Refund policy

Last updated: September 15, 2026

Before your order ships: full refund

Every Rope Seal is a pre-order. You can cancel any time before your order ships and get back everything you've paid, including your $25 deposit. Email ana@theropeseal.com with your order number. See our Cancellation policy for details.

After your order ships: no returns or refunds

Once your order ships, all sales are final. We don't accept returns or give refunds for change of mind, and we can't accept returns of the tool and butane torch set. We'll email you when your order ships, so you always know when that point has passed.

Damaged, defective, or wrong item: we'll make it right

If your order arrives damaged, defective, or isn't what you ordered:

  1. Email us within 14 days of delivery at ana@theropeseal.com. Include your order number and a photo or short video of the problem.
  2. We'll fix it with a replacement part, a replacement tool, or a refund if we can't make it right.
  3. Don't mail the torch back. We'll never ask you to. See below.

Nothing in this policy limits any rights you have under federal or Oklahoma law.

Why we can't take butane torches back

Every Rope Seal comes with a refillable butane torch. It ships to you empty and has never held fuel, which is what lets us send it through normal shipping. Butane is sold separately.

Once a torch has been filled, it's a different story. Under federal law, a used butane torch is regulated as a hazardous material for shipping, even when it seems empty:

  • It counts as a regulated flame device. Federal hazardous materials regulations define a lighter as a flame-producing device with an igniter that contains a flammable gas. Butane is a Division 2.1 flammable gas. (49 CFR § 171.8)
  • "Empty" isn't empty. A lighter is exempt only if it's unused, or has been cleaned of residue and purged of vapors. A torch that has held butane keeps leftover gas in the tank and valve, so it stays regulated. (49 CFR § 172.102(c)(1), Special Provision 168)
  • Fueled lighters need federal approval to ship. Shipping a lighter that contains flammable gas is forbidden unless its design has been examined and tested under U.S. Department of Transportation rules. (49 CFR § 173.21(i))
  • The Post Office restricts them. Lighters containing flammable gas can go by ground only, and only with written approval from the Postal Service obtained before mailing. (USPS Publication 52, § 343.24)
  • UPS and FedEx restrict them too. Both require a hazardous materials shipping account and full declaration, and neither accepts them dropped off over the counter.

These are federal rules from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Postal Service, so they apply in every state. A used torch can't go in a mailbox or across a shipping counter, and asking you to try would put carrier workers at risk and could expose you to fines. So instead of returns, send us a photo or video if something's wrong and we'll ship you a new, unused replacement.