The 5 Etsy Policies: What Policies Do You Need on Etsy?
Any type of policy can be difficult to write. Where do you even start? What do you need to add? In this article, we go into what a good ETSY shop policy has and what you must have set before opening your shop.
So what should you include?
ETSY tend to provide a template, which helps give you a rough idea of what to include in your policies. You can however remove/add new sections.
We recommend adding the following:
Processing & Delivery Times
In your policies, you should share information about your delivery window, including processing times and estimated delivery times. These will be viewable on each listing page, however, it is something that should be clear for anyone to read the moment they view your store.
Payment Options
If your shop accepts ‘ETSY Payments’ then Etsy themselves will display what ways in which a customer can pay, which includes, but isn't limited to, debit card, credit card, PayPal, Etsy Gift Card and ETSY Credit. More recently the options to pay by Apple Pay, Google Pay and Klarna have come into force, ensuring any prospective buyers have plenty of payment choices.
To enrol in ETSY Payments and read about what they offer you can check out how to enrol on their website.
You'll need to add a credit or debit card, if you're outside of Germany, Austria or the Netherlands. This will ensure that you get payment from ETSY when you make a sale. Furthermore, for shop sellers in the EU, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Singapore you'll need to do this to provide verification on your account. You can find out more about bank account verification on Etsy’s website.
Returns and Exchanges
This section is particularly important when it comes to your policies. When planning if you’re going to accept returns/exchanges you'll need to have a note on your page explaining your reasoning. If you are within the EU, under EU Consumer Rights Law, the buyer is allowed to return a product within 14 days of accepting it. Exceptions to this rule can include jewellery, custom-made products and certain perishable goods. This may also include some forms of clothing for hygiene purposes. For this reason, be sure to you check if there is protection, for yourself as the seller, or not.
If you have certain products, as described above, that cannot be returned or exchanged then you need to detail these in the space provided. Failure to do so could result in you losing any cases that an unhappy buyer may file against you on Etsy.
Missing Items
Although this isn't offered directly by Etsy, it is a section we do feel needs added! In this day and age, it is not unheard of for a posted item to disappear into the black hole. Or most likely fell out the back of a van. So, in the event that this should happen it is important you make clear what steps you plan on carrying out. This could range from offering to track the item, contacting the delivery service, resending a similar item/same item, a discount or even a full refund.
Suggested Read: 5 Things Every Etsy Profile Needs.
Privacy Policy
The majority of websites automatically share their privacy policy, usually via a popup when explaining their cookie usage or they'll have it accessible on every page of their website - usually on the footer.
It's important as a seller to add a privacy policy to your Etsy store. This is so that users will know where their personal data is going. If you're in or sell within, the EU you will be required to create a privacy policy that follows the rules of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR is the name of the regulation introduced in 2018 - its purpose being new rules being set on how you collect and process information, specifically personal data. As of 2018, all organisations within the EU are required to be compliant. So, for this reason, it’s best to have your privacy policy active.
A Privacy Policy usually covers the following:
- who you are/your business name
- if you are storing any personal details and why
- how you are storing any personal details and for how long
You can use generators, like www.alura.io, to help you create your own privacy policy without the added headache!
Do: Make your policies one of the first things you create.
Don’t: Forget to research any statements you make.
That's it! Our tips on creating the best policies for your Etsy shop. What's more, you can use these policies on your own website too. Do you have any other ideas of policies you think we should all include? Let us know in the comments!
