Refund Policy

1. Scope

This policy sets out how returns, refunds and cancellations work for orders placed through nillavanilla.co.za (the “Site”), and forms part of our Terms & Conditions. It applies to both retail and wholesale/trade orders, except where our written agreement with a specific wholesale account states otherwise.

2. Your statutory rights

Nothing in this policy limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 or the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 that cannot lawfully be excluded — this policy operates alongside those rights, not instead of them. Where our products fall within the statutory exclusions described in this policy (for example, hygiene-sealed goods once opened), those exclusions apply to the same extent they would under those Acts.

3. Damaged, defective or incorrect items

If an item arrives damaged, is faulty, or is not what you ordered, contact us at [email protected] as soon as possible, and in any event within 7 days of delivery, with your order number and photographs of the item and its packaging. We'll assess the claim and arrange a replacement or refund at no cost to you where the fault is confirmed.

4. Vacuum-sealed and glass-tubed products — no refunds once opened

Our vanilla pods, powder and sugar are sold vacuum-sealed or individually glass-tubed to preserve freshness and hygiene; our extract and paste are sold in sealed glass bottles. Because these are perishable, hygiene-sealed food products, we do not offer a refund or accept a return on any vacuum-sealed pack, glass tube, or bottle once its seal has been broken or its packaging opened, except where the product itself is confirmed defective or was damaged in transit (see Section 3). This exclusion is standard practice for sealed food products and reflects the statutory exclusion for hygiene-sealed goods once unsealed after delivery.

5. Natural variation is not a defect

Our vanilla is sourced directly from small farms in Madagascar and is hand-graded, not machine-processed — every pod, and every batch, is a natural agricultural product. Reasonable variation between units and between batches in weight, length, colour, sheen, moisture or aroma is normal and expected, and is not, on its own, grounds for a refund or return. See Section 4 of our Terms & Conditions for more on this.

6. Change-of-mind cancellations

If you'd like to cancel an order before it has been dispatched, contact us as soon as possible — if it hasn't yet been handed to the courier, we can usually cancel and refund it in full. Once an order has been dispatched, a change-of-mind return is subject to Sections 4, 7 and 8 of this policy (unopened condition, return shipping cost, and our refund guidelines).

7. Returning the goods

Where a return is agreed (for example, an unopened, unbroken-seal item you no longer want, or an item we've asked you to send back as part of assessing a damage claim), the goods must be returned to our registered collection/return address, which we will provide when we confirm the return. The cost of shipping the item back to us is the customer's responsibility, unless the return is due to our error or a confirmed defect, in which case we'll cover reasonable return shipping. Please package the item securely enough to survive transit — we're not able to refund an item that arrives back with us damaged due to inadequate packaging on return.

8. Our refund guidelines

A refund is only processed once the returned goods have physically arrived back at our registered address and we've confirmed they meet our refund guidelines, namely that the item is:

• Unopened, with its original vacuum seal, glass tube, or bottle seal intact (unless the return is for a confirmed defect or transit damage);
• In its original packaging, in a condition suitable for resale or, where applicable, disposal as a confirmed defect; and
• Accompanied by the order number or proof of purchase.

If a returned item doesn't meet these guidelines, we'll contact you to explain why before deciding not to refund it, and, where reasonable, offer to return the item to you at your cost instead.

9. Refund processing time

Once a return has been received and approved under Section 8, we process the refund within 10 working days. Depending on your bank, it may take a few additional working days for the refunded amount to reflect in your account after we've processed it on our side.

10. How refunds are paid

For security and fraud-prevention reasons, refunds are only ever paid into a confirmed bank account belonging to the person or company who placed and paid for the order. Before processing a refund, we require a bank confirmation letter (or equivalent proof of account ownership, such as a certified bank statement) from the individual or company requesting the refund, confirming that the bank account nominated to receive the refund belongs to them and that they are the same party who placed and paid for the order.

We will not pay a refund into any bank account other than one belonging to the original purchaser, unless the original purchaser has given us their explicit, written confirmation authorising payment to a different, named account. This applies even where someone else contacts us on the purchaser's behalf, or where the delivery recipient is a different person to the purchaser. This requirement exists to protect our customers from refund fraud and is not negotiable on a case-by-case basis.

11. Partial returns

If your order contained multiple items and only some are being returned, the refund will cover only the returned item(s) and their proportional share of any packaging surcharge; the original shipping cost is not refunded unless the entire order is being returned due to our error or a confirmed defect affecting the whole order.

12. Wholesale and trade orders

Wholesale/trade orders placed on invoice terms are subject to the same refund guidelines in this policy unless our separate written agreement with your account states different terms — please raise any wholesale order issue with your account contact in the first instance.

13. Product use and liability after delivery

Once a product has been delivered or collected, responsibility for its correct storage and use passes to the purchaser, as set out in Section 10 of our Terms & Conditions. We're not able to offer a refund for a product that has deteriorated due to storage or handling after delivery that wasn't in line with ordinary food-safety practice.

14. How to request a return or refund

Email [email protected] with your order number, the reason for the request, and photographs if the item arrived damaged or faulty. You can also reach us through our contact page or the live chat widget on the Site — ask to speak to a real person and our team will pick it up from there.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time; the current version will always be available on this page, with the “last updated” date above reflecting the most recent revision. A return or refund request already in progress will be handled under the version of this policy in force when your order was placed.