Refund policy

International Cancellation & Refund Policy

Welcome to Karma Games (store.karma-games.com). Because we are a publisher based in Germany shipping board games worldwide, our refund and cancellation structures vary based on your country of residence to comply with local consumer protection laws.

Group 1: European Union & United Kingdom

Applies to: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and all other 27 EU member states, alongside Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Under European and British consumer protection laws, you are granted an absolute, unconditional right to cancel your distance purchase.

  • Cancellation Window: You can cancel your order for a full refund at any time during the pre-order waiting period. Additionally, you have a statutory 14-day cooling-off window that begins the day after the board game is physically delivered to your address.

  • No Reason Required: You do not need to provide a reason or prove a defect to cancel during this window.

  • Original Shipping Charges: If you return an entire order, we will refund the full item cost plus our standard original shipping charge. Upgraded express shipping costs are non-refundable.

  • Return Shipping Costs: The customer is responsible for the direct cost of shipping the item back to our warehouse in Germany.

  • Condition of the Product: You are legally permitted to open the shipping box and inspect the components. However, if you permanently alter the game (e.g., punch out tokens, write on components, or unseal legacy items), we reserve our legal right to deduct a depreciation fee (Wertersatz) from your final refund to cover the lost resale value.

  • How to Cancel: You can initiate an immediate electronic cancellation by clicking the "Vertrag widerrufen" (Cancel Contract) link in our store footer, by contacting our support team (click here), or contact us by mail at:

    Karma Games GmbH
    Rosenthaler Str. 72A, 10119 Berlin, Germany

Group 2: Non-EU European Countries

Applies to: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vatican City.

To stay compliant with local trade agreements and consumer acts across non-EU Europe, this group is split by the statutory right to cancel:

1. Unconditional 14-Day Right to Cancel

  • Applies to: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vatican City.

  • The Rule: Mirroring general continental protection guidelines, consumers in these nations have an unconditional right to cancel their order for any reason. You may cancel freely at any point during the pre-order production phase, or within 14 days after physical delivery.

  • Return Conditions: The board game must be returned unused, undamaged, and complete. For nations like Ukraine, Belarus, and Azerbaijan, the outer factory shrink-wrap must remain entirely intact to claim a change-of-mind refund. The consumer is responsible for all cross-border return shipping costs back to Germany.

2. Conditional Right (All Sales Final)

  • Applies to: Switzerland.

  • The Rule: Swiss statutory law does not mandate a change-of-mind cooling-off period for online orders. All pre-orders and standard purchases are final at checkout. Refunds are only legally required under Group 5 terms (defects or failure to deliver).

Group 3: Unconditional Cooling-Off Markets (Select Asian & African Hubs)

Applies to: South Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, Israel, and South Africa.

These countries mandate explicit statutory cooling-off windows for e-commerce, but feature localized parameters regarding return conditions and processing times.

  • South Korea: You possess an unconditional right to cancel your pre-order at any point during production, or within 7 days of physical delivery. Approved refunds will be credited back to your original payment method within 3 business days of return receipt.

  • Mainland China: You are entitled to an unconditional 7-day return window starting the day after delivery. However, the board game must be in perfect resalable condition (商品完好). The factory shrink-wrap must remain completely intact. Return shipping to Germany is paid by the consumer.

  • Taiwan: You are granted a statutory 7-day unconditional cooling-off period from the day after delivery. Under local mandates, the merchant is responsible for return shipping arrangements and costs for change-of-mind returns.

  • Israel: You may cancel your transaction for any reason within 14 days of delivery. A statutory cancellation fee of 5% or 100 ILS (whichever is lower) will be deducted from your refund.

  • South Africa: Under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA), you have an unconditional 7-day cooling-off period from the date of delivery. A full refund will be issued within 30 days of cancellation. The buyer assumes the direct cost and risk of returning the unopened item to Germany.

Group 4: Conditional / Late-Fulfillment Trigger Markets (North America & Middle East)

Applies to: United States, Canada, and Saudi Arabia.

In these jurisdictions, change-of-mind refunds are not legally protected for advanced pre-orders or custom e-commerce transactions. We enforce an "All Sales Final" policy here upon checkout. However, an absolute right to a refund is legally triggered if we fail to meet our promised delivery windows.

  • United States (FTC Rule): All pre-order sales are final. However, under the FTC Mail Order Rule, if manufacturing or logistical delays push fulfillment past our originally stated product-page deadline, we will email you a formal Delay Notice. You retain an absolute right to reject the extension and demand a 100% refund. If a delay exceeds 30 days and we do not receive your explicit consent to hold the order, a full refund may be issued automatically.

  • Canada: All sales are final and non-refundable for change of mind. However, under provincial consumer protection acts, if we fail to dispatch your board game within 30 days of the promised pre-order delivery date, you retain a statutory right to cancel the contract and receive a full refund.

  • Saudi Arabia: Change-of-mind cancellations are only accepted within 7 days of delivery if the item is completely unused, unopened, and factory-sealed. Crucially: If our shipment faces a delay exceeding 15 days past the promised pre-order delivery date, an unconditional right to terminate the contract and receive an immediate 100% refund is automatically triggered under Article 13 of the Saudi E-Commerce Law.

Group 5: Final Sale Markets (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Rest of Asia, Africa, & Pacific Islands)

Applies to: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, United Arab Emirates, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and all other African nations not specified in Group 3.

Within these regions, consumer laws protect buyers from business defaults rather than buyer's remorse. All sales are strictly final. We do not accept cancellations, returns, or refunds for a change of mind, ordering errors, or financial shifts.

お客様都合による返品・交換はお受けできません (Returns/Exchanges for Customer Convenience are Not Accepted): Pursuant to the Japanese Specified Commercial Transactions Act (Tokushouho), this serves as our explicit, legally binding declaration that all sales targeting Japanese residents are non-refundable.

Statutory Exceptions Granting a Refund:

Regardless of our final sale policy, you retain a strict legal right to a replacement or a full refund under local consumer guarantees (such as the Australian Consumer Law or New Zealand Consumer Guarantees Act) if:

  1. Material Defect: The board game arrives fundamentally damaged, broken, or missing essential components that prevent it from being played.

  2. Misdescription: The final product materially varies from the specifications, descriptions, or visual samples provided on the product page.

  3. Non-Delivery: We experience an unresolvable fulfillment failure and are completely unable to deliver the product to your designated address.


PROCESSING GLOBAL REFUNDS

All legally mandated refunds will be initiated through the Shopify platform and credited back exclusively to the original payment method used during checkout. In compliance with international anti-money laundering and consumer safety guidelines, we will not issue refunds via alternative payment channels, nor will we substitute cash refunds with store vouchers or digital credit unless explicitly requested by the customer. Approved refunds are processed within 14 days of verification or return receipt.

 

DEFECTIVE OR DAMAGED PRODUCTS (GLOBAL CUSTOMERS)

Please inspect your order upon arrival. If an item is defective, damaged, or incorrect, please contact us immediately so we can evaluate the issue and make it right. The fastest way to report a broken or missing component is to fill out our Replacement Parts Request form online.

For items that arrive faulty or damaged, we will gladly send replacement components or issue a replacement copy at no cost to you. If replacement stock is unavailable, a full refund will be provided.

European Union & Non-EU Europe: All products are covered by a 2-year statutory guarantee. You can report a manufacturing defect at any point within 2 years of receiving the product. We will repair, replace, or refund the item at no cost to you.

United Kingdom: If your item is defective upon arrival, you have a statutory 30-day right to reject it for a full refund. After 30 days, you remain fully entitled to a free repair or replacement under the UK Consumer Rights Act.

Australia & New Zealand: Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under Australian and New Zealand Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure. These consumer protections apply for a reasonable period based on the nature of the product.

United States, Canada, Mexico, & Asia: If your board game features an inherent manufacturing defect or missing parts, please report it to us as soon as it is discovered. We will provide a free replacement component or exchange the game in accordance with your local implied warranty protections.