Refund policy

Return & Refund Policy

We want you to love your Slime Design order. Because our products are handmade and slime is a sensory product that can be affected by use, storage and temperature, there are some important things to know about returns.

This policy does not limit any rights you may have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA), or any other applicable South African law.

Change-of-Mind Returns

Slime Design does not offer voluntary returns, exchanges or refunds simply because you have changed your mind, ordered the wrong product, or no longer want an item, except where applicable South African law gives you a right to return or cancel your purchase.

Where a statutory cooling-off or cancellation right applies to an online purchase, we will honour that right in accordance with applicable law.

Where you are legally entitled to return an unwanted product under a cooling-off right, the product should remain unused, unopened and in its original condition where applicable, and you may be responsible for the direct cost of returning the product where permitted by law.

Certain products, including customised or personalised goods and other categories specified by law, may be excluded from statutory cooling-off rights.

Opened or Used Slime

Due to the nature of slime and considerations relating to hygiene, product integrity and contamination after opening or use, we do not accept voluntary change-of-mind returns of opened or used slime.

This does not affect your rights if the product is genuinely defective, unsafe, incorrectly supplied, or if you otherwise have a right to a remedy under applicable South African law.

Defective or Unsafe Products

Our products must meet the quality and safety standards required by South African consumer law.

If you believe your product is defective or unsafe, please contact us at hello@slimedesign.co.za with your order number, details of the problem and, where reasonably possible, photographs or other information that will help us assess the issue.

We may ask reasonable questions, request photographs or inspect the product to establish the nature and cause of the problem.

Where a product fails to meet the standards required by applicable consumer law, we will provide the remedy to which you are legally entitled.

Where applicable under the CPA, this may include your right to return defective, unsafe or failed goods within six months of delivery and elect the remedy provided for by law.

Nothing in this policy is intended to reduce or exclude those rights.

Slime Care and Normal Slime Behaviour

Slime is a handmade sensory product and its consistency can naturally change depending on temperature, weather, storage, age and use.

For example, slime may become sticky or softer in warm conditions and may need a small amount of activator or Sticky-Stop. Over time and with use, slime may also shrink, become firmer, dry out or otherwise change in consistency.

These characteristics are not automatically product defects.

If an issue appears consistent with normal slime behaviour, we may first provide reasonable slime-care or troubleshooting instructions and ask you to try them before we assess whether the product is genuinely defective.

Troubleshooting will never be used to deny or improperly delay a remedy for a product that is genuinely defective or unsafe.

Damage Caused After Delivery

Slime Design is not responsible for problems caused after delivery by misuse, contamination, improper storage, excessive activator, adding ingredients or substances to the slime, or otherwise altering the product contrary to its intended use or care instructions.

This does not affect a claim relating to a defect or problem for which Slime Design remains responsible under applicable law.

Personal Preferences

A dislike of a product's scent, colour, texture or feel does not, by itself, mean that the product is defective where it was supplied as described and is otherwise of acceptable quality.

Any statutory rights that apply to your purchase remain unaffected.

Handmade Variations and Product Images

Our products are handmade, which means there may be small variations between batches and individual products.

Minor differences in colour, sprinkle placement, charms, clay-piece details, decorations or other handmade elements that do not materially change the product are not considered defects.

We also make reasonable efforts to photograph and represent our products accurately. However, colours and appearance may vary slightly because of lighting, photography and individual screen settings.

This does not apply where the product supplied is materially different from the product advertised or ordered.

Damaged, Leaking or Incorrect Orders

Please inspect your order as soon as reasonably possible after delivery.

If your parcel arrives damaged, leaking, contains the wrong item or has another delivery-related problem, please contact hello@slimedesign.co.za within 48 hours of delivery where reasonably possible.

Please include:

your order number;
a description of the problem; and
photographs of the parcel, packaging and affected product where reasonably possible.

Reporting the problem within 48 hours helps us investigate delivery and packing issues quickly. However, this requested reporting period does not remove or shorten any statutory rights you may have under South African law.

Where Slime Design is responsible for an incorrect item, valid delivery-damage claim or qualifying defect and a return is required, Slime Design will cover the reasonable return cost.

Missing Items

If something is missing from your order, please contact hello@slimedesign.co.za within 48 hours of delivery where reasonably possible, with your order number and photographs of the parcel and its contents where available.

We will investigate the order. If we confirm that an item was omitted, we will provide the missing item at our cost or another appropriate remedy where required.

The requested 48-hour reporting period helps us investigate packing discrepancies and does not remove any statutory rights.

Outer Packaging Damage

Courier boxes and outer packaging may occasionally become scuffed, dented or otherwise cosmetically damaged during transport.

Damage to outer shipping packaging alone does not qualify an order for a refund or replacement where the purchased products inside are undamaged and fit for their intended use.

If the packaging damage has affected the actual product, please contact us so that we can assess it as a delivery-damage claim.

Orders Delivered to an Incorrect Address Supplied by the Customer

Customers are responsible for providing complete and accurate delivery information when placing an order.

If an incorrect or incomplete delivery address supplied by the customer causes a parcel to be returned to Slime Design, the customer will be responsible for the reasonable cost of resending the parcel.

If the courier successfully delivers the order to an incorrect address supplied by the customer and the parcel cannot be recovered, Slime Design will not be responsible for replacing the order at our cost. A replacement order will need to be placed and paid for by the customer.

This does not apply where the delivery error was caused by Slime Design or the courier rather than by the information supplied by the customer.

Uncollected or Refused Parcels

Where a parcel is returned to us because the customer failed to collect it or refused delivery and neither Slime Design nor the courier was at fault, the parcel will not automatically be treated as an approved product return.

The customer may be responsible for the reasonable cost of sending the order again.

Any statutory cancellation or return rights that apply will remain unaffected.

Parcels Reported Stolen After Delivery

If tracking records indicate that a parcel was delivered to the correct address supplied with the order but the customer subsequently reports that it was stolen, Slime Design will assist with reasonable courier enquiries where possible.

We do not automatically refund or replace orders solely because they were stolen after confirmed correct delivery.

Disputed deliveries will be assessed individually, including any available proof of delivery.

Where the courier did not correctly deliver the parcel, we will investigate the matter and provide an appropriate remedy where required.

Order Changes and Cancellations Before Dispatch

If you realise that you have made a mistake with your order, please contact us as soon as possible at hello@slimedesign.co.za.

We will try to accommodate changes or cancellation requests before fulfilment where reasonably possible, but we cannot guarantee that an order can be changed or cancelled once processing or packing has begun.

Once an order has been processed, packed or dispatched, the applicable cancellation and return rules will apply.

This does not affect any statutory cancellation rights you may have.

Custom and Personalised Products

Custom-made, personalised and made-to-order products may not qualify for change-of-mind cooling-off or cancellation rights where an exclusion under applicable law applies.

Once production has begun, we do not offer voluntary change-of-mind cancellation of custom or personalised products.

This does not affect your rights if a custom or personalised product is defective, unsafe, incorrectly supplied or otherwise qualifies for a statutory remedy.

Slime Supplies and Accessories

Separately purchased slime supplies, accessories and related physical products are subject to this policy.

We do not offer voluntary change-of-mind returns for these products except where applicable law provides a right to return or cancel.

This does not affect statutory rights relating to defective, unsafe, damaged or incorrectly supplied products.

Bundles and Kits

Where a bundle or kit contains several components and an issue affects only one component, we may assess the affected component individually.

Where legally appropriate, a remedy relating to that component may be provided rather than treating the entire bundle as defective, provided that doing so properly resolves the issue and does not limit any remedy to which the customer is legally entitled.

Sale and Discounted Products

Sale and discounted products receive the same statutory consumer protections as full-price products.

A discount does not remove your rights relating to defective, unsafe, damaged or incorrectly supplied goods.

Our general policy of not offering voluntary change-of-mind returns applies equally to discounted and full-price products, except where applicable law provides otherwise.

Free Gifts and Promotional Extras

Complimentary promotional extras may vary and may sometimes be substituted depending on availability.

A dislike of a complimentary item, or a reasonable variation in a free promotional extra, does not by itself entitle the customer to a refund of the purchased order.

Where a specific promotional item was expressly promised as part of an offer and its omission makes the order materially different from what was advertised, please contact us and we will assess the matter appropriately.

Allergies, Sensitivities and Irritation

Please review available product information and safety guidance before using our products and ensure that children are appropriately supervised.

If irritation or an adverse reaction occurs, stop using the product.

If you believe a product may be unsafe or defective, please contact us at hello@slimedesign.co.za so that we can investigate.

Nothing in this section limits any rights you may have in relation to unsafe or defective goods.

How to Request a Return

Please do not send any product back to us without contacting us first.

Email hello@slimedesign.co.za with:

your order number or other reasonable proof of purchase;
the reason for your request;
details of the problem; and
photographs or supporting information where reasonably relevant.

We do not require one specific form of proof of purchase if we can reasonably verify the original transaction using other information.

If a physical return is required, we will provide the return instructions and return address after the return has been approved.

Unless we agree otherwise or applicable law requires a different period, an approved return should be dispatched within 7 days of receiving our return instructions.

Return Shipping and Risk

Where the customer is responsible for arranging and paying for return shipping, including where permitted for an applicable cooling-off return, the customer must package the product securely and remains responsible for the parcel until it reaches Slime Design.

Where Slime Design arranges the return courier for an approved claim for which we are responsible, the customer will not carry the risk of courier loss after the properly packaged parcel has been handed to the arranged courier.

Refunds

Where a refund is the appropriate remedy, it will be made to the original payment method wherever reasonably possible.

We will not require a customer to accept store credit instead of a monetary refund where the customer is legally entitled to a refund.

Approved refunds will generally be processed within 7 business days after we have received and, where appropriate, assessed the returned product, unless applicable law requires a different timeframe.

Please remember that your bank or payment provider may take additional time to reflect the refund after we have processed it.

Original delivery charges and return costs will be dealt with according to the reason for the return and the customer's rights under applicable law. We do not apply a blanket rule that delivery charges are always non-refundable.

Gift Orders

If you received a Slime Design product as a gift and believe there is a genuine problem with it, please contact us.

We may request the original order number, purchaser details or other reasonable information so that we can verify the transaction.

Where a monetary refund is appropriate, it will ordinarily be returned to the original payment method used for the purchase.

Orders Cancelled by Slime Design

Occasionally, we may be unable to fulfil an order because of stock availability, an inventory error or another unforeseen issue.

If Slime Design cancels an order or item before fulfilment, we will refund the amount paid for the cancelled order or item, together with applicable delivery charges where appropriate.

We may offer you an alternative product, but you will not be required to accept a substitute instead of a refund where you are entitled to one.

Your Statutory Rights

Nothing in this Return & Refund Policy is intended to exclude, restrict or waive any right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded under South African law.

Where the Consumer Protection Act, Electronic Communications and Transactions Act or another applicable law gives you rights that are more favourable than a provision of this policy, your statutory rights will apply.