Refund policy

Your satisfaction is our priority. If you are not happy with your purchase for any reason, we offer a 30-Day Return Window on most products. Below are the details of our returns and refund process:

Eligibility for Returns: You may return an item within 30 days of receiving it for a refund, provided it meets the following conditions:

  • The item is in its original condition, meaning it is unused, unaltered, and still in the original packaging (for new products, this includes intact original shrink wrap or seal, and any accessories or bonus items).
  • Products that have been used, unsealed, or damaged by the customer cannot be returned. For example, a vinyl record that has been opened and played, or a book with obvious signs of use, will not be eligible for a refund unless there is a manufacturing defect or transit damage.
  • The item was purchased directly from Arcline Store (arclineusa.com) and you have proof of purchase (order number or receipt).

Damaged or Defective Items: If your item arrived damaged in transit or has a manufacturer defect, please contact us right away – such issues are always eligible for return or exchange. We will ask for a description of the issue and may request photos to document the damage. In cases of transit damage or defective product, we will provide you with a prepaid return shipping label at no cost to you. You can choose to receive either a full refund or (if the item is still available) a replacement item.

We will do our best to send a replacement in these situations because we know you ordered the item because you wanted it; if a replacement is not possible (e.g. item is out of stock), we will issue a refund. Returning a damaged/defective item will not count against you – we cover the return shipping and there are no restocking fees for such cases.

Return Process: To initiate a return, please contact our Customer Service team at support@arclineusa.com. Provide your order number and the reason for the return in your email. Our team will respond with return instructions and, if your return is approved/eligible, will issue you a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) and a prepaid return shipping label (emailed as a PDF or link). Securely package the item you’re returning, ideally in the same packaging it arrived in (or other adequate packaging to prevent damage), affix the provided return label to the box, and drop it off at the appropriate shipping carrier (we will specify if the label is for USPS, UPS, etc., depending on the situation).

Return Shipping Costs:

  • If the return is due to a defect, damage, or an error on our part, we cover the return shipping cost 100%. We will provide you a prepaid label and you will not be charged anything for the return.
  • If the return is because you changed your mind, ordered the wrong item, or otherwise is an unwanted item, the return shipping cost is the customer’s responsibility. In these cases, you have two options: (a) We can provide a prepaid return label for your convenience and deduct the shipping cost from your refund, or (b) you may ship the item back to us using your own choice of shipping method. We recommend using a trackable shipping service if you do the latter. We will inform you of the label cost before deducting, so you can choose your preference. (We do not mark up return label costs – you pay what we pay.) By policy, unless the item was defective, customers are responsible for return postage on unwanted items.

Condition of Returned Items: Once we receive your returned item, our team will inspect it. Assuming it meets the return conditions (unused, original packaging, etc.), we will approve the return. If we find that the item is not in resalable condition (e.g. missing parts, opened or used when it was sold as new, or swapped with a different item), we may adjust the refund amount or deny the return. We will communicate with you in such cases. We are not looking for reasons to reject returns, but we do need to ensure that returned products meet our policy guidelines.

Refunds: After a returned item passes inspection, we will process your refund within 48–72 hours. The refund will be issued to the original payment method you used. You will receive an email confirmation when this refund has been processed on our end. Please note that it may take 3–5 business days for the refunded amount to reflect in your bank or credit card account, depending on your financial institution’s processing times. If you used a gift card or store credit, the credit will be restored to your Arcline Store account.

If you have not seen the refund posted after 5 business days from our confirmation, here are some steps to take: first, check the account or card statement of your original payment method. Then, contact your credit card company or bank, as sometimes it takes additional time before a refund is officially posted by them. If you’ve done this and still have not received your refund, please contact us at support@arclineusa.com and we will assist in investigating the issue. (Rest assured, when we issue a refund, the funds leave our account immediately – any delay is usually due to banking processing times.)

Exchanges: If you wish to exchange an item for a different item, the fastest method is to request a return for the original item and then place a new order for the item you want. This ensures you get the new item quickly, and that the desired item doesn’t go out of stock in the meantime. Alternatively, you can inquire with our support team if a direct exchange is possible; in some cases, we might be able to facilitate a straight swap if the value is the same and the item is available. However, we cannot guarantee exchanges and generally handle it via the return-and-reorder process to keep things efficient.

Fair Purchase & Anti-Reselling Policy: To protect fairness for our collector community, we strictly limit purchases of the same release to 3 units per customer / household / shipping address. Multiple separate orders containing the same release, or attempts to bypass this limit, will automatically trigger internal review. If we reasonably determine that orders were placed for the purpose of resale, bulk flipping, or bypassing purchase limits, we reserve the right to cancel such orders. In these cases, payment processing fees are not refunded (as they are retained by the payment processor), and an additional $10 operational & manual processing fee may be deducted per affected order to cover administrative and handling costs. The remaining amount will be refunded to the original payment method. This policy applies only to cases involving repeated or excessive purchases of the same release or suspected reseller activity. Normal orders are not affected. If you place a regular order and request a cancellation for personal reasons, or if we cancel your order for reasons unrelated to reseller behavior, you will receive a full refund of the amount paid. If we determine confirmed reseller or scalper activity, we may permanently block your customer account, shipping address, email, and IP from ordering with us in the future. Our goal is to keep releases available to genuine fans and collectors, and we apply this policy consistently and respectfully. If you believe your order was reviewed or cancelled in error, please contact us and we will be happy to take a second look.

Special Note – Vinyl Record Sleeve Damage: We know how important condition is to collectors. We ship all vinyl records in their original sealed packaging (we do not open the records to ship the vinyl outside the jacket, because most of our customers prefer to receive the item in manufacturer-sealed condition). Because of this, there is a small chance that a vinyl record may experience a seam split or minor jacket/sleeve damage in transit (this can happen if the record inside moves and splits the top of the cover, for example). Minor cosmetic sleeve damage that does not affect playability is not considered a defect for return purposes. We cannot offer full refunds for minor sleeve dings, creases, or seam splits on sealed records, since we must ship them sealed as sold.

However, we want you to be happy with your purchase. If you do receive a record with significant seam splits or jacket damage, please contact us – in many cases, we can work with the record label or distributor to source a replacement empty sleeve for you, or offer a partial refund or discount on a future order as a goodwill gesture. Our policy is aimed at balancing the desire for mint condition with the practical realities of shipping.

By communicating with us, we’ll do our best to make it right. (Please note that if the vinyl record itself is warped, scratched, or unplayable, that is considered a defect and is eligible for return or exchange – our sleeve damage policy only refers to outer packaging.)

Our Commitment: Above all, we are committed to excellent customer service. We’re collectors and music lovers ourselves, and we understand the excitement of getting a new record or CD – and the disappointment if something isn’t right. Our team will do everything we can to “make it right” if you encounter any problems. Happy collectors are our goal, and we welcome you to reach out with any questions or concerns about your order.

If you have any questions about these policies or need assistance, please contact us at support@arclineusa.com.