---
title: "Custom Cushion Doesn't Fit? Return, Refund or Remake"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-cushion-doesnt-fit-return/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Rosa Delgado, The Porch Keeper of Savannah"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/"
published: "2026-03-04"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom cushion doesn't fit return, return custom cushion, custom cushion refund policy, cushion too tall for chair, remake custom cushion wrong size"
---

# My custom cushion doesn't fit my space. Can I return it?

*Pull up a chair, neighbor. A cushion that sits too tall at the dining table is a real letdown, and there are three honest ways out of it.*

Also asked as: The height of the cushion is overwhelming. Can I return it?; It's a lot smaller than I expected.

> **The quick answer:** Yes, a custom cushion that doesn't fit can be returned, but if it was made to the size you ordered, the return shipping is on you. You book it with FedEx or UPS, send the tracking number, and get a full refund once it arrives back in good condition. Often cheaper: keep it for a partial refund, or order the right size at cost.

![Taupe outdoor seat pads with slate blue piping on wicker dining chairs around a round oak table in a rose garden](https://cushionguide.com/media/dining-chair-cushions/taupe-chair-pads-slate-blue-piping-wicker-dining-set-1600.webp "Taupe box seat pads with a fine slate-blue piping soften a set of wicker dining chairs on a sunny terrace.")

## Key facts

- A cushion made to the size you ordered isn't a defect, so a return is at your expense.
- The refund is full once the return arrives back in good condition.
- There are no prepaid return labels or return authorization numbers.
- You book the return with FedEx or UPS and send the tracking number as text.
- Alternatives: a partial refund to keep the cushion, or a new piece in the right size at cost.
- Damage on arrival is a separate conversation from fit: photograph it and ask the workshop what it will do.
- Refunds go back to the original payment method, and how soon they show up depends on the bank.
- A handmade cushion can differ from the ordered size by roughly 1/2-1 in (1-2 cm); a tape-measure photo settles whether it was cut right.

## Before you box it back up

- ✓ **Give the foam 3-4 days** to recover from its packing before you judge the size.
- ✓ **Photograph a tape measure** on the length, width and thickness, and compare them with your order.
- ✓ **If the workshop cut it wrong**, it checks its production records; ask the workshop to confirm in writing what it will remake. If the order was measured wrong, a remake has been offered at cost.
- ✓ **If something arrived damaged**, say so right away with photos; in past cases damaged parts were replaced or partly refunded rather than shipped back.

## Three ways out when the size was right but the space wasn't

| Option | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Return it | Book FedEx or UPS yourself, pay the postage, message the tracking number as text | A full refund once it arrives in good condition |
| Keep it | Agree a partial refund with the workshop | Part of the price back, and the cushion stays with you |
| Remake it | Send the exact size of the space | A new piece made to fit, at cost |

## Too tall for the dining room

A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop that a new custom cushion sat too tall at the dining table. It had been made exactly to the size ordered, so the workshop laid it out plainly: return shipping on the buyer, a full refund on arrival, and the tracking number sent as text so it could be followed.

Another buyer in the US, whose cushion came out smaller than hoped, got the same answer and one practical note: price the postage with FedEx first, because some buyers in that spot have agreed a partial refund and kept the cushion instead.

## Why there's no prepaid label

A made-to-measure cushion is cut for one space and one order, so there's no return label waiting in a drawer and no authorization number to fill in. You pick the carrier, and return costs vary with size and weight. That's why so many buyers take the partial refund or the [remake route](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-remake-wrong-size-color/).

The best return is the one you never need. Measure the seat with the [dining chair pad pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/dining-chair-pad-measurements/), browse the [dining chair cushion atlas](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/dining-chair-cushions/), try the proportions in the [chair cushion builder](https://cushionguide.com/studio/chair-cushion-builder/), and read [how exact made to measure really is](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-size-tolerance/). Which chair is this cushion meant for?

> **Tailor's margin:** Before returning a custom cushion, wait 3-4 days for the foam to recover, then photograph a tape measure on its length, width and thickness.

> A custom cushion made to the size you ordered can still go back: you pay the return postage, and the refund is full once it arrives in good condition.
>
> — Rosa

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Can I return a custom cushion that turned out too tall for my dining room?

**The workshop's answer:** Custom cushions are made to the size you order, so on a change-of-mind return the buyer pays the return shipping. The refund is full once the shop receives it. Send the return tracking number as text so it can be followed.

**A common question:** The cushion is smaller than I hoped. Can I send it back?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes, with return shipping paid by the buyer, since it was made to the ordered size; the refund is issued once it's back at the workshop. Shipping costs vary, so check with FedEx first. Some buyers have agreed a partial refund and kept the cushion instead.

**A common question:** Do you send a return label or an authorization number?

**The workshop's answer:** No. The buyer arranges and pays the return shipping, and the refund is issued once the cushion arrives in good condition. The shop also offers to make a new piece in the exact size of your space.

**A common question:** It doesn't fit. Can you make a new one instead of refunding?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. The shop has offered to make a new one at cost, foam-filled or tufted. You can still return the original at your own shipping cost; damage is a separate conversation, started with photos.

## Questions buyers ask next

### What if the cushion arrived damaged rather than the wrong size?

That's a different case. Photograph the damage or the missing piece and message the workshop. In past cases it replaced just the affected part, or made and sent the correct items when the wrong ones arrived, and buyers who kept the piece were offered a partial refund.

### Can I change the size before the cushion is made?

Yes. Before production starts, the size can be changed or the order cancelled, so message the workshop the moment you spot a mistake. Once cutting has begun, the options are the return, the partial refund or a remake.

### Is a partial refund better than sending the cushion back?

Often it is. Return postage on a custom cushion varies with size and weight and is paid by you, while a partial refund needs no shipping at all. If the space still needs a cushion, a remake at cost gets the right size there.

## Related at the atelier

- [What if I don't like the cushions when they arrive? Can I send them back for a refund?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/return-cushions-change-of-mind/): Yes, you can return cushions for a change of mind, but you arrange and pay the return shipping yourself and the refund is issued once they arrive back safely.
- [Chair cushion with ties in crimson and indigo, finished by hand](https://cushionguide.com/readings/crimson-cushion-indigo-piping-library-reading-corner/): A chair cushion with ties looks tailored when the finishing is right: piping that runs straight and turns rounded corners cleanly, ties in the body color set to meet the back posts, the zipper along…
- [Chair Cushion With Ties for an Adirondack, in Rainbow Herringbone](https://cushionguide.com/readings/rainbow-herringbone-adirondack-chair-cushion-lawn/): An Adirondack chair cushion with ties should run as one long piece from the front of the seat to the top slat, with a matching roll pillow in the crease.
- [Chair Cushion With Ties? A Green Stripe Box on an Oak Hall Chair](https://cushionguide.com/readings/green-stripe-box-cushion-oak-hall-chair/): A chair cushion looks tailored when the stripe is centered, runs front to back and carries straight over the box edge, and when the piping stays straight at every corner.
- [Where does the zipper go on my cushion, and will it show?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-cover-zipper-placement/): The zipper goes on the cushion's back edge, the one against the wall, window or chair back, or on the underside, and it comes standard on every cover at no extra charge.
- [Accent chair and sofa chair seat cushions, replaced to the old shape](https://cushionguide.com/guides/accent-chair-seat-cushions/): To replace an accent chair seat cushion, measure the width between the arms at the back and the front, the seat depth, and the old cushion's thickness, and send a photo of the chair.
- [How to measure dining chairs for seat pads with ties](https://cushionguide.com/guides/dining-chair-pad-measurements/)

*Porch light's on — Rosa*

---

Written by Rosa Delgado (https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-cushion-doesnt-fit-return/