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The Cutting Table · a checklist answer

Who pays for return shipping, and are returns ever free?

Also asked as:Do you cover return shipping?How much to ship these back?

Two kinds of returns come back up the front steps, and they don't travel on the same terms. Here's how to tell which one you're holding.

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The Porch Keeper of Savannah · · Updated

Orchid pink woven L-shaped bench cushions with plum piping on a cream storage bench beside a glass-fronted wardrobeSave
A pink corner bench gives a bedroom dressing area a place to sit, dress and store off-season clothes.

The quick answer

For a change of mind, past returns of custom cushions went back at the buyer's cost, with no prepaid label; check the listing's return terms before you send anything. Damaged, faulty or missing items are a separate conversation: send photos and ask the workshop to confirm in writing what it covers. Ask your nearest FedEx or UPS for a postage quote.

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Key facts

  • Damaged, faulty or missing items are a separate conversation from a change of mind; past cases were settled with a replacement piece or a refund.
  • In past change-of-mind returns, the buyer paid return shipping.
  • Past returns came with no prepaid return label; the return window is in the listing's return terms.
  • Return cost depends on your ZIP code, parcel size and weight; FedEx or UPS can quote it.
  • In past returns, the refund was issued once the item arrived back in original condition.

Have it made

Have Rosa’s workshop cut this for you

Swings sway, rockers rock, dogs circle three times. Tell the workshop what your seat goes through, and they will plan for it. — Rosa

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Returns that start with photos: damage, faults, missing pieces

  • The cushion arrived damaged.
  • It's faulty: the workshop's mistake, such as loose stitching or the wrong item.
  • A piece is missing from the box.
  • In each case, send clear photos first, of the fault and of the whole piece.

Returns where the postage is yours

  • You changed your mind about the color or the look.
  • The cushion was made to the size you ordered but doesn't suit the seat.
  • No prepaid label was issued in past returns, and the return window is the one in the listing's return terms.
  • The workshop can't quote the postage, because it depends on your ZIP code, box size and weight.

Sending a cushion back, one step at a time

  1. Message the workshop first

    Say why it's going back and ask for the return address before you print anything.

  2. Get a carrier quote

    Ask your nearest FedEx or UPS store. The price depends on your ZIP code and the parcel's size and weight.

  3. Ship it in original condition

    Clean, unused and packed well. In past returns the refund depended on it arriving back that way.

  4. Wait for the check-in

    In past returns, the refund was issued once the item was received back in original condition.

Often cheaper than a return

A cushion made exactly to the size you ordered can still be wrong for the seat, and past returns like that shipped at the buyer's cost. Before you tape the box, ask about the two quieter options: a partial refund to keep it, or a new piece at cost in the right size. Either is often cheaper than the postage.

Handmade tolerance is about ±1 in (±2.5 cm), and every cushion is measured before it ships, so a small difference isn't a defect. The best return is the one that never happens, neighbor, so measure the seat itself, front edge to back, to the nearest ¼ in (6 mm). What does yours measure? The bench measuring Pattern and the remake Pattern cover both, and Rosa's page gathers the rest of her porch notes.

A handmade cushion within about 1 in (2.5 cm) of the ordered size is inside normal tolerance; bigger shortfalls are worth tape photos and a message to the workshop.

Rosa
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    If I need to send it back, who pays the shipping?

    The workshop's answer

    For a change of mind, past returns were at the buyer's cost; the listing's return terms set the rest. Missing or damaged items are a separate conversation, started with photos. Postage depends on where you live, so get a quote from your nearest FedEx or UPS; in past returns the refund came once the item was back in original condition.

  2. A common question

    What happens if my order is damaged on the way?

    The workshop's answer

    Items damaged in transit are a separate conversation: photograph them and message the workshop. For other returns, past buyers paid the return shipping, and the refund came once the items arrived back.

  3. A common question

    Can I return it if I just don't like it? Is there a free 14-day return?

    The workshop's answer

    Damage on arrival is handled separately, starting with photos. For a change of mind, past buyers paid the return shipping, which the workshop can't quote for you, and no prepaid label was given; the return window is in the listing's return terms.

  4. A common question

    The cushion was made to my size but doesn't fit the space. What are my options?

    The workshop's answer

    Past buyers in that spot returned it at their own cost and were refunded once it was received. Often cheaper: keep it with a partial refund, or order a new piece at cost in the right size.

Questions buyers ask next

Is a cushion an inch off my order size a defect?

Not usually. Handmade cushions carry a tolerance of about ±1 in (±2.5 cm), and stuffed cushions can swell slightly larger. Every cushion is measured before shipping, and bigger shortfalls have been met with a fix or a partial refund.

What counts as the workshop's fault on a return?

Damage, wrong items and faults such as loose stitching. Send clear photos; past cases were settled with a replacement piece or a refund.

Do I get my money back before the cushion arrives?

No. In past returns the refund was issued once the item was received back in its original condition. Keep the carrier's tracking number until the workshop confirms the parcel has arrived.