Checking their website more carefully, I found this which may answer my basic question:
“HGR Policies – Returns
Return Policy – Our Guarantee
If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, please return it within 30 days of the date of the order, freight pre-paid, for a full refund.”
So, yes, long delays in shipment like the one I’ve experienced will prevent returns. The “order date” for the $5K item they haven’t shipped yet was 12/15/17, so my decision to investigate this more thoroughly came about a week too late. They billed me for shipping and I paid on January 4, which of course makes no difference. Live and learn, or read the fine print before it is too late.
But in all fairness, even if they intentionally delayed shipment to prevent a return, the salesman helped me check out the item right after I bought it, I asked him to get more photos of the item so I could see certain items clearly, and he had to go to the item three different times when the photos didn’t show what I needed to see. Item was a propane forklift and I needed to see hour meter and chain take-up bolt remaining thread length, and repeat photo trips were needed for the latter, a hard-to-see area. After I determined it was in running condition except for battery, had very low hours, and had bolt threads remaining, I have pretty good confidence that it’ll work ok here, if it ever gets here that is.