Terms of service

Terms of Sale

Deadwax Records Aotearoa

These Terms of Sale ("Terms") apply to all purchases made through deadwax.co.nz ("Website"). The Website and the products sold on it are operated by Printerfuel Limited, trading as Deadwax and Deadwax Records Aotearoa ("Deadwax", "we", "us", "our"). By placing an order you agree to these Terms.

Please read these Terms carefully before ordering. In particular, please read the Change of Mind and Returns and Faulty Goods sections, as they affect your rights.

1. About us

Deadwax is a New Zealand-based online record store. The legal entity operating the Website is Printerfuel Limited, a company registered in New Zealand, trading as Deadwax and Deadwax Records Aotearoa.

You can contact us through the contact form on our Website for any questions about your order or these Terms.

2. Products we sell

We primarily sell new vinyl records. From time to time we may also sell:

  • pre-owned (second-hand) records; and
  • other goods such as audio accessories and electronics (for example, headphones).

Where a product is second-hand, this will be clearly stated on the product listing, together with a description of its condition. Second-hand goods are sold on the basis described in section 8.

Product images are provided as a guide. Record sleeves, inserts, colour variants and pressings may differ slightly from the images shown. Where a specific pressing, colour or edition is advertised, we will supply that pressing, colour or edition.

3. Orders and acceptance

When you place an order, you are making an offer to buy the products in your cart. We will send you an order confirmation email acknowledging that we have received your order. This confirmation does not mean your order has been accepted.

A contract of sale is formed when we dispatch the products to you (or notify you that they are ready for collection, if collection is offered).

We may decline or cancel an order at any time before dispatch, including where:

  • the product is out of stock or a pricing or description error has occurred;
  • we are unable to authorise or verify your payment; or
  • we reasonably suspect the order is fraudulent or breaches these Terms.

If we cancel an order for which you have already paid, we will refund you in full.

4. Prices and payment

All prices are shown in New Zealand Dollars (NZD) and include GST where applicable. Prices exclude delivery charges unless stated otherwise. Delivery charges are shown at checkout before you confirm your order.

Payment is required in full at the time of ordering. We accept the payment methods shown at checkout. Title to the products remains with us until we have received payment in full.

We take reasonable care to ensure prices and product details are accurate. If we discover an error in the price or description of a product you have ordered, we will contact you before dispatch to confirm whether you wish to proceed at the correct price, or to cancel and receive a full refund.

5. Delivery

We deliver within New Zealand and, where offered, internationally. Estimated delivery times and costs are shown at checkout. Delivery estimates are indicative and not guaranteed.

Risk of loss or damage to the products passes to you on delivery. If your order arrives damaged, please see section 7.

For international orders, you are responsible for any customs duties, taxes or import charges levied in the destination country.

6. Change of mind — no returns

Records are a product where you can preview the music before buying. The same recordings can be listened to freely on streaming services and elsewhere online, so you have every opportunity to decide whether you want a title before you order it.

For this reason, we do not accept returns, exchanges or refunds for change of mind. This includes situations where you have decided you no longer want a record, ordered the wrong title, or simply don't enjoy the music.

This does not affect your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 in relation to faulty or misdescribed goods (see section 7). It only means we are not obliged to accept a return where the product is as described and free from fault.

7. Faulty goods, warping and transit damage — your Consumer Guarantees Act rights

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 ("CGA") or the Fair Trading Act 1986 where you are buying as a consumer. Where those Acts apply, they override anything in these Terms to the contrary.

Under the CGA, the goods we supply must be of acceptable quality, match their description, and be fit for purpose. If a product does not meet these guarantees, you are entitled to a remedy.

The most likely issues with a record are:

  • Warping that affects playability (see the note on warping below);
  • Manufacturing defects in the pressing (for example, non-fill, off-centre pressing, or persistent skips not caused by your equipment); or
  • Damage in transit.

A note on warping

Vinyl is a thin, heat-sensitive material, and a degree of warping is a normal characteristic of the format rather than a defect. Mild or cosmetic warping is common on records, including brand-new pressings, and the great majority of slightly warped records play through without any audible problem. Some pressings — particularly thinner-weight records — will show a slight bow or dish when held to the light. This is normal and is not something we treat as a fault.

The test we apply is playability, not appearance. A record is faulty for warping only where the warp actually affects playback on properly set-up, functioning equipment — for example, where it causes the stylus to skip or mistrack, or produces audible pitch wobble or distortion. A warp that is visible when the record is held up but that plays through cleanly is not a fault, and we do not accept returns on that basis.

If a warp genuinely affects playback, that is a fault, and your CGA rights below apply in full.

Transit damage — reporting and packaging

If your order arrives damaged in transit, you must contact us within 7 days of delivery and keep all original packaging, including the outer mailer and any inner sleeves, until the claim is resolved. Please include your order number and photographs of both the damaged item and the packaging.

We require the packaging because it is needed to assess the damage and to make a claim against the courier, and prompt reporting is needed because courier claims are time-limited. If original packaging is not retained or the damage is reported outside this window, we may not be able to accept a transit-damage claim — though this does not limit any separate rights you have under the CGA in relation to a manufacturing fault.

Reporting faults and pressing defects

For manufacturing defects or playability warps that are not transit damage, please contact us through the contact form on our Website as soon as reasonably practicable after you notice the problem, with your order number and a description of the playback fault. We ask you to report promptly so we can help you quickly, but this is a request and does not limit any rights you have under the CGA, which may apply for a reasonable period regardless of packaging.

Where a product fails to meet a consumer guarantee, we will provide a remedy consistent with the CGA. Depending on whether the failure is minor or substantial, this may be a repair, replacement, or refund. Where a replacement is not reasonably available, we will refund you. We will cover reasonable return postage costs for goods that fail to meet a consumer guarantee.

We do not accept returns for issues caused by your own playback equipment, storage or handling after delivery (for example, heat warping or surface marks arising after the record has been delivered in good condition).

8. Second-hand goods

Second-hand records are graded and described on their listing, including any known imperfections. Because they are pre-owned, some surface noise, wear or cosmetic marks consistent with the stated grade are to be expected and are not treated as faults.

The CGA still applies to second-hand goods sold to consumers, but what counts as "acceptable quality" takes into account the age, price and described condition of the item. We will remedy any fault that is materially worse than the condition described.

9. Electronics and accessories

Where we sell electronics or accessories (such as headphones), these are covered by the CGA in the same way as any other consumer goods, and by any applicable manufacturer's warranty. Manufacturer warranty terms, where they apply, will be provided with the product or on the product listing. Change-of-mind returns are not accepted on these items either, subject to your CGA rights.

10. Consumers and businesses

If you are acquiring goods for the purposes of a business, you agree that the CGA does not apply to your purchase, to the extent permitted by section 43 of the CGA. Our total liability to a business customer is limited to the price paid for the relevant products, and we are not liable for any indirect or consequential loss.

11. Our liability

To the extent permitted by law, and except for our obligations under the CGA and Fair Trading Act, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental or consequential loss arising from your use of the Website or the products. Nothing in these Terms is intended to exclude liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

12. Privacy

We collect and use your personal information to process your orders and provide our services, in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and our Privacy Policy [link].

13. General

These Terms are governed by New Zealand law, and the New Zealand courts have jurisdiction over any dispute.

We may update these Terms from time to time. The version in effect at the time you place your order applies to that order.

If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.

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