Overview

At MaliMart, Your Trust is Our Priority. We are committed to making your shopping experience—from click to collection—efficient and reliable. This policy outlines your rights and responsibilities for returns, ensuring a transparent process that protects both you and our marketplace.

1. Eligibility and Grace Period

To be eligible for a return and full refund, the following criteria must be met:

  • Reporting Grace Period: You must report your intent to return an eligible item within 7 days from the date you received your item (either by home delivery or Mali-Swift collection).
  • Condition: The item must be unused and in the exact same condition that you received it.
  • Packaging: The item must be returned in the original packaging, including all seals, protective films, accessories, manuals, and bundled items.
  • Proof of Purchase: A valid MaliMart Order ID is required to complete your return.

2. Non-Returnable Items (Business Protection)

For hygiene, security, and integrity of vendor stock, we cannot accept returns on the following categories, unless they are proven to be defective or incorrect upon delivery:

  • Consumables & Perishables: Food, beverages, ink/toner cartridges (if opened), or any product with a defined expiration date.
  • Hygiene & Intimate Goods: Personal care items, intimate apparel, earrings, smartwatches, and earphones/earbuds where the factory seal has been broken or removed.
  • Digital Goods: Downloadable software products, e-vouchers, subscription codes, or gift cards.
  • Items Damaged by Customer: Products damaged due to incorrect installation, use of incorrect voltage, or clear physical abuse that did not occur during shipping.
  • Final Sale Items: Products explicitly marked as “Final Sale” or “Clearance” at the time of purchase.

3. The Return and Refund Process

Initiating a Return

  1. Contact: Notify the MaliMart support team via email at {email address} within the 7-day grace period. Provide your Order ID, Item SKU, and clear photographic evidence of the issue (damage, defect, or wrong item).
  2. Authorization: If approved, MaliMart will issue a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number and provide specific instructions for the return. Items returned without a valid RMA number will be rejected and returned to the customer at the customer’s expense.

Inspection and Approval

  • Once the item is received at our facility (or Mali-Swift drop-off point), it undergoes a mandatory inspection to verify its condition against the reported issue.
  • We will notify you via email of the approval or rejection of your refund within a reasonable timeframe.

Partial Refunds

In specific situations, only a partial refund may be granted:

  • Any item showing obvious signs of use, excessive wear, or missing parts for reasons not due to our error.
  • Items returned more than 7 days after delivery (only in exceptional, pre-approved cases).

4. Shipping Costs and Financials (Financial Protection)

Refund Method

If approved, your refund will be processed and a credit automatically applied to your original method of payment (M-Pesa, Credit Card, Bank Transfer) within 5-10 business days after the return has been inspected and approved.

Responsibility for Shipping

  • Customer Error/Change of Mind: You are responsible for paying the shipping costs for returning the item. These shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund amount.
  • MaliMart/Vendor Error: If the return is a result of our error (e.g., damaged or incorrect item), MaliMart will cover the return shipping costs.
  • Tracking: For any items valued above Ksh 5,000, we strongly recommend using a trackable shipping service and purchasing shipping insurance to guarantee that we receive your returned item.

Sale Items Clause

  • Only regular priced items may be eligible for a refund. Sale items are Final Sale and cannot be refunded.

5. Exchanges and Mali-Swift Drop-off

Exchanges

We only replace items if they are defective or damaged by our vendor or during transit. If you need to exchange an item for the exact same item, please follow the return initiation process above.

Mali-Swift Drop-off

For approved returns, you may utilize the Mali-Swift collection point (Tom Mboya Road, opposite Kenya Archives, Cookie house, 3rd floor) for convenient drop-off. Note that this is purely a drop-off point; the item will still undergo the full central inspection process before a refund is issued.

Need Help?

Contact us at Shopping@malimart.co.ke for any questions related to refunds and returns.