What You Need to Know About Etsy Return Policy for Sellers

You have probably read or heard about the benefits of having an Etsy shop and know how to open one, but how much do you know about the Etsy return policy? While you might want to attract many clients and have them love your goods, you might run into the odd client that’s looking to benefit at your expense based on loopholes in your return policy.

Failing to have your return process properly outlined for your Etsy shop can lead you to losses. Some customers return the goods claiming that the order was wrong, but the items returned are not the ones you delivered. Luckily, there is a solution to ensure these claims are legitimate. 

Etsy’s returns policy clearly states the terms under which the customer can return the items. You can also consider adding a return period of a maximum number of days after delivery, or mark your items to avoid exchanges. Although this can be challenging to some Etsy shop owners, this guide will help you understand what you need to know about the return policy.

Factors to Consider When Setting Etsy Return Policy for Sellers

 Some sellers are reluctant about setting rules for their shop because they feel like they might scare off their customers. However, although sometimes rules can be restrictive and inconvenient at times, they are still essential for your success. 

A business with policies runs more efficiently because every customer knows what is expected of them. Customers also believe a company to be more reliable when it has set rules and policies. Some of the factors to consider when setting the policies are:

1. Do Everything You Can To Prevent Returns

Buyers mainly return the delivered goods because the items didn’t meet their expectations, or the seller got the order wrongly. Acceptable returns are when the customer simply changed their mind, but because returning the product and getting a refund is the first thing customers think of if the product fails, you can give them alternate options. 

Instead of returning the item and getting a refund, consider offering to exchange it for another item. You will not incur losses, and the customer will also get an opportunity to fulfill their needs. 

Returns can be a headache and are also demotivating to the seller. To reduce the number of returns, ensure you request clear pictures of the items and describe them to the best of your ability. 

You can also ask them to include videos of the item and photos of every side. Having an accurate description of the item helps the buyer fully know what they are getting before buying. Also, if you don’t want to do cash refunds, ensure you mention it in your policies. 

2. Make the Policies Easy To Understand

When writing down your shop’s return policy, make them direct and to the point. There is no need to quote acts and laws that the clients cannot easily find or use a hard-to-understand vocabulary to make the content more complicated. 

When the customers understand the policies perfectly, you will have less time explaining them to every customer that returns the items. It also reduces the number of returns, making your business run smoothly. 

3. Include Return Charges

When a customer returns an item and asks for an exchange or re-orders, you will incur shipping expenses. If you cannot offer free shipping for the second item, you should state it in your shop for the customers to know. 

Dealing with customers who think that every company offers free shipping after a return is challenging. They could also leave a bad review for your shop, reducing the number of customers. Otherwise, if you can ship the items for free, you can also indicate that you do free return shipping. 

4. Give a Timeframe

In your return policy, you should give the customers a timeframe during which they should return the items. It reduces the probability of the buyers returning items they have already used, leading to losses. 

Also, state the terms of the refund. If you do cash refunds after a return, indicate whether you only refund the cost of the item or you also refund the shipping fee. Also, do you deduct some amount from the buyer’s payments if they slightly used the item?

Some shop owners give the buyers 100 days after the purchase date to return the item. However, Etsy shop owners who deal with seasonal items like winter clothes put a short return policy of 30 days to avoid getting a winter sweater back during summer. 

5. State All the Requirements

To avoid conflicting with the buyers when they return the items, state all the shop’s requirements in your return policy on Etsy. What happens if the customer finds that the item does not work after using it? 

It is also essential to include the addresses to drop off the returned items. Also, ask for specific documents when returning the items, like a receipt or the original package. 

How to Set Return Policy on Etsy

Setting your Etsy shop’s return policy is quick and straightforward. First, you need to have an Etsy shop. Once you open it on the Etsy website, follow these simple steps. 

1. On the Etsy shop on Etsy’s official website, click on the shop manager. 

2. There is a pencil icon next to the shop. Click on the sales channels and scroll to the Shop Policies section. The shop policies are divided into different sections, and each segment has a different template. 

3. Etsy shop owners can also add the policies from the Sell on Etsy app. Once you choose the policies you want for your shop, go through them again and click save or publish. 

How Long Does Shipping Take?

To make everything clear to your buyers, tell them how long it takes to complete the processing once a buyer returns their order. You can also include the processing costs and the expected finishing time of the new order. 

If the customer places another order, ensure you include a shipping time to let them know how long it will take to deliver the items. The shipping time could also vary with the destination. You can also include the earliest and the latest dates the item should arrive. 

Add a Payment Option

To make reordering fast and straightforward, ensure you indicate the payment options. State all the payment methods your business accepts, and mention if there are extra charges the buyer will pay for using a specific payment method. 

The Etsy shop owners should also make these payment methods as secure and safe for the customers as possible. The possibility of buyers’ accounts being hacked can result in bad reviews for your shop. 

Indicate the Type of Items Buyers Cannot Return

Some items are too personal to return to the shop after buying. For example, you can state in your return policy that buyers cannot return items that get direct contact with your body, like underwear or other clothes. 

Other items most shops don’t allow buyers to return are perishable goods like flowers and food or make-up items and toiletries. Also, sellers will not allow buyers to return computer software and games if the seal is already broken. 

Receiving returned computer software can be dangerous because some fraudsters pretend to be buyers. They exchange the good computer parts for a broken one and claim that the order delivered was incorrect. 

Final Words

Knowing the importance of having an Etsy return policy for your shop is an essential step to your items’ safety. When you have rules around the return of items, the returns will reduce, and you will have fewer chances of falling victim to fraudsters. Setting the return policy on Etsy is also easy, and hopefully, this guide will help you.