Kickstarter is not a store and we do not issue refunds. When you back a project, you’re supporting a creator’s right to try to make something new—and agreeing to go along for the ride. For more information, please read our Terms of Use.
What are creators obligated to do?
When a project is successfully funded, the creator is responsible for completing the project and fulfilling each reward to the best of their abilities. Their fundamental obligation to backers is to finish all the work that was promised, honestly address backers’ concerns, and deliver rewards.
All money raised goes directly to the creator and is managed by the creator (with only a small fee passing through Kickstarter's hands).
How do I request a refund?
If a project is still live, you can cancel your pledge before it ends. However, once a successful project has ended, and collection has started, it is no longer possible to cancel your pledge.
If you’re interested in having your collected pledge refunded, you’ll need to reach out to the creator directly. Keep in mind, however, that if the funds have already gone towards producing or shipping rewards then a refund may not be possible at this time.
Why has the project creator unexpectedly issued me a refund?
If you’ve been issued a refund but did not request it from the creator, you should visit the project’s most recent update as a first step, to see if there is any information relating to the refund. The creator may have refunded your pledge as they are unable to fulfill your selected reward as planned, or they’ve run into issues with their project.
A refund may also have been issued if a project was suspended after it ended successfully. You can read more about suspensions in this article.
If you’re unable to find specific information on the project page, you’ll need to reach out to the creator directly for more clarification on why you were issued a refund.
Note that creators are responsible for issuing refunds, and Kickstarter is not involved in this process. A creator can choose whether or not to issue a refund and it is entirely at their discretion, however we do expect them to communicate with their backers when a refund is issued.
What happens when a creator issues a refund?
When a creator issues a refund through Kickstarter, it will be automatically applied to the card originally pledged with and may take up to 30 days to appear back on the card.
If 30 days have passed and you still have not received your refund, you’ll want to reach out to your bank as a first step and provide them with the refund amount, the date it was issued, and the card details that were used to pledge originally.
In instances where the original payment method is no longer valid (i.e., the card has expired or the account has been closed) please consult this article.
If you’ve already spoken to the financial institution that the card was issued by and you still cannot locate your refund, please contact our Support team for further trace information.