the footer of every page.