AM Your refund and shipping policies answer the two questions shoppers ask right before buying: what happens if this does not work out, and when will it arrive. They are also pages that Google Merchant Center and payment providers read. This tool writes both from one form, so the terms match each other, and it gives you a summary of the same settings for Merchant Center.
The output is a template based on your answers, not legal advice. Consumer protection rules vary by country, so check the requirements where you sell.
How to write a return policy with this tool
- Enter your store name, support email and website, and the date the policy takes effect.
- Choose what you accept: returns on all products, defective or wrong items only, or no returns.
- Set the return window in days from delivery, and turn on the holiday extension if you want items delivered November 1 to December 24 to be returnable until January 31.
- Pick the item condition: unused with tags and packaging, unused in original packaging, new or lightly used, or any condition.
- Decide who pays return shipping: the customer unless the item is faulty or wrong, always the customer, or you (free returns).
- Explain how returns start: by email, or through a returns portal with its URL. Add a return address or leave it to be sent by email, and tick the return methods: mail, carrier drop-off or in store.
- Set the refund: original payment method, store credit or customer's choice, the number of business days to refund, any restocking fee, and whether original shipping is refunded.
- Set exchanges and problems: exchanges for size or color, any item of equal value, or none; how many days customers have to report damage; and whether you send a replacement or refund. List non-returnable items, one per line.
- Fill in shipping: processing days and order cutoff time, where you ship from, currency, free shipping threshold, each shipping method with its cost and delivery time, international destinations, duties, tracking, PO boxes, and lost package handling.
- Review both policies with the Refund and Shipping switch, then copy or download each as HTML or plain text.
What goes into each policy
| Refund and return policy | Shipping policy |
|---|---|
| Return window (for example, 30 days from delivery) | Processing time and order cutoff |
| Item condition required | Shipping methods, delivery estimates and costs |
| Who pays return shipping | Free shipping threshold, if any |
| How to start a return and where to send it | International destinations, duties and taxes |
| Refund method and how long it takes | Tracking numbers and how customers receive them |
| Exchanges | PO box and APO/FPO delivery |
| Non-returnable items (final sale, personalized, hygiene, gift cards) | Lost, stolen or delayed packages |
| Damaged, defective or wrong items, restocking fee | How to contact you about a shipment |
A worked example
A US clothing store accepts returns on all products within 30 days of delivery, unworn with tags. The customer pays return shipping unless the item is faulty or wrong, refunds go to the original payment method within 5 business days of receiving the return, exchanges are for a different size or color, and customers have 7 days to report damage. Orders ship in 1 to 3 business days with a 2 PM Eastern cutoff, free over $50, and lost packages get a claim and a replacement. The Merchant Center summary under the policy then reads: returns accepted for all products, 30-day window, exchanges yes, new items only, return by mail, customer pays return shipping (free when faulty), 0% restocking fee, refund in 5 business days, handling 1 to 3 business days, free shipping over $50. Those are the values to enter in Merchant Center.
Merchant Center return policy requirements
Google treats return information as part of the offer. According to Merchant Center Help, you add return policies under Shipping and returns. The settings include your return policy URL and countries, whether you accept returns for all products, defective items only or none, exchanges, item condition, the return window with optional seasonal extensions, return methods, restocking fees, and refund processing time.
Google asks that return policies are consistent in Merchant Center and across your website, including the footer, returns page and banners, and that the policy explains what customers must do, when returns are accepted, the time allowed and when refunds are issued, reachable without logging in.
Warning: A 30-day window in Merchant Center and a 14-day window on your site is a mismatch. Change the website policy and the Merchant Center settings together, and do the same for shipping costs and delivery times, which must match what shoppers see at checkout.
Missing or vague policies are a common cause of misrepresentation issues.
Return rules you cannot write away
- EU and UK buyers have a legal right to cancel most online purchases within 14 days of delivery without giving a reason, with exceptions for personalized and sealed hygiene goods. A "no returns" policy does not override this for those buyers.
- US sellers are free to set their own return terms in most states, but some states require the policy to be posted clearly, and card networks side with the customer on undisclosed terms. The FTC's mail order rule requires you to ship within the time you state, or within 30 days if you state none, and to offer a cancellation when you cannot.
- Faulty goods are covered by consumer law in most countries regardless of your window.
Where to publish your policies
Shopify
Go to Settings > Policies, open the return and refund policy and the shipping policy, paste each one and click Save. Shopify links saved policies in the checkout footer. Also add both pages to your footer menu. If you set return rules in Shopify, keep them identical to the published text.
WooCommerce and other platforms
Create a page for each policy, paste the HTML, and link both in your footer menu. Add a short note about shipping times near the add to cart button if delivery is slow.
What clear policy wording looks like
Customers skim these pages when something has already gone wrong, so every rule should answer a question on its own. Compare a vague clause with a clear one:
Vague: "Returns accepted on most items within a reasonable time."
Clear: "You can return unused items in their original packaging within 30 days of delivery. Email us with your order number to get a return address. Return shipping is paid by the customer unless the item arrived damaged or was not what you ordered. We refund your original payment method within 5 business days of receiving the return."
The generator writes in the clear style, using the numbers you enter. Replace any wording that does not describe exactly how you handle returns today.
Who uses this generator
- New Shopify and WooCommerce stores that need both pages before applying to Merchant Center or a payment provider.
- Dropshippers who must state realistic overseas delivery times and where returns go.
- Handmade and personalized sellers who need clear final sale and damage rules.
- Agencies setting up policy pages for several client stores quickly.
Best practices
- Use numbers, not adjectives. "Ships in 1 to 2 business days" beats "ships quickly".
- Count from delivery. A return window that starts at order date shrinks when shipping is slow.
- Be honest about dropshipping. If products ship from overseas, state realistic delivery ranges and where returns go.
- Keep one source of truth. Update your policy pages, Merchant Center, marketplace settings and any banners on the same day.
Common mistakes
- Copying a large retailer's policy with windows and free returns you do not actually offer.
- Saying "no refunds" in a market where consumer law gives buyers a cancellation or return right.
- Leaving out who pays return shipping, which drives most support emails and disputes.
- Forgetting processing time, so customers expect delivery from the moment they order.
Privacy
Both policies are written in your browser, and your answers are saved only in this browser so you can edit them later. Nothing is sent to AM Jarvis.
Related tasks
Generate a matching privacy policy, and follow the Merchant Center setup guide for Shopify to connect your store. The AM Jarvis GMC Scanner and Fixer checks a connected store for missing policy pages and contact information and pushes fixes to the store.