The short answer
Yes, if you sell online in the UK, you need a returns policy, and it isn't optional small print. The Consumer Contracts Regulations give most online customers a 14-day right to cancel after delivery, followed by another 14 days to send the item back, and a right to a refund within 14 days of you receiving it. Delivery costs and the total price have to be shown before payment, not revealed at the last step. A handful of goods, personalised items, perishables and certain sealed goods among them, can be excluded from the right to cancel, but only if you say so clearly before the order is placed.
The rules in one paragraph
Selling at a distance, which includes anything bought through a website rather than face to face, falls under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. In short: a customer has to be told the total price, including delivery, before they pay. They then generally have 14 days from delivery to change their mind and cancel, for almost any reason, not just a fault. Once they've told you they're cancelling, they have a further 14 days to actually send the item back, and you have 14 days from getting it back (or from receiving proof it's been sent) to refund them. None of this depends on your returns policy being generous. It's the baseline the law sets, and a shop that doesn't mention it hasn't avoided the obligation, it's just not telling customers about a right they already have.
What has to be shown before payment
Before a customer commits to paying, they need to see the full price, including delivery, and a realistic delivery timescale. A checkout that only reveals shipping costs on the final screen is the single most common thing we find wrong on an existing shop, and it's also one of the quickest things to fix. Alongside the price, your trading name and a real geographic address need to be findable, not hidden behind a contact form with no address on it at all. None of this needs legal wording. A clear line on the product page and a proper checkout summary usually covers it.
The 14-day cancellation and 14-day refund clocks
There are two separate 14-day periods, and mixing them up is where most confusion comes from.
The first is the cancellation window: the customer has 14 days from the day they (or someone they've nominated) receives the goods to tell you they want to cancel. This doesn't need a reason. "I changed my mind" is enough.
The second starts once they've told you they're cancelling. They then have 14 days to actually send the item back to you.
Separately, once you've received the item back (or the customer has given you evidence it's on its way, such as a tracking number), you generally have 14 days to issue the refund, including the cost of standard delivery they originally paid. You're not obliged to refund any extra they paid for express delivery if standard was offered and they chose to upgrade.
Stating these clearly, with actual dates where relevant rather than vague wording, is what turns a basic policy into one that actually protects both sides.
Items you can exclude (personalised, perishable, sealed)
Not everything has to accept a no-reason return. The regulations allow certain categories to be excluded from the 14-day right to cancel, provided you've told the customer about the exclusion before they ordered, not after.
| Category | Typical example | Why it's excluded |
|---|---|---|
| Personalised or made-to-order goods | An engraved gift, a bespoke hamper, a printed name on a product | Made specifically for that customer and can't realistically be resold |
| Perishable goods | Fresh food, flowers | Deteriorates quickly, so a return window isn't practical |
| Sealed goods for health or hygiene reasons | Cosmetics, earrings, underwear | Can't be resold once the seal is broken, for hygiene reasons |
| Sealed audio, video or software | A shrink-wrapped DVD or software disc | Can't be resold once unsealed, since content could have been copied |
If you make or customise anything to order, saying so plainly on the product page, and capturing the personalisation details through a proper form rather than a scribbled note in an email, is what actually makes the exclusion stand up. It also avoids disputes later about what was agreed.
Who pays for return postage
This is one of the most-asked questions, and the honest answer is that it depends on what you decided and told the customer upfront. If you don't say anything, the regulations generally expect the customer to cover the cost of sending an unwanted item back to you. Many shops choose to offer free returns anyway as a trust signal, since a visible, generous returns policy is one of the clearer things that reassures a first-time visitor at checkout. Whichever you choose, say it clearly before the order is placed rather than leaving it to be discovered after a customer has already decided to return something. Check GOV.UK's current guidance on accepting returns and giving refunds for the latest official wording, since this is an area worth checking rather than relying on a summary.
Where each thing goes on your site
A policy that exists only as a single "Returns" page, three clicks from the homepage, isn't doing its job. Spread the detail across the places a customer actually looks:
- Product page: a short line noting if the item is excluded from returns (personalised, made-to-order) and a link to the full policy.
- Basket: the delivery cost and estimated delivery date, so there's no surprise at the next step.
- Checkout: the total price including delivery shown clearly before the payment button, plus a link to the cancellation and returns policy.
- Confirmation email: a restatement of the right to cancel, how to do it, and a link to the full policy, since this is the record the customer actually keeps.
- A dedicated returns page: the full detail in plain English, linked from the footer and from the checkout.
A plain-English policy outline
A workable returns policy, in plain language rather than copied legal text, covers: how long customers have to change their mind (14 days from delivery, then 14 days to send it back); how to tell you they're cancelling (an email address or form is enough); what isn't covered; who pays return postage; and how long refunds take. Keeping it short and specific tends to build more trust than a long template, because it reads like someone actually wrote it for this shop.
This is information to help you build the page, not legal advice. For anything you plan to publish as a binding policy, it's worth having a solicitor check the final wording, particularly around exclusions specific to what you sell.
When to get help, and what we'd do
If your existing shop's checkout, basket and confirmation emails need the price, delivery cost and cancellation rights showing properly, that's usually part of a web-refresh: fixing what's already there rather than rebuilding it. If you take custom or personalised orders and need a proper way to capture what was agreed (so the personalisation exclusion actually holds up if challenged), that's our web-forms work: a form that records the detail rather than relying on an email thread. Either way, we'll point out where your current pages fall short on the free call, before you commit to anything.
See our website service for how a project like this runs, and the main guide to a shop's website not converting visitors into orders for the wider picture beyond returns and refunds specifically.
Frequently asked questions
Do I legally need a returns policy on my online shop?
Yes. Selling online in the UK falls under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, which give most customers a right to cancel within 14 days of delivery, regardless of whether you've written a policy about it. Not having a published policy doesn't remove the right, it just leaves customers unclear about something they're already entitled to.
Can I refuse returns on personalised or made-to-order items?
Generally yes, provided you told the customer clearly before they ordered that the item was excluded from the right to cancel because it's personalised or made to order. This needs saying upfront, on the product page, not added after someone's already asked to return something.
Who pays for the cost of returning an item?
If you haven't said otherwise, the regulations generally expect the customer to cover return postage on an unwanted item. Some shops offer free returns regardless, as a way of building trust at checkout. Check GOV.UK's current guidance for the exact position, since this is worth confirming rather than assuming.
How long do I have to refund a customer once they've returned something?
Generally 14 days from when you receive the item back, or from when the customer provides evidence they've sent it, whichever is sooner. This includes refunding the standard delivery cost they originally paid, though not any extra they paid to upgrade to a faster delivery option.
Does a 14-day returns policy apply to items bought in person as well as online?
No. The 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations applies to distance sales, meaning online, phone or mail order purchases. In-store purchases aren't covered by this specific right, though many shops choose to offer a goodwill returns period in person anyway.