When customers send things back.
WHAT YOUR POLICY MUST STATE
Whether you accept returns Within what period In what condition Who pays return delivery How long a refund takes
BE SPECIFIC
Vague policies produce disputes.
THE COMMON APPROACH
Returns accepted within a stated period, unused and in original packaging, customer pays return delivery unless the item was faulty.
FOR FAULTY ITEMS
You pay. Replace or refund promptly.
Arguing about a genuinely faulty item costs more in reputation than the item.
PROCESSING A REFUND
Through your gateway, so it returns to the original payment method.
Record it against the order.
TIMESCALE
State how long it takes. Gateway refunds are not instant.
WHAT TO TRACK
Return reasons.
Three of the four common causes are usually fixable on the product page: wrong size, not as described, wrong item sent.
WHAT THAT TELLS YOU
Your descriptions, images or picking process need work.
