30 days. Plus a year on defects.
30-day return window for any unworn, unwashed piece. A full year on manufacturing defects. We sell pieces designed to be lived in — but only you know if a piece earns its place in your daily ritual.
How returns work
You have 30 days from the date your order was delivered to return any unworn, unwashed Adler Sterling piece for a full refund or exchange.
To start a return:
- Email returns@adlersterling.com with your order number, photos of the item, and the reason for return
- We'll respond within 24 hours with our UK return address and instructions. For low-value items (under £25), we'll often issue the refund without requiring you to ship anything back — saves freight cost on both sides.
- For higher-value items: pack in original packaging where possible, drop at any Royal Mail or partner courier point.
- Once we receive and inspect the return, your refund processes back to the original payment method within 5-7 business days.
Exchanges
Want a different size, colour, or piece entirely? Email us at returns@adlersterling.com with what you'd prefer and we'll process the exchange. UK customers: original return shipping is your responsibility, but we reship the replacement free.
For international exchanges, return shipping costs are the customer's responsibility. The replacement ships at the standard £2.99 international rate.
What we accept back
| Condition | Returnable |
|---|---|
| Unworn, unwashed, with original tags + packaging (within 30 days) | Yes |
| Tried on but immediately returned (clothing, within 30 days) | Yes |
| Worn or washed | No (unless defective — see below) |
| Manufacturing defect within 365 days of delivery | Yes — replacement or refund |
| Damaged in transit (our fault) | Yes — replacement or refund |
| Wrong item shipped | Yes — full refund + correct item ships free |
| Damaged after delivery (your fault) | No |
Hygiene exceptions
For obvious hygiene reasons, we cannot accept returns on:
- Boxer briefs and underwear (unless unopened in original sealed packaging)
- Mouth tape (unless the seal is unbroken)
- Nasal breath strips (unless the box is unopened)
- Eye masks and pillowcases (unless unopened in sealed packaging)
If a hygiene-sealed item arrives damaged or defective, we'll always replace or refund — just email us with a photo.
International returns
For orders outside the UK, return shipping costs are the customer's responsibility. Please contact us at returns@adlersterling.com before sending anything back so we can confirm the return address and guide you on customs paperwork.
For low-value international returns (under £25), we'll typically just refund without requiring shipment back — we'd rather absorb the small loss than have you pay £15 to return a £20 piece.
The 365-day defect warranty
If a piece develops a manufacturing defect within 365 days of normal wear — a seam unravelling, a watch movement failing, a clasp breaking — we'll replace it or refund you in full. Email us at returns@adlersterling.com with photos and your order number.
This is separate from the 30-day return window. The 30-day window covers "this didn't fit / didn't suit me" — the 365-day warranty covers "the piece itself failed."
Refund timing
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| You email returns@ | Response within 24 hours |
| You drop off the return (if shipping needed) | Day 0 |
| Return reaches us | 3-5 business days (UK) |
| We inspect and approve | 1-2 business days |
| Refund issues to your card | 5-7 business days |
You'll receive an email at every step.
30 days + a real warranty, not vague promises
Some brands advertise 365-day no-questions returns. We chose not to — because a 12-month "I changed my mind" window doesn't economically work for a small independent brand, and pretending otherwise is the kind of small dishonesty that compounds. What does work: 30 days to decide if a piece is right for you, and a real 365-day defect warranty for when something actually fails. That's the line we're comfortable standing behind.
Questions about a return? Email returns@adlersterling.com — real human response within 24 hours.