Terms of service

SECTION 1 - OVERVIEW & LEGAL STATUS

This Site is operated by International Marble Ltd. Throughout the Site, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to International Marble Ltd. We provide this online store, including all information, tools, and services conditional upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions, policies, and notices stated here. Our store is hosted on Shopify Inc., providing the secure e-commerce platform and checkout gateway that allows us to sell our products to you.

SECTION 2 - CONSUMER VS. TRADE (B2B) STATUS

These Terms apply to both Consumers (individuals buying for personal use outside a trade, business, or profession) and Trade Customers (buying for purposes relating to their trade, business, craft, or profession). Where specific clauses apply only to Trade Customers or only to Consumers, it is explicitly stated. If you input a business name, corporate VAT number, or request a trade commercial invoice at checkout, you will be treated as a Trade Customer.

SECTION 3 - THE CONTRACT & ORDER FULFILLMENT

1. Order Offer: Your submission of an order through our Shopify checkout represents an offer to purchase goods from us. To safeguard our business from database glitches, system bugs, or sudden stock shortfalls, a binding legal contract is exclusively established only when the Seller formally executes warehouse dispatch and hands the physical consignment over to our freight carrier network. Automated confirmation emails or payment receipts do not mean your order has been legally accepted.
2. Order Discretion: We reserve the right to decline or cancel any order prior to dispatch due to inventory errors, sudden quarry stock unavailability, or localized shipping restrictions. If we cancel an order after payment has been processed, we will issue a full refund immediately to your original payment method.

SECTION 4 - NATURAL STONE PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

1. Natural Variations: The Purchaser acknowledges that all products sold by International Marble are 100% natural stone materials quarried from the Earth. Variations in colour, shade, background blending, veining patterns, texture, surface pitting, and geological micro-fissures are inherent natural characteristics and do not constitute defects, faults, or misdescriptions.
2. Visual Guidance: Product images, descriptions, or physical samples provided on the Site are for general illustrative guidance only. We cannot guarantee that your digital screen precisely reflects the exact shade of the delivered stone block, nor that a newly quarried batch will perfectly match a previously supplied sample. No two pieces are ever identical.

SECTION 5 - PHYSICAL SAMPLE CUT POLICY (10x10cm)

To assist customers in evaluating stone texture and general tones, we offer physical 10x10cm sample cuts subject to the following rules:

SECTION 6 - SHIPPING RATES & DELIVERY ZONES

In strict compliance with Google Verified Merchant transparency standards, our delivery charges and transit times are configured directly within our logistics engine as follows:

SECTION 7 - SHIPPING, KERBSIDE DELIVERY, & RISK

1. Kerbside Only: Due to the severe structural weight and physical fragility of natural stone crates (typically averaging 800kg+ per unit), delivery is strictly kerbside only. Goods will be unloaded at the nearest accessible, safe point on a hard, flat surface adjacent to the delivery address (such as a tarmac or concrete driveway) using a tail-lift logistics vehicle. Operators cannot move heavy pallets over loose gravel, turf lawns, or steps. Moving goods from the kerbside into the property or onto a site is entirely the responsibility and physical risk of the Purchaser.
2. Delivery Estimates: All delivery timelines or transit slots provided are non-binding operational estimates. International Marble is not liable for any financial loss, structural downtime, or hired labour costs resulting from carrier delays.
3. Transfer of Risk: Risk of loss, damage, or destruction of the goods passes to the Purchaser immediately upon offloading from the delivery vehicle tail-lift at the specified delivery address.

SECTION 8 - DAMAGE INSPECTION & MANDATORY REPORTING WINDOW

1. Trade Customers (B2B): You must thoroughly inspect all pallets and goods upon arrival. Any damage, shortages, or delivery discrepancies must be noted on the carrier’s delivery manifest note and reported to us in writing with photographic evidence within 24 hours of delivery. Failure to report within 24 hours entirely invalidates any claim for transit damage.
2. Consumers: You are requested to inspect the goods upon delivery. Any transit damage or shortages must be reported to us with digital photos at cs@intmarble.com within 24 to 48 hours to allow us to claim against our logistics partners. Your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 regarding inherently faulty or damaged goods remain completely unaffected.

SECTION 9 - CONSUMER CANCELLATION & RETURN POLICY

In compliance with UK and EU Consumer Contracts Regulations:

1. 14-Day Right to Cancel: Consumers have an absolute statutory right to cancel their order for any reason within 14 days from the day they (or a designated third party) take physical possession of the goods.
2. Exceptions: This statutory right to cancel does not apply to any goods that have been custom-cut, sealed, modified, or bespoke-manufactured to your specific spatial dimensions.
3. Return Requirements: To exercise this right, you must notify us clearly at cs@intmarble.com. Goods must be returned completely unused, clean, unaltered, and securely repacked on their original delivery pallets within 14 days of your notice. Loose tiles or products returned outside of original factory crates will be rejected.
4. Return Transport Costs: The arrangement and cost of return transport are borne entirely by the Consumer. Natural stone is exceptionally heavy; return freight costs via pallet networks can be significant and remain your complete financial risk.
5. Outbound Free Shipping Clawback: Promotional free shipping on orders over £1,500.00 is strictly contingent on final contract completion. If you change your mind and initiate a return, this commercial subsidy is revoked. A fixed outbound heavy freight recovery charge of £155.00 per dispatched pallet unit will be systematically deducted from your final refund balance.

SECTION 10 - HEAVY LOAD RESTOCKING FEES & EXTENDED WINDOWS

1. Trade Accounts (B2B): Trade Customers do not possess an automatic statutory right to cancel or return goods for a change of mind. All trade returns are purely discretionary and subject to our formal prior written approval. If accepted, goods must be returned to our Kilkeel depot at the Trade Customer's expense within 30 days.
2. Extended Return Window (Days 15–30): For retail consumers, returns requested after the statutory Day 14 window but within 30 days of purchase are purely discretionary, require written management validation, and must be returned as full unopened pallet configurations.
3. Mandatory 30% Restocking Charge: To handle specialised forklift offloading, manual batch sorting, and quality resalability audits of heavy stone cargo, all approved trade returns and all discretionary consumer returns (Days 15–30) are subject to a mandatory handling and restocking fee of 30% of the gross material value, which will be directly deducted from the final credit settlement line.

SECTION 11 - HANDLING, STORAGE, & PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION

1. Storage Constraints: Uninstalled natural stone must be stored upright in a clean, bone-dry, and completely weather-sheltered environment. We accept zero liability for degradation, stone staining, or efflorescence blooming caused by exposure to moisture or weathering prior to installation.
2. Professional Fitting Mandate: It is a strict condition of sale that products are fitted exclusively by qualified, experienced, and fully insured professional stone-tiling professionals using stone-specific, high-performance white thin-set adhesives (Minimum Class S1 or S2). The use of grey adhesives or spot-bonding methods is prohibited, as it causes permanent face shadowing. Marble must be sealed with a premium impregnating sealer twice—once before grouting and once immediately after grouting.
3. Installation Equals Absolute Acceptance: Once a stone tile or slab has been cut, adhered, mixed, or permanently installed, it is deemed contractually accepted by you. We accept absolutely no liability for visual aesthetic variations, shading differences, size variations, or structural faults discovered after installation has commenced. We do not cover or compensate third-party installation or removal labour fees.

SECTION 12 - EXCLUSION OF WARRANTIES & LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

1. Statutory Protections: Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot be legally limited or excluded under Northern Ireland law (including statutory protections under the UK Consumer Rights Act).
2. Liability Cap: To the maximum extent permitted by law, all implied warranties, conditions, or terms under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 are excluded. We shall under no circumstances be held liable to the Purchaser or any third party for any loss of profit, indirect economic loss, consequential damage, labor wait-time, site delays, or penalties. Our maximum total aggregate liability under or in connection with any Order shall be strictly limited to a value equal to the net invoice price paid by the Purchaser for the specific goods giving rise to the claim.

SECTION 13 - PRIVACY & DATA PROTECTION (GDPR / UK GDPR)

All personal data collected via our Shopify storefront is securely processed strictly in accordance with our Privacy Policy, the UK Data Protection Act 2018, and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Our transaction pages use industry-standard encryption protocols to protect your billing credentials.

SECTION 14 - PROHIBITED USES & AI DATA SCRAPING PROTECTION

You are prohibited from using the Site or its contents for any unlawful purpose, or to violate international, federal, or local regulations. You are strictly prohibited from utilising automated data collection systems, crawlers, scrapers, extraction tools, or artificial intelligence agents (including agentic AI systems) to copy, index, harvest, or monitor our product images, layout designs, structural catalogue data, or pricing information without our express prior written licence.

SECTION 15 - SHOPIFY PLATFORM RELATIONSHIP

You explicitly acknowledge that your contract of sale is solely with International Marble Ltd. Shopify Inc. provides the e-commerce infrastructure but is not a party to this agreement and bears no liability, warranty obligation, or operational responsibility for the products or logistical fulfillment of your order.

SECTION 16 - GOVERNING LAW & JURISDICTION

These Terms of Service, your order, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them shall be governed exclusively by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Northern Ireland. You and International Marble Ltd both agree that the courts of Northern Ireland shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or legal claim.

SECTION 17 - CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions about these Terms of Service should be sent directly to our administration desk:

📧 Email Support: cs@intmarble.com

📞 Support Hotline: 028 417 62221

📍 Postal Address: International Marble Ltd, 67 Newcastle Street, Kilkeel, County Down, BT34 4AQ, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom