Return Policy

An order may be returned within 30 days of the delivery date recorded by the carrier. The clock starts on delivery, not on the date the order was placed.

That distinction matters for anything bought well in advance: a parcel that sat with a neighbour for a week still has its full period, counted from the carrier's recorded delivery date.

Where an order has not yet been dispatched, it is cancelled and refunded in full, which is quicker for both sides than sending the parcel out and back.

A question that comes up regularly: can the window be extended? Where a parcel arrived while the customer was away, Party Table will look at the dates on request rather than quoting the rule back. Later than that, the section on late returns applies.

The window applies to the order as a whole, so where one order contains several items, the same deadline governs all of them.

An item may be returned where it is unused, unwashed and free of marks, odour and pet hair, and where it is returned with its original packaging, tags and any fittings supplied.

Items should be checked against the product page before packaging is discarded or a seal is broken. Once an item cannot be resold, the return becomes difficult even where the customer's reason is entirely reasonable.

Where the condition is arguable, Party Table asks for a photograph and explains the reasoning before reaching a conclusion, rather than issuing a bare refusal.

A question that comes up regularly: is a damaged item still eligible? Yes. If an item arrived damaged, faulty or different from what was ordered, the eligibility rules are relaxed and the matter is treated as Party Table's error.

Write to [email protected] with the order reference, the item concerned and a short statement of the reason. The reason determines the route the return takes: change of mind, or fault.

A return address and packing instructions are sent in reply, normally within one working day. Nothing should be posted until that reply arrives, because a return sent without prior agreement cannot be matched to an order.

Write the order reference inside the parcel as well as on the outer label, and retain the proof of postage until the refund appears.

A question that comes up regularly: can a return be handed to a courier without contacting Party Table first? It can be posted, but it cannot be processed reliably, because there is no record linking the parcel to the order.

Where the return follows a change of mind, the customer arranges and pays for the return carriage, and the original outward postage is not refunded.

Where the item arrived damaged, faulty or incorrect, Party Table meets the cost of return carriage and refunds the full amount paid, including postage.

A tracked service is recommended for every return. An untracked return that goes missing in transit cannot be refunded, since there is no means of establishing what happened to it.

A question that comes up regularly: can several items be sent in one parcel? Yes, and it is cheaper. Separate parcels are treated as separate returns, and each attracts its own carriage cost.

Party Table issues the refund to the original payment method within seven calendar days of the returned item arriving and passing inspection. The bank's own posting time follows afterwards and sits outside that period.

Inspection confirms that the item is unused, complete and matches what was sent. Where something is missing, the customer is contacted before any deduction is made.

Refunds cannot be issued to a different card, a different account or in cash; the reversal has to follow the original transaction.

A question that comes up regularly: how long until the money appears? The refund leaves Party Table within seven calendar days, and banks commonly take a further three to five working days to display it. An email is sent when the refund is released.

Some categories cannot be returned, either because they cannot be resold safely or because what has happened to them since dispatch cannot be verified.

Packs of plates, napkins or covers that have been opened cannot be returned, because the contents cannot be counted or resold.

Items used with hot food, in a microwave or over an open flame are excluded.

Tableware printed with a date or name that was ordered for one event stays outside the return policy.

Products flagged as final sale on their own page cannot be returned, and the flag is visible before checkout.

Where a customer is unsure whether an item falls within an exclusion, Party Table will confirm before anything is posted, which avoids a parcel travelling in both directions for nothing.

A question that comes up regularly: why are these categories excluded at all? Each exclusion exists because an item cannot be verified or cannot be resold, not as a matter of policy preference.

Where an item is returned in breach of an exclusion, it will be held for 30 days pending instruction and then disposed of in accordance with the applicable rules if no instruction is received.

A return reaching Party Table after the window has closed is assessed individually rather than refused automatically. It may be accepted, or returned to the customer at their own cost.

Parcels refused at the door, or returned as undeliverable because delivery was not taken, are treated as change-of-mind returns: the item price is refunded once the parcel arrives, but the original postage is not.

Where a late return is already in transit, the customer should say so, and Party Table will consider it before it arrives rather than refusing it on receipt.

A question that comes up regularly: is there an appeal? Yes. Reply to the decision email and the matter is reviewed by a second member of staff.