Policy
How to write a return policy that converts (and stays legal)
Updated August 2026
Your return policy is a conversion asset that happens to be a legal document. Written well, it removes purchase hesitation and reduces support tickets. Written badly, it invites disputes you will lose.
Try it yourself
Link your policy page straight to your Nexly portal, so the rules you wrote are the rules the customer actually meets.
Open the demo return portal- 76%
- Of consumers say returns influence where they shop
- NRF & Happy Returns, 2024
- 14 days
- Statutory minimum you must offer — you may offer more
- Directive 2011/83/EU
- 3 clicks
- From your policy page to a submitted return in Nexly
- Nexly
- 1 source
- Policy and portal enforce the same rules
- Nexly
What it must contain
The statutory core, stated plainly:
- The 14-day withdrawal window and how it is counted (from delivery).
- How to withdraw — the portal link, plus the model withdrawal form.
- Who pays return shipping, per country, stated before the purchase.
- Any return fee, with the exact amount and when it is deducted.
- How and when the refund is paid, including outbound shipping.
- The separate two-year right to complain about defects.
- Exemptions under Art. 16 (custom-made, sealed hygiene goods, perishables).
What makes it convert
Clarity beats generosity. Customers do not need free returns everywhere; they need to know what happens before they buy.
- Lead with the exchange: 'wrong size? swap it in 30 seconds' outperforms 'refunds available'.
- State the amounts. 'Return fee 49 DKK, deducted from the refund' is trusted; 'a fee may apply' is not.
- One link, not a maze — the portal URL near the top.
- Say how fast: label immediately, refund when the parcel is scanned or received.
- Write it in the customer's language and currency.
Keep the page and the portal in sync
The most common audit failure is a policy page that says one thing and a checkout that does another. In Nexly the window, reasons, fees, allowed actions and per-country shipping are configuration — so update them once and let the policy page describe what the portal enforces.
A structure that works
Copy this outline and fill in your own numbers:
- 1. In short — window, exchange first, who pays, fee.
- 2. How to return or exchange — portal link, three steps.
- 3. Conditions — item state, exemptions.
- 4. Refunds — method, timing, deductions.
- 5. Defects and complaints — the two-year right, how it differs.
- 6. Contact and company details.