Terms and Conditions for Ecommerce

Why does an ecommerce need Terms and Conditions? What should Terms of Service for an ecommerce include? Can I use a Terms and Conditions generator for my online store?

In this post we’ll look at a sample Terms and Conditions for ecommerce and explain all you need to know about terms for online stores!

Why does an ecommerce need Terms and Conditions?

Terms and Conditions are a legally binding document between the provider of a product or service and their users.
They define the conditions under which users can interact with your product or service, how it should be used, the rules concerning the cancellation of a user’s account and more.

Simply put, terms can help you set your rules and avoid legal liabilities.

Though they’re not always legally required for other types of businesses, they are often mandatory for online stores.
That’s because they contain legally mandated 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.

Even if you run a small shop on marketplace platforms, you have to define your conditions. It’s for your own good.

An example?
Users generally have 14 days to send back what they’ve bought, it’s called “right of withdrawal”. If you don’t correctly inform users of their rights, the withdrawal period is legally extended to 1 year and 14 days!

What should Terms of Service for online stores include?

Terms of Service are legal documents that apply to the most different scenarios, so each situation could require specific clauses and disclaimers.

Anyway, there are some basic elements that you can find in almost 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; and
• disclaimer and limitation of liability information.

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 must 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, click here.

Sample of Terms and Conditions for Ecommerce

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

Can I use a Terms and Conditions generator?

Yes, of course!

But you need to be careful. Choose a high-quality Terms and Conditions Generator that at the very least:

• contains clauses written by actual legal professionals,
• allows you to fully customize your document based on your individual needs,
• gives you useful info and tips about each clause before adding it, and
• lets you go back in and edit or modify your documents when your business needs grow or change.

How iubenda can help

Our powerful Terms and Conditions Generator lets you easily generate and manage Terms and Conditions for your online store. It comes with plug clauses for all major e-commerce platforms and is fully optimized for both desktop and mobile.

The documents are fully customizable, available in 11 languages and drafted by an international legal team.

With iubenda, your Terms and Conditions are always up to date with the latest legal requirements and you can freely edit and update your documents whenever you need to.

Try it risk-free for 14 days!