Musubi — The Japanese Concept Store — is a South African online and physical retailer of curated Japanese household goods, kitchenware, storage solutions, cleaning products, stationery and lifestyle accessories.

In these terms, "we", "us", "our" and "Musubi" refer to the business trading as Musubi. "You" and "your" refer to any person who visits this website, creates an account, or places an order with us.

By accessing this website, creating an account or placing an order, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions, together with our Privacy Policy, Returns & Refunds policy, and Warranties & Guarantees. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this website.

These terms are governed by the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 ("the CPA"), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("the ECT Act"), and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"). Nothing in these terms is intended to limit or exclude any right you have that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.

You must be at least 18 years old, or have the consent of a parent or legal guardian, to place an order with us.

You may check out as a guest. Creating a free account allows you to earn and redeem rewards points, save delivery addresses, and track your order history.

Your responsibilities

• Provide accurate, current and complete information when registering and at checkout
• Keep your password confidential and secure
• Notify us immediately if you believe your account has been accessed without your permission

You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. We are not liable for any loss arising from your failure to keep your login details secure.

Suspension

We may suspend or close an account where we reasonably believe it has been used fraudulently, to abuse promotions or the rewards programme, or in breach of these terms.

Product information

We take care to describe our products accurately, including dimensions, materials and intended use. Many of our products are imported from Japan and original packaging, inserts and instructions may be printed in Japanese.

Product images are for illustration. Colours may appear differently across screens, and handmade or naturally finished items may vary slightly in tone, grain or glaze from the image shown.

Availability

All products are subject to availability. If an item becomes unavailable after you have placed your order, we will contact you and offer a replacement, store credit, or a full refund of that item.

Pricing

All prices are shown in South African Rand and include VAT where applicable. Delivery charges are calculated separately at checkout and shown before you confirm payment.

Placing an order is an offer to buy. A binding contract of sale comes into effect only once we have accepted your order, received payment in full, and confirmed dispatch.

You will receive an order confirmation by email once your order is placed, and a separate notification once it has been dispatched or is ready for collection.

Changing or cancelling an order

Because we process orders quickly, please contact us by WhatsApp or email immediately if you need to adjust or cancel your order. Once a parcel has been booked with the courier and dispatched, changes or cancellations cannot be made — but you may initiate a return on delivery in line with our Returns & Refunds policy.

Orders we may decline

We reserve the right to decline or cancel any order, including where the item is out of stock, where payment cannot be verified, where the delivery address falls outside our courier network, or where we reasonably suspect fraudulent activity. Where we cancel an order you have paid for, you will receive a full refund.

We accept all major, secure South African payment options, processed through encrypted payment gateways via PayGate.

• Visa and Mastercard — credit and debit cards
• Store credit
• Loyalty rewards points

Payment must be received in full before an order is dispatched or released for collection. Ownership of the goods passes to you once payment has cleared and the goods have been delivered or collected.

Timeframes

Orders are packed and dispatched within 1–2 business days. Once shipped, delivery takes 2–4 business days to major city centres — Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban — and 3–6 business days to regional or outlying areas.

Delivery timeframes are estimates provided in good faith. They are not guaranteed and may be affected by courier delays, weather, load shedding, public holidays or peak trading periods.

Delivery options & charges

Tracking

As soon as your parcel is collected by the courier we will email and SMS you a direct tracking link and waybill number.

Your obligations on delivery

• Provide a complete and accurate delivery address and contact number
• Ensure someone is available to receive the parcel at the address given
• Inspect your parcel on arrival and report any damage within 48 hours

Where a delivery fails because the address was incorrect or nobody was available to receive it, a further delivery fee may be charged for a second attempt.

Our full Returns & Refunds policy forms part of these terms. In summary:

Change of mind

You may return unused items within 7 days of delivery, in line with the ECT Act cooling-off standard. Items must be completely unused, undamaged and unopened, in their original Japanese packaging with all internal inserts, barcodes and protective seals intact. The customer is responsible for the return courier fee, or may return the item in-store free of charge.

Defective, damaged or incorrect items

Report damage or an incorrect item within 48 hours of delivery, with your order number and clear photos of the item and the courier box. We will dispatch a replacement at no cost and cover 100% of the return courier fees, arranging collection from your address.

Items that cannot be returned

• Personal care, grooming tools and cosmetic accessories once opened
• Opened hygiene-sensitive cleaning tools, such as bath sponges and toothbrushes
• Clearance or final sale items

Refunds

You may choose an immediate replacement subject to stock, a store credit voucher, or a full refund. Refunds to card or Instant EFT reflect within 3–7 business days of approval, depending on your bank. Store credit is issued immediately and does not expire.

Our full Warranties & Guarantees page forms part of these terms. In summary:

• 6-month quality and defect warranty. In accordance with the CPA, products are covered against manufacturing defects and material failures for 6 months from purchase, entitling you to a free replacement, repair or full refund.
• 100% authenticity guarantee. Every product is authentic and sourced directly from verified Japanese manufacturers and reputable brand partners.
• Safe delivery guarantee. Items arriving broken, cracked or damaged by the courier are replaced free of charge when reported within 48 hours.

Warranty exclusions

• Normal wear and tear
• Cosmetic scratching from regular use
• Accidental drops
• Misuse or intentional modification
• Failure to follow care or washing instructions

Earning

You earn 1 point for every R10 spent on eligible product purchases, excluding shipping fees. Points are earned on the actual net amount paid after any discount or coupon has been applied. Points cannot be earned on courier or delivery fees, gift wrapping, or purchased gift cards.

Redeeming

Every point is worth R0.10, making 100 points a R10 discount. The minimum redemption is 10 points, and points may be applied in increments of 1 point thereafter. You must be logged into your account at checkout to apply your balance.

Validity

Points remain valid for 12 months from the date they are credited to your account and expire automatically on a rolling 12-month basis. When you redeem, your oldest points are used first.

Restrictions

• Points have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash
• Points are strictly non-transferable and cannot be shared across multiple accounts
• Points cannot be applied toward courier or delivery fees, gift wrapping, or gift cards
• Only one promotional coupon code or point redemption may be used per transaction, unless stated otherwise

Cancelled or returned orders

If an order is refunded or returned, any points earned on that order are deducted from your balance. Points that were used on a returned order are re-credited to your account.

Changes to the programme

We may amend, suspend or discontinue the rewards programme, including the earning rate and point value, on reasonable notice. Points already credited to your account will remain redeemable until their expiry date.

Promotional codes, sales, bonus point days and special offers are subject to their own stated terms, including validity periods, minimum spend and product exclusions.

• Only one promotional coupon code or point redemption may be used per transaction, unless expressly stated otherwise
• Promotional codes have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash
• Offers may be withdrawn or amended at any time before an order is placed
• We may cancel orders and withdraw codes where we reasonably believe a promotion has been abused

You may use this website for lawful purposes, to browse our products and to place orders. You may not:

• Use the site in any way that is unlawful, fraudulent or harmful
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the site, its servers or any connected system
• Introduce viruses, malware or any other harmful code
• Scrape, harvest or systematically extract data, content or pricing from the site
• Resell products purchased from us as new or authorised stock without our written consent

We make reasonable efforts to keep the website available, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may suspend, withdraw or restrict all or part of the site for maintenance or business reasons.

All content on this website — including the Musubi name and logo, text, product descriptions, photography, graphics, page layout and design — is owned by or licensed to Musubi and is protected by South African and international copyright and trade mark law.

You may view, download and print content for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may not reproduce, republish, distribute or commercially exploit any part of this website without our prior written permission.

Third-party brand names and trade marks belonging to the Japanese manufacturers whose products we stock remain the property of their respective owners.

We collect only the personal information required to process and fulfil your orders, provide customer support and improve your shopping experience. We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data.

Information is shared only with couriers and logistics partners, payment gateways, and IT and service infrastructure providers, all bound by confidentiality and POPIA compliance agreements.

Our full Privacy Policy sets out what we collect, how we use it, your rights under POPIA, and how to contact our Information Officer. It forms part of these terms.

Our products are intended for normal household use and must be used in accordance with any care, washing or safety instructions supplied. Some instructions may be printed in Japanese; if you are unsure how to use or care for a product, please contact us before use.

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We are not liable for loss or damage arising from misuse, modification, accidental damage, or failure to follow supplied instructions
• We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including loss of profit, loss of data, or loss of opportunity
• Our total liability arising from any order is limited to the amount you paid for that order
• We are not liable for delays caused by couriers, payment providers or other third parties outside our reasonable control

We are not liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations where that failure or delay results from events beyond our reasonable control. This includes natural disasters, fire, flood, epidemic, war, civil unrest, strikes, load shedding, courier or transport failure, import restrictions, customs delays, and failure of telecommunications or payment networks.

Where such an event occurs, we will contact you as soon as reasonably possible and, where the delay is substantial, offer you the choice of waiting, receiving store credit, or a full refund.

We may update these terms from time to time to reflect changes in our business, our products, or the law. The version published on this page at the time you place an order is the version that applies to that order.

The "last updated" date at the top of this page shows when these terms were last revised. We recommend reviewing them before placing an order.

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and any dispute will be subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.

Resolving a complaint

If something has gone wrong, please contact us first. Most issues are resolved quickly and directly. We aim to respond to all queries within 2–3 business days.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you may refer the matter to the National Consumer Commission or the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, whose services are free to consumers.

For any question about these terms, an order, a return, or your account: