Returns & Reprints

Custom orders can't be returned

Every order is made for you. We decorate it with your logo, your names or your design. That means we can't resell it, and our suppliers won't take it back.

So we can't take returns or exchanges when:

• you change your mind;
• you ordered the wrong sizes, colors or quantity;
• the finished product matches the proof you approved (see "Proofs and approval" below).

Not sure about fit or feel? Order blank samples first through our Online Sample Program.

Need to change or cancel an order before we decorate it? Contact your AE as soon as you can. For Custom Tees and Custom Caps, call 253-922-5793 with your order number. What a change or cancellation costs is covered in section 12 of our Terms of Sale.

When we get it wrong, we make it right

It's our mistake when:

• the decoration doesn't match your approved proof, for example the wrong spelling, color, size or placement compared with the proof;
• there's a print or stitching defect;
• we sent the wrong item, style, color or size compared with your order;
• a garment we supplied has a manufacturing flaw (see "Defective blank garments" below);
• pieces are missing from a box that arrived, so you have fewer pieces than your order shows.

Here's how we fix it:

1. Remake. We reprint or re-stitch the affected items. This is our first choice, and we do it promptly.
2. Credit or refund. If a remake isn't the right fix (for example, your event has already passed), we'll offer a credit toward a future order or a refund for the affected items.

Our team checks every claim against your order and your approved proof, and a manager approves the fix. Your AE will confirm what we'll do once that review is done.

If we confirm the mistake is ours, you don't need to send anything back. Keep, donate or throw away the misprinted items at no charge.

Sometimes we need a closer look. We may ask for more photos first, then for one sample piece mailed back. For a large order, we may ask for the whole order back. We'll tell you how to send it.

If the product matches your approved proof and your order, it isn't a defect. We'll explain what we found.

Defective blank garments

Once in a while a garment has a flaw from the mill, like a hole, a bad seam or a fabric flaw. If a garment we supplied arrives with a flaw like that, tell us within 7 business days of delivery or pickup. We'll treat it like our own mistake.

Please report flaws quickly. We have to report them to our supplier too.

Garments you bring us are different. See "Garments you supply" below.

How and when to tell us

Check your order right away. When your order arrives or you pick it up:

• count every box and every piece against your order;
• look over a few pieces of each size and color.

Tell us in time:

• Within 7 business days of delivery or pickup: a decoration problem; a wrong item, style, color or size; pieces missing from a box that arrived; or a flaw in a garment we supplied. Business days are Monday through Friday. They don't include US federal holidays, the day after Thanksgiving, or our year-end closure (December 26 through January 2).
• Within 48 hours of delivery: a box that arrives damaged.
• Right away: a box that's missing, or an order that tracking says was delivered but you can't find.

The last two are shipping problems. See "Shipping damage, lost packages and late orders" below.

After 7 business days, we'll still take a look, but we can't promise a fix.

Please don't wash, wear, alter or hand out the items you're reporting until we've talked. Keep them just as they arrived. Items that have been washed, worn or altered may not qualify for a remake, credit or refund, because we need to see them as we made them.

Send us:

• your order, invoice or quote number;
• clear photos: a close-up of the problem, the whole item, and its size tag;
• how many pieces are affected, by size and color;
• for shipping problems, photos of the box and the shipping label;
• your event date, if you have one, so we can plan the fix.

Where to send it: email your AE or sales@nwcustomapparel.com, or call 253-922-5793. Email works best, because you can attach your photos.

Proofs and approval

We send a proof (also called a mockup) before we make your order. Please check it carefully. When you approve a proof, you confirm you've checked the spelling (including every name and number), the artwork and its colors, the garment style and color, and the size and placement of the design. We don't start production until you approve.

Names and numbers from a roster are produced exactly as you send them, so please double-check the spelling.

What approval means for reprints:

• If the finished product matches your approved proof, it isn't a defect, even if you'd now like something different. That includes a spelling mistake that was on the proof you approved. We're glad to quote a new run with your changes.
• If the finished product doesn't match your approved proof, that's our mistake, and we'll fix it.
• Approval covers only what's on the proof. A new garment, color, size range or location needs a new proof.
• Changes after you approve can add cost and time.

Custom Tees orders without a proof. If your Custom Tees file doesn't need a proof, the design you place on the shirt on screen is your approval, and it's what our printers work from.

Colors and small differences.

• Colors on a screen are approximate. A proof on screen usually looks brighter than the finished print or embroidery.
• Embroidery uses the closest thread color. Thread can't exactly match a PMS (Pantone) color.
• DTG (direct-to-garment) prints can vary a few shades from what you see on screen.
• Garment colors can look different in person than in website photos.
• Placement and size can vary slightly from piece to piece.

These small differences are normal, and they aren't defects. If an exact color matters, ask for a sign-off on a printed Pantone color chip, or a pre-production sample, before we start. A pre-production sample has a fee and adds time to your order. Your quote shows the cost.

Shipping damage, lost packages and late orders

• A box arrives damaged: tell us within 48 hours of delivery. Keep the box, the labels and all the packing material, and send photos of the box and label. The carrier needs them for a claim.
• A box is missing: count every box when your order arrives. If a box is missing, or tracking says "delivered" and you can't find your order, tell us right away.
• Pieces missing from a box that arrived: tell us within 7 business days of delivery or pickup, like the other mistakes on this page.
• When we ship on our carrier account, we file the claim with the carrier and replace or credit what's damaged or missing. We won't make you wait for the carrier to settle.
• Late orders and wrong addresses are covered on our Shipping & Turnaround page.

Samples

Online blank samples from our Online Sample Program:

• Samples ship blank, so you can check fit, feel and color before you order.
• What you pay for paid samples is credited toward your first decorated order.
• If a sample arrives damaged in shipping, tell us within 48 hours of delivery. If it isn't what you ordered, tell us within 7 business days of delivery or pickup. We'll make it right, the same way as for any order.

Loaner samples, from our showroom or shipped to you:

• Return them by the date on your sample checkout agreement, unworn, unwashed and unaltered, with their tags and packaging.
• You pay the return shipping.
• Samples that aren't returned on time, or that come back damaged, worn, washed or altered, are charged to you, as your agreement explains.

Holiday gift boxes and decorated samples carry your logo. Our custom-order rule applies to them too.

Our pay-online stores: Custom Tees and Custom Caps

The same rules apply to orders you design and pay for online at Custom Tees and Custom Caps:

• No returns for a change of mind, because each order is made just for you.
• If we get it wrong (a print or stitching defect, or the wrong item, size or color shipped), we fix it the same way: a remake first, then a credit or refund if a remake isn't the right fix.
• The same claim windows apply (see "How and when to tell us").
• To report a problem, call 253-922-5793 or email sales@nwcustomapparel.com with your order number.
• If we can't legally or ethically print or embroider your artwork, we'll tell you why and give you a full refund.

Refunds go back to the card you paid with.

Webstore orders

For company, team, school and fundraising webstores:

• Webstore items are decorated for your group, so the custom-order rule applies. Unless your store shows different terms, there are no returns or exchanges for a change of mind or the wrong size.
• If we make a mistake, or an item has a defect or is missing from your box, tell us within 7 business days of delivery or pickup. If a box arrives damaged, tell us within 48 hours of delivery. If a box is missing, tell us right away. Include the store name and your order number. We'll fix it using the steps above.
• You can contact us directly, or go through your store organizer.

Garments you supply

If you bring your own garments for us to decorate, you sign our Garment Liability Waiver first. The waiver sets the rules for those orders, including:

• a 7-day window to inspect your order and report problems;
• a normal spoilage allowance;
• a limit on what we cover: it is capped at our decoration charge, and we don't pay for the garments themselves.

The Forever Guarantee

We guarantee the permanence of our screen printing and embroidery, forever. If the ink or thread genuinely fails, we'll replace or credit the affected items.

• It covers screen printing and embroidery only. It doesn't cover DTG printing, DTF (direct-to-film) transfers, sublimation or vinyl.
• The "don't wash or wear" rule above is for reporting mistakes when your order arrives. It doesn't apply to this guarantee.
• Questions about the guarantee? Your AE can help.

How refunds and credits are paid

• Refunds go back to your original payment method. For online card payments, that's the card you paid with.
• Credits go on your account and come off your next invoice.
• We process your refund or credit promptly after we agree on the fix. Your bank or card company decides how fast a refund shows on your statement.
• A refund covers the affected items.
• Deposits and cancellation charges are covered in our Terms of Sale.
• Questions about a refund or credit on an invoice? Email accounting@nwcustomapparel.com.

About this page

This page is part of our Terms of Sale. We may update it from time to time, and it always carries the same version date as the Terms of Sale. Section 20 of the Terms of Sale explains which version applies to your order. You'll always find the current version at teamnwca.com/returns.

Related policies

• Terms of Sale
• Shipping & Turnaround
• Privacy Policy

Contact us

Your account executive (AE) is your best first stop for questions about a quote, an order or this page. Not sure who your AE is? Contact us and we'll connect you.

• Northwest Custom Apparel
• 2025 Freeman Rd E, Milton, WA 98354
• Phone or text: 253-922-5793
• Email: sales@nwcustomapparel.com
• Billing questions: accounting@nwcustomapparel.com
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific