1. Please Inspect Your Order After Delivery

Please inspect your sword and packaging as soon as possible after delivery.

If you believe the item is damaged, defective, incomplete, or does not match the confirmed order specifications, please contact HanBon Forge as soon as reasonably possible.

To help us review the issue efficiently, please provide:

• Your order number
• A clear description of the problem
• Clear photographs of the affected area
• Video where movement, looseness, fit, sound, or another functional issue needs to be demonstrated
• Photos of the shipping carton if transportation damage is suspected

Please do not discard the original packaging until the issue has been reviewed.

2. Damaged, Defective, or Incorrect Products

If a product arrives with a confirmed manufacturing defect, significant shipping damage, missing component, or an important specification that differs from the confirmed order, we will review the case individually and provide an appropriate solution.

Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, solutions may include:

• Replacement parts or accessories
• A partial refund
• A replacement or remake
• Repair guidance where the issue can be safely corrected
• A full refund when appropriate

The remedy offered will depend on the specific circumstances, including the nature of the product, the defect, shipping conditions, availability of replacement parts, and applicable consumer protection laws.

3. Custom-Made & Personalized Swords

A large portion of HanBon Forge swords are produced specifically according to each customer's selected specifications.

Custom or personalized products may include, but are not limited to:

• Custom blade length or handle length
• Special blade geometry
• Custom steel, hamon, polish, or blade finish
• Custom fittings
• Custom tsuka wrapping or rayskin configuration
• Custom saya color, finish, carving, or decoration
• Blade, tang, habaki, or saya engraving
• Names, dates, logos, symbols, or other personalized designs
• Specially ordered combinations that differ from a standard product configuration

Because these products are manufactured specifically for an individual customer, they generally cannot be returned or cancelled simply because the customer changes their mind, dislikes a selected option, or later prefers a different configuration once production has begun.

This does not affect your rights if the product is defective, damaged, materially different from the confirmed order, or where applicable law provides additional consumer rights.

4. Photo Confirmation Before Shipping

For many custom sword orders, HanBon Forge provides photographs of the completed sword before shipment.

We encourage customers to review these photographs carefully, including the blade, fittings, handle wrapping, saya, engraving, and other visible custom specifications.

If you notice something that appears incorrect, please tell us before approving shipment. It is much easier for us to make corrections while the sword is still at our workshop.

Approval of pre-shipment photographs confirms acceptance of the visible configuration shown in the photographs. However, photo approval does not waive legitimate claims relating to hidden defects, shipping damage, or issues that could not reasonably be identified from the photographs.

5. Handmade Product Characteristics

HanBon Forge swords are handmade and assembled using both traditional and modern production methods. Small variations are therefore normal and are not necessarily considered defects.

Normal handmade variations may include minor differences in:

• Wood grain and natural material patterns
• Samegawa texture and node placement
• Hand-applied saya finishes
• Hamon appearance
• Blade polish
• Engraving position or scale
• Color appearance under different lighting
• Hand-wrapped ito alignment
• Dimensions and weight within normal production tolerances

Product photographs on our website are representative images unless otherwise stated. Natural materials and handmade finishes may not be completely identical from one sword to another.

6. Change-of-Mind Returns

Because swords are specialized products and many orders are made to order, HanBon Forge generally does not accept change-of-mind returns after an order has entered production or after a custom/personalized product has been completed.

For standard, non-personalized products, please contact us before attempting to return anything. Eligibility will depend on the product, condition, destination country, transportation restrictions, and applicable law.

Where local consumer protection legislation provides a mandatory withdrawal or return right, those statutory rights will apply.

7. International Return Restrictions

International sword returns can be considerably more complicated than ordinary parcel returns. Carriers, customs authorities, and import/export regulations may restrict the international transportation of swords and other bladed products.

For this reason, please never send a sword back to HanBon Forge without receiving return instructions from us first.

An unauthorized return may be refused by the carrier, stopped by customs, returned to the sender, confiscated, or incur additional transportation and customs charges.

Where a physical return is impractical or legally restricted, we may offer another reasonable solution such as replacement parts, partial refund, remake, replacement, or another agreed remedy.

8. Order Cancellations

If you need to cancel or modify an order, please contact us as soon as possible.

Orders that have not yet entered production can usually be changed or cancelled more easily.

Once production has begun, cancellation may no longer be possible for made-to-order, engraved, custom-sized, specially finished, or otherwise personalized products because materials and labor have already been committed to that specific order.

If production has already started, please contact us and we will review what stage the order has reached and what options remain available.

9. Incorrect Customer Specifications

Customers are responsible for checking custom selections, measurements, engraving text, spelling, dates, symbols, colors, and other personalized instructions before submitting or approving an order.

If HanBon Forge manufactures the product according to the specifications supplied and confirmed by the customer, a later change of preference will not normally be considered a manufacturing defect.

If you discover an error in your submitted specifications, contact us immediately. If production has not progressed too far, we will make reasonable efforts to update the order.

10. Damage Caused After Delivery

The following are generally not considered manufacturing defects:

• Damage caused by striking hard or inappropriate targets
• Chips, bends, cracks, or deformation caused by misuse
• Rust caused by inadequate cleaning or maintenance
• Damage caused by unauthorized modification or disassembly
• Damage caused by improper storage
• Normal wear from use
• Cosmetic marks occurring after the product has been used

Japanese-style swords require appropriate care and should only be used in a manner suitable for their construction and intended purpose.

11. Refund Processing

Once a refund has been approved, it will normally be issued through the original payment method whenever possible.

After we process a refund, additional time may be required for PayPal, your card issuer, or your financial institution to post the funds to your account. Processing times are controlled by the payment provider and may vary.

Shipping charges, customs charges, and other costs will be handled according to the reason for the refund, the circumstances of the order, and applicable consumer law.

12. Lost or Delivery-Damaged Parcels

If tracking indicates an unusual delay, parcel loss, or delivery problem, please contact us so we can investigate with the shipping carrier.

If the outer packaging is visibly damaged upon arrival, we recommend taking photographs before opening the parcel and documenting the condition of the contents immediately after opening.

Please retain the shipping carton and protective packaging while a carrier claim is being investigated.

13. How to Contact Us

If there is a problem with your order, contacting us directly is normally the fastest way to resolve it.

Our goal is to understand the problem clearly and provide a fair and practical solution.

14. Your Statutory Rights

This policy is intended to explain HanBon Forge's standard procedures and does not exclude, restrict, or replace any consumer rights that cannot legally be excluded under the laws applicable to your purchase.

Where mandatory local consumer protection law provides rights or remedies beyond this policy, those legal requirements will apply.