Returns, Exchanges, and Cancellations

Last updated August 20, 2026

Musicians are on our support team, and we want you to end up with gear you actually love. This page explains exactly what happens when something needs to go back — what you get, what it costs, and how long it takes. Read the restocking section before you order, because returns of opened gear are not free.

At a glance#

Changed your mind, within 30 days. Email us for a return authorization. Costs you a restocking fee of 15–25% depending on condition, plus return shipping. Store credit is worth more than a refund.

Arrived damaged or dead. Email us within 7 days with photos or video. Costs you nothing — we cover shipping both ways and there is no restocking fee.

Stopped working within a year. This is a warranty claim, not a return. Costs you nothing in the U.S. See the Chaos Audio Limited Warranty.

Order has not shipped yet. Email us to cancel. Costs you nothing, full refund.

Software or Build packs. Email us within 14 days. Costs you nothing, though used Build credits may be deducted.

1. What you can return, and when#

You have 30 days from the delivery date to request a return on eligible items bought directly from chaosaudio.com or the Chaos Audio mobile app. Once we authorize the return, you have 14 days to get the item in the mail to us.

Bought from a dealer, a retailer, or a resale marketplace? Those returns go through the seller you bought from. We cannot process them, though we are happy to help you troubleshoot regardless of where you bought your gear.

Not eligible for return:

• Chaos Audio gift cards
• Developer units and hardware provided for development or review purposes
• Items that have been modified, disassembled, or repaired by anyone other than us
• Items damaged beyond what normal evaluation would cause — drops, liquid, crushed enclosures, burnt components
• Items returned without a return authorization, or postmarked more than 14 days after we issued one

2. How to start a return#

Email support@chaosaudio.com within 30 days of delivery. Include your order number, the serial number if you have it, and a sentence about why it is coming back. That last part is genuinely useful to us and does not affect your eligibility.

We will reply with a return authorization and instructions. Please do not ship anything to us before you have that authorization — unauthorized returns may be refused or delayed, and we cannot be responsible for packages we were not expecting.

3. Condition tiers and restocking fees#

We inspect, test, clean, and repackage every returned unit before it can be sold again, and payment processing fees on the original sale are not returned to us. Restocking fees cover that work. The fee depends on the condition the item comes back in.

Tier 1 — Unopened, or opened and genuinely like new with all original contents

• Refund, U.S. orders: 85% of the price you paid
• Refund, international orders: 80% of the price you paid
• Store credit: 100% of the price you paid

Tier 2 — Opened, registered, or lightly used, and re-conditionable

• Refund, U.S. orders: 80% of the price you paid
• Refund, international orders: 75% of the price you paid
• Store credit: 90% of the price you paid

Tier 3 — Heavily used or installed, or product and packaging both damaged

• Not eligible for refund or store credit. See Section 4 for what happens next.

Store credit is always worth more than a refund. If you are planning to buy something else from us anyway, take the credit.

Missing items. Returns should include everything that came in the box: the device, cables, power adapter, packaging, and documentation. If something is missing, we deduct its replacement cost from your refund, and we will tell you the amount before we process anything. We do not charge open-ended fees for missing items.

How we assign a tier. We assign the tier after inspection. Before we process your refund, we will tell you which tier we assigned and what your refund will be. If you disagree, reply and tell us why — a person will look at it again. If you would rather have the item back than accept the tier, say so and we will ship it back to you at your expense.

4. If we cannot accept your return#

If a returned item lands in Tier 3 or is not eligible, we will contact you with photos and an explanation. You then have 30 days to tell us whether you want it shipped back to you, which we will do at your expense. If we do not hear from you within 30 days, we may dispose of or recycle the item. We would much rather send it back to you, so please reply.

5. Shipping costs#

• Return shipping is your responsibility for change-of-mind returns. Use a trackable service — the item is your responsibility until it reaches us.
• Original shipping charges are not refunded on change-of-mind returns.
• If the item arrived defective or damaged, or if we made a mistake with your order, we cover shipping in both directions and refund your original shipping charge.

6. Refunds#

Once your return arrives, we inspect it and process the refund within 5 to 7 business days to your original payment method. How long it takes to appear on your statement after that is up to your bank or card issuer, and is usually another 3 to 10 business days.

We refund to the original payment method. If that method is closed or expired, we will arrange store credit or another method with you.

7. Defective or damaged on arrival#

If your gear arrives damaged, dead, or defective, email support@chaosaudio.com within 7 days of delivery with photos or video. We will troubleshoot with you first, because a surprising number of issues turn out to be a cable or a power supply. If we confirm a defect, we will repair or replace the unit at our option, or refund you in full.

There is no restocking fee on a confirmed defect, and we cover shipping both ways. This is not a change-of-mind return and the tiers in Section 3 do not apply.

8. Warranty is separate from returns#

Chaos Audio hardware carries a one-year limited warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship. If your gear stops working after the 30-day return window, that is a warranty claim, not a return — email support@chaosaudio.com and we will take care of it. Full terms are in the Chaos Audio Limited Warranty.

9. Exchanges#

Want to swap for a different product rather than get money back? Tell us when you request your return. We will process the return under the tiers in Section 3, apply the value as store credit at the store credit rate, and put it toward the new order. Because store credit is worth more than a refund, exchanging usually costs you less than returning and rebuying.

10. Cancellations#

If your order has not shipped yet, email support@chaosaudio.com and we will cancel it and refund you in full. No fees, no deductions.

If your order has already shipped, we cannot cancel it. Refuse delivery or accept it and start a return under Section 2. Refused deliveries are processed as returns and are subject to the tiers in Section 3.

11. Software, plugins, and Build packs#

Software, plugins, effects, and AI FX Builder Build packs bought on chaosaudio.com or in the Chaos Audio app can be refunded within 14 days of purchase. Email support@chaosaudio.com.

If you are refunding a Build pack and have already used some of the credits, we may reduce the refund in proportion to what you used — a credit is spent the moment a generation runs and we cannot get it back. When we refund a digital product, your license to it ends and you need to delete your copies.

AI FX Builder subscriptions work differently: cancel any time from build.chaosaudio.com or under "Account" in the app, and you keep access through the end of the period you have paid for. We do not refund partial subscription periods.

Bought through the Apple App Store or Google Play? Those refunds run through Apple or Google, and we cannot process or expedite them.

12. Bundles, discounts, and gifts#

If you bought a bundle or used a discount code, refunds are based on what you actually paid, not on list price. If you return part of a bundle and the remaining items no longer qualify for the bundle price, we adjust the refund to reflect the regular price of what you kept, and we will show you that math before processing.

If you received Chaos Audio gear as a gift and have the order number, contact us. We can usually process a return as store credit in your name rather than refunding the purchaser.

13. International returns#

International customers have the same 30 days from delivery. Duties, import taxes, and return shipping are your responsibility, and duties already paid are generally not recoverable from us — you may be able to reclaim them from your own customs authority. International restocking fees are 5 percentage points higher than domestic, as shown in Section 3, reflecting the additional handling and the higher cost of getting units back into sellable condition.

Mark returned packages clearly as returned goods. Packages sent to us with duties or fees payable on arrival may be refused.

14. If you are in the EU or the UK#

Consumers in the European Union and the United Kingdom have statutory rights that are stronger than this policy, and those rights apply instead of it wherever they conflict.

If you bought from us at a distance as a consumer in the EU or the UK, you have 14 days from delivery to withdraw from the purchase for any reason, without giving a reason. On withdrawal you receive a full refund of the price and of the standard outbound shipping cost, without any restocking fee. You are responsible for return shipping, and we may reduce your refund only to reflect a diminished value resulting from handling beyond what is necessary to establish the nature and characteristics of the product. To withdraw, email support@chaosaudio.com within 14 days of delivery.

These rights are in addition to, not instead of, your statutory rights regarding faulty goods.

15. Questions#

Email support@chaosaudio.com with your order number, serial number if you have one, and a short description. Real people who play guitar read that inbox.

Play more. Worry less.