FAQs
What is dark & disturbed?
Well, we are really. Our black hearts can't help but love all things dark & disturbed. It only felt fitting.
We are also a book box company that offers monthly boxes featuring your favorite dark, taboo, and emo authors/tropes. All D&D boxes are preorder only at the beginning of each month. Please follow us on instagram to keep track of upcoming boxes and all their details: @darkanddisturbedshop
What is Blackout Romance?
Blackout Romance is our subscription bi-monthly book box that features books with all your filthiest tropes, kinks, triggers, etc. Blackout is its own entity that does not directly correlate with D&D. Make sure to follow our instagram to keep up with all the details: @blackoutromancebox
Do you ship internationally?
Yes, we do! All international shipping rates are calculated by the carriers themselves. We have no control over those costs.
Average shipping cost: Canada $30-40 USD, UK $50-60 USD, AUS $100+ USD
* Please note: D&D only charges base shipping costs. Taxes and duties will be due upon delivery.
How long will it take for my merch to get to me?
Processing times vary, but generally, items ship within 5 business days. Shipping times vary based on your location.
Why is it taking so long to receive my box/bundle?
We do pre-ordering only, meaning, you should expect your box to ship roughly 16-18 weeks from the end of the preorder period. Same goes for our subscription box. Once shipped, it is out of our hands. UPS and USPS don't always update tracking information immediately. If you haven’t received your package after 14 days of labels being printed (with no update from the carrier), please email us directly and we will look into it further. We don't always immediately ship as soon as we print labels either, so that could be a factor in the delay.
What are your policies regarding damaged or missing book box items?
We take great care in packing our special editions and want you to be happy with the condition in which your order arrives. Because books are manufactured, packed, and transported through multiple stages before reaching you, minor cosmetic imperfections can occasionally occur and do not necessarily qualify an item as damaged.
If an item from your order arrives damaged or is missing, please contact us so our team can review the issue and determine the appropriate resolution.
Damage & Missing Item Claims
- All damage or missing-item claims must be submitted within 14 days of the carrier-confirmed delivery date.
- Clear photos of the reported damage and proof of purchase are required. We may request additional photos, including photos of the packaging or shipping box, when necessary to evaluate the claim.
- All damage claims are reviewed individually based on the severity, location, and overall effect the damage has on the condition and presentation of the edition.
What may qualify as damage?
Examples of damage that may qualify for replacement include, but are not limited to:
- Missing pages or significant printing/binding defects
- Significant tears, cuts, punctures, or visible gashes to the cover, hardcase, dust jacket, or spine
- Significant crushing or deformation of the book, spine, or corners
- Significant permanent marks, residue, or staining that materially affects the appearance of the edition
- Torn, folded, or otherwise damaged pages that materially affect the book or artwork
- Damage to special-edition features, such as significant damage to foiling, sprayed/stenciled edges, artwork, or other decorative elements
Because every situation is different, inclusion on this list does not automatically guarantee replacement. Our team will evaluate the overall severity of the reported damage.
What is generally considered a minor cosmetic imperfection?
Minor cosmetic imperfections that do not materially affect the overall appearance, integrity, or intended presentation of the edition generally do not qualify for replacement. These may include:
- Slightly bumped, compressed, or rounded corners
- Minor dents or impressions
- Slight creasing or bending at the top or bottom of the spine
- Minor scuffs, scratches, rubbing, or surface marks
- Minor imperfections to sprayed or stenciled edges
- Slight variations or imperfections resulting from manufacturing or binding
- Wavy pages caused by humidity or environmental conditions
- Other small cosmetic imperfections consistent with normal manufacturing, packing, shipping, or handling
We understand that special editions are collectible items and that customers understandably want them to arrive in beautiful condition. However, we cannot guarantee that books will arrive in flawless, mint, or grading-quality condition.
Replacements
If your item meets our replacement criteria and replacement inventory is available, we may require the damaged item to be returned to us before a replacement is shipped. Return instructions will be provided by our team, and the return must be completed as instructed before the replacement is released.
Replacement copies are subject to the same damage standards as original purchases. If a replacement arrives with damage that independently meets our replacement criteria, please contact us within 14 days of delivery with photos so our team can review it.
Receiving a replacement does not automatically disqualify an item from further review. However, minor cosmetic imperfections that do not meet our damage criteria will not qualify for an additional replacement solely because they appear on a replacement copy.
Whenever possible, we will work with you to determine an appropriate resolution based on the circumstances and available inventory.
A Note About Shipping & Handling:
It is never our intention to send damaged merchandise. Copies with significant damage identified by our team before fulfillment are removed from sellable inventory.
We also package our orders carefully to help protect them during transit. Once a package leaves our warehouse, however, it is handled by third-party shipping carriers, and we cannot guarantee that an edition will remain completely free from minor cosmetic imperfections during transit.
Our damage policy allows us to replace books that sustain significant damage while recognizing that minor imperfections can occur during the manufacturing and shipping process. This also helps us maintain enough replacement inventory for customers whose editions arrive with substantial damage.
We truly appreciate your understanding and your love for the special editions we create.
CANCELLATION POLICY FOR BOOK BOXES
Dark & Disturbed Preorders:
- You have 24 hours after placing your pre-order to cancel your order, if needed. After 24 hours, no cancellations are permitted. ALL SALES FINAL.
Blackout Romance Subscriptions:
- You may cancel your subscription at any time.
- If your subscription renews, we cannot cancel or refund your order.
- Subscriptions renew on the first of every other month.
Can you skip a subscription renewal?
Moving forward, we will allow ONE (1) skip per calendar year for Blackout Romance.
This means that for 2026, you may skip (1) box and would not be able to skip another until 2027.
· ONE (1) skip per calendar year (JAN to DEC).
· Skips do NOT roll over into the next year. Unused skips expire at the end of the year.
· SKIPS ARE FINAL. Once a box is skipped, you may not un-skip it.
· The request to skip the box must be done via email prior to the renewal date (1st of each renewal month to blackoutromancebox@gmail.com).
o Renewal Months: 1st of JAN, MAR, MAY, JUL, SEP, NOV
o SKIPS cannot be requested during the renewal period (1st - 5th of renewal months)
- During the renewal period, the system attempts to collect payment once a day for 5 days. If your payment fails during this time and payment is not collected by our system by the 5th attempt, this will result in your subscription being canceled.
- If renewal takes place (meaning you have been charged or the system is in process of collecting payment), you CANNOT skip. Skips can only be done up until the 1st of the renewal period. Not during and not after.
· How to skip: send email to blackoutromancebox@gmail.com prior to the 1st and state you would like to skip the upcoming box with your name and email associated with your account.
o The skip request email must be received by 5pm ET the day prior to renewal (1st). This is to ensure the request is processed prior to the system charge. Once the skip has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email.
Do you accept returns?
All sales are final. No returns or exchanges are permitted. If you have an issue with your item, please email us directly, and we will do everything we can to make it right.
1. We do not accept returns or exchanges for individual items within your box for reasons outside of our control, or issue refunds for no show pick ups for preordered signing exclusives. Please see next question for damaged books/boxes.
2. All our merch is printed and distributed directly from our printers. Unfortunately, that does not allow us to oversee quality control before it reaches you. Our printers are pretty awesome though, and we're proud to say that we very rarely get an email about apparel issues.
a. We will happily replace your apparel if you get the wrong item entirely, your design is not centered/off in any way, arrives with stains, or it has stitching that looks like it will fall apart.
b. Photos of the damage will be required. Be thorough, as our printer wants to make sure it was their fault for the issue.
Other important things to note:
- We do not hold packages, delay/reschedule payments, and cannot change a domestic address to an international address or vice versa.
Please email us if you need to update your address or payment method. Forwarding addresses are not permitted. If you request an address change, all pending orders and active subscriptions will be updated, as well.
For inquiries regarding your Dark & Disturbed orders, please email us at darkanddisturbedhelp@gmail.com
For inquiries regarding your Blackout Romance subscriptions, please email us at blackoutromancebox@gmail.com