What does an e-commerce refund policy need to cover?

Returns window, eligibility, exclusions, condition requirements, who pays return shipping, refund timing, refund method, defective-goods flow (separate from discretionary), and statutory rights preservation for international B2C customers. Contact info for questions.

Can I have different refund rules per country?

Yes — many international stores have a "for EU customers" / "for UK customers" / "for AU customers" section that overrides the general policy where statutory rules apply. Simpler alternative: write the policy to the most generous applicable rule so it works everywhere.

Are restocking fees legal?

In the US, generally yes if disclosed. In the EU / UK, restocking fees can't apply to the 14-day statutory withdrawal — only to discretionary returns above the statutory minimum. AU: fees can't apply to statutory consumer guarantee remedies. Disclose clearly and cap at a defensible amount (15-25%).

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Refund Policy for E-commerce

An e-commerce refund policy that holds up internationally — EU, UK, AU consumer law plus US state rules in one document.

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EU / UK / AU consumer law handled in one document
Defective-goods flow separated from discretionary returns
Operationally clear — your support team can apply it without thinking

E-commerce refund policies fail in predictable ways: they're US-templated and unenforceable for the EU customers that will eventually buy from you; they conflate defective-goods returns with buyer's-remorse returns; or they're so vague that customers and your support team can't apply them consistently. This page generates a refund policy that addresses each of those failure modes — the cross-border consumer-protection rules, the defective-goods carve-out, and the operational clarity your support team needs to apply the policy without thinking.

What your e-commerce refund policy needs to cover

Disclosures that matter for e-commerce.

Returns window + clock-start

When does the window start? Most policies use "from delivery" which matches EU CRD. State the trigger clearly to avoid disputes.

Statutory withdrawal handling

For EU / UK B2C, the 14-day cooling-off period applies regardless of policy. Permitted exclusions under EU CRD Art. 16 (custom-made, perishables, sealed digital after seal broken).

Australian Consumer Law

For AU buyers, statutory consumer guarantees (acceptable quality, fitness for purpose, matching description) override the policy. Major failures: consumer chooses refund / repair / replacement. Cannot exclude (ACL §64).

Defective vs. discretionary returns

Two separate paths. Defective: statutory remedies, trader bears costs, fast timeline. Discretionary (buyer's remorse): your policy governs, customer typically pays return shipping, longer timeline OK.

Restocking fees

Permitted in the US (no federal rule against). Permitted in EU but unreasonable fees (>25%) can be challenged as defeating statutory withdrawal. UK CCR: no restocking fees for the 14-day withdrawal.

US state-specific

California §1723 requires conspicuous posting. NY GBL §218-a defaults to 30-day refund if no policy posted. State UDAP statutes prohibit deceptive refund practices.

Common mistakes

Where e-commerce policies usually go wrong.

US-style policy on international site

A US-templated "30 days, store credit only, restocking fee" policy fails enforceability for EU / UK / AU customers. Either localize per-region or set the floor at the most generous applicable rule.
Single returns flow for all cases

Defective-goods customers should not have to navigate the buyer's-remorse return flow (paying their own shipping, waiting 30 days). Separate flow signals respect and prevents chargebacks.
No clock-start specified

Window starts from order date? Shipment date? Delivery date? Customer receipt confirmation? Without specifying, disputes arise. EU CRD defaults to receipt.