Practical guide

Returns and cancellation rules for merchants

Be clear before an order is placed.

An Indian shopkeeper inspecting a returned garment

Step 1

Explain preparation time, cancellation windows and how customers request help. Confirm the seller’s identity and contact details.

Step 2

Personalized goods and digital licences need specific terms, with applicable consumer rights preserved. Avoid blanket no-refund claims.

Step 3

A cancelled order returns its reserved items to available stock. Check a refund separately and keep the confirmation with the order.

Step 4

For real payments, follow your provider’s refund process and keep the confirmation. Keep the refund confirmation with the customer’s order.

Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Provider requirements can change. Confirm account and product eligibility with the relevant provider before accepting orders.

What this looks like in an ordinary working day.

Handloom cotton scarf, protective pouch and packaging on a turquoise counter
“We have recorded the cancellation” is not the same as “the provider has refunded the money”.

Keep the cancellation and refund record clear. Check the payment confirmation, retain the refund reference and tell the customer what happens next.

A checklist you can use beside the form.

  1. Explain cancellation, delivery and return terms before purchase.
  2. Provide accurate seller contact details.
  3. Preserve applicable consumer rights.
  4. Reconcile refunds against actual payment outcomes.
  5. Keep the customer informed about what happens next.

Before you share your product.

Save a draft while the details are changing. Before publishing, read the product as a customer would: what is included, what it costs, which choices matter and what happens next.

If you need help, describe what you wanted to do, the page you were on and what happened. You do not need technical vocabulary. Leave passwords, provider keys and private customer details out of the message.

A good next step

Your next customer shouldn’t have to wait for your website.

Create your store. Add a product. Share a link.

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