Terms and conditions
These terms cover pledges, group buys, refunds, store credit, shipping and email. By using BLACKdrop, you agree to them and to our privacy policy.
Last updated October 11, 2026, when these terms were rewritten in plain language.
Pledges
A pledge is a deposit toward a future group buy. It is not a purchase, and nothing ships from a pledge alone.
When the group buy opens, we email you a private link. Your deposit is taken off the price of what you order. Once it has been used toward an order, it is part of that payment and is no longer refundable.
Unused pledges
If you don't buy before the group buy ends, your deposit is refunded automatically, minus the card processing fee. You can keep the full amount as store credit instead.
Refunds go out about two days after the group buy closes. Your bank usually shows them within 5 to 10 business days.
If a project is cancelled, pledges are refunded in full.
Examples
| You | What happens |
|---|---|
| Pledge $15 and don't buy | $15 back, minus the card processing fee. Or keep the full $15 as store credit. |
| Pledge $15 and buy a $385 item | The $15 counts toward the $385, so you pay $370. |
| Pledge $15, and the project is cancelled | $15 back in full. |
Group buy purchases
Group buy items are made to order, using the money from the group buy. Group buy sales are final: payments cannot be refunded once the group buy has ended.
If the group buy ends on a cheaper price tier than you paid, you get the difference back, with nothing taken off.
On public projects, people who did not pledge pay a markup, shown on the project page.
To change an order, contact us before the group buy closes and we will email you a link to change it.
Problems with your order
Sales are final, but we work with you case by case on real problems. We will consider a refund or a replacement for:
- Damage in shipping
- Machining errors
- Missing items
- The wrong item
- A PCB or electronics that do not work
- Damaged accessories
- The wrong finish colour
- Major visible finishing errors
Card processing fee
Cash refunds of a pledge have the card processing fee taken off. Stripe, our payment processor, charges it, not us, and we take off exactly what Stripe charged on your payment. It depends on your card:
| Your card | Stripe's fee | On a $35 deposit |
|---|---|---|
| US card | 2.9% + $0.30 | $1.32 |
| Card from outside the US | 4.4% + $0.30 | $1.84 |
| Card in another currency | 5.4% + $0.30 | $2.19 |
Keep a refund as store credit instead, and you lose nothing.
Store credit
When you are owed a refund, you can keep it as store credit instead. If you do nothing, you get the cash refund.
- Store credit can be used on eligible projects
- It cannot be turned back into cash: we are a store, not a bank
- Choosing store credit is permanent
- We hold store credit for five years from the date it is issued, to meet our accounting obligations. After that, it expires.
Payments
All payments are processed by Stripe. Your card details go to Stripe; we never see or store them.
Sales tax
Sales tax is added at checkout for US addresses in the states where we collect it.
Shipping
Group buy items are made after the group buy closes, so they take time to ship. Timelines and progress are on each project page.
Shipping is charged at checkout on most projects. Some projects invoice it later, when the real cost is known; please pay that invoice within 14 days so your order can ship.
Everything ships with full value insurance unless we tell you otherwise. If your parcel is lost or damaged, we have you covered.
Emails
Pledging signs you up for the email that announces the group buy and carries your private order link. The pledge system cannot work without it.
We only email you about your pledges and orders: confirmations, group buy links, refunds, price drops, shipping invoices and tracking. We never send marketing emails or newsletters.
Changes and disputes
We may update these terms. Changes are posted on this page, with the date above.
If something goes wrong, contact us first. We will work with you in good faith to put it right.
Contact
Questions about these terms, or help with an order:
support at blackdrop dot net