Shipping policy

Every piece here is one of a kind. When it goes, it goes — so the care we take getting it to you matters as much as the care we took finding it.

Before you buy

We would rather answer a question than process a disappointment. Every listing carries hand-measured dimensions, taken flat, on the actual garment. If you are between sizes, or unsure how something is cut, email empressvintage@gmail.com, text 510 542 6196, or send a DM to @Empress_Vintage. We will measure again, send more photographs, or tell you honestly that we do not think it will work.

If you are in San Francisco, you are welcome to try it on. Visit the boutique at 1962 Harrison Street and we will hold the piece for you.

Duties and customs

Duties and import taxes are set by the destination country, not by us. Your checkout total shows any charges we collect; anything not shown there may be charged by your local customs authority on delivery, and we cannot predict or refund it.

We declare every parcel accurately and at its full value. We will not mark an order as a gift or under-declare its value.

All sales are final

We do not accept returns or exchanges. That is not a policy we are hiding at the bottom of a page — it is the honest consequence of selling one-of-a-kind vintage. There is no second one to send you, and a piece that spends a fortnight travelling is a piece nobody else could buy.

What we owe you in exchange is precision. Measurements taken by hand rather than converted from a size chart. Condition described including the flaws. Photographs of the actual piece, not a stock image. And a real person on the other end of an email who would rather talk you out of the wrong piece than sell it to you.

If something arrives damaged in transit, or is materially not as described, that is different — tell us and we will make it right.