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Sample Ecommerce Terms and Conditions for Your Online Store

What should ecommerce Terms and Conditions for an online store include? Are Terms of Service mandatory for ecommerce websites? In this post, we’ll look at a sample of Terms and Conditions for online stores and the best way to create one.

online store terms and conditions

What are the terms and conditions of commerce?

The Terms and Conditions (T&C) of commerce – also known as Terms of Service, Terms of Use, or End User License Agreement (EULA) – represent a contract between you, the provider of a service, and your users. They are a legally binding document and allow you to set your rules, within applicable law.

For example, they help you define how users can interact with your product or service, how your original content can be used, or the rules concerning the cancellation or suspension of a user’s account.

Why do we need terms and conditions for ecommerce website?

An ecommerce website needs terms and conditions because they are meant to protect you and your online store: they help deal with potential issues arising, and can even prevent them in the first place. Even though they play such a big role, Terms and Conditions are not always legally required. However, if you run an online store, terms and conditions are often mandatory, as they contain information about the conditions of sale and disclosures on methods of payment, shipping, delivery, withdrawals, cancellation conditions, etc. – as commonly required by consumer protection regulations.

Do I need terms and conditions on my ecommerce website?

Yes, having Terms and Conditions on your ecommerce website is highly advisable for defining crucial elements like legal protection, user guidelines, intellectual property rights or conditions around purchase and delivery.

Without Terms and Conditions, your ecommerce might be at a higher risk of facing disputes with customers and may have fewer defenses against potential legal actions.

It’s also a good practice for building trust with your customers on your ecommerce website by being transparent about your rules and processes. Given the complexity of legal requirements that can vary by jurisdiction, it can be a good idea to use a high-quality Terms and Conditions Generator to build your own.

Are Terms and Conditions really mandatory for you?


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How do you write terms and conditions for an online store?

Writing Terms and Conditions for an online store involves creating a document that outlines the rules, guidelines, and legal agreements between the store and its customers. It’s an essential step in establishing a trustworthy and legally sound online presence. At its core, online store Terms and Conditions should cover several key areas:

  • User Accounts: Guidelines for account creation, use, and termination.
  • Intellectual Property: Information on copyright, trademarks, and how users can (or cannot) use the website’s content.
  • Transactions: Details on how orders, payments, shipping, and returns are handled.
  • User Conduct: Rules about what behavior is acceptable on the website.
  • Limitations of Liability: The extent to which the store is liable for issues arising from the use of the website.
  • Dispute Resolution: How disputes between the store and customers will be resolved, including the governing law.

There are several methods to create Terms and Conditions for your online store, each with its own set of benefits:

  1. Online Templates: You can start with free online templates that provide a general structure for Terms and Conditions. These templates are a good starting point, especially for small businesses with straightforward operations. However, it’s important to customize the template to fit your specific business needs and legal requirements.
  2. Terms and Conditions Generators: The best ones like iubenda can help you get most of the job done, in a small amount of time. They allow you to automatically include relevant clauses – they typically have pre-drafted text for e-commerce, add/remove others ones. They are much more personalized than templates.
  3. Consulting with a Legal Expert: This option, needless to say, will bring the highest quality for legal compliance but can get costly. It’s particularly recommended for businesses with complex operations or specific legal concerns.

What to include in terms and conditions for ecommerce website?

Terms and Conditions for ecommerce website are legal documents that apply to various scenarios, so each situation could require specific clauses and disclaimers. Anyway, there are some basic elements that you can find in every Terms and Conditions document:

  • the identification of the business owner and of the product or service;
  • the description of the service that your site provides and how it should be used;
  • affiliate-specific clauses.

If you have an online store, you’re not only subject to the privacy laws that apply to you, but also to commercial laws and industry rules. More specifically, a Terms and Conditions document for an ecommerce should inform customers of:

  • seller contact details (e.g. email address);
  • the rights they have as customers (such as withdrawal rights);
  • conditions of use/purchase;
  • warranty (where applicable);
  • safety information, including instructions for proper use;
  • information related to methods of payment;
  • terms of delivery;
  • returns and refunds.

💡 To learn more about the specific legal requirements for online stores, follow this link.

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More on compliance for ecommerce websites

This article is a part of our series on compliance for ecommerce websites. Read also:

👉 Privacy Policy for Online Store

Sample Terms and Conditions for Ecommerce Stores

Here’s an example of Terms and Conditions for an online store. Just click the button to open it:

Terms and Conditions

Where to Display Online Store Terms and Conditions

The answer is quite straightforward: the best recommended approach is to have a static link to your Terms and Conditions in your e-commerce website’s footer, so it is always visible and accessible when users are browsing.

It is also important to link to your document at other points of the user journey on your online store, for instance:

  • checkout/payment;
  • account creation;
  • if applicable, in a menu where you put all your legal notices.

💡With an online Terms and Conditions Generator, the process of installing a link on your website is made super easy.

E-commerce Terms and Conditions Examples

🔎 Best Buy

As you can see below, the multinational consumer electronics retailer Best Buy in the United States links to their Terms at the bottom of the page, in the footer, with all other legally-required links.

best buy terms of service example

🔎 Target

See here the example of Target, that links to both their privacy policy and Terms and Conditions during the account creation process:

ecommerce website terms and conditions

🔎 Asos

The example of Asos is interesting because they have made their Terms very clear, divided in sub-sections. It’s easier for the user to navigate. Take a look here.

asos terms and conditions example

Tips on How to Create a Terms and Conditions Document

We always stress the importance of a well-written Terms and Conditions document. As we already said, every situation needs its specific clauses.

That’s why we strongly suggest that you don’t write your terms yourself, using a template, though it may seem like a good idea. A static template isn’t enough to suit your individual requirements.

Instead, you can either seek the help of legal experts or use a quality Terms of Service Generator – “quality”, meaning one that has been crafted by legal professionals and that allows you to fully customize based on your individual business needs. Keep reading! ⬇️

Get started now with iubenda’s professional online generator

Our Terms and Conditions Generator easily lets you generate and manage Terms and Conditions for your online store.
Our documents are customizable from over 100 clauses, available in 14 languages, drafted by an international legal team and up to date with the main international legislations.

Try the Generator risk free with our 14-day money-back guarantee

Generate Your Custom Ecommerce Terms and Conditions

About us

iubenda

Attorney-level solutions to make your websites and apps compliant with the law across multiple countries and legislations.

www.iubenda.com

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