Refund Policy Generator
A refund policy is one of the few pages where being too strict can legally backfire: in several US states, a store that fails to conspicuously post its refund terms owes customers a statutory return right — California's Civil Code §1723 implies a 30-day full-refund right when nothing is posted, and New York requires posted refund terms outright. Selling to EU or UK consumers adds a 14-day cooling-off period you cannot contract away, and digital products carry their own trap: the withdrawal right only disappears if the customer expressly consented to immediate delivery before downloading. This generator writes a policy for physical goods, digital products or services — windows, exchanges, return shipping, restocking fees, deposits — and then reads it back against those rules, flagging the choices that get merchants into trouble rather than quietly producing a document that will not hold. Post the result where customers can find it before they pay: that posting is what makes the policy enforceable instead of decorative.
0 = all sales final. See the warnings either way.
0 for none. Must be disclosed before sale.
Fill in: Business name — placeholders remain until you do.
REFUND & RETURN POLICY — [BUSINESS NAME] Last updated: [DATE] 1. What this policy covers This policy covers physical goods bought directly from [BUSINESS NAME]. Purchases made through marketplaces or retailers follow that platform's policy instead. 2. Return window You may return an item within 30 days of delivery for a refund, provided it is unused, in its original packaging, and you have your proof of purchase. Start a return by contacting us with your order number before you ship anything back. 3. Returns — practical terms • Exchanges — we are happy to exchange an eligible item for a different size or colour within the same return window. • Return shipping — return shipping is at your cost, unless the item arrived damaged or incorrect. • Restocking fee — none. Refunds are for the full item price. • Not returnable — gift cards, final-sale items marked at checkout, perishables, and custom or personalised orders. 4. How refunds are paid Approved refunds go back to the original payment method within 7 business days of approval. If it has been longer, contact your bank first, then us — but always chase us too. 5. Statutory rights Nothing in this policy limits the rights you have under the consumer-protection laws where you live. 6. Questions Email [CONTACT EMAIL] with your order number and we will sort it out.
This generator reflects common rules (state posting laws, the EU/UK 14-day cooling-off period); it is not legal advice. Link the finished policy from your footer and checkout, and have a lawyer review it if you sell at scale.
How to use Refund Policy Generator
- 1
Pick what you sell
Physical goods get return conditions and shipping terms; digital products get a defect-and-promise refund structure; services get deposit and cancellation wording.
- 2
Set the window and the practical terms
Choose how many days customers have, who pays return shipping, whether exchanges are offered, and any restocking fee. The tool warns where a choice is legally fragile.
- 3
Publish it where it counts
Copy the policy to its own page, fill in the date, and link it from your footer and checkout — conspicuous posting is what the state laws actually require.
Why use this tool
- Separate templates for physical goods, digital products and services
- Return window, exchanges, shipping and restocking fee built in
- State posting-law warnings — why "no refunds" unposted backfires
- EU/UK 14-day cooling-off wording, including the digital-goods consent trap
- Deposits and cancellation terms for service businesses
- Generated locally — your business details never leave the browser
Frequently asked questions
- Can I legally have a no-refund policy?
- Sometimes, but the bar is higher than merchants assume. US states generally let stores set terms if the policy is conspicuously posted; where it is not, statutes step in — California Civil Code §1723 implies a 30-day full-refund right when no policy is posted, and New York's General Business Law §519-a requires posted refund terms. Consumer sales in the EU/UK carry a 14-day withdrawal right that a "no refunds" line cannot erase. A posted, specific policy is the enforceable version of strictness.
- What happens if I don't post a refund policy?
- In states with posting rules, customers gain the statutory default — typically the right to return unused goods with a receipt within 30 days for a full refund or credit. In practice that is worse than any policy you would have written, because the default applies even to sales you would have treated as final.
- What is the EU/UK 14-day cooling-off period?
- Consumers who buy at a distance — online or by phone — can cancel within 14 days of receiving goods, without giving a reason, and get a refund of the item price and standard delivery. Exceptions exist for custom-made and personalised items, perishables, and sealed goods unsealed for hygiene reasons. For digital content the right ends early only if the customer asked for immediate delivery and acknowledged losing it — which is why the checkout flow matters, not just the policy.
- Can I charge a restocking fee?
- Commonly yes for opened or used items, but it must be disclosed before sale, and a few states restrict when it can apply at all. A fee that first appears on the refund invoice is a chargeback magnet. If you charge one, this generator writes it into the policy and reminds you to keep the disclosure visible at the point of sale.
- How do refunds work for digital products?
- Because nothing comes back, a digital refund is a promise tied to conditions: the file will not open, the licence key fails, or the product is materially not as described. State the conditions and window in the policy, and for EU/UK customers collect consent to immediate delivery at checkout — without that consent, the 14-day withdrawal right applies no matter what the policy says.
- Do I have to refund damaged or wrong items?
- Yes, effectively everywhere. Goods that arrive damaged, faulty or different from what was ordered are governed by statutory consumer rights, not by your window or restocking fee. The generated policy handles these outside the standard return terms and covers return shipping when we — the merchant — are at fault.
- Where should the refund policy be displayed?
- Linked from your site footer and from checkout, ideally visible before payment rather than after. The state posting rules reward conspicuousness, payment processors and marketplaces ask for it, and customers who find the policy before buying dispute far less afterwards.
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