Shopping online is a risk for most buyers. If you are selling clothes or shoes many buyers fear that the item won’t fit right. I’ve bought many pairs of shoes that just don’t work for me when they get to my front door. If you are selling electronics (especially big ticket items) most buyers are afraid they’ll receive a DOA item or an unsatisfactory product. One way to combat buyer’s fears and help to build confidence with shoppers is to offer a nice return policy.
A good return policy predominantly displayed on your homepage and throughout your website can really give you an advantage over some other online retailers. There are a few retailers online who sell items “as-is”. The “as-is” policy states that any item sold is non-returnable and non-exchangeable. Once it heads to the buyer it is the buyer’s problem. Other online retailers offer a return policy but the restocking fee is so exorbitantly high that the seller is better off keeping their item. Both of the above mentioned policies run rampant on eBay and similar auction websites.
Many moons ago I sold items on eBay. I dealt in makeup and other similar products, but occasionally I also sold shoes and apparel if I got a good deal from my provider. Because I sold such different products my return policy had to be different for each type of product. I willingly took back apparel and/or shoes within 1 week of receiving the product. That meant that a buyer had 2 weeks from the time they got the item to decide if they wanted to keep it. If they didn’t they could simply ship it back and I refunded their money. It was fairly simple.
Makeup had to be an entirely different story. I could not sell opened products that were returned so buyers had a few options. They could return an unopened/unused item for a full refund or they could return a used item for an exchange of equal or lesser value. Sure, I took the hit on opened products, but my willingness to take back makeup items simply because a buyer didn’t like the color or had something different in mind helped my business excel. It set me apart from other sellers who offered no returns what-so-ever on makeup products. The hits I took from open products were more than covered by my increased business due to my generous return policy.
Both of my return policies help to build buyer confidence. Those who wanted to purchase from me knew that there was an option and they could decide they didn’t want the product. It put them at ease and made them more likely to buy from me. It also set me apart from other sellers on the same website peddling the same product. It absolutely was a win-win situation.
The As-is policy appeals to many online sellers because they would rather not deal with the mess or returns and worry that a return policy will incite an influx of returned items. The theory is a touch of paranoia to be honest. If you believe in the value and quality of your products you should be willing to take back unsatisfactory items, plain and simple. By having no return policy you are basically telling customers you don’t believe in your product.
I learned quickly that a return policy had to be clear, concise and easily accessible to buyers to do my business (and my customers) any good. If you are using an auction website such as eBay you can place your return policy on your storefront as well as in each and every auction. When a buyer clicks on the auction they want to know what they are getting and what their options are if they happen to dislike the item. If you are dealing with a personal storefront hosted elsewhere predominantly display your return policy on your homepage and during the checkout process. It also helps to enclose return policies and instructions on an invoice that is sent with the item. Buyers will feel confident with your company and they will buy more from you (many will turn into return customers). Most of the time any hit you take on a return will be covered by more customers.
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