Writing a Christmas Returns Policy Page Customers Can Trust
In the run-up to Christmas, the returns page is one of the most visited pages on a small online shop. Gift buyers want to know the present can be swapped, and the recipient wants to know what happens after the 25th. A clear, honest returns policy reassures both, and reduces the number of awkward emails in January. This article covers the wording. It is general information about the UK rules for distance selling; for anything unusual, such as made-to-order goods or business customers, check with a trade association or legal adviser.
Start with what the law already gives customers
Your page cannot offer less than the legal minimum, so set that out first. GOV.UK's guide to online and distance selling for businesses says you must tell customers they can cancel their order up to 14 days after it is delivered, without giving a reason. If you do not tell them about that right, the cancellation period can stretch to 12 months.
The separate GOV.UK page on accepting returns and giving refunds adds the next steps: once a customer tells you they are cancelling, they have 14 days to send the item back, and you must refund them within 14 days of receiving it. You must refund the standard delivery charge too, though if they paid extra for faster delivery you only need to refund the standard cost. You cannot deduct fees unless the item has been used or damaged.
Some goods are outside the change-of-mind right and need only be refunded if faulty. GOV.UK lists personalised or custom-made items, perishable goods, newspapers and magazines, unwrapped CDs, DVDs and software, and sealed items that cannot be returned once opened for health or hygiene reasons.
Then decide on your Christmas extension
Many shops extend the returns window over the festive season, because a present bought in late November may not be opened until Christmas Day. This is a goodwill offer on top of the legal minimum, and it needs precise wording. The questions to settle are:
- Which orders qualify? For example, orders placed between a start date and a cut-off date.
- What is the new deadline? Give a date, such as a day in mid-January, rather than "after the holidays".
- What does the customer get? Refund, exchange or credit note. You can be less generous with goodwill returns than with legal ones, but say so.
- Who pays postage? State it plainly.
- Does the gift recipient have rights? If you accept returns from the person who received the gift, say what they need, such as an order number or gift receipt, and how a refund is paid.
Whatever you offer, honour it exactly as written. A generous promise followed by quibbling in January damages trust more than a modest promise kept.
Wording that customers understand
Write the page for a busy person reading on a phone. Lead with the answer, then the detail. A structure that works for most small shops:
Christmas returns: Anything ordered from [date] to [date] can be returned until [date] for a full refund.
At other times: You can cancel within 14 days of delivery and send items back within a further 14 days. We will refund you, including standard delivery, within 14 days of receiving the item.
Gifts: If you received one of our products as a present, contact us with the order number and we can exchange it or issue a credit note.
Things we cannot take back unless faulty: personalised items, food, and earrings once the seal is removed.
Faulty items: your legal rights for faulty goods are not affected. Please contact us and we will put it right.
Replace the examples with your own categories. If you sell personalised goods, explain the reason briefly, for instance that a name-engraved item cannot be resold. People accept a rule more readily when they understand it.
Phrases to avoid
- "No refunds on sale items." Sale goods bought online are still covered by the change-of-mind rules unless they fall into an exception, and faulty goods are always covered.
- "Returns at our discretion." This suggests rights are optional. They are not.
- "Items must be in original packaging." You can ask customers to take reasonable care, but a blanket demand can conflict with their rights. "Please return items in a condition we can resell where possible" is fairer.
- Undefined terms. "Working days", "promptly" and "the festive period" all mean different things to different people. Use dates.
Where the policy should appear
A returns page buried in the footer is not enough on its own. GOV.UK lists information that must be given before an order is placed, including how and when the customer can cancel, and a standard cancellation form where cancellation is allowed. In practice:
- link to the returns page from every product page, near the add-to-basket button;
- repeat the key Christmas line in the basket or checkout;
- include the policy, or a link to it, in the order confirmation email so the customer can save it;
- mention the extended window in your Christmas marketing; it is a selling point.
Our guest piece on link labels that make sense on mobile is a handy reminder that "Returns" alone is weaker than "Christmas returns until [date]".
Make the process match the page
Before December, test your own returns route. Can a customer find the form or email address in two taps? Does the confirmation they receive tell them where to post the item? Does whoever opens the parcels know how to log it and issue the refund within 14 days? A clear page that leads to a muddled process just moves the frustration further down the line.
Good returns copy belongs with the rest of your sales writing. As we said in writing website copy that sells, people buy when doubt is removed, and few doubts weigh more on a gift buyer than "what if they do not like it?"