Terms and conditions template for Shopify UK stores that cuts disputes

Most Shopify terms and conditions were never written on purpose. They were pasted in on launch day, never read again, and then quoted by a bank reviewer in the one dispute you cannot afford to lose.

A good terms and conditions template turns those pages into evidence. It tells the buyer what they bought, when it arrives, how to return it and who pays, in plain words, with a date. This guide gives you a terms and conditions template for a UK Shopify store, the reasoning behind each clause, and a plan to put it live this week.

Last updated: 9 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team.

The 30-second answer (TL;DR)

• A terms and conditions template helps with disputes in two ways: it stops arguments before they start, and it gives you a dated document to cite when a bank or payment provider asks what the buyer agreed to.
• A terms and conditions template does not win a chargeback alone. Delivery proof, order records and messages still carry the case. The terms explain the rules those records are measured against.
• In your terms and conditions template, put the clauses that cause most disputes first: delivery times, returns and refunds, cancellation rights, personalised goods, and how to contact you.
• UK distance-selling rules give most consumers a 14-day cancellation right, and the regulations say the buyer pays return costs only if you told them before they bought. Say it plainly in your terms.
• Show your Shopify terms and conditions before payment, link them in the footer and the order confirmation email, and keep a dated copy of every version.
• This post is general information, not legal advice. Have a solicitor or trading standards adviser check your final wording, especially for regulated or high-risk products.
• Some points are not covered in the sources we reviewed, including the exact Shopify checkout settings for showing terms. The post says so where it matters.

From dispute to decision

Stage	What the buyer says	What your terms can show	What still needs separate proof
Before the order	"I did not know the rules"	The terms were visible and dated before payment	A record of the order and the checkout flow
Delivery complaint	"It never arrived"	Your stated delivery times and who bears risk in transit	Carrier tracking and delivery proof
Return or refund complaint	"You refused my refund"	Your returns steps, timelines and conditions	Return scans and the refund record
Not as described	"It is not what I ordered"	What the listing and the terms promised	Photos, listing capture, messages
Bank review	"I never agreed to this"	A dated policy the buyer had access to	Evidence the buyer saw or accepted it

What should a terms and conditions template for a Shopify UK store include?

A solid terms and conditions template covers who you are, what the buyer is buying, price and payment, delivery, cancellation and returns, refunds, faulty goods, personalised or made-to-order items, and how to complain. Each part should be short, specific and written so a reviewer who has never seen your store can follow it.

Think of your terms and conditions template as the rulebook a stranger will read while deciding who is right. They do not know your shop, your tone or your history with the buyer. They have the order record, the complaint and your policy page.

Here is the structure we recommend for a terms and conditions template on a UK Shopify store, and why each part earns its place:

Section	What it covers	Why it matters in a dispute
About us	Trading name, company number, address, contact email	Shows a real, reachable business
Orders and contract	When a contract is formed, your right to refuse an order	Sets when the buyer is committed
Prices and payment	Currency, VAT, accepted methods	Heads off "I was overcharged"
Delivery	Dispatch times, carriers, delivery areas, risk in transit	Anchors item not received cases
Cancellation and returns	14-day right, how to return, who pays	The biggest source of refund disputes
Refunds	When and how you refund, timelines	Answers "you never refunded me"
Faulty or wrong goods	What the buyer can ask for	Shows you honour consumer rights
Personalised goods	Exceptions to cancellation	Protects made-to-order sales
Complaints	How to reach you, how long you take to reply	Gives the buyer a first stop other than the bank
Changes and law	How you update terms, governing law	Fixes which version applied

Keep your Shopify terms and conditions separate from your privacy policy. Mixing the two makes both harder to cite.

If you want the delivery and returns wording in its own policy pages, pair this guide with our shipping and delivery policy template. The terms can link to those pages so a reviewer finds the detail in one click.

Why do Shopify terms and conditions matter for chargebacks?

Because a chargeback reviewer decides whether you did what you promised, and your terms and conditions template is where you promised it. A dated terms page lets you point to the rule rather than argue about it. It is supporting evidence, not a substitute for proof of delivery.

Shopify's help centre explains that Shopify is not liable for chargebacks and that you respond to them with evidence. For the card side of the process, read our Shopify chargebacks UK guide. What the sources we reviewed do not tell us is how heavily any particular bank weighs a merchant's terms. So treat your terms and conditions template as one exhibit among several, and expect delivery and order evidence to carry more weight.

There are four ways a terms and conditions template earns its keep:

1. It prevents the argument. A buyer who read "dispatch within 3 working days" is less likely to claim the order is late on day 4.
2. It sets the refund timeline. A buyer who knows you refund within 14 days of receiving the return is less likely to call the bank on day 9.
3. It defines the rules for a reviewer. When the bank asks "what did the merchant promise?", you have a dated answer.
4. It protects against disputes about exceptions. Personalised goods, hygiene items and sale items have different rules, and the buyer should know before paying.

Here is the honest limit. A terms and conditions template cannot override consumer law. A clause that tries to remove a right the law gives to consumers can be unfair and unenforceable. A terms and conditions template that overreaches can make a dispute worse, because it reads as a store hiding behind small print. Write terms you would be happy to show a judge.

What UK cancellation rights must your terms and conditions template reflect?

For goods sold online or at a distance to UK consumers, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give a 14-day cancellation right, require a refund within 14 days of getting the goods back or evidence of return, and put return costs on the buyer only if they were told beforehand. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers faulty goods and digital content.

This section is general information, not legal advice, and it is drawn from the legislation.gov.uk explanatory notes we reviewed. Your terms and conditions template should reflect these points, and you should ask a qualified adviser to check the final wording.

Rule	What it says in plain words	What to write in your terms
Cancellation right	Most distance buyers can cancel within 14 days of getting the goods	State the 14 days and when it starts
Refund timing	Refund within 14 days of receiving the goods back or proof of return	Promise no later than this
Return costs	Buyer pays only if told before buying	Say who pays, in a visible place
Risk of loss	Goods stay at the trader's risk until delivered to the consumer	Do not claim the buyer is responsible for loss in transit
Digital content	Repair, replace or price reduction rights if faulty (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 44)	Describe your approach to faulty downloads
Exceptions	Some goods fall outside the cancellation right, such as items made to the buyer's specification	List them clearly and early

The risk point is worth pausing on. If your terms say "once we hand the parcel to the carrier, it is your responsibility", you have written something the regulations do not support for consumer sales. In an item not received dispute, that sentence will not help you, and it can hurt your credibility. Say instead how you handle lost parcels: you will trace it, reship or refund.

We did not review a full list of the exceptions to the cancellation right, so list only the exceptions you are sure apply to your products, and check them with an adviser.

Terms and conditions template: a full copy-and-adapt version

Copy the template below into a document, replace every square-bracket placeholder, delete clauses that do not fit your store, and have it checked before publishing. It is written in plain English because buyers, bank reviewers and trading standards officers all read plain English more easily.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Version [NUMBER], effective [DATE]

1. About us
[TRADING NAME] is a trading name of [LEGAL NAME], registered in [ENGLAND AND WALES / SCOTLAND] with company number [NUMBER]. Our registered address is [ADDRESS]. You can contact us at [EMAIL] or [PHONE]. We reply to messages within [1 / 2] working days.

2. Your order
When you place an order, we send an order confirmation by email. Your contract with us is formed when we confirm that your order has been dispatched. We may decline an order, for example if an item is out of stock or the price was shown incorrectly. If we decline an order after taking payment, we refund you in full.

3. Prices and payment
Prices are in pounds sterling and include VAT where VAT applies. The total you pay, including delivery, is shown before you pay. We accept [PAYMENT METHODS]. We take payment when you place your order.

4. Delivery
We dispatch orders within [NUMBER] working days. Delivery usually takes [NUMBER] working days after dispatch. Delivery times are estimates, not guarantees. We deliver to [AREAS]. We do not deliver to [EXCLUDED AREAS]. We send tracking details by email when your order is dispatched. Your order stays at our risk until it is delivered to you. If a parcel is lost or damaged in transit, contact us and we will trace it, send a replacement or refund you.

5. Your right to cancel
If you are a consumer, you can cancel your order within 14 days of the day you receive the goods, without giving a reason. To cancel, email [EMAIL] with your order number. You do not have to use a particular form. We will refund you within 14 days of receiving the goods back or of receiving proof that you have sent them back.

6. Returning goods
Return the goods to [RETURN ADDRESS] within 14 days of telling us you want to cancel. [You pay the cost of returning the goods. / We pay the cost of returning the goods.] Please use a tracked service and keep your proof of postage. Return goods unused, in their original packaging where possible. If goods come back damaged, we may reduce your refund by the amount their value has fallen, as the law allows.

7. Refunds
We refund to the payment method you used. We will tell you by email when we have issued a refund. It can take [NUMBER] working days to appear, depending on your bank or card provider.

8. Faulty or incorrect goods
If your goods are faulty or not as described, contact us as soon as you can. You may be entitled to a repair, replacement, price reduction or refund under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Send us a photo and a short description of the problem and we will respond within [NUMBER] working days.

9. Goods that cannot be cancelled
You cannot cancel [LIST ONLY THE EXCEPTIONS THAT APPLY, FOR EXAMPLE: items made to your specification or clearly personalised]. We state this on each relevant product page before you buy.

10. Complaints
If you are unhappy, email [EMAIL] first. We aim to resolve complaints within [NUMBER] working days. This does not affect your legal rights.

11. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. The version in force when you placed your order applies to that order. Previous versions are available on request.

12. Law
These terms are governed by the law of [ENGLAND AND WALES / SCOTLAND / NORTHERN IRELAND]. Nothing in them affects your statutory rights.

A few notes on the template:

• Clause 2 sets the moment of contract at dispatch. That is common, but some stores prefer the order confirmation. Choose the one that matches how you actually work.
• Clause 4 refuses to blame the buyer for transit loss. That keeps it consistent with the consumer rules and with how a reviewer will read it.
• Clause 6 has two options for return costs. Pick one, and make sure the same sentence appears on your product pages and checkout.
• Clause 9 should list only real exceptions. A long, vague list reads as an attempt to avoid refunds.

For stores that sell a lot of made-to-order goods, our post on personalised and made-to-order goods covers clause 9 in more depth. For stores that ship in several parcels, read split and partial shipment disputes and add a sentence to clause 4.

How do you show your terms and conditions template at checkout so it counts as evidence?

Put a link to your terms and conditions template page where the buyer can see it before paying, repeat the link in the order confirmation email, and keep a dated screenshot of the page. A buyer cannot be said to have agreed to terms they never saw, so visibility before payment is the point.

We did not review the current Shopify checkout settings for displaying terms or adding an acceptance checkbox, and those settings change. Check your admin or ask Shopify support rather than relying on a screenshot from an old guide.

Whatever settings you use, these habits make your Shopify terms and conditions usable as evidence:

1. Link the terms in the site footer on every page.
2. Link the terms and the returns steps in the order confirmation email.
3. Mention the return cost rule on the product page for items where it matters.
4. Keep a dated copy of each version of the terms, with the date it went live.
5. Capture a screenshot of the checkout page showing where the terms appear.

Use this checklist when you set it up:

• Terms page published at a stable, public address
• Footer link on every page, including mobile
• Order confirmation email links to the terms and the returns steps
• Delivery times shown on product pages as well as in the terms
• Return cost rule shown before payment
• Exceptions such as personalised items flagged on the relevant product pages
• A dated archive of every version, saved outside the store
• A screenshot of the checkout showing the terms link

An acceptance checkbox is stronger evidence than a footer link because it records an act by the buyer. If your checkout supports one and your buyers tolerate it, use it. If it is not available to you, a clear link and a dated confirmation email remain better than nothing. The sources we reviewed do not say how much weight any card scheme gives a checkbox, so do not promise yourself it will decide a case.

What should the delivery section of your terms and conditions template say?

State when you dispatch, how long delivery takes, which carriers you use, where you deliver, and what happens if a parcel is lost. Use specific numbers, avoid promises you cannot keep, and make it consistent with your product pages. Delivery wording matters most, because item not received is the dispute you will see most.

A vague delivery clause is a gift to a hostile reader. "Delivery in 3 to 5 days" means nothing unless it says 3 to 5 working days after dispatch, and when dispatch happens. Here is a comparison of weak and strong wording:

Weak wording	Why it causes trouble	Stronger wording
"Fast delivery"	No measurable promise	"Dispatch within 2 working days, delivery 1 to 3 working days after dispatch"
"We are not responsible for lost parcels"	Conflicts with consumer rules and reads badly	"If a parcel is lost, we trace it, then reship or refund"
"Delivery times are guaranteed"	You cannot guarantee carrier performance	"Delivery times are estimates"
"Free delivery"	Unclear what service	"Free standard tracked delivery on orders over £[AMOUNT]"
"We deliver worldwide"	Customs and carrier limits vary	List the countries, and what you do about duties

Match your terms and conditions template to the proof you can produce. If you promise a signature on orders over £100, make sure you actually book that service. Our guide to proof of delivery for Shopify chargebacks explains what a carrier can and cannot show, and which service levels give a reviewer the strongest delivery proof.

If you ship to Northern Ireland, Ireland or the EU, your delivery terms should say who pays any duty or charge and what happens to refused parcels. The post on Northern Ireland, Ireland and EU shipping disputes covers that.

What should the returns and refunds section of your terms and conditions template say?

It should say who can cancel and until when, how to start a return, who pays for postage, what condition goods must be in, when you refund, and how. Use plain numbers. A refund timeline is the clause a bank reviewer reads most closely, because "refund not received" is a classic dispute reason.

Most return disputes come down to three questions: when did the clock start, who paid for the return, and when did the refund happen. Your terms and conditions template should answer each in one sentence.

Question	Answer to give	Common mistake
When does the 14 days start?	The day the goods are received	Counting from order date
Who pays return postage?	State it once, clearly, before purchase	Saying nothing, which can leave you paying
When do you refund?	Within 14 days of receiving the goods or proof of return	Waiting for a warehouse check that takes weeks
What condition must goods be in?	Unused, with a fair-use allowance for inspection	"Must be unopened" for everything
How do you refund?	To the original payment method	Offering only store credit when the buyer wants money back

Keep your returns steps short enough for a distressed buyer to follow on a phone. A step list works better than paragraphs:

1. Email [EMAIL] with your order number and the items you want to return.
2. We reply with a returns address and, if we cover it, a prepaid label.
3. Post the goods using a tracked service and keep your receipt.
4. We email you when the parcel arrives and again when we refund you.
5. The refund reaches your account in [NUMBER] working days, depending on your bank.

If you want the full process for handling returns, including what to do after a refund request turns into a dispute, our guides on refunds and returns disputes in January cover the seasonal peak, when this clause does the most work.

What goes wrong when your terms and conditions template contradicts the rest of the store?

A reviewer who finds the terms saying one thing and the product page or checkout saying another will trust neither. Contradictions are the most common way a terms and conditions template turns from a help into a hazard.

Check these places for contradictions:

• Delivery estimates on product pages against the delivery clause
• Return windows in the footer, in the terms and in the confirmation email
• Return cost wording on the returns page against the terms
• Sale or clearance items marked "final sale" on the product page but not in the terms
• Subscription or pre-order wording in checkout against the terms
• Pop-up promises such as "free returns" that the terms do not mention

Run a simple contradiction audit once a quarter. Open the product page, the checkout, the confirmation email and the terms, and read the same four facts in each: dispatch time, delivery time, return window and return cost. If any pair disagrees, fix the terms and conditions template and the other page on the same day. Keep a dated record of the change, because a reviewer asking "which version applied?" should get a one-line answer.

Is a terms and conditions template worth paying to check? Two worked examples

Spend a small amount of time and, if the budget allows, a solicitor's fee once, because terms reduce disputes across every order. Refunding small orders is still sensible, but it does not replace clear terms. Run the sums with your own numbers.

Both examples are illustrations with invented numbers. The arithmetic is checked.

Example 1: what a good terms and conditions template is worth in chargebacks. A store takes 10 chargebacks a year, each for £85.00. Before clear terms, it wins 3 of 10. After, it wins 5 of 10. We assume Shopify's UK fee for card chargebacks is £10, charged by the bank and returned if you win.

Case	Wins	Losses	Recovered sales	Fees lost	Net recovered after fees
Before	3	7	3 × £85.00 = £255.00	7 × £10.00 = £70.00	£185.00
After	5	5	5 × £85.00 = £425.00	5 × £10.00 = £50.00	£375.00

The difference is £375.00 minus £185.00, which is £190.00 a year. That is £170.00 more recovered sales plus £20.00 fewer lost fees. If a solicitor check costs less than that, it pays for itself within the year, even before counting the disputes that never start. These win rates are invented for the example. Your own figures will differ, and a terms page alone will not move them by itself.

Example 2: the return postage clause. A store handles 50 returns a year and the average return label costs £4.50. If the terms and the product pages clearly say the buyer pays return postage, the store saves 50 × £4.50, which is £225.00 a year. If the store never told buyers before they bought, the regulations put the cost on the store, so the saving disappears.

Case	Returns	Label cost	Paid by store
Buyer told before purchase that they pay	50	£4.50	£0.00
Buyer not told	50	£4.50	50 × £4.50 = £225.00

The saving is £225.00, and it exists only if the information was given before purchase. That is a reason to repeat the rule on product pages, at checkout and in the confirmation email, not only in the terms. Both sums leave out your time, the value of goodwill and the cost of any sales lost because buyers dislike paying for returns. Many stores choose to cover returns because it lifts conversion. That is a business decision, and the terms should simply say which way you went.

Day-by-day plan: put your terms and conditions template live in seven days

You can have a solid terms and conditions template live within a week, working an hour or two a day. The plan below also leaves time for a legal check, a contradiction audit and a dated archive, which are the steps stores skip.

Day	Task	Output
Day 1	Collect your current terms, returns page, delivery page and product page claims	A list of everything you say today
Day 2	Decide your rules: dispatch time, delivery time, return window, who pays return postage	A one-page decisions sheet
Day 3	Fill in the template with your decisions and delete clauses that do not apply	A first draft
Day 4	Run the contradiction audit across the product page, checkout and email	A fix list
Day 5	Send the draft to a solicitor or trading standards adviser for a check	Comments or sign-off
Day 6	Publish the terms, add footer and confirmation email links, save a dated archive	A live page and a dated PDF
Day 7	Place a test order and capture screenshots of the checkout and email	A screenshot folder for future disputes

Put a quarterly reminder in your calendar to repeat day 4 of this terms and conditions template plan. Terms rot when delivery partners, prices and policies change and nobody updates the page.

How do you cite your terms and conditions template in a chargeback response?

Name the clause, quote the sentence and give the date the version went live. Keep it to two or three lines. The reviewer is checking whether you followed your own rule, and a short, specific citation shows you did.

Use this wording inside a response when the dispute reason is about delivery, returns or refunds. Adjust it to the facts:

Our terms and conditions, version [NUMBER], published [DATE], were available on [URL] at the time of the order and are linked in the order confirmation email sent on [DATE].

Clause [NUMBER] states: "[QUOTE THE SENTENCE]".

The buyer [ordered on DATE / returned the goods on DATE / was refunded on DATE], which is consistent with this clause. Supporting records are attached as exhibits [NUMBERS].

Do not paste the whole terms and conditions template into a response. Quote the one clause that answers the complaint, and attach the dated page as a supporting exhibit. If the file upload limit is a concern, note that we did not verify file types or size limits, so check the form when you respond.

When you build your response, order the evidence so the strongest proof comes first. For most item not received disputes that is delivery proof, then the order record, then the terms. For refund disputes it is the refund record, then the return scan, then the terms.

What's different for UK merchants

This section is general information, not legal advice.

• Distance selling rules: the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 apply to most online sales to consumers in the UK, including the 14-day cancellation right and the refund timing described above.
• Faulty goods and digital content: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives consumers remedies for faulty goods and for digital content. Section 44 covers the price reduction or refund route for digital content.
• Fees: Shopify's UK fee for card chargebacks is £10, charged by your bank and returned if you win. We did not review fees for other payment methods.
• Time limits: MoneyHelper describes chargeback as a voluntary card-scheme arrangement, usually claimed within 120 days. UK Finance gives the same period, counted from the transaction or the expected delivery, so keep your dated terms and records for at least that long.
• Section 75: for credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000, the card company is jointly liable with the merchant. UK Finance says the time limit is six years, so a dispute can come back long after a chargeback window.
• Shopify Protect: it does not cover UK stores, so your terms and conditions template and your evidence are your own protection.
• Unfair terms: a terms and conditions template that tries to remove a consumer right can be unfair. Write terms that mirror the law rather than fight it.
• Governing law: use England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland as applicable. We did not review cross-border rules in detail.

Common mistakes

1. Pasting a terms and conditions template from another store without changing the delivery times, return window or business details.
2. Blaming the buyer for loss in transit. For consumer sales, it conflicts with the rules and weakens your credibility.
3. Saying nothing about who pays return postage, then paying every label.
4. Writing a returns policy that contradicts the footer, the product page or the confirmation email.
5. An overlong terms and conditions template with a hundred clauses. Reviewers skim, and your key sentence gets lost.
6. Overwriting an old version of your Shopify terms and conditions without keeping a dated copy, so you cannot prove which terms applied.
7. Listing exceptions to cancellation that do not actually apply to your products.
8. Treating a terms and conditions template as a shield and neglecting delivery proof and messages.

FAQ

What should a terms and conditions template for a Shopify store include?

At minimum, it should include who you are, how orders and contracts work, prices and payment, delivery, the 14-day cancellation right, returns and refunds, faulty goods, any exceptions, complaints and governing law. Keep each clause short, use real numbers, and make sure the wording matches your product pages and checkout.

Do terms and conditions help win a chargeback?

They help as supporting evidence, not as the main proof. A dated policy shows what the buyer was told, which can answer disputes about delivery times, returns and refunds. Delivery proof, order records and messages usually carry more weight. We did not find a source saying how any bank weighs a merchant's terms, so treat them as one exhibit.

Do I need terms and conditions on a Shopify store in the UK?

UK consumer law requires you to give certain information before a distance sale, including delivery arrangements and cancellation rights. Written terms are the usual way to do that. Shopify can host the pages, but the content is yours. Ask a solicitor or trading standards adviser to check your final wording for your products.

Can I use a free terms and conditions template?

You can use one as a starting point, but check it. Many free templates ignore UK cancellation rules, copy delivery times from another country, or include clauses that could be treated as unfair under the Consumer Rights Act. Fill in the real facts, remove clauses that do not apply, and have the final version reviewed.

Who pays for returns under UK law?

The regulations put the cost of returning goods on the buyer only if you told them before they bought. If you did not tell them, you may have to pay. State your return cost rule in the terms, on the product page and at checkout, and keep a dated copy of each.

How long do I have to refund a customer in the UK?

For a cancelled distance sale, the regulations say a refund is due within 14 days of receiving the goods back or of receiving evidence that the goods were sent back. Your terms should promise no later than that and say how the refund is paid. Other timelines apply to faulty goods, so check them separately.

Should customers tick a box to accept my terms?

An acceptance tick records an act by the buyer and is stronger evidence than a footer link. We did not review the current Shopify checkout options for adding one, so check your admin settings. If a tick is not available, link the terms clearly before payment and in the confirmation email.

How often should I update my terms and conditions template?

Review them every quarter and whenever you change carriers, delivery times, prices, return rules or products. Keep a dated archive of every version. In a dispute, you need to show which terms applied on the order date, not just which ones are live today.

Can my terms say customers cannot get refunds on sale items?

Not if that removes a right the law gives them. Cancellation and faulty goods rights usually apply to sale items as well. You can run a stricter goodwill policy for change-of-mind returns only where the law allows, and you should state exactly what applies. Ask an adviser to check the wording.

Do I need separate terms for digital products?

Digital downloads and streams have different rules, including how cancellation works once delivery starts and what remedies apply if the content is faulty. Our post on digital products and downloads covers that. Until then, keep a separate clause for digital items so the physical goods rules do not muddy it.

Start free trial

ChargeFix helps Shopify merchants turn order and delivery evidence into a clear response, so your time goes to the order, not the paperwork. Start free trial and pair it with a terms and conditions template that says what you promised.

Sources

• legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, explanatory note
• legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 44
• Shopify Help Center: Chargebacks and inquiries
• UK Finance: Chargeback and Section 75