Ready-made garments & accessories
- Before payment — remove items from your cart. No cost, no penalty.
- After payment, before dispatch — open the order and tap “Cancel order”. Because the escrow money hasn’t released, we reverse the transaction back to your original payment method in full (product subtotal + shipping fee). Reversals take 3–10 business days depending on your bank.
- After dispatch — you cannot cancel; the goods are on the way. Once the parcel arrives, a natural-person consumer may exercise the 7-day cooling-off right under section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, subject to the lawful conditions in §3 of the Refunds & Returns Policy — item unworn / unwashed / unaltered with original tags, buyer bears return shipping, and refund is processed only after the returned item is received and inspected. The original outbound shipping fee is not refunded on a cooling-off return. Alternatively, open a dispute for defective, damaged or non-conforming goods.
- B2B / wholesale orders — the ECTA s44 cooling-off right protects natural-person consumers only. Business accounts purchasing through Factory Cut or on wholesale terms do not have the cooling-off right (see the B2B Fabric & Wholesale Terms). Statutory defect, non-conformity and non-delivery remedies remain available.
On a valid cancellation we stamp the order status as Cancelled and the escrow status as Refund_Due. Stock is automatically restored to the Seller’s listing (both top-level stock and any size-variant counts) so someone else can buy the piece.
Fabric cut-to-length orders (mill / Factory Cut)
- Before the mill starts cutting — the order can be cancelled and refunded in full via the order page. Because no fabric has been cut, no cost has been incurred by the mill.
- Once the fabric has been cut to the ordered length — the goods are made to your specification. Under section 42(2)(f)(i) of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, these transactions are exempt from the 7-day cooling-off right in section 44 of that Act. Cancellation is available only by mutual agreement with the mill, or where the mill is in breach (wrong fabric, defective roll, or unreasonable delay).
- After dispatch — as for ready-made goods above; use the Refunds & Returns Policy for defect or non-conformity remedies once the roll arrives.
Custom / made-to-measure tailor orders
Custom orders move through several production stages. Cancellation rights track the stage:
- Stage 1 — Before the tailor accepts the brief / before any materials advance is released. You may cancel freely at any time; any held funds are refunded in full.
- Stage 2 — After acceptance, before material is cut or work begins. You may still cancel, but the tailor is entitled to retain documented, reasonably-incurred out-of-pocket costs (for example, courier collection of fabric samples, a bespoke pattern draft). The remainder of your payment is refunded. If you and the tailor cannot agree on the amount retained, either party can open a dispute and SAFM will review the evidence and decide.
- Stage 3 — After material is cut, or production is underway. The order is not unilaterally cancellable by the buyer. Because the garment is being made to your individual specifications (section 42(2)(f)(i) of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 applies), your options are (a) mutual agreement with the tailor in the order chat, or (b) opening a dispute if you believe the tailor has failed to meet the agreed brief.
- Stage 4 — Seller-side failure at any stage. If the tailor fails to deliver, abandons the order, or the finished garment materially deviates from the agreed brief, you are entitled to cancel with a full refund regardless of stage. Open a dispute and SAFM will review.
Seller-initiated cancellation
A Seller may cancel an order they cannot fulfil (out-of-stock error, unable to source fabric, personal emergency), at any point before dispatch or before production has meaningfully begun. Seller-initiated cancellations trigger:
- Automatic full refund to the Buyer's original payment method (product subtotal + shipping fee).
- A cancellation note to the Buyer with the Seller's reason.
- A cancellation stamp on the Seller's dashboard — repeated seller-initiated cancellations affect the Seller's trust rating and may trigger admin review.
- Stock restoration on the listing so it doesn't remain in a phantom “out of stock” state.
Sellers should always communicate through the order chat before cancelling, so the Buyer has context and can be offered an alternative product or a delay window rather than a straight cancellation.
Platform role & dispute review
The contract of sale on every order is between the Buyer and the Seller. SA Fashion Mall (Pty) Ltd is the platform — we host the listings, hold every buyer payment in secure escrow, and review disputes as a neutral third party. We are not a party to the sale itself.
When a cancellation request is contested — for example, the buyer wants to cancel a custom order after material has been cut, or the buyer and mill disagree on whether fabric was cut correctly — either party may open a dispute from the order page. Escrowed funds stay held until the dispute is resolved.
SAFM reviews evidence from both sides — the original order brief, agreed measurements, photographs of work in progress or materials sourced, the order chat history, courier tracking, and any invoices or receipts — and decides on the merits. Depending on what the evidence shows, outcomes may include:
- Full refund to the Buyer (where the Seller is in material breach or where the Buyer's cancellation right at that stage was clearly available).
- Partial refund reflecting work already done or materials reasonably incurred by the Seller.
- Release of the held funds to the Seller (where the Buyer's cancellation request is not supportable at that stage).
Decisions are made impartially on the facts. Neither buyers nor sellers are favoured by default. Both parties receive a written explanation of the outcome in the order chat and by email; a senior team member re-reviews on request within 3 business days.
Admin cancellation
SAFM administrators may cancel an order at their sole discretion in the following cases:
- Confirmed fraud (fraudulent card, stolen account, prohibited goods).
- Pricing or listing error where the price is materially wrong (e.g., R100 for a R10,000 garment).
- Seller account suspended or de-listed pre-dispatch.
- Court order or law-enforcement request.
Admin-cancelled orders are refunded in full within 5 business days, and both parties receive an explanation in the order chat and by email.
How refunds settle
- Card (Visa / Mastercard) — reversed to the original card. 3–10 business days depending on the issuer.
- Instant EFT / EFT / Capitec Pay — refunded to the account of origin. 2–5 business days.
- SnapScan / Zapper — reversed within 2 business days.
- Mobicred — reversed to the Mobicred account within 3 business days.
You’ll receive a confirmation email when we submit the reversal, and a second email when your bank reports the funds cleared. If your refund hasn’t landed after 10 business days, contact support@safashionmall.co.za with your order number.
