Return Policy Generator
Generate a clear, customer-friendly return policy for your store or marketplace.
What Makes a Good Return Policy
- Length of window — 30 days is the default. 60–90 days is a real conversion booster for premium brands.
- Condition required — “unused, original packaging” is strictest; “like-new” is friendlier.
- Shipping cost — free returns reduce cart abandonment but cut margin. Splitting the cost is a sensible middle ground.
- Restocking fee — 10–25% is common for opened or custom-fit items. Must be disclosed pre-purchase.
- Exceptions — hygiene products, perishables, custom or final-sale items.
Best practices
- Make the policy reachable in two clicks from product pages and checkout.
- Include a return shipping label or self-serve return portal where possible.
- Acknowledge legally mandated rights (EU/UK 14-day withdrawal, Australian consumer guarantees) explicitly.
- Pair this with a separate, equally clear refund policy.
Why a clear return policy raises conversion
Counterintuitively, a generous, visible return policy increases sales more than it loses to returns. Narvar's 2023 returns study found that 76% of shoppers check the return policy before completing a purchase, and 67% will abandon the cart if the policy is unclear or restrictive. Most legitimate returns are size, fit, or "not as expected" issues that good product pages can prevent. Fraudulent returns ("wardrobing", return-fraud) are real but represent under 10% of returns for most stores. A clear policy that says "30 days, original condition, free return label" beats "all sales final" in net revenue for almost every category.
What the page must answer
- The window. "30 days from delivery" — start from delivery date, not order date, because tracking proves both.
- The condition. "Unworn, unwashed, with original tags and packaging." Be specific so buyers know what disqualifies a return.
- The process. Numbered steps. "1. Start a return at /returns. 2. Print the label. 3. Drop off at any UPS Store. 4. Refund issued within 5 business days of receipt."
- Who pays return shipping. Three options: you pay (best for conversion), buyer pays (best for margins), free over a threshold (a fair middle).
- Refund method and timing. Back to original payment method, ETA, and how exchanges differ from refunds.
- Non-returnable items. Final-sale, custom, hygiene-sensitive (underwear, swimwear after removed liner), digital downloads, opened software.
- Damaged or defective items. A separate, more generous track. "Email a photo within 7 days and we ship a replacement same day."
Worked example: a small apparel brand
"Free returns within 30 days of delivery on unworn items with tags attached. Start a return at acme.com/returns — we email a prepaid USPS label. Refunds hit your card within 3 business days of us receiving the parcel. Final-sale items (anything ending in -FS in the SKU, marked clearly on the product page) cannot be returned. Damaged or wrong items: send a photo to [email protected] within 7 days and we ship a replacement immediately — no return required."
Common mistakes that create chargebacks
- Restocking fees that are not disclosed on the product page.
- Refunding to "store credit only" without saying so before the purchase.
- Refusing returns for "doesn't fit" while marketing the product as true-to-size.
- 15-day windows on holiday purchases — buyers who shop in late November expect to be able to return in January.
- Manual return processes (email us for an RMA) — friction users interpret as bad faith.