Guides

Fix a missing return policy in Google Merchant Center

Google wants shoppers to know, before they buy, whether they can return an item and on what terms. That means two things: a clear policy page on your site, and the same policy entered in Merchant Center.

What your policy page should say

• Whether you accept returns at all (it's fine to say "no returns" if that's true, but say it clearly).
• The return window, e.g. "within 30 days of delivery".
• Condition requirements (unused, original packaging) and any items that can't be returned.
• Who pays return shipping, and any restocking fee.
• How and when refunds are issued (original payment method, within N days of receiving the item).
• How to start a return: an email address or a form.

Link the page from your footer on every page. On Shopify, generate or edit it under Settings > Policies and then customize the template. A default template with blanks left in looks worse than no policy.

Set it in Merchant Center too

Add your return policy in Merchant Center's return policy settings (Google's guide). Make the window, costs and conditions match your site. Mismatches between the two are themselves a trust problem.

Watch for these traps

• A policy that says "30 days" on one page and "14 days" in another.
• A policy page that robots.txt blocks or that 404s.
• Return addresses that differ from your stated business location without explanation.

Google's own help pages

• Set up your return policies
• Misrepresentation policy

Last reviewed October 2026. Google changes its policies, so its help pages linked above are the final word.