Terms & Conditions
Last updated: 15 August 2026
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1. Scope and definitions
These Terms and Conditions apply to purchases made through the Design Chess website and, where relevant, to use of the website.
The seller and contracting party is the company identified in Section 2.
For the purposes of these Terms:
- a consumer is a natural person acting mainly for purposes outside their trade, business or profession; and
- a business customer is a customer acting mainly for purposes relating to their trade, business or profession.
Entering a company name or other business details at checkout does not by itself determine whether a purchase is a consumer or business purchase. The purpose for which the purchase is made is decisive.
By placing an order, you confirm that you have had an opportunity to read and accept these Terms before submitting the order.
Nothing in these Terms limits any mandatory rights granted to consumers under applicable law. If any provision conflicts with mandatory consumer protection law, the mandatory law will prevail to the extent of the conflict.
2. Seller and contact information
The seller and contracting party is:
ITP International Trading Partners Ltd Oy
Trading under the supplementary business name The Design Chess Company and the brand Design Chess
Finnish Business ID: 0932324-4
Registered in the Finnish Trade Register
Business and postal address:
Läntinen Kehätie 22
31400 Somero
Finland
Email: info@designchess.com
Telephone: +358 40 154 1711 (calls are charged at your operator’s standard rate)
Email is our primary customer-service channel.
The postal address above may be used for written notices. Please do not send product returns to this address unless we have confirmed it as the correct return address for your return.
3. Ordering and contract formation
Please check the products, quantities, prices, delivery address and contact details before submitting an order. By selecting the final order button at checkout, you submit an offer to purchase the products in your order on these Terms.
After you place an order, we will send an email acknowledging receipt. Unless the email expressly states otherwise, this acknowledgement confirms only that we have received the order and does not yet constitute acceptance.
Unless we expressly accept an order earlier, a contract for each product is formed when we send confirmation that the product has been dispatched. Payment authorisation or capture does not by itself constitute acceptance of the order.
Before a contract has been formed, we may decline an order because of a genuine stock error, manifest pricing error, technical error, payment failure, suspected fraud or another comparable circumstance that prevents lawful or reasonable fulfilment. If payment has already been taken, it will be refunded without undue delay.
After a contract has been formed, we may cancel it only where these Terms or applicable law permit cancellation.
We will provide confirmation of the contract and the information required by applicable law by email or another durable medium.
4. Prices, taxes and payment
Product prices are shown in the currency selected or displayed on the website. The total amount payable, including applicable taxes and delivery charges collected by us, is shown before you submit the order.
At checkout, you must select either Personal order or Business or organisation order. The selection must reflect the capacity in which you are making the purchase. If you select Business or organisation order, you confirm that you are authorised to place the order for the business or organisation named at checkout. A company name or order-type selection does not by itself make a sale eligible for VAT-free treatment.
For goods dispatched from Finland to a VAT-registered business or organisation at a qualifying destination under the EU rules for intra-Community trade in goods, VAT may be charged at 0% only if all applicable conditions are met. These include a valid EU VAT number and transport of the goods from Finland to the qualifying destination. We may validate the VAT number and check the billing and delivery information. If the VAT number cannot be validated or the requirements are not established, VAT remains included.
Where an order is treated as a zero-rated intra-Community supply, the customer is responsible for any acquisition-VAT and related reporting obligations that apply in the destination country.
For goods dispatched from Finland outside the EU VAT area, Finnish VAT is not charged where the requirements for a zero-rated export are met. The customer may have to pay import VAT, customs duties or other destination charges, as described in Section 8.
The tax treatment shown at checkout is based on the information provided for the order. We may verify or correct that treatment before accepting the order. If a correction would increase the total amount payable, we will contact you and will not charge the additional amount without your agreement.
The payment methods available for an order are shown at checkout. Payment may be authorised or collected when the order is submitted, but this does not change the contract-formation rule in Section 3. If we decline or lawfully cancel an order after taking payment, we will refund the relevant amount without undue delay.
5. Product information and natural-material variation
Many Design Chess products are handcrafted and made from natural materials, especially wood and wood veneers. Each product is therefore individual. Reasonable variation may occur in grain, figure, colour tone, carving, turning, symmetry, surface texture, lacquer, antiquing, veneer pattern, gloss, weight and measurements.
Product photographs illustrate the model, materials and overall character of a product. Lighting, photography and screen settings can affect how colours and surfaces appear. Measurements, weights and other specifications are provided in good faith and as accurately as reasonably possible.
Minor variation inherent in handmade work or natural materials does not by itself mean that a product is defective or not as described. This does not exclude responsibility where a product is materially inconsistent with the agreed description, quality or intended use under applicable law.
Wood and other natural materials may age and change gradually over time. Natural ageing or a normal environmental response is not by itself a defect.
6. Availability and material errors
Products are offered subject to availability. We take reasonable care to keep product, stock and price information accurate, but genuine errors may occasionally occur.
Before a contract has been formed, we may correct a manifest error or decline an affected order in the circumstances described in Section 3. A manifest error is one that is clear and that the customer knew, or reasonably should have known, was an error.
If a fulfilment problem arises after a contract has been formed, we will contact you without undue delay. Any cancellation, substitute product or other solution will be handled in accordance with these Terms and applicable law. Any refund due will be made without undue delay, and mandatory consumer remedies remain unaffected.
We will not send a substitute product without your agreement.
7. Shipping, delivery, risk and delay
We ship from Finland. Available destinations, delivery services, current delivery charges and estimated delivery times are shown on the website or at checkout. We normally use FedEx, but we may use another suitable carrier where reasonably necessary.
We will deliver within the period agreed with you or, if no period has been agreed, within the period required by applicable law. An estimated delivery date is not a guaranteed date unless we expressly agree otherwise. This does not affect mandatory rights where delivery is delayed.
You are responsible for providing accurate and complete delivery and contact information and for updating us promptly if an error is discovered before dispatch.
For consumer purchases, risk of loss or damage normally transfers when you, or a person nominated by you other than the carrier, takes physical possession of the goods. If you commission a carrier that we did not offer, risk may transfer when the goods are handed to that carrier, where applicable law so provides.
If delivery is delayed, please contact us. Nothing in these Terms limits a consumer’s mandatory rights, which may include the right to require delivery, set an appropriate additional period for performance, terminate the contract or obtain a refund.
If a parcel arrives visibly damaged, noting the damage with the carrier and contacting us promptly is helpful where possible. Failure to note visible damage with the carrier does not remove any mandatory rights.
8. Import duties and customs clearance
Depending on the destination and the treatment stated at checkout, a customer may have to pay import VAT or other taxes, customs duties, brokerage, clearance, disbursement or handling charges imposed by authorities, the carrier or another service provider. Unless checkout expressly states that a charge is included in the amount collected by us, the customer is responsible for paying destination charges required for delivery.
The customer must provide information, identification, authorisations or documents reasonably required by the carrier or customs authorities for clearance. We may provide practical information, but the destination authorities determine the applicable requirements and charges.
If a shipment cannot be delivered or is returned because the customer does not cooperate reasonably with customs clearance, Section 9 applies.
9. Failed delivery and unclaimed parcels
The customer is responsible for providing accurate delivery information and for cooperating reasonably with the carrier and, where applicable, customs authorities to receive the shipment.
Refusing delivery, failing to collect a parcel or allowing a parcel to be returned to us does not by itself constitute notice of withdrawal. If you wish to exercise a statutory right of withdrawal, you must also notify us clearly before the applicable withdrawal period expires, as described in Section 10.
If a shipment is returned for a reason for which the customer is responsible—for example, incorrect or incomplete delivery information, failure to collect the parcel, refusal without a valid withdrawal notice, or unreasonable failure to cooperate with delivery or customs clearance—we may seek reimbursement of the reasonable, documented and unavoidable additional transport, carrier or customs costs caused directly by that failure, and only to the extent permitted by applicable law.
We will not charge such costs where the failed delivery was caused by Design Chess, the carrier or another circumstance for which the customer is not responsible.
Where the customer has validly exercised a statutory right of withdrawal, Section 10 applies. Nothing in this Section postpones or limits a refund deadline or other mandatory right that applies under law.
10. Right of withdrawal, returns and refunds
10.1 When a right of withdrawal applies
This Section applies to consumer purchases. A statutory right of withdrawal applies where the mandatory consumer law applicable to the order provides that right. Business customers do not have the statutory consumer right of withdrawal described in this Section, unless we expressly agree otherwise.
Where an eligible consumer order is governed by the distance-selling law of one of the following places, the withdrawal periods are:
- 14 calendar days: European Union member states; Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; the United Kingdom; Albania; Gibraltar; and Guernsey.
- Seven working days: Jersey, beginning on the day after the goods are received. Saturdays, Sundays, bank holidays, Christmas Day and Good Friday are not counted as working days.
- Seven clear days: Monaco, calculated from delivery. If the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, public holiday or non-working day, the period continues until the next working day.
Any other mandatory cancellation or withdrawal right that applies to your order remains unaffected.
10.2 When the period begins and exceptions
The withdrawal period normally begins when you, or someone you nominate other than the carrier, receives the goods. If an order is delivered in separate shipments, it normally begins when the last product is received. You may also notify us of your decision to withdraw before delivery.
The right of withdrawal may not apply to a product made to your specifications or clearly personalised. Selecting from standard options offered in our shop does not normally make a product personalised. If an exception applies, we will tell you before you place the order.
10.3 How to notify us
Please notify Design Chess before the applicable withdrawal period expires.
The easiest way is to use our online withdrawal function: Withdraw from contract. Follow the steps shown and select Confirm withdrawal to submit your notice. We will send an acknowledgement of receipt by email without undue delay. It will include the content of your withdrawal notice and the date, time and time zone of submission. The acknowledgement confirms only that we received the notice; it does not determine whether a statutory right of withdrawal applies. A withdrawal notice that is valid under applicable law does not require our approval.
Alternatively, email info@designchess.com or send a clear statement by post to the address in Section 2. If possible, include your order number; otherwise, provide enough information for us to identify the contract. State clearly that you are withdrawing from all or part of the contract. You do not need to give a reason.
You may also use the optional model withdrawal form in Schedule 1 or another clear statement permitted by applicable law.
10.4 Returning the products, return costs and condition
After you contact us, we will provide the correct return address and any relevant return or customs instructions. These instructions do not affect the validity of a withdrawal notice submitted in time.
Please send the products without undue delay and within any return deadline required by the law applicable to your order. Where a statutory 14-day return period applies, send them no later than 14 days after notifying us. Jersey and Monaco do not use that EU-style 14-day return-dispatch rule; we will provide return instructions consistent with the applicable law. Nothing in our instructions shortens a mandatory period.
Pack the products securely. Use the original packaging if it is available and suitable; otherwise, use equally protective packaging. If Monaco law applies to the order, the original packaging is required. You may choose the carrier and shipping service.
For a return sent from outside the European Union, please follow the customs instructions we provide so that the shipment is correctly identified as returned goods.
For a change-of-mind withdrawal, you are responsible for arranging and paying the direct cost of returning the products, where applicable law permits this and where you were informed of that responsibility before placing the order. Returns are normally sent to Finland. All our products can normally be returned through ordinary parcel services.
You may examine the products in the same way as you reasonably could in a shop. If a product has been used or handled more than is reasonably necessary, the refund may be reduced to reflect any resulting loss in value, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
10.5 Refunds
If you withdraw from the whole order, we will refund the product amounts actually paid and the cost of our least expensive standard delivery option. If you withdraw from only part of the order, we will refund the amount actually paid for the products covered by your withdrawal, but not the original delivery charge. If the remaining products no longer qualify for a discount applied to the original order under the applicable discount conditions, we may recalculate that discount and adjust the refund accordingly, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Any extra amount paid for a faster or more expensive delivery option is not refunded. If applicable law requires a greater refund, we will provide it.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay and within the deadline required by the mandatory law applicable to your order.
Where a 14-day withdrawal regime applies, reimbursement is due no later than 14 days after we receive your withdrawal notice. Where permitted by applicable law, we may withhold reimbursement until we have received the returned products or you have provided evidence that they were sent back, whichever occurs first.
Where Jersey or Monaco law applies, reimbursement will be made as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after the withdrawal notice is given.
The reimbursement will be made using the same payment method used for the original transaction unless you and Design Chess expressly agree to another method. You will not be charged a fee for the reimbursement.
10.6 If something is wrong with your order
For a damaged, incorrect or potentially faulty product, please follow the process in Section 11 instead of sending it as a change-of-mind return.
10.7 Further information
Practical return instructions are available on the Returns page. The optional model withdrawal form appears in Schedule 1 of these Terms.
11. If something is wrong with your order
If your order arrives damaged, contains the wrong product or a product appears to be faulty, please email us before returning anything. Include your order number, a brief description of the issue and clear photographs if possible.
We may ask for further information or for the product to be returned where this is reasonably necessary. We will review the matter and explain the appropriate next steps.
Products must conform to the contract and to the mandatory requirements that apply when they are delivered. The remedies available, and their order or timing, are determined by the law applicable to the purchase.
Natural-material or handmade variation described in Section 5 is not automatically a defect. This does not exclude responsibility for a material lack of conformity.
Your statutory rights are separate from the voluntary Commercial Warranty in Section 12 and do not depend on making a warranty claim.
12. Three-year Commercial Warranty
Design Chess provides a voluntary three-year Commercial Warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship that materially affect a product’s quality or intended use. The warranty begins on the date of purchase.
The warranty is additional to statutory remedies and does not replace, restrict or suspend any mandatory consumer rights. Statutory remedies are available without charge where the conditions of applicable law are met.
The detailed guarantee terms, including the guarantor, covered products, geographical scope, duration, exclusions and claim procedure, are set out in the guarantee statement supplied on a durable medium no later than delivery. Practical information and claim guidance are also available on the Warranty page.
If you make a warranty claim, we may request proof of purchase, a description and photographs if possible, and may request further information or return of the product where reasonably necessary.
If the claim is accepted, we will assess the appropriate way to resolve it and let you know what happens next. Depending on the nature of the defect and the circumstances, the solution may involve repairing the product, replacing the affected product or component, or, where appropriate, providing a full or partial refund.
13. Product care
Wooden and handcrafted products should be used, stored and cared for reasonably in normal indoor conditions, avoiding unsuitable environmental extremes and abrupt changes. Practical guidance is available in the Product Care Guide.
Damage caused after delivery by misuse, neglect, an external impact, an unauthorised modification, improper storage, unsuitable environmental conditions or unsuitable cleaning or care methods is not covered by the Commercial Warranty and may not constitute a statutory lack of conformity.
This Section does not affect mandatory rights relating to a product that was not in conformity when delivered or for which Design Chess is otherwise responsible under applicable law.
14. Intellectual property
The website and its content, including text, photographs, product descriptions, graphics, logos and layout, are protected by copyright, trade mark and other intellectual-property laws.
You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, modify or otherwise use website content for commercial purposes without our prior written permission, except where the use is permitted by applicable law.
15. Website use and third-party links
We take reasonable care to keep the website accurate, secure and available. We do not promise uninterrupted or error-free access, and we may maintain, update or suspend parts of the website where reasonably necessary. This does not affect rights arising from a contract already formed.
The website may contain links to third-party websites. We do not control their content, availability, privacy practices or terms. A link does not imply that we endorse the third party, unless we expressly say so.
16. Liability
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability, remedy or consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
For consumer purchases, our liability is determined by applicable mandatory consumer law. Any statement in these Terms that a customer is responsible for a cost or loss applies only to the extent permitted by that law.
We are not liable for a failure or delay caused solely by circumstances outside our reasonable control to the extent allowed by law. This does not restrict any mandatory right relating to delivery, withdrawal, a refund, defective goods or compensation.
17. Governing law and dispute resolution
For consumer purchases, the law applicable to the contract is determined by the conflict-of-law rules that apply. Where Design Chess directs its sales to the country in which you habitually reside, the law of that country will normally apply. Nothing in these Terms limits any mandatory consumer protection that applies to you.
For business customers, these Terms and contracts made under them are governed by the laws of Finland, excluding its conflict-of-law rules.
Nothing in these Terms requires a consumer to bring proceedings exclusively in Finland. A consumer may bring proceedings in any court available to them under applicable mandatory law.
We aim to resolve complaints amicably. Please contact us first at info@designchess.com so that we can try to resolve the matter directly.
If a consumer dispute cannot be resolved directly, the consumer may refer the matter to the Finnish Consumer Disputes Board (Kuluttajariitalautakunta) for a recommendation.
Before referring a matter to the Consumer Disputes Board, the consumer should contact the Finnish Consumer Advisory Services.
A consumer may also use another competent alternative dispute resolution body where applicable law provides access to one.
For business customers only, the District Court of Southwest Finland has exclusive jurisdiction, unless otherwise required by mandatory law.
18. Privacy
Our Privacy Policy explains how we process personal data in connection with website use, orders, delivery, withdrawals, returns, complaints and warranty claims.
19. Changes, effective date and version control
We may update these Terms from time to time for future orders.
The version made available to and accepted by the customer when the order is placed applies to that order. A later update will not retrospectively alter an existing contract unless the change is required by law or expressly agreed with the customer.
The last-updated date shown at the beginning identifies this public edition. Internal version numbers are not displayed on the public page.
Schedule 1 – Model withdrawal form
Complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract. Use of this form is optional.
To:
Design Chess / ITP International Trading Partners Ltd Oy
Läntinen Kehätie 22
31400 Somero
Finland
Email: info@designchess.com
Notice:
I/We hereby give notice that I/we withdraw from my/our contract of sale of the following goods:
Goods:
Ordered on / received on:
Name of consumer(s):
Address of consumer(s):
Signature of consumer(s):
(only if this form is sent on paper)
Date: