One Way to Win Shoppers’ Hearts This Holiday Season: Clear Return Policies

Holiday shoppers come to Etsy looking for thoughtful gifts, but they also want to know what’ll happen if something doesn’t work out. (We all have that friend or family member who’s impossible to please no matter how hard we try, right?) The good news: We just unveiled a return policies template that makes it easier for you to give shoppers all the information they need to feel confident as they tick items off their gift lists—or sneak in a present or two for themselves.

Right now we’re focused on helping you get ready for a great holiday shopping season, but clear return policies are a good idea all year round. When buyers are confident in your shop, they’re more likely to make a purchase. Case in point: In 2016, we introduced a template for adding detailed policies to your shop in just a few clicks. Since then, our data shows that, on average, sellers who use the template have had a 5% higher percentage of listings that result in a sale compared to sellers who don’t use the template.

Do you have to offer returns? We know they might not always make sense based on your situation, and we don’t require you to offer them. (Just be aware of any local regulations). Even if you choose not to accept returns, having a return policy for your shop can help you avoid issues or disputes with customers. If you don’t accept returns or exchanges, buyers may still be able to file a case with Etsy Support and seek a return or exchange in some situations.

What you need to know

For sellers using classic shop policies

If you opened your shop before March 2016 and didn’t start using the shop policies template, your shop has classic shop policies, a field where you write your own custom policies. You can continue to use your existing policies, but now you can add clearer, more detailed information about your return policy by making a few quick selections in the return policies template including:

Do you accept returns?
Do you accept exchanges?
How long do your customers have to contact you about a return or exchange?
How long do they have to ship the item back to you?
Do you accept cancellations?
Which items aren’t eligible for returns?

You’ll also have the option to give shoppers any additional details about your shop’s return policy using a custom text field. Your current policy will be pre-filled there when you make your choices using the return policy template. You can always switch back to a custom return policy from the edit view of your shop home.

For sellers who never added policies or opened their shop after March 2016

If you opened your shop before March 2016 and never added policies or opened your shop after March 2016, your shop automatically uses our shop policies template, which already includes the return policy template.

If you haven’t filled out your shop policies yet, it’s a great idea to add them before the holiday rush so that shoppers know what to expect from your shop. Learn how to add shop policies.