Copy the refund policy template below, fill in the brackets, and paste it under Settings, then Policies, in Shopify. Shoppers then find the answer to "can I send this back?" before they email you. A no refund version follows, with the rights the law still gives them.
A jacket comes back 41 days after delivery, worn once, its tags gone. You'd say no, but nothing on your store says so. The shopper's next email mentions her bank.
What should a refund policy say?
A refund policy answers six questions before a shopper asks them: how long, in what condition, who pays the postage, how the money comes back, whether an exchange is possible, and what can't come back at all. Add how to start a return and what happens when an item arrives damaged, and it is complete.
A return is the item coming back. The refund is the money going back, to the card or as store credit. An exchange swaps the item for another, and your policy can offer any mix of the three. A clear condition rule, such as unworn with tags, is also your first line against return fraud.
Refund and return policy template to copy
Each highlighted bracket is a blank to fill in or an option to keep or delete. Take the brackets out of what you keep, then check it against your return rules before you save.
Refund and return policy
Last updated: [date]
Returns. You can return most items within [30] days of delivery. Items must be unworn, unused and unwashed, with the original tags attached, in their original packaging.
How to start a return. [Sign in to your account, open the order and ask for a return there.] [Or email us at [email] with your order number.] We'll reply with where to send it. Please wait for our reply before you post anything.
Return shipping. [Return shipping is free.] [We take a flat [$6] for return shipping off your refund.] [You pay for return shipping, unless the item arrived damaged, faulty or wrong.]
Refunds. We check returns within [3] business days of receiving them and email you the result. Approved refunds go back to your original payment method, and your bank can take up to [10] business days to show it. [Original shipping charges aren't refunded.] [You can choose store credit instead.]
Exchanges. Need another size or color? [Ask for an exchange when you start your return, and we'll send the new item once yours is on its way back.] [We don't do exchanges: return the item for a refund and place a new order.]
Final sale. These can't be returned or exchanged unless they arrive damaged, faulty or wrong: [items marked Final sale], [custom and personalized orders], [earrings, swimwear and underwear, for hygiene reasons].
Damaged, faulty or wrong items. If something arrives damaged, faulty or not as described, email [email] with your order number and a photo. We'll repair, replace or refund it at no cost to you.
Questions. Email [email] or write to [return address]. We reply within [1] business day.
Written for this page, November 2026. Shopify settings and the laws below checked November 5, 2026.
- Use a window Shopify's return rules can match: 14, 30 or 90 days, or a custom number. Shoppers in the EU need 14 days or more.
- Selling to the UK? On a change-of-mind cancellation, refund the standard delivery charge, and take no fee off unless the item was used or damaged. Items bought in a sale keep the same rights as full-price ones.
- The return address goes on a public page. If you work from home, Shopify suggests a PO box or a rented mailbox, and warns that some legal disclosures don't accept a PO box.
How do you add a refund policy in Shopify?
Open Settings, then Policies, in your Shopify admin. Under "Written policies", the list of policy pages your store can show, click "Return and refund policy".
"Use automated policy" is the switch that lets Shopify write the text. If it is on, turn it off, then replace the text with your filled template, check it and click Save. Switching automation off keeps the text already there, and switching it back on replaces your wording with Shopify's.
Once saved, the policy shows in the footer of your store and checkout by default. Shoppers look for returns beside the price as well, so link the policy from your product page.
Your text tells shoppers what to expect, but your return rules decide what they can request from their account. Open "Default rules", the return settings on the same Policies page, and make both say the same thing.
| Your policy says | Set it in Default rules |
|---|---|
| [30] days from delivery | Return window, and Starting from |
| Who pays return shipping | Return shipping |
| A restocking fee | Restocking fee, which shoppers see when they ask |
| What is final sale | Final sale items: collections or products, not both |
| Exchanges | No setting: you add the new item when you approve the return |
| Card or store credit | No setting: you pick the refund method when you process each return |
Can you have a no refund policy?
Often yes, for a shopper who simply changed their mind, though online shoppers in the UK and the EU still get 14 days to cancel. In the UK, the EU and Australia, no policy can take away a shopper's remedy for an item that is faulty or not as described.
- United States. New York requires stores, online ones included, to post the refund policy near the item or before the shopper enters payment details. Without it, a buyer can return unused, undamaged goods within 30 days for cash or credit. Florida's rule requires a store that gives no refund or exchange to say so at the point of sale.
- United Kingdom. Online shoppers can cancel within 14 days of delivery without giving a reason, then have 14 more days to send the item back. You refund within 14 days of getting it. A sign saying you don't accept returns is illegal there.
- European Union. Shoppers get the same 14-day right of withdrawal from delivery, and goods carry a legal guarantee of at least two years against faults.
- Australia. A plain "no refunds" sign or online policy isn't allowed, because no store policy can override a shopper's consumer guarantees. A line saying no refunds for a simple change of mind is fine. The law covers overseas stores selling there too.
Custom-made, personalized and perishable goods fall outside the UK and EU right to cancel. In the UK, so do sealed hygiene items once opened. A download falls outside it only if the shopper agreed to give up the right before it started. Nothing on this page is legal advice, the two templates included, so check the rules where your shoppers live.
No refunds for a change of mind
We don't give refunds or exchanges if you simply change your mind. This doesn't affect your rights if an item arrives damaged, faulty or not as described: email [email] with your order number and a photo, and we'll repair, replace or refund it. If you live in the UK or the EU, you can still cancel most orders within 14 days of delivery, as the law there allows.
A no refund policy doesn't stop a chargeback either. A shopper can still dispute a charge as "Product unacceptable", the dispute reason for an item that arrived defective, damaged or not as described. Your evidence can then include the product's description and photos. And when a shopper claims a refund they never got, the evidence Shopify Help lists starts with your refund policy and where you showed it to them.
What if a shopper asks for a refund your policy doesn't cover?
Decide case by case, and say so in your policy with one line: "If your question isn't covered here, email us and we'll find a fix." When the answer is no, a reply template keeps it kind.
Store credit is a middle ground, which you pick as the refund method when you process the return. It needs the new customer accounts, and store credit expiry rules differ by country.
On Shopify Payments, the card fee on a refunded order doesn't come back to you, so a goodwill refund costs you that fee on top of the price. If requests keep piling up, a returns app can take them in and offer the exchange first.
When you change the policy, Shopify keeps past versions for 2 years. To export them, open the three-dot menu beside Written policies and click "Get past policies".
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Does Shopify have a refund policy template?
Yes. In Settings, then Policies, open Return and refund policy and turn on Use automated policy. Shopify fills the page from your return rules and store details, then updates it whenever those settings change. Shopify warns the text isn't legal advice. To keep your own wording, turn the switch off and paste a template like this page's.
Is a no refund policy legal?
Often, for a shopper who simply changed their mind. New York requires stores, online ones included, to post the policy before payment, or buyers get 30 days to return unused goods. In the UK and the EU, online shoppers can still cancel within 14 days of delivery. Australia doesn't allow a plain no refunds policy. This isn't legal advice.
What is the difference between a return policy and a refund policy?
A return policy covers sending the item back: the window, the condition and who pays the postage. A refund policy covers the money: how much comes back, to which payment method and how fast. Shopify keeps both on one page, the Return and refund policy.
How many days should a refund policy give?
At least 14 days if you sell to the EU, counted from when the last item in the order arrives. Shopify's Return window menu offers No returns, 14, 30 or 90 days, Unlimited, or Custom. Whatever you choose, set the same window in your return rules, so the requests shoppers can send match what your policy says.
How long does a refund take on Shopify?
On Shopify Payments, a refund shows as Pending for up to 2 business days while it goes back to the shopper. Their bank can then take up to 10 business days to show it. You can usually refund up to 120 days after the payment. The card fee on the original sale isn't returned to you.
Policy done. Which sales is your store still missing?
Sledge won't write your policy or refund an order. It puts search, filters, bundles and a cart drawer in your store, and you can try it free for 14 days. Growth Intelligence turns on when you pick a paid plan. It studies what shoppers search for and buy, then lists fixes for the sales your store misses, with one dollar total for all of them, labeled "Est. potential".
