Buying pet gear from a small online store instead of a big-name retailer comes with one obvious worry: what happens if it doesn't work? We get asked this more than almost anything else, so instead of burying the answer in legal boilerplate, here's exactly how it works.
The short version
If your NovaBall™ arrives damaged, defective, or not as described, we refund you — and in most cases, you don't have to ship anything back. You message us, we review it (usually same day), and the money goes back to your card or PayPal.
Why we don't ask for the product back
This isn't a loophole or a catch — it's just math. Our products are priced low enough ($37–$45) that international return shipping from the US would cost more than the item is worth. Asking you to pack it up, print a label, and mail it back would waste your time and ours for no real benefit. So for defective or damaged items, we skip that step entirely: you keep the product, we refund the money.
The one thing this isn't: a free-for-all. We're not able to offer this on every request without any check — see the note on photos below.
What you actually need to do
- Message us through the contact page or by email, with your order number.
- Send a quick photo or video if the item arrived broken, doesn't turn on, or isn't working as described. This is the only real "ask" on our end — it takes 30 seconds and lets us approve refunds fast instead of going back and forth.
- We respond within 24 hours, usually the same day. Most requests are approved immediately.
Full refund or partial refund?
This depends on why you're asking:
- Full refund: the item is defective, arrived damaged, is significantly different from the listing, or never showed up at all. None of that is on you, so you get 100% back.
- Partial refund: the product works exactly as advertised, but it just wasn't the right fit — wrong color, or your dog or cat simply isn't interested. We'll still work with you on a partial refund here, since it's a preference issue rather than a product failure.
How long does the money take to show up?
We process the refund on our end as soon as it's approved, but your bank or card issuer controls the rest. Budget 5–10 business days for it to actually appear on your statement — that's standard for card refunds and out of our hands, but it's rarely that slow in practice.
What if my order just never arrived?
Different issue, same fix. Check your tracking page first, since delivery estimates occasionally slip. If tracking has stalled or shows "delivered" when you don't have it, message us with your order number and we'll either reship it or refund you in full.
Bottom line
We'd rather make this easy and eat the occasional cost of a refund than make you jump through hoops over a $24 cat toy. If something's wrong with your order, tell us — most of the time it's resolved same-day.
Full details: How Refunds Work at PawNova™ →