Shipping & Return Policy

The Covert Instruments team takes pride in the quality of our gear, and we want you to be satisfied with your purchase. These are our terms and conditions.

By Placing an Order, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions below.

ANY DISCOUNT CODES ARE NOT USABLE ON TOP OF ITEMS ALREADY DISCOUNTED FOR SALES

WAS YOUR PACKAGE MARKED AS DELIVERED, BUT YOU DID NOT RECEIVE IT?

If your package was marked as delivered and you did not receive it, there are several possibilities:

  1. The package was delivered and stolen
  2. The package was misdelivered or the package was incorrectly addressed

Also, if you are using a freight forwarder or mail forwarder solution to forward your package on to its final destination, we only support delivery to the address you entered as your shipping address at checkout. Once it shows delivered to that location, any lost or damaged packages will not be replaced or refunded. This also goes for any packages shipped to hotels / motels, Airbnb locations, or other 3rd party locations.

Once a package has been confirmed as delivered, it becomes the responsibility of the recipient. If your package is confirmed as delivered but is missing, this is considered theft and should be reported to your local law enforcement authorities immediately. While we sympathize with customers who experience package theft, Covert Instruments cannot be held responsible for packages stolen after successful delivery to the address provided.

IF YOUR PACKAGE WAS MARKED AS DELIVERED, WE DO NOT COVER REPLACEMENTS NOR REFUNDS.

FULFILLMENT TIMES

We are not Amazon; we are a small team that handles fulfillment in house and we are only human. Orders placed prior to 12PM Eastern, Monday-Friday, will normally be fulfilled the same business day. Orders placed after 12PM, will usually be fulfilled the following business day. We are a Monday-Friday operation and will not ship orders over the weekend. Keep in mind, this means any orders placed after 12PM on a Friday will not ship until the next business day. This is our fulfillment policy and our handling time is not included in the provided delivery estimates.

For all Chop Shop orders our fulfillment times are longer. Due to the nature of the Chop Shop being custom lasered and/or custom built sets, it takes much longer to get orders out.

EDITING CARTS

If our fulfillment team has not begun to process your order, you can cancel and receive a refund. To do this email our team at sales@covertinstruments.com
and request a refund within 24 hours of placing your order. If you are
requesting an additional item to be added, we will cancel and refund
your order so that you can place the order again. We cannot simply add
items to carts because we deliberately do not record payment
information. It is all handled through a 3rd party shopping platform.

For all Chop Shop orders, ALL SALES ARE FINAL! There are no returns or exchanges on any Chop Shop orders.

ID REQUESTS

You might receive an request for ID verification on high dollar amount purchases, your order was flagged for possible fraudulent activity, or your ship to address does not match the billing address, or any combination thereof. Understand we are trying to make sure the purchase is legitimate to protect the card holder’s information. As privacy advocates ourselves we understand that this may seem intrusive. By all means, redact the picture, D.o.B, and driver’s license number. All we need to see is that you are the person who matches the billing address (information that is already on the order). We hope that clarifies our sincere intentions.

This is a one-time precaution and subsequent orders do not have this check. Large orders placed from .gov, .mil addresses are also exempt.

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • We are not responsible for auto-fill address errors with payment processors
  • Since we ship using FedEx we cannot ship to PO Boxes
  • Used items are non-refundable

DOMESTIC SHIPPING

Please double check your shipping address both before and after payment. Auto-fill may often input an incorrect address and we are not responsible for packages that are sent out to incorrect addresses. Packages that are sent to incorrect address, due to the customer's error or auto-fill, will not be replaced or refunded.

Our domestic "lost package" policy is 30 days past the ship date. During this 30 day waiting period, packages are considered in transit. After 30 days, if the package has not arrived, we can discuss actions such as replacements or refunds.

Our domestic CHOP SHOP "lost package" policy is 45 days past the ship date. During this 45 day waiting period, packages are considered in transit. After 45 days, if the package has not arrived, we can discuss actions such as replacements or refunds.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Our international "lost package" policy is 60 days past the ship date. During this 60 day waiting period, packages are considered in transit. After 60 days, if the package has not arrived, we can discuss actions such as replacements or refunds.

Our international CHOP SHOP "lost package" policy is 75 days past the ship date. During this 75 day waiting period, packages are considered in transit. After 75 days, if the package has not arrived, we can discuss actions such as replacements or refunds.

For international shipments, we want to make sure your order gets to you smoothly. If your package cannot be delivered because no one is present to accept the package, duties aren’t paid, delivery is refused, or arrangements with FedEx aren’t made, the shipment will be returned to us. In those cases, a 25% restocking fee will apply, and your refund will be issued for the purchase price minus both the original shipping cost and the restocking fee.

To help avoid this, please keep an eye out for updates from FedEx. If the first delivery attempt is unsuccessful, FedEx will attempt to reach out to you by phone or email using the contact information provided with your order. Working directly with FedEx will ensure your package arrives without delay.

UNAVAILABLE COUNTRIES

Unfortunately at this time we do not ship to all countries for all of our products. Just because your country is in the drop-down menu during checkout, does not mean we can ship all of our products to you. Our hats, shirts, sweatshirts, and other clothing items can ship to many more countries than the rest of our products. If you try and checkout and you get the error "No delivery available" this means we cannot ship certain items to your country. If you are seeing that our entire site is "SOLD OUT" then you are also located in a country we do not currently ship to.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING DELAYS

Unfortunately, we have no control over how long an order takes to arrive. Currently no carrier is guaranteeing delivery times on any
parcel. The estimates they provide are a guide at best. Orders placed after hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday are processed the next business day. This includes expedited orders. Regardless of the shipping option chosen at checkout, delivery may take longer due to unforeseen global delays or your country's customs office. We have no control over such things and are not responsible for delays they may cause.

CUSTOMS AND FEES

We cannot mark any international order value down or as a gift to avoid your country’s taxes and duties. This is illegal and will not be done.

As is the case with any international purchase, you will most likely be required by your country to pay Taxes and Duties to import your package. These fees are not included in your total or shipping costs. These are separate fees that are collected by your country / postal service, and we are not responsible for these fees. Any duties / taxes will not be refunded, even in the case of a return.

RETURNS

Note: Used items are non-refundable!

Most items can be returned within 7 days of purchase for a refund.

Some returns are subject to a 25% restock fee. These are:

  • Covert Companions Pro
  • Covert Companions and all SSF parts for the Covert Companion
  • Genesis Lock Pick sets
  • The Echelon Pick Set
  • The Arbiter Bypass Set
  • CI Practice Locks
  • Covert Tubular Pick
  • Impressioning Starter Kit
  • Learn Lock Picking Bundle
  • Lock Sport Trainer
  • Grav Pick
  • Butterfly Comb
  • Reaper Lock Pick Set
  • APEX Lock Pick Sets
  • Lishi tools
  • Specialty keys/Bump keys

Lishis are only able to be returned if they are unused. These tools are all inspected before being shipped to the end user for quality assurance. Lishis are precision tools and if used with too much force they can easily bend the picking arm. If a picking tip is bent or broken in use, the tool is not eligible for a refund or replacement. A photograph will be required for all exchanges or returns and they will be examined before returns are processed.

Any refunds processed, will be returned to the original payment method and can take up to 10 business days to show, depending on Bank processing times. Refunds do not include original shipping charges!

INTERNATIONAL RETURNS

We are unable to generate return labels for international customers. If you are an international customer and you wish to return an item that complies with the requirements in the 'returns' section, you are responsible for all incurred return shipping costs. The 25% restocking fee and all other policies still apply.

NON-REFUNDABLE ITEMS

Certain items are considered non-refundable even if they are unused by the customer. While they are not eligible for a return, we can dispatch replacement products should the situation warrant such action, which will be determined by our customer service team on a case-by-case basis. Non-refundable items include:

  • Any item from the Chop Shop, this includes individual picks.
  • Any clothing item (please double check you are ordering the correct size prior to purchasing) are non refundable and unable to be exchanged.
  • The Reach Around is not returnable, barring any manufacturing defect
  • The Replicant
  • FNG
  • Any custom / small batch items

Buyers Responsibility

By placing an order with Covert Instruments ("CI"), the customer represents and certifies that (i) they are at least 18 years old and are of legal age in their jurisdiction; (ii) they have researched all applicable laws and regulations regarding the purchase, shipping, possession, and use of CI products, and (iii) they are legally permitted to purchase, receive, possess, and use all CI products ordered. CI employees cannot and will not advise you on the legality of any CI products in your jurisdiction. It is the SOLE responsibility of the customer to ascertain and obey all applicable laws and regulations.

By placing an order for a "locksmithing device", the customer represents and certifies that they are either: a lock manufacturer or distributor, a bona fide locksmith, a bona fide repossessor; a motor vehicle manufacturer or dealer, a bona fide automotive repair shop or business, or any other qualified person. CI will not deliver any locksmithing device to a customer who cannot certify that they fall into one of these categories.

CI is not responsible for the unlawful use of any of its products. By purchasing items from CI, the customer represents and certifies that they intend to use these items in a lawful manner. The customer (and not CI) is liable and responsible for any/all loss, damage, liability, or expense of any kind, arising from the use or misuse of any CI product.

CI reserves the right to refuse any sale for any reason.

Please note that this is required by ALL USA companies who sell locksmithing devices, whether or not they choose to outright mention it or not.

REPLACEMENTS

Replacements are sent out on a case-by-case basis. Possible situations for replacements or replacement parts are manufacturing errors or parts that arrived broken or lost/damaged packages. All replacements are sent out via USPS First Class, regardless of the original postage purchased.

Domestic orders shall have a 30 day waiting period from the ship date before being eligible for replacements or refunds. This waiting period allows for delivery and transit time. After 30 days, if your package has not arrived, you may be eligible for a replacement or refund.

International orders shall have a 60 day waiting period from the ship date before being eligible for replacements or refunds. This extended period is to account for all the unforeseen delays with international shipping and custom clearance. After 60 days, if your package has not arrived, you may be eligible for a replacement or refund.


All clothing items are "made-to-order" and cannot be returned or exchanged for a different size. Please reference all sizing charts for clothing and make sure you order the proper size.

We do not offer replacements on any Chop Shop items.

Any instance of a package that is clearly lost before the waiting period, or that is returned to us due to an error, are viewed on a case-by-case basis.

WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AUTO FILL ADDRESS ERRORS