Retail Return Policy Generator
Small retailers assume returns are a courtesy they may grant or refuse. In several states the law says otherwise in a specific way: if your refund policy is not conspicuously posted, the customer gets the statutory default instead of yours. California's Civil Code §1723 entitles a customer to return unused goods with a receipt within 30 days for a full refund when no policy is disclosed; New York's General Business Law §519-a requires posted refund terms as a condition of enforcing stricter ones. Your posted policy is not documentation — it is the instrument that sets the terms.
Generate the policy below with physical goods selected, then make sure of the two things the law actually checks: the policy is posted where customers see it before paying, and anything restrictive — restocking fees, final sale, refund-to-store-credit — is disclosed before the sale, not discovered after it.
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.
A 15% restocking fee must be disclosed before sale and is restricted in some states. Keep the disclosure on the product page and at checkout, not only in this policy.
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 — returns may be charged a restocking fee of 15% of the item price, deducted from the refund. We always disclose this before purchase. • 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.
Starting values are set for a typical retail stores scenario — change any field to match yours. Need the plain version? Refund Policy Generator.
The posting laws that make this page matter
Most US states let a store set its own return terms, with one condition: the terms must be disclosed. The states with explicit statutes are the ones retailers most often trip over:
| State | The rule | If you don't post |
|---|---|---|
| California | Civil Code §1723: a store with no posted policy must accept returns | 30-day full-refund right for unused goods with a receipt |
| New York | GBL §519-a: refund terms must be conspicuously posted | Customer may assume goods are refundable within 30 days with proof of purchase |
| Virginia | Refund policy must be posted or disclosed before sale | Full refund right within 20 days of purchase |
| Other states | General consumer-protection and deceptive-practices rules | An undisclosed strict policy can be treated as a deceptive practice |
Restocking fees and who pays return shipping
Both are legitimate, and both are the disclosures that decide whether the charge survives contact with an unhappy customer or a card issuer.
- Restocking fees of 10-20% on opened or used goods are common; the fee must be disclosed before sale, and most states that permit it forbid charging it on defective items.
- A fee that first appears on the refund confirmation is a chargeback with paperwork. The product page, the receipt and the posted policy should all carry the same number.
- For online orders, state who pays return shipping — customer-pays is normal, merchant-pays is a conversion lever, and either is fine when disclosed.
- Free return shipping on defective or mis-shipped items is not generosity; it is what the law effectively requires everywhere.
Gift receipts, holidays and final sale
- Gift returns need their own path: a gift receipt hides the price, and refunding to store credit or a gift card rather than the original payment is standard — disclose it, because "refund to gift card only" is exactly the term that reads as a trick when discovered at the counter.
- Extend the window across the holidays: a gift bought on 1 December with a 30-day window expires before it is unwrapped. A stated extended window for December purchases is one sentence in the policy and prevents the year's worst reviews.
- Final sale is legal for clearance and personalised items when marked at the point of sale — but it never covers defective goods, which remain returnable under general consumer law everywhere.
- ID-tracking for returns exists to stop fraud rings; if you scan IDs, say so in the policy, because undisclosed data collection at the return desk is its own compliance problem.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I legally have to accept returns?
- No federal law forces returns, and most states let you set your own terms — with the condition that the terms are disclosed. Where the policy is not conspicuously posted, statutes such as California's Civil Code §1723 imply a 30-day full-refund right, which is nearly always worse for the store than any policy you would have written.
- What is the standard return window?
- Thirty days from purchase or delivery is the retail norm and what customers expect; fourteen appears for electronics and seasonal goods. Whatever you pick, the posting matters more than the number — a strict posted policy beats a generous unwritten one, legally and operationally.
- Can I refuse a return without a receipt?
- Yes, when your posted policy says so. Many stores split the difference: no receipt means exchange or store credit at the current price rather than a cash refund. Whatever the rule, it must be the posted one — inventing requirements at the counter is where deceptive-practice complaints begin.
- How do gift returns work?
- With a gift receipt, the recipient can return for store credit or a gift card without seeing the price, within the window. Refund-to-gift-card is standard and legal when disclosed in the posted policy. For December purchases, an extended holiday window is the norm worth adopting explicitly.
- Can I mark items final sale?
- Yes, for clearance, personalised and special-order items when the marking is conspicuous at the point of sale. Final sale never extends to defective goods — those stay returnable under general consumer law regardless of the tag, in effectively every jurisdiction.
- Do my online and in-store policies have to match?
- No, but each must be disclosed where the sale happens: posted in-store, linked at online checkout. Distance selling adds a layer in-store policies never see — EU/UK consumers' 14-day withdrawal right — so stores shipping internationally should tick that box in the generator rather than reuse the domestic text.