Guide

Write a return and refund policy customers can actually understand

A clear policy prevents most disputes before they happen, and makes the ones that do happen easier.

6 min read·5 steps

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Decide your actual return window
14, 30, or 60 days, pick one and be consistent. Match or beat your main competitors' windows where you can, customers compare this before buying.
Write it in plain language, not legalese
'Return it within 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked' beats three paragraphs of conditional clauses. If a customer needs a lawyer to understand your policy, rewrite it.
Cover the edge cases up front
Who pays return shipping? Are sale items final? Do you offer exchanges or only refunds? Answering these before customers ask prevents most disputes.
Put it somewhere customers will actually see it
Link it in your footer, on every product page, and in your order confirmation email. A policy that's only visible if someone searches for it might as well not exist.
Train yourself (and your team) to honour it without a fight
A generous, consistently-honoured return policy builds more repeat business than the money you save nickel-and-diming edge cases. Reserve pushback for genuinely suspicious patterns, not one-off requests.

That’s the whole thing.

Decide your actual return window