Writing a refund policy for digital products
A digital product cannot be handed back, so the refund policy does more work. What to include, what to leave out, and how to keep it short and fair to buyers.
A physical product comes back in a box. A digital one cannot be given back: once a file is downloaded, the buyer has it. That makes the refund policy more important for digital sellers, because it is the main thing standing between a hesitant buyer and a purchase.
What a good policy says
- The window, in days, from purchase.
- Whether you ask for a reason. No-questions refunds are simpler for everyone and rarely abused at small prices.
- What you refund outside the window. Anything you failed to deliver as described should always be refunded.
- How to ask. One email address or one form.
- What happens after. The licence is revoked, updates stop.
- That statutory rights still apply. Your page does not override consumer law.
Our policy, as an example
This store refunds in full within 14 days of purchase, no questions asked, and after that still refunds anything we failed to deliver. Refunds go through Dodo Payments, the merchant of record, and the licence key is revoked, so it stops unlocking downloads. It fits in a few lines on the page, and the short version sits right beside the buy button. If you are choosing how to sell, merchant of record explains why the refund goes through the provider.
Make the product page do the work
The best refund policy is the one that is rarely used. It is rarely used when the product page is honest before the sale: exactly what the buyer receives, the requirements, worked examples, and what it does not do. A buyer who knew what they were getting seldom asks for money back.
Things to avoid
- A policy that contradicts your homepage or FAQ. Check every place refunds are mentioned when you change it.
- "All sales final" in markets where the law says otherwise.
- Conditions no buyer can meet, like proving the product does not work.
The refund line that sits under our buy button is part of Warm Storefront UI's buy box recipe: price, what you receive, the refund line and one amber button, in that order.
Questions
Do I have to offer refunds on digital products?
It depends on where your buyers are. Consumer law in some places gives rights that override your policy, including rules specific to digital content. Say in your policy that statutory rights still apply, and check the rules for your markets.
How long should a refund window be?
Long enough to try the product properly. Fourteen or thirty days are common for software. A shorter window with a clear no-questions promise can build more trust than a long one full of conditions.
What happens to access after a refund?
Say it in the policy. For licence-key products, the key is usually revoked, so downloads and updates stop. Files already downloaded cannot be recalled, which is why the policy exists at all.