Castlery Review: The “Free Returns” Cost 20%

1. The returns contradiction, and what a return really costs

This is the finding that sets the rating, so here is the evidence plainly. On the product page for the Lena Leather Sofa, priced at $2,199, the text immediately under the Add To Cart button reads Free 30-day returns. An expandable panel further down the same page discusses cancellation charges and links to the Sales and Refunds page. That page, last updated 22 May 2025, says: there is a 20% restocking fee charged per returned item; this fee is deducted from your refund.

Both statements were live on 12 August 2026. Twenty per cent of $2,199 is $439.80. The policy adds that shipping fees and any additional service fees paid for Room of Choice or White Glove will not be refunded, and that returning an item without its original packaging incurs $50 per item. So a buyer who took White Glove delivery at $150, discarded the cartons, and returned the sofa inside the 30 days would lose roughly $640 of the $2,349 they spent.

A 20% restocking fee on furniture is not unusual in the industry, and there is a real argument for it — a returned sofa often cannot be resold as new. Our objection is not the fee. It is describing the arrangement as free returns on the page where the purchase decision is made, with the actual terms one click away. Those two things cannot both be accurate.

Two further limits worth knowing. Nothing marked Clearance, Final Sale, Display, Customized or Customizable can be returned, exchanged or refunded at all. And once you have had the notice that your shipment is ready to process, you get 24 hours to change or cancel without charge; after the goods leave the warehouse, a restocking fee applies to cancellations too.

2. Delivery: the part that decides whether this is good value

Castlery's delivery page, last updated 25 February 2025, is long and genuinely detailed. Everything below is disclosed there. The problem is not concealment, it is that the headline — free shipping on orders over $1,399 — carries an asterisk doing a lot of work, and that the default service is much thinner than the phrase suggests.

Start with the threshold. Free shipping needs a subtotal of $1,399 or more excluding add-on services, and applies to selected cities only. Then the structure: shipping is calculated per shipment, not per total order, based on the warehouse a product ships from, and an order containing items with different lead times may be split into several shipments each carrying its own fee. Buy a sofa, a coffee table and a rug and you may pay three times.

Then the service level. Standard, the $0 default, delivers to the ground floor, lobby or first dry area. No unpacking, no assembly, no removal of packaging, no moving your existing furniture. In their own words, deliveries requiring a lift or staircase under Standard service will be left at the entrance of the lift or the foot of the stairs. If you live in a third-floor walk-up, free delivery means a boxed sofa in the hallway. Room of Choice at $50 to $70 gets it into the room and up two flights but still boxed and unassembled. White Glove at $100 to $150 unpacks, assembles and takes the rubbish. Additional flights beyond two may cost more. Every one of those charges is per shipment.

And the risk sits with you. You are responsible for checking items fit through doors, stairs and lifts; if the furniture cannot be got in, you pay redelivery fees or return shipping plus restocking. Failed delivery because nobody could access the home incurs additional charges. Delivery partners are explicitly not responsible for damage to your flooring or surroundings, and are not permitted to move existing furniture. Photo ID may be required, and refusing verification counts as refusing delivery — the goods go back to the warehouse and a service fee is charged. Disposal of an old like-for-like item is $50, in selected regions only, and is refused if the item weighs more than 175 pounds.

3. The proof-of-delivery trap

This one is structural rather than merely inconvenient, and it deserves its own section. Damaged or defective items must be reported within 14 days of delivery and noted on the proof of delivery document. The policy then says: anything not indicated on this form before signature will result in Castlery being unable to authorize any damage claims after your driver has left.

Castlery publish a pre-signature checklist, and to their credit it is sensible: check every carton for visible damage, confirm the items match the delivery note, photograph anything wrong, note property damage on the form, and do not throw the cartons away until the matter is resolved. Item three is the revealing one. It reads: if you have White Glove delivery, wait until all items have been assembled and there is no visible damage to the items, then sign off.

In other words, only customers who paid for White Glove are expected to see the actual furniture before signing. Everyone on Standard is asked to inspect and sign for goods that are still in sealed boxes, having just been told that Standard service does not include unpacking. If you take Standard delivery, either open the cartons while the driver is still there, or write on the form that the items were received sealed and could not be inspected — and photograph everything.

4. The warranty, and the part that carries the load

The warranty page, updated 28 May 2025, is one of the better documents on the site: a proper table, product category by product category. Sofas, armchairs, ottomans, beds, sofa beds and daybeds get 10 years on the frame structure, 2 years on other components, and 1 year on covers. Dining chairs and office chairs follow the same pattern. Tables, TV stands, sideboards, bookcases and shelving get 5 years on the frame and 2 on components. Outdoor is 5 years on the frame. Rugs, bedding, cushions, throws and dinnerware get 1 year; lighting and mirrors 2.

Read the tiers rather than the headline. Ten years on a frame is a good number, but sofa frames rarely fail. What fails is foam — it softens, flattens and stops supporting — and foam sits in the 2-year bucket alongside fillings, stitching, zips, springs and suspensions. Covers, which take all the abrasion, get one year. The 10-year figure describes the least likely failure.

Three clauses to note before you rely on it. Indentations are among the excluded forms of damage. Comfort is subjective to the individual and is not considered a manufacturing fault. And Castlery's decision on all issues relating to complaints regarding defects, either of workmanship or materials, shall be final and conclusive, with repair or replacement at their sole discretion. The optional Mulberry Extended Protection Plan they sell alongside is a different product — it covers accidental damage such as drops, spills and scratches, not a longer defect warranty — so do not buy it expecting more of what the warranty already gives you.

What is Castlery and who is it for?

A direct-to-consumer furniture brand — Castlery Inc in the US, part of a group also trading in Singapore, Australia, Canada and the UK — selling sofas, dining and bedroom furniture, storage and outdoor pieces at mid-market prices. Their Lena leather sofa was $2,199 when we checked on 12 August 2026. There is a showroom in New York and the rest is online, with free fabric swatches posted out. It suits someone furnishing a room who wants more design than flat-pack and less money than a design store, and who is willing to read a delivery policy carefully first.

Are returns really free?

No. The product page for their $2,199 Lena leather sofa displays Free 30-day returns directly beneath the Add To Cart button. The Sales and Refunds policy that the same page links to states there is a 20% restocking fee charged per returned item, deducted from your refund. On that sofa the fee is $439.80. Add a possible $50 repackaging fee if you no longer have the original box, and the fact that shipping and any Room of Choice or White Glove service fees are not refunded, and a returned $2,199 sofa delivered White Glove could cost you around $600. The 30-day window is real. Free is not the right word for it.

What if I just want to exchange something?

It is treated as a return, with the same 20% fee. The policy is explicit: rather than offering exchanges, Castlery processes all exchanges as normal returns, after which you buy the new item separately. So swapping a sofa for a different colour or size costs you 20% of the original price plus any repackaging and unrefunded delivery fees. This is the strongest argument for ordering free swatches, and for visiting the New York showroom if you are anywhere near it.

How much is delivery?

It depends on your zip code and — importantly — it is charged per shipment rather than per order. If your items come from different warehouses or have different lead times, Castlery may split the order and each shipment carries its own fee. Free shipping applies to subtotals of $1,399 or more, excluding add-on services, and only to selected cities. Delivery is Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm, with Saturday available in some cities on request.

What does the free Standard delivery actually include?

Less than most people expect. Standard is the default at $0 and delivers to the ground floor, lobby or first dry area. It does not include unpacking, assembly, packaging removal or moving your existing furniture, and the policy states that deliveries requiring a lift or staircase will be left at the entrance of the lift or the foot of the stairs. Room of Choice is $50 to $70 and gets it into the room and up to two flights, still boxed. White Glove is $100 to $150 and adds unpacking, full assembly and rubbish removal. Each of those fees is per shipment, so a split order can mean paying twice.

Why does signing for the delivery matter?

Because it closes your damage claim. The policy states that anything not indicated on the proof of delivery before you sign will result in Castlery being unable to authorise damage claims after the driver has left, and that damage must be reported within 14 days and noted on the document. Their own checklist tells White Glove customers to wait until everything is assembled and confirmed undamaged before signing. Standard customers are signing for a boxed sofa they have not been able to look at. If you take Standard delivery, open the cartons before the driver leaves or note on the form that the goods were received unopened and uninspected.

What does the warranty cover?

A tiered warranty, last updated 28 May 2025, with a clear published table. On sofas, armchairs, ottomans and beds: 10 years on the frame structure, 2 years on other components including foam, fillings, stitching, zips, springs, suspensions, legs and mechanisms, and 1 year on covers. Tables, storage and outdoor frames get 5 years. The headline is the 10-year frame, but foam is the part that usually gives out on a sofa and foam has 2 years. The warranty also states that comfort is subjective and not a manufacturing fault, that indentations are not covered, and that Castlery's decision on defect versus wear and tear is final and conclusive.

Do they publish weight limits?

No. We looked at the structured product data and the specification panels on a sofa page and found dimensions, seating depth, seatable width and seating height, but no weight capacity, weight limit or maximum load anywhere. That is normal for the furniture industry rather than a Castlery failing — almost nobody publishes it for domestic seating. It is still worth asking before you order if it matters to you, because the warranty excludes indentations and leaves the defect-or-wear judgement to Castlery's absolute discretion.

Which dimensions should I check before buying?

Seating height and seating depth, not just the overall footprint — and Castlery deserves credit for publishing both. Their Lena sofa lists a seating height of 17.7 inches and a seating depth of 22.8 inches. Seat height is what determines how easy a sofa is to get out of, which matters a great deal if you have knee or hip problems; a low seat is harder to rise from. Seat depth determines whether your feet reach the floor with your back supported. Both are more useful than width when you are deciding whether you will actually be comfortable.