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Refund Policy

Version 1.1Effective: July 14, 2026Last updated: July 14, 2026

This Refund Policy governs the formal in-app refund workflow for paid reservations processed through Stripe on BoxNear. It describes eligibility windows, evidence requirements, the seller response SLA, and how the 30% platform fee and the seller transfer are reversed.

1. Eligibility

A buyer may file an in-app refund request if any of the following applies to a paid reservation:

  • Item not as described — the item materially differs from the listing description or photos.
  • Item damaged / spoiled — the item was unusable on delivery or pickup.
  • Wrong item received — the item picked up does not match the reservation.
  • Seller no-show at pickup — the seller failed to make the item available during the scheduled window.
  • Buyer cancellation — you cancel before the pickup window opens (see Cancellation Policy).
  • Other — any other good-faith basis reviewed by the seller and, if escalated, by BoxNear.

2. Time windows

  • Buyer filing window: refund requests must be filed within 48 hours after the scheduled pickup window ends, or within 48 hours of pickup, whichever is later. Exception: Seller no-show claims may be filed as soon as the pickup window opens and the seller has not made the item available.
  • Seller response window: sellers have 72 hours from the time the request is filed to approve or deny. Requests that receive no response within 72 hours are automatically escalated to BoxNear administrators.
  • Admin decision window: escalated requests are resolved within 5 business days.

3. Evidence

Buyers may attach up to six photo URLs to a refund request. Photos are strongly recommended for "item damaged", "not as described", and "wrong item" claims. BoxNear administrators may request additional evidence before deciding an escalated request.

4. Full and partial refunds

Refunds may be issued for the full order amount or for any partial amount up to the remaining refundable balance. Multiple partial refunds are permitted until the full amount has been refunded.

5. How refunds are processed — platform fee and seller transfer reversal

Approved refunds are executed through Stripe's refund API on the original payment intent, with two critical flags set:

  • refund_application_fee: true — the corresponding portion of the 30% BoxNear platform fee is refunded from BoxNear's Stripe balance and added to the buyer's refund pool. BoxNear does not retain any platform fee on the refunded portion.
  • reverse_transfer: true — the corresponding portion of the seller's payout is clawed back from the seller's connected Stripe account and returned to BoxNear's Stripe balance to fund the refund. The seller does not retain the net proceeds on the refunded portion.

On a partial refund, both amounts are reversed pro rata: if 40% of the order is refunded, 40% of the platform fee and 40% of the transfer are reversed. See Platform Fee Policy and Stripe Connect Disclosure.

6. Effect on the reservation and listing

When a payment is fully refunded and the reservation has not yet been marked picked up, the reservation is cancelled automatically and the listing's remaining quantity is restored (returning the listing to active if it was sold out). Partial refunds do not restore listing quantity.

7. When refunds are not available

  • After the 48-hour filing window has closed (except for demonstrated fraud, in which case contact support@boxnear.com).
  • Once a payment has already been fully refunded.
  • Free reservations have no payment to refund; buyers may cancel the reservation instead.
  • Refunds are processed automatically through Stripe.
  • Refund requests submitted after a chargeback has been initiated are handled through the Dispute Resolution process, not the standard refund workflow.

8. When you receive the money

Once Stripe processes the refund, funds typically appear on the buyer's original payment method within 5–10 business days, depending on the card issuer. Both buyer and seller receive an in-app notification when the refund is issued.

9. How to file a request

Buyers file requests from Account → Refunds in the app. Sellers review and respond from Store → Refunds. Escalated requests appear in BoxNear's admin queue at Admin → Refunds.

10. Abuse and repeated filings

Repeated bad-faith refund requests may result in restrictions on the buyer's account, up to and including suspension per the Suspension & Termination policy.