Terms & Conditions

By placing an order, sending payment, or otherwise completing a purchase through Sanctorum Codex (the "Seller", "I", "me", or "my"), you (the "Buyer") acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms of Sale and the disclaimer set out below. If you do not agree, do not place an order.

The Buyer further acknowledges and accepts that all information provided about any item — including but not limited to translation, dating, period attribution, authorship, provenance, subject matter, condition, and historical context — is given to the best of the knowledge of the Seller and the Seller's colleagues, advisors and consulted specialists, based on good-faith research at the time of listing, and is offered on that basis only. The Buyer accepts this as an express condition of sale.

Items offered on this site are antique or vintage hand-made relics, reliquaries, icons, vestments, and related devotional and sacred objects, of the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Each item is a unique physical object that may show age-appropriate wear, repairs, losses, staining, insect damage, fading of pigment, or other irregularities consistent with its age and history of use.

All descriptions, attributions, period and century estimates, translations of Latin, Greek, Old Church Slavonic or other liturgical scripts, identifications of subject matter, provenance statements, and condition reports are provided to the best of my knowledge and good-faith research at the time of listing. They are based on personal study, visible characteristics of the piece, comparison to published examples, and information received from prior owners, dealers, and specialists.

Catholic and Orthodox sacred-art studies are a specialised and evolving field. Precise dating, attribution to a scribe, workshop or region, and translation of liturgical and devotional text are inherently interpretive and reasonable specialists may disagree. No description on this site should be relied upon as a definitive scholarly judgment or as a certificate of authenticity issued by a recognised institution.

Any errors, inaccuracies, or revisions in translation, dating, attribution, authorship, provenance, or condition assessment are a risk borne by the Buyer, as is the case with any antique document or work of art. Buyers are strongly encouraged to seek independent expert opinion before purchase.

Except as expressly stated in writing in the individual listing, all items are sold "AS IS" and "WITH ALL FAULTS". To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Seller disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title (beyond Seller's good-faith belief), accuracy of description, non-infringement, and any warranty arising from course of dealing or usage of trade.

No statement made by the Seller, whether oral or written, before or after sale, shall create a warranty or expand the scope of any obligation set out in these Terms.

The Buyer has thirty (30) calendar days from the date of delivery (as recorded by the carrier) to inspect the item and notify the Seller in writing at abyssiniacodex@gmail.com of any claim of material misdescription or undisclosed damage. No returns, refunds, or exchanges of any kind will be accepted after this 30-day period, for any reason.

Within the 30-day window, returns are accepted only for a valid reason recognised in law — namely (a) material misdescription of a fact (not opinion, attribution, or estimate) that a reasonable buyer would have relied upon, or (b) undisclosed material damage present at the time of dispatch. Change of mind, change of taste, buyer's remorse, difference of scholarly opinion regarding dating, translation or attribution, or a third-party valuation differing from the listing are not valid grounds for return.

If a claim is timely, in writing, and the Seller agrees the item was materially misdescribed or materially damaged on dispatch, the Buyer's exclusive remedy is to return the item — in the same condition as received, in its original packaging, with all documentation — for a refund of the purchase price. Original and return shipping, insurance, customs duties, taxes, and any payment-processor fees are non-refundable unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Items returned damaged, altered, restored, conserved, re-bound, cleaned, or otherwise modified by the Buyer or any third party are not eligible for refund.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Seller's total aggregate liability to the Buyer arising out of or relating to any item, listing, statement, or transaction — whether in contract, tort (including negligence), misrepresentation, restitution, or otherwise — shall not exceed the purchase price actually paid by the Buyer for the specific item giving rise to the claim.

In no event shall the Seller be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of value, loss of resale opportunity, diminution of collection value, expert or appraisal fees, or reputational harm, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or limitations on certain damages. To the extent any limitation in these Terms is unenforceable in your jurisdiction, it shall be enforced to the maximum extent permitted.

Shipping is handled per the Shipping & Returns page. Risk of loss passes to the Buyer upon delivery to the Buyer's address, unless transit insurance has been arranged in which case any loss or damage in transit is handled through the insurer's claim process.

The Buyer is responsible for all import duties, taxes, customs clearance, and compliance with import and cultural-property laws of the destination country. The Seller does not undertake and cannot guarantee that any item may be lawfully imported into, exported from, or resold in any particular jurisdiction.

Items are offered in good faith based on provenance information available to the Seller. The Seller does not knowingly offer items that have been illegally exported from their country of origin or that are subject to a credible claim of theft. If the Buyer becomes aware of a credible claim of stolen or illegally-exported property concerning an item purchased here, the Buyer should contact the Seller promptly and the Seller will cooperate in good faith.

Payment is due in full before shipment. Accepted payment methods are listed at checkout. Title to the item remains with the Seller until payment has fully cleared.

Nothing on this site constitutes investment, financial, appraisal, legal, religious, or scholarly advice. Statements regarding value, rarity, or historical importance are the Seller's personal opinion and should not be relied upon for insurance, tax, resale, or academic purposes.

All photographs, descriptions, page layout, and original text on this site are © Sanctorum Codex and may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used to train machine-learning models without prior written permission.

Information provided during checkout or via the contact form (name, email, shipping address, message) is used solely to fulfil orders and respond to inquiries. It is not sold or shared with third parties except as required to ship the order (carrier) or process payment (PayPal / Venmo).

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. These Terms, together with the individual listing, the Shipping & Returns page, and any written confirmation of sale, constitute the entire agreement between the parties regarding the item, and supersede any prior or contemporaneous understanding.

The Seller may update these Terms at any time. The version in effect at the time of your order is the version that governs your purchase. Updated versions take effect when posted on this page.

Questions about these Terms, a specific listing, or a past purchase should be directed to abyssiniacodex@gmail.com.