Returns & Exchanges

We make our shoes in small runs, and we want you in a pair that fits. If something isn't right, here is how we sort it out.

Free size exchanges

If the size isn't right, we will send you the correct pair and cover the cost of shipping it to you. You cover the cost of sending the original pair back. Our runs are small, so exchanges depend on what is in stock. If your size has sold out, we will refund you in full instead.

30 days to decide

You have 30 days from the day your order arrives to request a return or an exchange. Return shipping is paid by the customer.

Trying them on

Try them on at home, indoors, on carpet or another clean surface. Walk around in them. Check the fit across the width as well as the length. Take your time. That is what the 30 days are for.

What we cannot accept back is a pair that has been worn outside. Scuffing or dirt on the outsole, creasing across the toe box, wear at the heel: once a shoe has been out in the world, we can't offer it to anyone else as new.

Please send them back the way they arrived. Laces in, any inserts included, in the original Sawa box, with that box protected inside an outer shipping carton. The box is part of the product.

How to start a return or an exchange

Get in touch through our Contact page within 30 days of delivery. Give us your order number, and for an exchange, the size you would like instead. We will confirm your request and send you the return address and instructions before you ship anything.

Please don't send a pair back before contacting us. We can't guarantee we will be able to process it.

Refunds

Once your return reaches us and we have checked it over, we will refund your original payment method within 5 business days. Your bank may take another 5 to 10 days to show it. Original shipping charges, and any duties or taxes you paid on import, are not refundable.

If something is wrong with your order

If your shoes arrive damaged or defective, or we sent the wrong pair, we cover everything: return shipping, and your choice of a replacement or a full refund. Send us a photo through our Contact page and we will take care of it.

Nothing in this policy limits the legal warranty you are entitled to under applicable consumer protection law, including the legal warranty under Quebec's Consumer Protection Act.

Returning from outside Canada

Our returns are received in Montréal. If you are shipping from outside Canada, mark your parcel clearly as "Returned goods, no commercial value" and write your order number on the customs form. This keeps unnecessary duties from being charged on the return.

A note on fit

Sawa shoes are made in Ethiopia on European lasts. If you are between sizes or unsure, our Sizing Guide has the full conversion. A minute there can save you a return.