Refund & Return Policy Generator
Returns, refunds, cancellations and shipping — written the way the law expects.
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Preview
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For general information only, not legal advice. Templates are generic starting points — have a qualified lawyer review anything you rely on.
About the Refund & Return Policy Generator
Every online store needs clear rules for cancellations, returns, refunds and delivery — customers look for them before they buy, and payment gateways such as Razorpay ask for Cancellation & Refunds and Shipping pages before they activate live payments. In India, the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 require that information to be displayed, and some promises are not optional: you cannot refuse to take back or refund goods that are defective, wrong, not as described or delivered late. In the EU and the UK, consumers who buy online can withdraw within 14 days without a reason.
Tell the generator what you sell — physical goods, digital products or services and subscriptions — and where your customers are, then set your own rules: return window, exchanges, who pays return shipping, items that cannot be returned, refund time and method, cash on delivery, cancellation, delivery times and charges. It writes a plain-English policy that keeps the parts the law requires — defective and late items, a Grievance Officer who acknowledges complaints within 48 hours and resolves them within one month, and for EU and UK customers the 14-day right of withdrawal with the model withdrawal form and the digital-content exception. The checks flag terms that would break the rules. Copy the HTML for your site or download Word, PDF or text; nothing leaves your browser.
How to use it
- Enter your store’s name, legal name, address and customer care contacts, and choose whether you want one page or separate refund and shipping policies.
- Tick what you sell and where your customers are (India, the EU, the UK).
- Set your returns, refunds, cancellations, digital-product and subscription rules, and your shipping details.
- For India, add the Grievance Officer; for the EU, say where your online withdrawal function is.
- Read the Checks, then copy the HTML into your Cancellation & Refunds and Shipping pages, or download Word, PDF or text.
Examples
15-day returns · free pickup · non-returnable: innerwear, personalised items, gift cards · COD · India, EU, UK
Sections for cancellation, returns and exchanges, defective or wrong items (30 days to report), refunds within 7 days (COD to a bank account or UPI), the 14-day EU/UK right of withdrawal with the model form and its exceptions, shipping, payments, and the Grievance Officer with the 48-hour and one-month timelines.
Digital products · no refunds once accessed · EU customers
A digital-products section, plus the EU rule that the 14-day right ends when access begins only with the customer’s express consent and acknowledgement — and the checkout wording to use.
Cancellation charge: Rs. 200 · India
A warning that cancellation charges are allowed only if you bear a similar charge when you cancel (E-Commerce Rules r.4(8)) — so the policy promises to pay the customer the same amount when you cancel a confirmed order. Remove the charge if you do not want to make that promise.
Common uses
- A D2C brand or small online store getting its policy pages ready for a payment gateway.
- A course creator or software seller setting refund rules for digital products.
- A salon, studio, coach or SaaS business writing booking and subscription cancellation rules.
- An Indian exporter selling to consumers in the EU and the UK.
What Indian e-commerce law requires
The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 apply to every business selling goods or services online, including a brand’s own website, and to foreign businesses that systematically sell to consumers in India. You must display your legal name, headquarters address, website and the contact details of customer care and a Grievance Officer (r.4(2), (4)); acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and redress them within one month (r.4(5)); show return, refund, exchange, warranty, delivery and payment terms, including the cost of return shipping (r.6(5)(g), r.7(1)); refund accepted requests within a reasonable period (r.4(10)); not charge for cancellations unless you bear the same charge when you cancel (r.4(8)); and never refuse to take back goods or refund for items that are defective, deficient, spurious, not as described or late — unless the delay was force majeure (r.6(3), r.7(4)). From 1 January 2027 you must also give each complainant a copy of the complaint as recorded. Under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, refusing to take back defective goods and refund within the period on the bill — or 30 days if none is stated — is an unfair trade practice (s.2(47)(viii)).
The EU and UK 14-day right of withdrawal
Consumers who buy online can withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason — for goods from the day they receive them, for services and digital content from the day the contract is made — and the period is extended by up to 12 months if you do not tell them about it. You must refund everything, including the standard delivery charge, within 14 days of hearing from them (you may wait until the goods are back or posted — unless you offered to collect them), and the customer pays the direct cost of returning goods only if you said so in advance. There are exceptions — personalised goods, goods that spoil quickly, sealed hygiene goods and sealed media once opened, and digital content once a download or stream starts if the customer expressly agreed and acknowledged losing the right. In the EU, contracts made through a website or app must also offer an online withdrawal function (“withdraw from contract here”).
Subscriptions and free trials
India’s Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns 2023 list as dark patterns a subscription trap — cancellation that is hidden, hard or long, or payment details or an auto-debit demanded for a free subscription — and SaaS billing practices such as converting a free trial to paid, or renewing, without telling the customer. Let customers cancel as easily as they signed up, and remind them before trials convert and plans renew.
Sources
- Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 — rr.2, 4–7; E-Commerce (Amendment) Rules, 2026 — in force from 1 January 2027
- Consumer Protection Act, 2019 — ss.2(46), 2(47)
- Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023
- Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights — arts. 9–16 and Annex I; Your Europe: e-commerce and distance selling
- UK Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 — regs. 27–38; GOV.UK: online and distance selling
- National Consumer Helpline
Limitations
- A template, not legal advice. Check that the policy matches what you actually do, and have a lawyer review it for regulated products.
- Some products have their own rules — medicines, food, travel, financial products, real estate and online gaming are not covered.
- For EU and UK customers it covers the right of withdrawal and points to the statutory rights for faulty goods; national rules in each EU country can add more.
- It does not build the online withdrawal function or the checkout consent box — your website must provide them.
Privacy
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Frequently asked questions
Can I have a “no returns, no refunds” policy in India?
You can refuse returns for a change of mind, but not for items that are defective, deficient, spurious, not as described or delivered late (E-Commerce Rules 2020 r.6(3), r.7(4)). Refusing to take back defective goods and refund within the period on the bill — or 30 days if none is stated — is an unfair trade practice (Consumer Protection Act 2019 s.2(47)(viii)).
How quickly must refunds be paid?
In India, within a reasonable period, as the RBI or other law prescribes (E-Commerce Rules r.4(10)) — say how many days in your policy and keep to it. In the EU and the UK, refunds after a withdrawal are due within 14 days of the customer telling you, though you may wait until the goods are back or posted.
Do digital products have a 14-day cancellation right in the EU and UK?
Yes, unless the customer expressly agreed at checkout to immediate supply and acknowledged losing the right — then it ends when the download or stream begins, and you must confirm it in the order confirmation. Without that consent, the 14 days apply even after download.
Can I charge a cancellation fee?
In India, only if you bear a similar charge when you cancel an order yourself (E-Commerce Rules r.4(8)); when you enter a charge, the policy says so. In the EU and the UK, no fee may be charged for a withdrawal within 14 days; the customer pays only the direct cost of returning goods if you told them so.
What pages does Razorpay ask for?
Before activating live payments, Razorpay asks for live website details with Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Shipping Policy, Contact Us and Cancellation & Refunds pages. Choose “Refund policy only” and “Shipping policy only” here to make the two policy pages, and the Terms and Conditions Generator and Privacy Policy Generator for the others.