Returns, Refunds & Shipping Claims Policy
Effective Date: September 24, 2026
This Returns, Refunds & Shipping Claims Policy applies to purchases made directly from Shinjuku Matcha Chocolate Co. through our website or another sales channel that expressly incorporates this Policy.
Because our products are food products, are temperature-sensitive, and cannot be restocked or resold once they have left our control, all sales are final except as expressly provided in this Policy or as otherwise required by applicable law.
Please review this Policy before placing your order. By completing a purchase, you acknowledge the temperature-sensitive and perishable nature of chocolate and agree to the terms below.
1. Food Products are Final Sale
For food safety, quality-control, and contamination-prevention reasons, we do not accept physical returns of chocolate or other edible products.
Once a food product has left our possession, we cannot verify how it was stored, handled, transported, opened, or otherwise treated. Accordingly, even unopened food products generally may not be returned for resale.
Do not mail or ship any product back to us unless we specifically instruct you in writing to do so.
A product being ineligible for physical return does not prevent you from submitting an eligible claim under this Policy for an incorrect item, missing item, qualifying shipping damage, or another issue expressly covered below.
2. Change-of-Mind Returns
We do not offer returns, refunds, exchanges, or store credit because: you changed your mind; you no longer want the product; the product was purchased accidentally; you ordered too many products; the recipient does not want the product; the product did not meet a subjective taste preference; you expected a different level of sweetness, bitterness, matcha flavor, texture, richness, or intensity; you dislike a particular flavor, ingredient, or product characteristic that was accurately disclosed before purchase; or you purchased the product without reviewing the product description, ingredients, allergen information, quantity, size, weight, or other information made available before checkout.
3. Chocolate Melting and Heat Exposure
Chocolate is inherently temperature-sensitive.
We do not accept returns and do not provide refunds, credits, or complimentary replacement shipments for products that are melted or partially melted upon opening.
This includes chocolate that has softened, melted, partially melted, become misshapen, smeared, stuck to packaging or other pieces, or otherwise changed form as a result of heat exposure.
Our packaging is designed to maintain our chocolates below their softening temperature for the duration of the intended shipping period when used as designed. We use 2-day shipping for chocolate orders specifically for this reason.
However, conditions after delivery are outside our control. Temperatures inside mailboxes, parcel lockers, vehicles, entryways, apartment package rooms, delivery bags, and packages exposed to direct sunlight can rise rapidly.
We therefore strongly recommend that customers: monitor shipment tracking; arrange for someone to receive the package when possible; and bring the package indoors and into a temperature-controlled environment as soon as possible after delivery.
Leaving a package outside, on a porch, in direct sunlight, in a mailbox, in a parcel locker, in a vehicle, or in another warm location after delivery can result in heat exposure for which Shinjuku Matcha Chocolate Co. is not responsible.
A customer's inability to retrieve a package immediately after delivery does not create eligibility for a melting-related refund or replacement.
Carrier delivery photographs, tracking scans, delivery timestamps, weather information, and other records may be reviewed in connection with a claim.
This melting policy applies regardless of whether the product is fully or partially melted, except to the extent a remedy is expressly required by applicable law.
4. Shipping Damage Other Than Melting
If your order is physically damaged during shipping for a reason other than melting, softening, or heat exposure, you may submit a claim through our return or claims process at the bottom of this page.
Examples may include severe crushing of the shipping carton, significant breakage caused by physical impact, puncture of product packaging, or another material transit-related condition that substantially damages the product.
If we approve the claim, we may provide, depending on the circumstances: a replacement shipment; a refund for the affected item or items; a partial refund reflecting the portion of the order actually affected; or up to a full refund of the applicable order when the entire order is materially affected.
The appropriate remedy will depend on the nature and extent of the damage.
5. Claim Deadline
Claims involving shipping damage, missing products, incorrect products, compromised packaging, or another condition that would reasonably be apparent upon delivery must be submitted through our return or claims process within 48 hours after the carrier records the shipment as delivered.
Claims submitted after this period may be denied because the condition of a food product becomes increasingly difficult to attribute to shipment rather than post-delivery storage, handling, or environmental conditions.
If applicable law requires a longer period or otherwise provides rights that cannot legally be limited by this deadline, those rights remain unaffected.
6. Evidence Required for a Claim
We may require reasonable documentation sufficient to verify the claim.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include the order number, purchaser name and email address, photographs of the shipping carton, photographs of the shipping label, photographs of all internal protective packaging, photographs or video clearly showing the affected product, photographs showing the condition of the entire shipment rather than only an isolated close-up, the product lot or batch code if present, the best-by date if present, and a description of what happened.
For damaged-package claims, please photograph the package before discarding any shipping materials.
Customers must retain the affected product, shipping carton, packaging, insulation, and other relevant materials until the claim has been resolved or we inform the customer that the materials may be discarded.
If documentation reasonably necessary to verify the claim is not provided, or relevant evidence has been discarded before we have had a reasonable opportunity to review it, we may be unable to approve the claim.
Submission of documentation does not automatically establish eligibility for a refund or replacement.
7. Incorrect Items
If we send a product materially different from the product shown on your order confirmation, submit a claim within 48 hours of delivery.
Once verified, we may send the correct product or issue an appropriate refund.
A difference in packaging caused by a packaging update, minor design revision, manufacturing variation, or other non-material change does not constitute receipt of an incorrect product provided the underlying product ordered is the same.
8. Missing Items
If your package arrives but one or more items listed in the shipment are missing, submit a claim within 48 hours of delivery.
We may review fulfillment records, package weights, warehouse records, packing records, carrier records, photographs, inventory records, or other available evidence when investigating the claim.
If we confirm that an item was omitted, we may reship the missing item or refund the amount paid for the missing item.
9. Packages Lost in Transit
If carrier tracking does not show your order as delivered and the shipment appears to have been lost in transit, contact us through our claims process at the bottom of this page.
We may first require the carrier's normal investigation or tracing process to be completed.
If the package is confirmed lost, or we otherwise determine that the shipment is unlikely to be delivered, we may provide a replacement shipment or refund as appropriate.
This section is separate from packages that carrier tracking shows as successfully delivered.
10. Packages Marked as Delivered
If tracking shows that a package was delivered but you cannot locate it, please first check the delivery location carefully, including entrances, side doors, mail areas, parcel lockers, package rooms, reception areas, household members, neighbors where appropriate, and any carrier delivery photograph.
Please also contact the carrier when appropriate.
A carrier's delivery scan, GPS information, photograph, or other proof of delivery may be relied upon by us when evaluating a claim.
We are not responsible for theft, loss, misplacement, unauthorized removal, or environmental exposure occurring after a package has been properly delivered to the address supplied with the order, except where applicable law provides otherwise.
We may nevertheless assist with a carrier investigation where reasonably possible.
11. Customer-Provided Address Errors
Customers are responsible for entering a complete and accurate shipping address at checkout.
This includes the correct street address, apartment or unit number, city, state, ZIP code, recipient information, and any access information required for delivery.
If an order is shipped to the address entered by the customer, we are not responsible for non-delivery, misdelivery, delay, spoilage, melting, or loss resulting from an incorrect or incomplete address supplied with the order.
Once an order has entered fulfillment or been transferred to the carrier, we cannot guarantee that an address can be changed or redirected.
Orders that are returned, discarded, delayed, or otherwise affected because of a customer-provided address error are not eligible for a refund or complimentary replacement except where required by law.
12. Refused and Undeliverable Packages
Because our products are food products, packages that are refused by the recipient, are not collected, cannot be delivered, or are returned to sender generally cannot be placed back into saleable inventory.
Accordingly, an order is not eligible for a refund merely because the customer or recipient refused delivery, failed to retrieve the shipment, was unavailable to receive it, did not provide necessary delivery access, or otherwise caused or contributed to the shipment becoming undeliverable.
If the delivery problem resulted solely from an error by Shinjuku Matcha Chocolate Co., we will review the circumstances and provide an appropriate remedy.
13. Shipping Delays After Dispatch
Estimated delivery dates are estimates unless we expressly state otherwise.
Once a shipment has been transferred to the carrier, transportation events such as operational disruptions, severe weather, transportation interruptions, incorrect carrier routing, mechanical issues, local delivery conditions, or other carrier-related events may affect delivery timing.
Where an order is delayed before shipment, we will comply with applicable requirements concerning delayed shipment, cancellation, and refunds.
Nothing in this Policy limits any non-waivable right a customer may have when merchandise is not shipped or delivered as required by applicable law.
14. Order Cancellations
We process orders quickly because chocolate is shipped using expedited service.
Cancellation requests must therefore be made before the order enters fulfillment.
We cannot guarantee that a cancellation request can be honored once an order has been submitted.
Once an order has been packed, labeled, transferred to a fulfillment provider, or tendered to a carrier, the order generally cannot be canceled.
If we cancel an order before shipment, we will refund the amount required by applicable law.
15. Changes to Orders
We cannot guarantee changes to products, quantities, recipient names, addresses, shipping instructions, gift messages, or other order information after an order has been placed.
Customers should carefully review all order information before completing checkout.
If we are able to make a requested change before fulfillment, we may do so as a courtesy, but our ability to accommodate one request does not create an obligation to accommodate future requests.
16. Product Appearance and Natural Variation
Chocolate and matcha products may experience normal variations in appearance.
Minor differences in shade, color gradient, surface finish, dimensions, weight within ordinary manufacturing tolerances, texture, placement, or appearance do not necessarily indicate a defective product.
Photography, lighting, screen settings, manufacturing variation, and natural variation in agricultural ingredients such as matcha may cause the product received to appear somewhat different from website photographs.
Normal or minor cosmetic variations that do not materially affect the product are not grounds for a refund or replacement.
17. Chocolate Bloom and Cosmetic Temperature Effects
Chocolate can develop cosmetic surface changes associated with temperature fluctuations or ingredient migration, commonly referred to as "bloom."
Unless accompanied by another condition independently eligible under this Policy, cosmetic discoloration, streaking, dullness, whitening, or similar appearance changes alone do not automatically qualify an order for a refund or replacement.
If you believe the condition indicates something other than a cosmetic issue, submit a claim with photographs so that we can review it.
18. Broken, Chipped, or Scuffed Pieces
Chocolate is a fragile product.
Severe breakage caused by shipping impact may qualify as shipping damage under this Policy.
Minor crumbs, small chips, slight edge damage, superficial scuffing, or other minor cosmetic imperfections that do not materially affect the product generally do not qualify for a full refund.
When only part of an order is materially damaged, any refund may be limited to the portion of the order actually affected.
19. Taste, Texture, and Personal Preference
Individual preferences regarding chocolate and matcha vary substantially.
We do not offer refunds or replacements because a customer does not personally enjoy a product's flavor, sweetness, bitterness, matcha intensity, richness, aroma, mouthfeel, texture, or other subjective characteristic when the product is otherwise the product ordered and is not defective.
20. Ingredients, Allergens, and Dietary Preferences
Customers are responsible for reviewing the ingredient list, allergen disclosures, dietary information, and other product information provided before purchasing or consuming a product.
We do not issue refunds because a customer later determines that a correctly labeled product contains an ingredient or allergen they do not wish to consume or is incompatible with a personal dietary preference.
This does not apply where the product received was incorrectly labeled, materially different from what was ordered, subject to a recall, or otherwise gives rise to rights or remedies that cannot legally be waived.
If you believe there is an undeclared allergen, labeling error, contamination issue, tampering, or other food-safety concern, do not consume the product and contact us promptly.
21. Tampered, Opened, or Compromised Packaging
If a product arrives with packaging that appears materially opened, punctured, tampered with, contaminated, or otherwise compromised during transit, do not consume it.
Submit a claim through our claims process within 48 hours of delivery and provide photographs showing the condition of the outer shipping carton, internal packaging, product packaging, seals, and affected product.
Normal cosmetic wear to external shipping materials does not by itself establish that the food packaging has been compromised.
22. Food-Safety Issues and Product Recalls
Food-safety concerns are treated separately from ordinary return requests.
If we or a manufacturer initiate a recall, withdrawal, or other product-safety action affecting your purchase, instructions and available remedies will be provided based on the circumstances and applicable requirements.
Nothing in this Policy is intended to prevent a customer from exercising rights associated with an applicable food-safety law, product recall, mislabeled product, or other non-waivable legal protection.
23. Gifts
The same return and claims rules apply when an order is purchased as a gift.
A recipient's dislike of the gift or inability or unwillingness to consume the product does not make the order eligible for a refund.
Unless otherwise required by law, monetary refunds are issued to the original payment method used by the purchaser rather than to the gift recipient.
24. Promotional, Complimentary, and Free Items
Complimentary items, promotional items supplied without charge, samples, and gifts-with-purchase have no cash refund value.
If a complimentary item is damaged, we may replace it at our discretion, but a refund will not exceed the amount actually paid for that item.
25. Discounts, Bundles, and Partial Refunds
If a discount, promotional code, bundle price, volume discount, or other price reduction was applied to an order, any approved refund will be based on the amount actually paid and may be allocated proportionally among the applicable products.
A customer is not entitled to receive a refund based on an item's undiscounted or standalone retail price when the customer paid a lower effective price.
If only part of an order qualifies for a refund, the refund ordinarily will be limited to the value attributable to the affected portion of the order.
26. Shipping Charges
Original shipping charges are generally non-refundable once the applicable shipping service has been performed.
If an entire order is refunded because of an error for which applicable law or this Policy requires us to refund shipping charges, we will refund those charges as appropriate.
Additional shipping fees, upgraded shipping fees, or other transportation charges requested by a customer are otherwise non-refundable after the shipping service has been provided.
27. Refund Method
Approved refunds generally will be issued to the original payment method.
We do not ordinarily provide refunds through a different payment method, issue cash for a card purchase, or send a refund to a person other than the purchaser.
Bank, card-network, or payment-processor posting times may vary after we issue a refund.
The fact that a refund has not yet appeared on an account does not necessarily mean it has not been processed.
28. Replacement Shipments
When a replacement is approved, it will ordinarily be sent to the shipping address associated with the original order unless we approve another address.
A replacement provided for a claim constitutes the remedy for the affected product unless we expressly agree otherwise.
A customer may not ordinarily receive both a replacement product and a refund for the same claimed loss.
29. Multiple or Duplicate Claims
Only one remedy may be issued for a single loss.
Customers may not obtain duplicate compensation for the same product or incident through multiple claims, refunds, replacement shipments, carrier claims, payment disputes, insurance claims, or other reimbursement methods.
If compensation has already been received from another source for the same loss, that amount may be considered when determining any additional remedy.
30. Fraudulent or Abusive Claims
We reserve the right to deny claims that are fraudulent, materially misleading, duplicative, altered, fabricated, unsupported by required documentation, inconsistent with available evidence, or otherwise submitted in bad faith.
We may compare a claim against order records, fulfillment records, package weights, carrier records, delivery photographs, tracking data, customer communications, prior claims, photographs submitted, and other relevant records.
We may limit or decline future orders from persons or accounts associated with repeated fraudulent or abusive claims, subject to applicable law.
31. Payment Disputes and Chargebacks
We encourage customers to use our claims process first so that we have an opportunity to investigate and resolve legitimate problems promptly.
Submitting a payment dispute or chargeback does not alter the terms of this Policy or automatically establish that a purchase qualifies for a refund.
If a payment dispute is filed, we may provide the payment processor, issuing bank, card network, or other relevant party with records relating to the transaction, including the order confirmation, product description, return and refund terms applicable at the time of purchase, customer communications, shipping records, fulfillment information, tracking history, delivery confirmation, photographs, claim records, refund records, and other information relevant to the dispute.
Nothing in this section limits a customer's legal right to dispute a charge where such a right exists.
32. Refunds or Accommodations Made as a Courtesy
On occasion, we may provide a refund, replacement, credit, discount, or other accommodation even where the customer is not entitled to one under this Policy.
Any such accommodation is a discretionary customer-service gesture and does not waive this Policy, modify its terms, create a precedent, or require us to provide the same accommodation in another situation.
33. Refund Amount
Unless applicable law requires otherwise, an approved refund will not exceed the amount actually paid to Shinjuku Matcha Chocolate Co. for the affected product or order.
Consequential losses, replacement purchases made from another seller, missed events, inconvenience, lost time, personal travel, third-party expenses, and similar incidental costs are not reimbursed under this Return Policy.
34. Orders Purchased from Third Parties
This Policy applies only to purchases made directly from Shinjuku Matcha Chocolate Co. through a sales channel incorporating this Policy.
If you purchased our products from a café, retailer, marketplace, distributor, or other third party, the transaction is generally subject to that seller's applicable return and refund policies.
Please contact the business from which you actually purchased the product.
35. Legally Required Remedies
Nothing in this Policy excludes, restricts, or waives any consumer right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted, or waived.
If any portion of this Policy conflicts with a mandatory requirement of applicable law, the mandatory legal requirement will control to the minimum extent necessary, and the remainder of this Policy will remain in effect.
36. Changes to this Policy
We may revise this Policy from time to time.
Unless applicable law requires otherwise, a purchase will be evaluated under the version of this Policy that was presented or otherwise applicable when the order was placed.
Changes will apply prospectively and will not retroactively eliminate rights that had already arisen.
37. How to Submit a Claim
All return, refund, replacement, missing-item, incorrect-item, and shipping-damage requests should be submitted via email to info@shinjukumatcha.com.
Please submit the claim within the applicable deadline and include all required documentation.
Submitting a claim does not guarantee approval. Claims are reviewed under this Policy based on the circumstances and available evidence.
For the fastest review, retain the entire shipment—including the product, shipping carton, shipping label, insulation, internal packaging, and product packaging—until your claim has been resolved.
