A good e-commerce returns policy starts from the legal minimum where your customers live, then adds only what you can reliably deliver. In the EU and in Türkiye, online shoppers can withdraw from most purchases within 14 days of delivery without giving a reason, and you must refund within 14 days of their notice. In the US there is no general federal right to return online purchases, so your published policy is what binds you.
This guide is general information, not legal advice: rules change and details vary by country, so have a lawyer check your final wording.
The legal minimums where you sell
European Union: the 14-day right of withdrawal
The Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU) gives consumers 14 days to withdraw from a distance contract "without giving any reason". For goods, the period runs from the day the consumer (or a third party they name, other than the carrier) takes physical possession. The key rules for a store:
- How customers withdraw: they can use the model withdrawal form in Annex I(B) of the Directive or make any other clear statement. If you let them submit the form on your website, you must send an acknowledgement on a durable medium, such as an email, without delay.
- Refund deadline: you must refund all payments received, including the standard outbound delivery cost, no later than 14 days after you are informed of the withdrawal, using the same payment method unless the customer expressly agrees otherwise.
- Withholding: unless you offered to collect the goods, you may withhold the refund until you receive the goods back or the customer supplies evidence of having sent them, whichever comes first.
- Return shipping: the consumer bears the direct cost of returning goods only if you told them so beforehand; otherwise it falls on you. If the customer chose a more expensive delivery option, you only have to refund the cost of your cheapest standard delivery.
- Customer's deadline: the consumer must send the goods back within 14 days of telling you they are withdrawing.
- Handling: customers may handle goods as they would in a shop. They are only liable for loss of value caused by handling beyond what is needed to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
- Missing information is expensive: if you fail to tell customers about the withdrawal right, the period is extended by 12 months.
Exceptions include goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalized, goods that deteriorate rapidly, and sealed goods unsuitable for return for health or hygiene reasons once unsealed after delivery.
New in 2026: Directive (EU) 2023/2673 added Article 11a to the Consumer Rights Directive, which member states apply from 19 June 2026. For contracts concluded through an online interface, you must offer a withdrawal function labelled "withdraw from contract here" or an equally clear wording, continuously available and prominently displayed during the withdrawal period, followed by a "confirm withdrawal" step and an acknowledgement on a durable medium. Our guide to selling across Europe covers the wider EU rules on VAT and pricing.
Türkiye: cayma hakkı under the Mesafeli Sözleşmeler Yönetmeliği
Türkiye's Distance Contracts Regulation (Mesafeli Sözleşmeler Yönetmeliği) also gives consumers 14 days to withdraw (cayma hakkı) without giving a reason or paying a penalty. For goods, the period starts on the day the consumer receives them, and the consumer can also withdraw between ordering and delivery. The regulation has been amended since it was first issued, so check the current consolidated text before you write your policy. These points shape how you run returns:
- Refund timing: you must refund all payments, including delivery costs, within 14 days of the goods being handed to the return carrier you named in your pre-contract information. If the customer uses a different carrier, the clock starts when the goods reach you.
- Return costs: the regulation sets who may be charged for return shipping, and this rule has changed over time. Check the current text, then state your return carrier and any cost in the pre-contract information. Defective goods are returned at your cost.
- Customer's deadline: the consumer must send the goods back within 14 days of the withdrawal notice.
- Form: the regulation includes a sample withdrawal form (örnek cayma formu); if you accept withdrawals on your website, you must confirm receipt to the customer immediately.
- Missing information: if you did not inform the customer properly, the 14-day limit does not bind them, up to one year after the period would have ended.
The exceptions list differs from the EU's and has changed over time, for example for delivered phones, tablets and computers, so check the current consolidated text before you rely on an exception. Pair this with our KVKK checklist for online stores if you sell in Türkiye.
United States: no general federal right
US federal law gives shoppers no general right to return goods bought online. The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule, which allows three days to cancel certain sales, covers sales made at the customer's home, workplace or a seller's temporary location. It explicitly does not cover sales made entirely online, by mail or by telephone. The FTC's Mail, Internet or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule covers shipping times and refunds for cancelled orders, not returns.
What does apply is truthfulness. Under the FTC's guides on guarantees, you should only advertise a "Satisfaction Guarantee" or "Money Back Guarantee" if you refund the full purchase price on request, and you should clearly disclose any material conditions. State laws differ, so check the rules of the states you ship to.
What to put in your returns policy
Write for customers, not lawyers, and answer these questions in plain language:
- Window: how many days, counted from when. Meet the legal minimum in each market; offering a longer window everywhere is simpler than running different rules by country.
- Condition: what "returnable" means (tags attached, original packaging where reasonable), without contradicting the customer's legal right to inspect the goods.
- Exclusions: list the categories you exclude and the legal basis, such as personalized items or unsealed hygiene products.
- Who pays return shipping: state it clearly before purchase. In the EU, silence means you pay; in Türkiye, follow the current regulation's rule on return costs.
- Refund method and timing: original payment method, and when you refund (for example, on receipt and inspection, within the legal deadline).
- Exchanges and store credit: options only, never a substitute for a legally required refund.
- How to start a return: a link to your returns page or portal, the withdrawal form, and a contact address.
- Faulty goods: explain that defective or wrong items are handled separately and at your cost; this is a distinct right from withdrawal.
Show a short version at checkout and in the order confirmation, and link the full policy from the footer.
Running the returns process
1. Intake
Give customers one place to start a return, logged in or as a guest, choosing items and a reason. Record the timestamp: in the EU and Türkiye, your refund deadline runs from the withdrawal notice or from carrier hand-off, not from when the parcel reaches your warehouse.
2. Approval and labels
Approve automatically where the rules are clear and route edge cases (excluded items, repeated returns) to a person. Issue a prepaid label from your named carrier, or clear instructions if the customer pays.
3. Inspection
Check the item promptly and photograph damage.Deduct for diminished value only where the law allows it and you can show the handling went beyond testing the product.
4. Refund
Refund to the original payment method within the deadline. Refunding quickly also reduces the chance that a frustrated customer files a dispute; see our guide on how to reduce chargebacks and the glossary entry for chargeback.
5. Restock or write off
Grade each item: resell, open-box, refurbish or write off. Update inventory per SKU so returned stock is sellable again.
Measuring returns
Track a few numbers monthly and by product, not only in total:
- Return rate: units returned divided by units sold in the same period, by SKU and by category.
- Return reasons: use a short, fixed list (too small, too large, not as described, damaged, changed mind). "Not as described" points to product pages; "damaged" points to packaging or carriers.
- Refund time: days from withdrawal notice (or carrier hand-off in Türkiye) to refund. Anything close to 14 days is a compliance risk.
- Cost per return: label, handling, inspection and value lost on items you cannot resell.
Worked example: a store sells 400 units of a jacket in a month and 60 come back, a 15% return rate. If 40 of those cite "too small", the fix is a better size guide, not a stricter policy.
Returns with CIQRA
CIQRA includes a returns portal: customers start a return from their account or as a guest, and your team approves it. Carrier integrations cover labels, tracking and rates with DHL, UPS, FedEx and leading Turkish carriers. Your policy wording and its legal check stay with you.
FAQ
Can I refuse a return if the packaging was opened?
Generally not in the EU or Türkiye, as opening a package to examine the product is normal. Exceptions apply to sealed goods unsuitable for return for health or hygiene reasons, and in Türkiye to items such as books and digital content in opened protective packaging.
Can I offer store credit instead of a refund?
For a legal withdrawal in the EU, the refund must go to the original payment method unless the customer expressly agrees otherwise. You can offer credit as an option.
Sources
- EUR-Lex, Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights (consolidated text), 2022: eur-lex.europa.eu
- EUR-Lex, Directive (EU) 2023/2673 amending Directive 2011/83/EU, 2023: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Your Europe, "Guarantees and returns: returning goods", 2026: europa.eu/youreurope
- T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı, Mesafeli Sözleşmeler Yönetmeliği (consolidated, incl. 23/8/2022 amendments), 2022: tuketici.ticaret.gov.tr
- FTC Consumer Advice, "Buyer's Remorse: The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule May Help", 2026: consumer.ftc.gov
- FTC, "Business Guide to the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule": ftc.gov
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 239, Guides for the Advertising of Warranties and Guarantees, 2026: ecfr.gov