EStore Tools

Return Policy Generator

Turn your return rules into a clear return and refund policy, tailored to what you sell and where your customers are.

Describe the result you need. AI will set up the tool and ask for any missing details.

Configure with AI

Enter to submit · Shift + Enter for a new line

Sent to AI. Leave out passwords and private customer data.

Your brief

These form details are sent to our AI provider when you generate. Review the result before publishing.

How the return policy is built

You describe your return rules in plain words. The generator turns them into a structured policy: the window, item condition, exclusions, how to start a return, who pays shipping, refunds and exchanges, and faulty items. It uses only what you give it and leaves a [placeholder] for anything missing, such as your returns address.

Two choices change the wording:

  • Product type. Clothing gets tag and wear conditions, beauty gets the hygiene-seal rule, custom items are excluded from change-of-mind returns, perishables are excluded but still covered if faulty, and digital downloads lose the return right once the download starts with the customer's consent.
  • Region. US policies state your own terms in full. EU and UK policies add the legal 14-day right to cancel, which your own rules can extend but never shorten.

The rules it follows by region

Customers inRuleWhat the policy says
United StatesNo federal right to return. California Civil Code 1723 requires stores that don't give a full refund, exchange or credit within 7 days to post their policy.Refund type, time period, which products, and any conditions. Faulty items are handled separately from change-of-mind returns.
EUConsumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU14 days to cancel from delivery, refund of all payments including standard delivery within 14 days, and the withdrawal function on your website.
UKConsumer Contracts Regulations 2013, Consumer Rights Act 2015The same 14 days, plus the 30-day right to reject faulty goods.
  • Allowed exclusions (EU and UK): personalized or made-to-order goods, perishables, hygiene-sealed goods opened after delivery, sealed media or software opened after delivery, and downloads started with the customer's consent. Sale items aren't on that list.
  • Return postage: EU and UK customers pay it only if your policy says so before they buy.
  • No restocking fees on EU or UK cancellations. You can deduct for loss of value only if the item was handled more than a shopper could in a store.

Publishing it on Shopify or WooCommerce

  1. 01

    Shopify

    Go to Settings → Policies, open Return policy, and paste the result. Shopify links your policies in the checkout footer automatically.

  2. 02

    WooCommerce

    Add a page under Pages, paste the HTML into a Custom HTML block, and link it from your footer, product pages and order emails.

  3. 03

    Before you publish

    Fill every [placeholder], replace [DATE], and check the policy matches what your team actually does.

This is a template, not legal advice. It follows the published rules for the US, EU and UK, but it can't know every state or country rule that applies to you.

Questions people ask

Is this legal advice?

No. It's a template built on the published US, EU and UK consumer rules. Have it reviewed if you sell high-value goods or into many countries.

Do I have to accept returns in the US?

There's no federal rule that makes you take back goods that aren't faulty. Some states, such as California, require you to post your policy if you don't give a full refund, exchange or credit within 7 days.

Can I make sale items final sale for EU or UK customers?

Not for the legal 14-day right to cancel. Only specific items, such as personalized goods or opened hygiene products, are excluded by law. Final sale can apply to any extra return time you give beyond that.

Who pays return shipping?

It's your choice, but say it clearly. For EU and UK customers, you pay return postage for change-of-mind returns unless your policy told them before they bought that they pay it.

How fast do I have to refund?

For EU and UK cancellations, within 14 days of being told, though you can wait until the item comes back or the customer shows proof of posting. In the US, refund as your policy promises.

Related tools

Shipping Policy GeneratorWrite a shipping policy that covers processing times, rates, international orders, duties, delays and lost parcels.MerchantReturnPolicy Schema GeneratorBuild Google-ready return policy markup for your whole store, or override it for a single product.EU Withdrawal Button Checker and GeneratorCheck your store for the EU online withdrawal button, then get the official labels in 24 languages, the form text and the confirmation email.Warranty Policy GeneratorTurn your warranty terms into a clear policy page with the legal wording US, EU or UK customers need.

Want this builtinto your store?

I'm Emmanuel, a Shopify and WooCommerce developer. If this tool pointed at something you'd rather have fixed for you (a faster store, cleaner product data, a migration, a custom feature), send me a note.

Emmanuel Asika

Emmanuel Asika

Shopify & WooCommerce developer, Dublin

I build and fix online stores: new builds, migrations, speed, SEO and the custom bits apps can't do.

hello@emmanuelasika.com
See my work

Last reviewed 30 September 2026.

Sources: Shopify Help Center: Adding store policies · California Legislative Information: Civil Code 1723 · EUR-Lex: Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU · Your Europe: Consumer contracts and guarantees · legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 · legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 34 · legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22