ORDERS, RETURNS & SEED QUALITY
Refund Policy
Straightforward help for damaged, missing, incorrect, unopened, or genuinely problematic seed orders.
Effective September 14, 2026 Hollowstead Seed Co.
THE SHORT VERSION
If something is wrong with your order, tell us. We want to make it right.
Seeds are living agricultural products, so the right solution depends on what happened. We separate shipping/fulfillment problems, unopened returns, and genuine seed-quality concerns rather than treating them all the same.
Our approach
We want Hollowstead orders to arrive correctly packed, clearly labeled, and in good condition. If we make a fulfillment mistake or a packet appears to have a genuine quality problem, we would rather hear about it and investigate than leave you wondering what to do.
At the same time, successful germination and garden performance depend on many conditions after a packet leaves us—including storage, planting depth, growing medium or soil, moisture, temperature, light, transplanting, weather, pests, disease, and ordinary biological variation. We therefore cannot guarantee a particular germination percentage in your home conditions, a specific harvest, or a particular garden outcome unless a written product guarantee says otherwise.
Damaged, incorrect, or missing items
Please contact us within 14 days of delivery if your package arrives damaged, a packet is missing, or we sent the wrong item. Use our Get in Touch form with your order number and a short explanation of what happened. Photos of the package or affected item are helpful when damage is involved.
If the problem is ours, we may replace the affected item, refund the affected item, or provide another appropriate solution. If we ask you to return something because of our fulfillment error, we will provide the return instructions and cover the reasonable return-shipping cost.
Unopened change-of-mind returns
Unopened, unused seed packets in their original condition may be returned if you contact us within 30 days of delivery. Contact us before mailing anything so we can confirm the return and provide instructions.
For an approved change-of-mind return, the refund is based on the price actually paid for the returned item. Original shipping charges and return shipping are not refundable unless the return is due to our error or applicable law requires otherwise.
Please pack the return so the seed packets are not crushed, wet, opened, or otherwise damaged in transit. We may reduce or deny a return that arrives opened, used, materially damaged after delivery, or missing the original packet.
Opened packets, germination, and seed-quality concerns
Opened seed packets are generally not returnable just because you changed your mind. They are different when you are reporting a possible quality, identity, labeling, or germination problem.
If you believe a packet has a genuine seed-quality issue, contact us within 12 months of delivery. Tell us the variety, order number, roughly when and how you stored and planted it, the conditions used for germination, how many seeds were tried if known, and what you observed. A photo can be useful but is not required for every concern.
We may ask a few practical growing questions because temperature, moisture, sowing depth, dormancy, and crop-specific germination needs can produce very different results. That is not meant to brush off a concern—it helps us distinguish a packet problem from a correctable growing issue and identify whether other packets from the same lot should be reviewed.
When the information reasonably points to a Hollowstead packing, identity, labeling, or seed-quality problem, we may offer a replacement, refund for the affected packet, store credit if you prefer it, or another reasonable remedy. Please do not mail opened seed, soil, plants, or plant material back to us unless we specifically ask you to.
What is generally not refundable
- seed packets purchased from another seller;
- opened packets returned only because of a change of mind;
- damage caused after delivery by moisture, heat, freezing, pests, contamination, or improper storage;
- ordinary garden-performance differences that do not indicate a product or fulfillment defect;
- shipping charges on a voluntary return, unless we made the error or law requires otherwise; and
- any amount above what you actually paid for the affected item.
Cancellations and address changes
If you need to cancel an order or change the shipping address, contact us as soon as possible. We will try to help if the order has not been packed or handed off for shipment. Once an order is in fulfillment or has shipped, we may not be able to stop or redirect it.
An address entered incorrectly by the customer is not automatically treated as a Hollowstead fulfillment error. If a package is returned to us, contact us and we will work through the available reshipment or refund options based on the actual shipping cost and condition of the returned order.
How approved refunds are issued
Approved refunds are normally sent back to the original payment method. Payment processors and banks control how quickly a posted refund appears in your account, so the final posting time can vary after we submit it.
If only part of an order is affected, we may issue a partial refund for the affected product rather than refunding the entire order.
Legal rights
This policy is meant to explain our normal store practices. It does not take away any non-waivable rights or remedies you may have under applicable consumer law.