Return & Refund Policy

This Policy explains your return and refund rights when buying through the Bhazar Marketplace. On the Marketplace, the contract of sale is between you (the Buyer) and the third-party Seller. The Seller is the legal trader ("profesionist") responsible for honouring your statutory rights. Bhazar operates the Platform, holds your payment in escrow, and mediates disputes.

Each Seller may offer terms more generous than the statutory minimum, but never less. Where a Seller's stated policy is silent or below the legal floor, the statutory rules below apply. Seller-specific return terms are shown on the listing and Seller page before you purchase.

Under Romanian law (OUG 34/2014, transposing EU Directive 2011/83/EU), if you are a Consumer (a natural person buying outside your trade or profession), you may withdraw from a distance contract within 14 calendar days, with no reason and no penalty (other than the limited costs in Sections 5–6).

When the 14 days start (Art. 9):

• The day you (or a third party you designate, other than the carrier) take physical possession of the goods.
• For multiple items in one order delivered separately: the day you receive the last item.
• For goods delivered in multiple lots or pieces: the day you receive the last lot or piece.
• For recurring delivery over a fixed period: the day you receive the first item.
• For service contracts: the day the contract is concluded.

You may withdraw at any time from order conclusion until the 14-day period ends — even before delivery.

Failure-to-inform extension (Art. 10): If you were not informed of your right of withdrawal, the period is extended by up to 12 months. If the information is provided within those 12 months, the 14-day period starts from when you receive it.

1. Sign in and go to Account → Order History, then select "Return / Refund" on the relevant order to open the return form.
2. The form pre-fills your Order ID and lets you select the item(s) and quantity to return.
3. Choose a return reason (this determines who pays return shipping — see Section 5).
4. Choose a refund method: original payment method (default), bank transfer (IBAN), or store credit/voucher.
5. For defect, damage, or "not as described" reasons, add a description and upload photos.
6. Submit. We send you a durable-medium acknowledgment (by email) confirming receipt of your request, as required by Art. 11. You may also withdraw by any unambiguous statement (e.g., email to returns@bhazar.com) or by using the standard withdrawal form in the OUG annex.

Your return request and acknowledgment are logged on the Platform so both you and the Seller have a record.

• Timeline: The Seller must refund within 14 days of being informed of your withdrawal decision.
• What is refunded: All sums received, including the standard (cheapest offered) delivery cost (Art. 13(1)).
• Premium delivery: If you chose a delivery option more expensive than the cheapest standard one offered, the extra amount is not refundable (Art. 13(3)) — only the standard rate is.
• Method: Refunds use the same payment method as your original payment, unless you expressly agree otherwise and incur no fees. For card payments, funds return to the card; for cash-on-delivery orders, you provide an IBAN in the form for a bank transfer.
• Withholding: The Seller may withhold the refund until it receives the goods back, or until you provide proof you shipped them — whichever is earlier (Art. 13(4)).
• Escrow: Because your payment is held in escrow, an approved refund is paid out of escrow back to you, so you are not dependent on the Seller's cash flow (see Section 8).

• Return deadline: Send the goods back within 14 days of communicating your withdrawal. The deadline is met if you ship before the 14 days expire.
• Who pays return shipping:

- Change-of-mind returns (e.g., "changed my mind", "ordered by mistake", "doesn't fit", "found cheaper elsewhere"): you (the Buyer) bear the direct cost of return shipping, unless the Seller agreed to cover it or failed to inform you that you would bear it. - Seller-fault returns (item "not as described", "defective/damaged on arrival", "wrong item received", "missing parts"): the Seller bears the return shipping cost, and the claim may also fall under the legal conformity guarantee (Section 7). - Item never arrived / empty parcel: treated as an escrow refund — no return needed (Section 8).

• Diminished value: You may handle goods only as you would in a shop (to check nature, characteristics, and functioning). You are liable only for any diminished value caused by handling beyond that. You are not liable at all if the Seller failed to inform you of the withdrawal right. The Seller bears the burden of proving any diminished value.

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

• a) Service contracts fully performed, where performance began with your prior express consent and acknowledgment that you would lose the right.
• b) Goods/services whose price depends on financial-market fluctuations beyond the Seller's control.
• c) Custom-made or clearly personalized goods (made to your specifications).
• d) Goods that deteriorate or expire quickly (perishables).
• e) Sealed goods unsuitable for return for health or hygiene reasons, once unsealed after delivery (e.g., cosmetics, underwear, earrings).
• f) Goods that, after delivery, are inseparably mixed with other items.
• g) Alcoholic beverages whose price was agreed at order, delivery is more than 30 days out, and value depends on market fluctuations.
• h) Urgent repair/maintenance you specifically requested at your home.
• i) Sealed audio/video recordings or sealed software, once unsealed after delivery.
• j) Newspapers, periodicals, and magazines (except subscriptions).
• k) Contracts concluded at a public auction.
• l) Accommodation (non-residential), transport of goods, car rental, catering, or leisure services tied to a specific date/period.
• m) Digital content not on a tangible medium, if performance began with your prior express consent and acknowledgment that you would lose the right.

Listings subject to these exceptions are flagged before purchase.

Separate from the 14-day withdrawal, Romanian law (Law 449/2003 / OUG 140/2021 regime) gives you a legal conformity guarantee for defective or non-conforming goods. This is not a change-of-mind return:

• You can request repair, replacement, a price reduction, or termination of the contract.
• It applies beyond the 14-day window and the Seller bears the return shipping cost for an upheld claim.
• Any commercial warranty offered by the Seller is additional to, and does not replace, this statutory guarantee.

Use the same return form and select the "Defective product (legal guarantee)" withdrawal type so the correct rules apply.

Your payment is held in escrow by Bhazar's payment partner until the order is complete and the dispute window has passed:

1. Claim window: For "item not received / empty parcel / not as described" events, raise a claim within 48 hours of delivery (or expected delivery) so escrow is not released prematurely. The statutory 14-day withdrawal right always applies in addition.
2. Resolution path A — directly with the Seller: You request the return/refund; the Seller approves and initiates the return or refunds directly from escrow.
3. Resolution path B — Platform mediation: If you and the Seller disagree, Bhazar reviews the order, communications, AWB/tracking, and any photos, then decides. While the dispute is open, the relevant escrow funds are held.
4. Outcomes: Bhazar may approve a full refund, a partial refund (e.g., a diminished-value deduction), require a return before refund, or release funds to the Seller if the claim is not upheld. In clear failure cases (e.g., empty or undelivered parcel), funds are refunded outright.
5. Refund execution: Approved refunds are paid out of escrow to your original payment method (or IBAN/voucher as selected) within the legal 14-day limit.

Your request moves through these stages: Requested → Approved / Rejected (with reason) → Shipped back (AWB recorded) → Received → Inspecting → Refund pending → Refunded → Closed. Escrow-specific cases may also show Disputed (under Platform mediation) or Partially refunded (diminished-value deduction).

• ANPC — Autoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Consumatorilor: https://anpc.ro
• SAL — Alternative Dispute Resolution: https://anpc.ro/ce-este-sal/
• EU ODR / SOL — Online Dispute Resolution platform: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr

Data you provide in the return form (order details, IBAN for bank-transfer refunds, photos) is processed to handle your return and refund and to meet fiscal obligations. IBAN is stored encrypted and kept only as long as needed for the refund plus the legal retention period; claim photos are EXIF-stripped and deleted after the claim closes. See our Privacy Policy and contact gdpr@bhazar.com.

• Returns: returns@bhazar.com
• Refunds: refunds@bhazar.com
• Orders: orders@bhazar.com
• General: contact@bhazar.com

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