Policy · Returns & refunds

Returns & refunds

Reporting window

Report damage, missing items, or fulfilment errors within 7 calendar days of delivery. Email [email protected] with your order ID and a photo of the issue. The photo should clearly show the damage or issue, the intact Place Stamp on the outer mailer, and the order ID label. Reports outside the 7-day window can't be processed reliably — heritage food is perishable and we can no longer reliably trace what happened after delivery.

What we replace or refund

No need to ship anything back. For approved claims, your photo evidence is sufficient — you keep the item (or discard it locally, if it's perishable or damaged). We don't ask customers to repackage and courier food back to us; reverse logistics is expensive for both of us, and a pack that's already left our hands can't safely be resold anyway. You choose between:

• Full refund — the entire item amount goes back to your original payment method within 5–7 business days. No deductions, no handling fees.
• Replacement — we ship the item again with the next-day batch from that city (only available if the original is still in stock with the seller; otherwise we default to a refund).

We refund or replace in the following scenarios:

• Items damaged in transit (broken seal, crushed pack, leaked oil)
• Items missing from your parcel
• Items received that don't match what you ordered
• Items past their expiry date on arrival
• Quality issues with the original seller's pack (off-smell, mould, infestation)

What is not a defect

Gathri sources from small-batch artisan shops, not industrial co-packs. Small shops don't make every batch identical — that's part of the charm. These are not defects and aren't eligible for refund:

• Slight batch-to-batch variation in colour, texture, or saltiness
• Natural oil release in freshly ground spice blends
• Occasional broken pieces in fragile fried snacks from the Snacks Gathri — even with our bubble-wrap lining, minor breakage is normal
• Regional bitterness or pungency in heritage spices from the Masala or Winter Gathri that may differ from a mass-market version you're used to
• Devanagari or regional-language labels on the original seller's pack — items arrive in the shop's original packaging, not re-labelled

What we cannot accept

• Opened or partially-consumed food items (with no quality defect)
• Change-of-mind returns once the parcel has been dispatched
• Issues reported more than 7 days after delivery

Refund timeline

Approved refunds are processed to the original payment source within 5–7 business days of approval. Settlement times to your bank / UPI app may add another 2–3 business days depending on the payment instrument. You'll receive an email when the refund is initiated and a separate confirmation from your payment app on receipt.

Order cancellation

Orders can be cancelled for a full refund any time before 9:00 IST the next morning after order placement (i.e. before our Indore team starts the pickup). After pickup begins the parcel is already moving and only the post-delivery return process above applies. Cancel by emailing [email protected] with your order ID.

Last updated: 2026-05-17. Operated by Gathri from Indore.