Can a UK seller keep my bespoke order deposit?
Not automatically. A bespoke order may have no change-of-mind cancellation right, but that does not make every deposit deduction fair. Ask the UK seller to explain its direct losses and what it has done to reduce them before accepting the charge. This guide is from Cambridge China Bridge.
Check that this is a personal purchase
These consumer fairness rules concern purchases made wholly or mainly outside your trade, business, craft or profession. If you are ordering stock or equipment for your business, use our guide to cancelling a business order.
Check the quote and invoice for the company selling you the goods. Our guide to seller and agent roles explains that distinction. Address your deposit complaint to your contractual seller.
Bespoke does not settle the deduction
Goods made to an individual specification can be exempt from change-of-mind cancellation rights. Being made after you order does not, by itself, establish that exemption. For the cancellation question, see cancelling a personal China order.
The separate question is whether the seller's cancellation charge is fair. An agreed term does not make a charge reasonable automatically. Ask the seller to identify the clause it relies on and provide the version supplied when you ordered.
Ask for losses, not just a factory deposit
Official consumer guidance says recovery is generally limited to actual losses directly caused by cancellation, including incurred costs or lost profit. Businesses must take reasonable steps to reduce those losses. Keeping your entire deposit therefore needs more explanation than saying the factory has been paid.
Request an itemised calculation supported by order-specific records: factory payment evidence, materials purchased, work completed and cancellation correspondence. Ask about recoverable factory payments, reusable materials, resale prospects and costs avoided. If lost profit is claimed, ask how it was calculated and check for overlapping entries.
Match the records to the cancellation date
Save the accepted quote, specification, deposit receipt, approval messages and cancellation notice. Ask when the seller received your notice, what production stage had been reached and when it contacted the factory. Dated records help distinguish completed work from planned work.
Ask for evidence sufficient to understand each deduction, with unrelated information redacted if necessary. This is a practical request, not a promise of access to every factory invoice. A refusal to explain leaves the deduction unresolved; it does not establish that a full refund is due.
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Challenge an unexplained deduction in writing
Write: “I dispute retaining my entire deposit. Please identify the cancellation term and explain each claimed loss, supported by dated records. Please show how recoveries, resale, reusable materials and avoided costs affect the calculation, and confirm the refund you propose.” Add your order reference and a requested reply date.
If the response only repeats “non-refundable”, request a substantive written response and keep the correspondence. Seek advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service, or Consumerline in Northern Ireland. For the seller's complaint response, see unresolved consumer complaints.
Frequently asked questions
Does a non-refundable deposit term end my claim?
No. The cancellation charge still needs to be fair. Ask for the agreed term and an explanation of the amount retained.
Can the seller claim lost profit?
Potentially. Official guidance includes lost profit among direct cancellation losses. Ask for the calculation rather than accepting the unpaid selling price as the loss.
What if the factory has already kept the money?
Ask for payment evidence, the factory's cancellation response and any recovery or reuse options. A factory payment alone does not explain the UK seller's total loss.
Must I receive every factory invoice?
This guide does not promise that access. Request records sufficient to explain the deduction, allowing unrelated details to be redacted.