Writing a return and refund policy for your Bangladeshi online store (with a template)

Most small online stores in Bangladesh do not have a written return policy. They have a habit — whatever the owner decided the last time a customer complained — and that habit changes with the owner's mood and the customer's persistence. The result is arguments in Messenger, refunds given to people who shout and denied to people who are polite, and no way to point to a rule when a courier asks who pays for a returned parcel.

A written policy fixes that. It is not a legal document you need a lawyer for; it is a short, clear page that says what a customer can return, within how long, in what condition, who pays the courier, and how the money comes back. This guide covers what to put in it, the cash-on-delivery cases that trip Bangladeshi stores up, and a template you can adapt.

Why a policy matters more for COD stores

In markets where everyone pays by card before shipping, a return policy is about customer confidence. In Bangladesh, where most orders are cash on delivery, it does two more jobs:

• It reduces fake and impulse orders. A visible statement that door-step rejection of a confirmed order will be noted against the phone number, or that a delivery charge is payable on refusal, makes casual "order and see" behaviour less attractive.
• It settles the courier question. Couriers charge for returns. When a parcel comes back, someone pays that charge. A policy decides in advance whether it is you or the customer — and lets your team answer without a debate.

It also protects you in the other direction: a customer who receives a damaged item and sees a clear "we replace it, here is how" is a customer who does not post a public complaint.

What the policy must cover

Keep it to the questions customers actually ask:

1. Return window. How many days after delivery a return can be requested. Pick a number you can operate — seven days is common for general goods; shorter for perishables, cosmetics or innerwear where returns may not be possible at all.
2. Condition. Unused, with tags and original packaging, unless the item arrived damaged or wrong. Say what "unused" means for your products.
3. What cannot be returned. Be specific: food, opened cosmetics, custom or personalised items, innerwear, clearance items — whatever applies to you.
4. Damaged, defective or wrong item. Your fastest, friendliest path. Ask for a photo or unboxing video within a set time (24–48 hours is common), and say clearly that you replace or refund at your cost.
5. Who pays return delivery. For change-of-mind returns, usually the customer; for your mistakes, you. Say it plainly.
6. How refunds are paid. For bKash-paid orders, back to the same bKash number. For COD orders, either the customer has paid nothing (rejected at the door) or paid cash — say how cash is returned (bKash transfer to the customer's number is the practical answer) and within how many days after the item is received back.
7. Exchanges. Whether you offer size or colour exchanges, and whether the customer pays a delivery charge for the swap.
8. Door-step rejection of COD orders. The Bangladesh-specific clause — covered next.
9. How to start a return. One channel — a form, a WhatsApp number, or an email — and what to include (order number, phone, reason, photo).

If a question is not on that list, it probably does not belong in the policy.

The COD cases that need their own lines

Refusal at the door. The customer confirmed the order, the courier arrived, and the customer refused or did not answer. You have paid the outbound and return delivery charges and lost a day. Your policy should say what happens: many stores state that repeated refusals lead to advance payment being required on future orders, and some state that the delivery charge is payable before the next order is accepted. Whatever you choose, apply it consistently.

"Let me open it first." Couriers generally do not permit opening a parcel before payment. Say in your policy that inspection happens after payment and that damaged or wrong items are covered by your replacement process, so the customer knows they are not taking a risk by paying.

Partial delivery. Three items ordered, customer wants one. Decide whether your courier supports partial delivery and how you bill it, and say so — or state that orders are delivered whole.

Advance payment forfeiture. If you take an advance on COD orders (a strong fake-order filter, as we explain in reducing fake orders and COD returns), say whether it is refunded on a change-of-mind cancellation before dispatch, and whether it is forfeited on refusal at the door.

Template: copy and adapt

Replace the bracketed parts. Delete lines that do not apply to what you sell.

Return & Refund Policy — [Store Name]

Return window. You may request a return within [7] days of delivery.

Condition. Items must be unused, in original packaging with tags attached. [Cosmetics, food, innerwear, custom-made items] cannot be returned unless damaged or incorrect.

Damaged, defective or wrong item. Please send a photo or unboxing video to [WhatsApp number / email] within [48] hours of delivery. We will replace the item or refund you in full, and we cover the delivery cost.

Change of mind. You may return an eligible item at your own delivery cost. Refund is issued within [5] working days of the item reaching us.

Refunds. Paid by bKash to the number used for the order, or to a bKash number you provide for cash-on-delivery orders. [Store credit is available on request.]

Exchanges. Size and colour exchanges are available within the return window; a delivery charge of [amount / "as per current courier rate"] applies.

Cash-on-delivery orders. Please be available to receive your parcel. If a confirmed order is refused at the door, we may require advance payment on future orders. [Any advance payment is refundable if you cancel before dispatch.]

How to request a return. Message [WhatsApp number] or email [address] with your order number, phone number, the reason, and a photo where relevant.

Last updated [date].

And in Bangla, for the same store:

রিটার্ন ও রিফান্ড নীতি — [স্টোরের নাম]

রিটার্নের সময়সীমা। ডেলিভারির [৭] দিনের মধ্যে রিটার্নের অনুরোধ করতে পারবেন।

শর্ত। পণ্য অব্যবহৃত, ট্যাগসহ আসল প্যাকেজিংয়ে থাকতে হবে। [কসমেটিকস, খাবার, অন্তর্বাস, কাস্টম-মেড পণ্য] ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত বা ভুল না হলে রিটার্ন করা যাবে না।

ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত, ত্রুটিপূর্ণ বা ভুল পণ্য। ডেলিভারির [৪৮] ঘণ্টার মধ্যে [WhatsApp নম্বর / ইমেইল]-এ ছবি বা আনবক্সিং ভিডিও পাঠান। আমরা পণ্য বদলে দেব বা পুরো টাকা ফেরত দেব, ডেলিভারি খরচ আমাদের।

মন বদল। যোগ্য পণ্য নিজের ডেলিভারি খরচে ফেরত পাঠাতে পারবেন। পণ্য আমাদের কাছে পৌঁছানোর [৫] কর্মদিবসের মধ্যে রিফান্ড দেওয়া হবে।

রিফান্ড। অর্ডারে ব্যবহৃত বিকাশ নম্বরে, অথবা ক্যাশ অন ডেলিভারি অর্ডারের জন্য আপনার দেওয়া বিকাশ নম্বরে। [অনুরোধে স্টোর ক্রেডিট পাওয়া যায়।]

এক্সচেঞ্জ। রিটার্নের সময়সীমার মধ্যে সাইজ ও রঙ বদল করা যায়; [অ্যামাউন্ট / "বর্তমান কুরিয়ার রেট অনুযায়ী"] ডেলিভারি চার্জ প্রযোজ্য।

ক্যাশ অন ডেলিভারি অর্ডার। পার্সেল নেওয়ার জন্য উপস্থিত থাকুন। কনফার্ম করা অর্ডার দরজায় প্রত্যাখ্যান করলে পরের অর্ডারে অ্যাডভান্স পেমেন্ট লাগতে পারে। [ডিসপ্যাচের আগে বাতিল করলে অ্যাডভান্স পেমেন্ট ফেরতযোগ্য।]

রিটার্নের অনুরোধ কীভাবে করবেন। অর্ডার নম্বর, ফোন নম্বর, কারণ আর প্রয়োজনে ছবি দিয়ে [WhatsApp নম্বর]-এ মেসেজ করুন বা [ইমেইল]-এ লিখুন।

সর্বশেষ আপডেট [তারিখ]।

Two cautions. Do not promise a refund timeline you cannot meet — "5 working days after we receive the item" is honest; "instant refund" is not. And do not copy another store's policy wholesale; their exclusions are for their products.

Where to publish it

A policy nobody can find does not exist. Put it in four places:

• A dedicated page at a predictable address such as /return-policy, linked from the footer of every page.
• The checkout page, as a short line near the payment options: "7-day returns · damaged items replaced free" with a link.
• Your order confirmation message — the SMS or WhatsApp that goes out when an order is placed — with the link.
• Your Facebook page's About section, since many customers still start there.

Doing this on Eazifiy

On Eazifiy, the policy page and the process behind it are both in the admin:

• Pages. Under Customization → Pages, create a page titled Return & Refund Policy, paste your text, set the slug to return-policy and add an SEO title and description. Add it to the footer menu under Customization → Footer and it appears on every storefront page.
• Checkout. The checkout settings let you edit the trust messages shown beside the order summary — add a line such as "7-day returns · damaged items replaced free".
• Returns & Refunds. Under Returns in the admin, each return request moves through Requested → Approved → Received (or Rejected), with the item's condition recorded — sellable, damaged, defective, missing parts — and stock adjusted accordingly. Refunds are recorded against the order with the method used — bKash, bank transfer, store credit or a COD adjustment — so your books show exactly what went back to whom.
• Advance payment on COD is a checkout setting, and the fraud-check view on each order shows the customer's delivery-versus-return history across couriers (Lite and Premium plans), so the "repeated refusals" clause in your policy is something you can actually see and act on.

Frequently asked questions

Is a return policy legally required in Bangladesh? Consumer protection law gives buyers rights regardless of what your page says, so a policy cannot remove those; it clarifies how you honour them. If you sell regulated goods, take advice specific to your category.

How long should the return window be? Long enough for the customer to receive and inspect the item, short enough that you can resell it. Seven days from delivery is a common middle ground; adjust for your products.

Should I refund the delivery charge? For your mistakes — damaged, defective, wrong item — yes, in full. For change of mind, most stores refund the item price only. Say which in the policy.

Can I refuse a return? Yes, if the request falls outside the policy — after the window, used, excluded category. That is exactly why the policy exists; apply it the same way to every customer.

How do I refund a COD customer who paid cash? Ask for their bKash number and send the refund there; record the transaction ID against the order. On Eazifiy the refund method and reference are saved on the order.

Ready to put a clear policy in front of your customers? Every Eazifiy plan includes custom pages, footer menus and the returns and refunds module, and the first 2 months are ৳200 a month on any plan — see pricing or the full feature list.