Write the boring page customers actually read
Here’s an uncomfortable truth about online shopping: a lot of people check your return policy before they check out. If they can’t find one, or it reads like a riddle, the cart gets abandoned. A clear policy does the opposite. It removes the “what if this doesn’t fit?” hesitation and quietly nudges someone toward buying.
The problem is that writing one from scratch is tedious. You end up copying a policy from some other shop, swapping in your store name, and hoping the terms still make sense. This builder skips that. Answer a handful of questions and you get a full, readable policy you can paste straight onto a page.
What you control
Six inputs shape the whole document:
- Return window in days. Thirty is the common default, but you can set 14 for fast fashion or 90 if you want to compete on generosity.
- Refund method - original payment, store credit, or exchange only. Each one rewrites the relevant paragraph so the wording matches your actual process.
- Item condition you’ll accept back. The default mentions tags and original packaging, but you can phrase it however your products need.
- Who pays return shipping - the customer, your store, or “depends on the reason” (customer pays for change-of-mind, you pay for defects).
- Non-returnable items as toggle chips. Click the ones that apply: gift cards, final sale, custom orders, perishables, and the rest.
- Contact email so shoppers know exactly where to send a request.
There’s also an optional restocking fee field. Leave it blank and that clause disappears entirely. Set it to 15 and the policy spells out the deduction.
How the output is built
Everything happens in your browser as you type. No data gets sent anywhere, and there’s no account to make. The generator assembles seven numbered sections: the return window, item condition, refund handling, return shipping, non-returnable items, how to start a return, and a clause for damaged or wrong items. That last one matters more than people expect, since “the item showed up broken” is a totally different situation from “I changed my mind.”
When you’re happy with it, hit Copy to grab the plain text, or Download to save a .txt file named after your store. Drop it into your Shopify policy editor, a WordPress page, or wherever your storefront lives.
A few things worth knowing
The wording aims for plain English, not legalese. Customers skim, so short sentences win.
Match your numbers to your fulfillment reality. If your warehouse takes a week to inspect returns, don’t promise a refund in 48 hours. Broken promises in a policy cause more chargebacks than a slightly slower timeline ever would.
One caveat: this is a template, not legal advice. Consumer protection rules vary a lot by country. The EU gives buyers a 14-day cooling-off period on most online orders, parts of the US differ state by state, and other regions have their own rules. Read the generated text against your local law before you publish it.
Common questions
Is the policy legally binding once I post it? A published return policy generally forms part of your terms of sale, so yes, customers can hold you to it. That’s exactly why you want the wording to match what you’ll actually do.
Can I offer store credit instead of cash refunds? Yep. Pick “Store credit” as the refund method and the whole refund section rewrites to describe credit, including how fast it posts.
What should I put in non-returnable items? Anything you genuinely can’t resell or restock. Underwear, opened cosmetics, custom engraving, downloadable files, gift cards. The toggles cover the usual suspects, and skipping them all is fine too.
Does a restocking fee scare buyers off? It can. Most consumer stores skip it. Furniture, electronics, and large custom goods are where a 10 to 20 percent fee is more accepted. Leave the field empty if you’d rather not charge one.
Will this work for digital products? Mostly. Toggle on “Downloadable software and digital goods” as non-returnable and the policy makes that clear. You may still want a separate clause for license issues.