No matter how good your products are, you are always going to have to deal with returns.
Items get damaged in the post, the item is not what the buyer expected, or the item just happens to be faulty – these are all out of a seller’s control.
So when a return needs to happen, what can you do? And how do you handle the shipping?
Who Pays For Return Shipping On Etsy? Each seller on Etsy should have their policy page set up to state who is responsible for shipping returns. It is up to each individual seller to decide how they would like to handle returns.
How Do Buyers Pay For Return Shipping On Etsy?
Yes, buyers often have to pay for shipping returns back to the seller. They are also responsible for ensuring the item is packaged properly, and is tracked to ensure it arrives safely.
There are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes a seller will state in their shop policies that they are happy to accept the responsibility of paying for return shipment – other times a seller may offer to cover the cost as a gesture of good will.
If you are unsure as to who is responsible the the return cost of your purchase, go to the store’s storefront and the store policies will be displayed there.
Can You Say “No Returns” On Etsy?
Yes, as an Etsy seller you are able to tell customers that you don’t accept returns. As long as your store policies are correct and in place you should have no problems enforcing this when customers contact you.
It must be noted that even if you do have a “no returns”policy in place (see below on how to set that up) you will still get customers contacting you asking to return their items.
Be sure to expect some flak for enforcing this – and also expect a handful of Cases raised against those orders – however with the policy set you should have no problems with Etsy support backing you up.
How Do You Make a “No Return” Policy On Etsy?
As an Etsy seller you are able to set your store policies to show that you do not accept returns. To do this:
- login to your Etsy store and go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/YOUR_STORE_NAME/edit
- scroll down to “Shop policies” and select “Edit”
- scroll down to “Returns & exchanges”
- There will be a toggle labelled “Returns I accept returns”
- Toggle this to the “OFF” position
- Click “Save policies”
How do you set a “no returns” policy on Etsy for specific items?
You are able to set types of items to be non-returnable. To do this:
- login to your Etsy store and go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/YOUR_STORE_NAME/edit
- scroll down to “Shop policies” and select “Edit”
- scroll down to “Returns & exchanges”
- There will be a toggle labelled “Returns I accept returns”
- Toggle this to the ON position
- Scroll down to the “The following items can’t be returned or exchanged” section
- Select the types of products you don’t want to be returnable
- Click “Save policies”
This is great for certain items, such as Digital Downloads, or hygiene related products.
Conclusion
To conclude – yes it is possible to set a no returns policy on Etsy. As a seller your main responsibility is to set your store policies up to keep buyers informed.
As a seller you have the ability to set return statuses either at a store level (making everything non-returnable), or by marking certain protected items as non-returnable (such as Digital Downloads, or hygiene related).
Either way, the best way to offer good customer service is to be honest with your customers.
