This chapter is a map, not advice, as the rules stood in September 2026. Have counsel review your policy for every country you sell to, and again whenever you change it.

The EU: fourteen days, no reason needed

The Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU) gives consumers in the EU these rights for most goods bought online, with exceptions such as custom-made and perishable goods (Article 16) Published:

• Fourteen days to withdraw, without a reason, from the day the goods arrive (Article 9), extended by twelve months if you didn’t explain the right properly (Article 10).
• A refund within fourteen days of being told, including standard outbound delivery, by the same means of payment unless the customer expressly agrees otherwise (Article 13). You may hold it until you get the goods back or the customer shows evidence of sending them, whichever comes first.
• The customer sends the goods back within fourteen days and pays the direct cost only if you told them in advance (Article 14). They’re liable for loss in value from handling beyond what’s needed to see what the goods are and how they work.

So in the EU, credit or an exchange instead of a refund must be the customer’s choice, and a return fee must be disclosed before purchase. And since 19 June 2026, Directive (EU) 2023/2673 requires a withdrawal function for contracts made through a website or app: a prominent “withdraw from contract here” function or an unambiguous equivalent, a confirmation step labeled “confirm withdrawal” or an equivalent, and an acknowledgment by email or another durable medium (new Article 11a) Published. Each member state applies it through its own law. Your portal can host it, but it must work as a withdrawal, not a funnel into exchanges.

The UK

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give a similar fourteen-day cancellation period from the day the goods arrive Published. Rights for faulty goods are separate and stronger; as Which? noted, ASOS’s return-rate fee can’t be applied to faulty or misdescribed items Reported.

The US: say what you do, do what you say

• Advertised terms must be the real terms. There’s no general federal right to return, but the FTC Act prohibits deception, and “free returns” on the product page with a label fee in the portal is a mismatch.
• “Money back guarantee” means all the money. The FTC’s guides say to use “Satisfaction Guarantee” or “Money Back Guarantee” only if you refund the full purchase price at the buyer’s request, and to disclose material limitations Published. A guarantee with a restocking fee needs counsel’s review.
• The FTC’s 2024 fee rule doesn’t reach return fees. It covers live-event tickets and short-term lodging, effective May 12, 2025 Published.
• Some states set a default. New York requires retailers, online ones included, to post their refund policy before billing information is requested, or be liable for a refund or credit for up to thirty days Published. California requires a retailer that doesn’t offer a refund, exchange or credit for at least seven days to display its policy, or be liable for returns within thirty days Published.

The law is the floor. The policy you advertise is a promise on top of it, and the portal is where you keep it.

Do this

• Screenshot your terms in all five places and put them side by side. Fix every difference, then send the set to counsel with a list of the countries you ship to.