Shipping Policy

1. Scope

Craft Connect is a marketplace that connects buyers with verified local artisans. Craft Connect does not store, pack, or ship products itself. Each artisan is responsible for preparing their handmade pieces and getting them to the buyer, either at a pickup location or through delivery arrangements of their own. This policy explains how that works and where Craft Connect steps in when things go wrong.

2. Fulfilment Options

When you place an order, you will see the fulfilment options the artisan has enabled on that listing:

• Pickup. You choose a pickup location the artisan has published on the listing. The artisan hands you the piece (or your authorised representative) at the appointed time. No courier is involved.
• Delivery. Where the artisan has indicated they can deliver, you provide a delivery address at checkout. The artisan arranges the courier or delivers themselves, and the delivery fee is shown to you before you pay.

3. Processing Times

Each artisan sets their own processing time and publishes it on their listing. Processing time is the gap between payment clearing and the order being marked packed or handed to a courier. If an artisan cannot meet their stated processing time (for example, because materials are delayed), they must contact you through the order page. You are free to cancel and be refunded if the new timeline is not acceptable.

4. Shipping Responsibilities

Responsibilities across the fulfilment chain:

• The artisan is responsible for packing the piece safely, marking the order as shipped or handed over on their dashboard, and providing any courier waybill or tracking reference.
• The courier (where delivery is selected) is responsible for transporting the parcel from the artisan's location to the buyer's address and updating the tracking record.
• The buyer is responsible for providing an accurate delivery address, being available to receive the parcel (or to collect at the chosen pickup location), and confirming delivery once the order arrives.
• Craft Connect is responsible for holding the buyer's payment in escrow until delivery is confirmed, mediating any disputes, and processing refunds where applicable.

5. Delivery Confirmation

Once your order arrives, you confirm delivery in one of two ways:

• You tap the "Confirm Delivery" (or "Confirm Collection") button on the order page. Funds are released to the artisan immediately and the order is closed.
• You do nothing for seven days after the order is marked shipped. Funds are released to the artisan automatically on the seventh day. A parcel lost while in transit is handled through the dispute process in section 6, which stays open after automatic release; any resulting refund is processed through the payment gateway.

Craft Connect will not automatically refund a buyer once an order has been shipped; only the artisan (or an admin acting on the artisan's behalf) can cancel a shipped order and trigger a refund.

6. Non-Delivery & Lost Parcels

If your order has not arrived within a reasonable time after the artisan marked it shipped, file a non-delivery dispute from the order page within 14 days of the ship date. The Craft Connect admin team will work with the artisan and the courier to locate the parcel. Outcomes can include: replacement at the artisan's cost, a partial refund, or a full refund depending on what the investigation finds. While a dispute is open, funds still held in escrow stay frozen. If the payment has already been released to the artisan (for example by the seven-day automatic release), the dispute is resolved through the refund process instead: the award is recovered from the artisan and returned to the buyer through the payment gateway.

7. Damaged Items

Inspect every parcel on delivery before signing for it. If an item arrives damaged, do not confirm delivery; instead, photograph the parcel and item, then file a dispute from the order page within 7 days. Craft Connect will mediate between you and the artisan. In-transit damage is the artisan's responsibility to resolve, either by a partial refund or by refunding through the platform. The artisan's own insurance (where carried) determines how losses are funded internally; from your point of view the result is the same.