Returns & Refund Policy
This policy explains how returns, the statutory withdrawal right, refunds, exchanges and damaged or incorrect orders are handled for purchases made through GemsVault.
Contact us first
Please do not send a gemstone or other product to an address taken from a parcel, manufacturer, marketplace or third-party source. Contact GemsVault first so we can provide the applicable return instructions.
Email info@germsvault.com with your order number, the product concerned and the reason for your request (where a reason is relevant). For a statutory withdrawal, you do not have to provide a reason.
14-day withdrawal right
For distance contracts where the statutory withdrawal right applies, the consumer may withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason and without a penalty. For goods, the period generally begins when the consumer or a person designated by the consumer receives the goods. The withdrawal may also be exercised between conclusion of the contract and delivery.
The withdrawal declaration should be made in writing or through a durable medium such as email so that it can be evidenced. Calling by telephone alone should not be relied upon as the only withdrawal notice.
The Turkish Ministry of Trade states that the seller must refund the payments, including applicable delivery costs, within the statutory period. For goods, the seller’s refund period runs from the date the returned goods are handed to the carrier specified for returns; if another carrier is used where applicable, the period can run from receipt by the seller. The consumer must generally send the goods back within 14 days after communicating withdrawal.
Notify
Email your withdrawal or return request to GemsVault.
Receive instructions
We confirm the applicable procedure and return destination.
Send safely
Use the instructed carrier and retain proof of shipment.
Refund
Eligible refunds are processed according to applicable law and this policy.
Care when returning gemstones
When exercising a statutory withdrawal right, consumers should handle and inspect products only to the extent necessary to establish their nature, characteristics and functioning. Products should be returned with reasonable care and, where possible, with their original packaging, certificates, protective materials and accessories.
Where applicable law permits a seller to claim for a decrease in value caused by handling beyond what is necessary to inspect the product, that legal rule may apply. Nothing in this policy limits mandatory consumer rights.
When a statutory withdrawal right may not apply
Exceptions depend on the applicable law and the specific product and transaction. Under Turkish distance-contract rules, examples include:
- goods prepared according to the consumer’s specific requests or personal needs;
- goods that are liable to deteriorate or expire quickly;
- certain goods unsuitable for return for health or hygiene reasons after protective packaging, seal or similar protection has been opened;
- certain physical digital-content and consumable-product situations after protective packaging has been opened; and
- certain goods or services whose prices are subject to market fluctuations outside the seller’s control, including the jewellery/gold category identified by the Turkish Ministry of Trade.
These are legal exceptions, not a blanket “no returns” rule. GemsVault will assess the specific order and applicable law before determining whether an exception applies.
If something went wrong with your order
If you receive a product that is damaged, materially different from the product ordered, missing, or otherwise affected by a problem attributable to GemsVault or the applicable delivery process, contact us as soon as reasonably possible at info@germsvault.com.
Please include your order number and clear photographs of the parcel, packaging, gemstone and any visible damage. This helps us investigate quickly. Your statutory rights concerning conformity, defects, delivery damage and remedies are not replaced or reduced by this request for information.
How refunds are made
Where a refund is legally due and approved, GemsVault will refund the applicable amount using the payment method used for the purchase, unless a different method is required or agreed under applicable law.
For statutory withdrawal under Turkish distance-contract rules, the seller must refund the payments covered by the law, including applicable delivery costs, within the statutory timeframe. Turkish Ministry of Trade guidance states that the refund is made through the payment instrument used by the consumer and without imposing a cost or obligation on the consumer beyond what the law permits.
Bank, card issuer or payment-provider processing times may affect when a refund appears in the consumer’s account after GemsVault has initiated it.
Return delivery costs
Return-shipping responsibility depends on the legal basis for the return, the information provided before the purchase, the carrier designated for returns and the reason for the return.
For statutory withdrawal in Türkiye, the Ministry of Trade states that where the consumer uses the carrier specified in the pre-contract information, or where no return carrier was specified, the consumer cannot be charged the return cost. Other statutory rules can apply where the consumer uses a different carrier or where a legally recognized exception applies.
GemsVault will not use a general statement that “all return shipping is always the customer’s responsibility” where that would conflict with mandatory consumer law.
Delivery and non-delivery
For Turkish distance sales, the seller must perform within the promised period and, for ordinary goods sales, the period cannot exceed 30 days unless a legally recognized exception applies, including certain products prepared according to the consumer’s request or personal needs. If the seller fails to perform within the applicable period, statutory cancellation and refund rights may arise.
The Turkish Ministry of Trade states that, where delivery is impossible, the consumer must be informed and applicable payments must be refunded within the statutory period.
Customers outside Türkiye
International purchases may be subject to the mandatory consumer-protection laws of the destination country where those laws apply. Customs duties, import taxes, brokerage charges and destination-country requirements may also apply independently of GemsVault’s product price.
Nothing in this policy is intended to exclude or limit a consumer protection right that cannot lawfully be excluded in the customer’s jurisdiction.
Exchanges
Where a customer requests an exchange rather than a refund, GemsVault may offer an exchange where the product, stock and applicable law permit it. An exchange does not replace or reduce a statutory withdrawal, conformity, defect or other mandatory remedy where such a remedy applies.
For a proposed exchange, contact info@germsvault.com before shipping anything back.
What to include in your request
| Information | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Order number | To locate the transaction and product. |
| Name and email | To verify and communicate about the request. |
| Product name/reference | To identify the item being returned. |
| Request type | Withdrawal, damaged item, incorrect item, defect, exchange or another issue. |
| Photos where relevant | To document damage, packaging or an incorrect shipment. |
Contact GemsVault
Return and refund requests should be sent to info@germsvault.com. GemsVault is identified on the website as being based in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Mandatory rights remain protected
This policy is intended to explain GemsVault’s returns and refund process and to operate consistently with applicable consumer-protection law. If a mandatory provision of applicable law gives a customer a right that is more favorable than a provision in this policy, the mandatory legal provision prevails.
For purchases governed by Turkish law, the principal framework includes Law No. 6502 on Consumer Protection and the Distance Contracts Regulation.
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