Return Policy FAQ: Common Customer Questions

TL;DR: A clear return policy isn’t just about handling refunds - it’s about building trust, reducing customer confusion, and improving your business operations. Forthroute gives Shopify merchants a branded returns portal with merchant-controlled approvals, refunds and exchange incentives, plus optional prepaid labels.

Last updated: July 2026

A return policy should help a customer decide what to do next. Explain the available options, the information they need to provide and the point at which your support team will take over.

Each of the twelve questions below starts with an example answer written for your customers, followed by what to check before you publish it. Replace the bracketed parts with your actual process and the consumer requirements that apply to your sales; do not copy a window or fee your business cannot support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I return this item?

Example answer: “You can return most items for a refund or an exchange if you request it within [number] days of delivery. If your item arrived damaged, faulty or not as ordered, contact us at [support contact] instead and we will tell you your options.”

Explain which purchases qualify for your voluntary returns policy and how customers can check their order. Separate a change-of-mind request from a damaged, faulty or incorrectly supplied item, since the same restrictions may not apply.

Put important eligibility information where customers can see it before ordering. Provide a contact route for cases the standard policy does not cover.

How long do I have to request a return?

Example answer: “You have [number] days from delivery to request a return, and [number] days after it is approved to hand the parcel to the carrier. Orders placed between [date] and [date] can be returned until [date].”

State the return window and when its clock starts. Distinguish the deadline to submit a request from the deadline to hand the parcel to a carrier. If you extend a window for holiday purchases, give the dates and identify the orders covered.

Avoid promising one timeframe on a product page and a different one in an automated email.

What condition must the item be in?

Example answer: “Change-of-mind returns must be unused and sent back with [tags, original packaging and accessories]. If the item arrived damaged or faulty, report it at [link] with a photo before you send anything back.”

Describe the condition requirements for ordinary change-of-mind returns, including any packaging, tags or accessories you need. Explain how a customer should report an item that arrived damaged instead of directing them to an unused-item requirement that does not answer their problem.

Use specific examples relevant to your products. Do not treat a damaged shipping carton and a damaged product as interchangeable.

Which items have different return conditions?

Example answer: “[Personalised items and opened hygiene products] cannot be returned for a change of mind. If one of these items is faulty or is not what you ordered, contact us at [support contact] and we will resolve it.”

Identify exceptions clearly, such as personalised goods or hygiene-sensitive items, where applicable. Explain what customers should do if an item in an excluded category is faulty or was supplied incorrectly.

Review exclusions against the consumer requirements that apply to the sale. A label such as final sale should not be used as a substitute for that review.

What information do I need?

Example answer: “Have your order number and the email address you used at checkout ready, plus the item you want to return and the reason. For a damaged or faulty item, a photo helps us resolve it faster.”

List the information that helps locate the purchase: an order number, the email used at checkout, the item and the reason for the request. Explain when photos or additional details are needed.

Provide a support route for customers who cannot find their confirmation email. Request only information relevant to resolving the return.

How do I start a return?

Example answer: “Start at [returns page link]: enter your order number and email, choose the item and the reason, and submit the request. Wait for our confirmation email before you send the parcel.”

Link to the actual return form, portal or support channel. Describe its real sign-in process and the steps a customer will see. Mention only the sign-in steps, account requirements and collection options your process actually offers.

Explain whether customers should wait for approval before shipping and how they will receive the next instructions.

Who pays for return shipping?

Example answer: “If the item arrived damaged, faulty or not as ordered, we cover the return shipping. For a change-of-mind return, [we email you a prepaid label and deduct its cost from your refund] or [you arrange and pay for the return shipping yourself].”

State when your business pays, when the customer pays and whether you offer a prepaid label. If label charges are deducted from a refund, explain that before the customer chooses the option.

Distinguish a prepaid label from free shipping. A label can be supplied in advance while its cost is still charged to the customer.

Can I exchange an item instead?

Example answer: “Yes. When you start a return you can choose an exchange for a different [size, colour or item] instead of a refund, as long as it is in stock. If the new item costs more or less, we [charge or refund] the difference.”

Explain which exchanges are available and how stock availability is checked. State how price differences are handled and what happens if the requested replacement becomes unavailable.

Make the choice understandable without implying that an exchange is mandatory or that it always has the same shipping arrangements as a refund.

How will I receive my refund?

Example answer: “Once we have received and checked your return, we refund your original payment method. [You can choose store credit instead.] [If you used our prepaid label, its cost is deducted from the refund.]”

Explain the refund method for the customer's situation and when store credit is an optional alternative. Identify any deductions that can apply and how they are calculated, subject to the requirements governing the sale.

Distinguish approval of a return request from inspection of the item and issuance of the refund. Customers need to know which stage they have reached.

For how customers read deductions, see restocking fees and customer perception.

When will the money reach me?

Example answer: “We issue the refund within [number] business days of receiving your return. Your bank or payment provider may take additional days to show it on your statement.”

Separate the time your team needs to receive and review the item from the time needed to issue the refund. Payment-provider processing can add another interval.

Use timelines your operation and payment provider support. If a delay occurs, tell the customer what is pending, who is responsible for the next step and when they should expect an update.

How can I track the return?

Example answer: “Follow the parcel with the tracking link from the carrier, and check [your email updates or returns page] for the status of your return and refund. If nothing has changed for [number] days, contact us at [support contact].”

Explain where to find shipment tracking and where to check the status of the return request. A delivered parcel, an inspected item and a completed refund are different events.

Only promise notifications and status information your process actually supplies. Give customers a way to report missing tracking or a parcel that appears stuck.

For what to send at each stage, see return status notification best practices.

What if my situation is not covered?

Example answer: “Contact us at [support contact] with your order number and a short description, for example a gift return, an international order or a missing confirmation email, and we will tell you the next step.”

Provide a support contact for gifts, international purchases, damaged goods, missing order details and other exceptions. Explain what information will help the team investigate.

For international requests, confirm the return address, carrier instructions and any required shipping documents before the customer sends the parcel. Customs paperwork and cross-border transit times stay with you and your carrier, not the returns portal.

Check the policy against a real support request

Walk through an ordinary return and an exception using your published instructions. Check whether a customer can find the entry point, understand costs, choose an available resolution and see what happens next.

Where software assists the process, describe the specific tasks it handles, and keep a named owner for exceptions and the final customer response.

If you use Forthroute, its branded return portal applies the approval rules you set, sends email notifications to the customer and offers an exchange alongside every refund. It does not detect fraud or issue refunds on its own; your team still owns exceptions and the final decision.

For the rules worth automating first, see 8 return automation rules every store needs, and for the trade-offs, manual vs automated returns.