Refund policy

Identified compliance gap and orchestrated policy solution
Identified compliance gap and orchestrated policy solution

Right — that needs to be filled in before subscriptions can be considered properly compliant, and it's flagged "Required" for a reason: Shopify (and Australian Consumer Law) expects subscription customers to have clear terms on billing, pausing, and cancelling before they commit their card.

Here's copy to paste in, tailored to what you've actually built (self-serve cancellation via customer accounts, 1/2/3/4-month options, 10% off):

Subscription Cancellation Policy

PAW STATE subscriptions ("Subscribe & Save") let you receive regular deliveries of selected products at a 10% discount, with flexible billing intervals of 1, 2, 3, or 4 months.

Managing Your Subscription
You can pause, skip, edit, or cancel your subscription at any time through your PAW STATE customer account. Log in at [account.pawstate.com.au] to manage your active subscriptions.

Cancellation
There is no minimum commitment. You may cancel at any time before your next scheduled billing date. Cancelling stops all future charges — any order already processed or dispatched will not be affected.

Billing
Your card will be charged automatically at each interval you selected. If a scheduled charge fails (e.g. expired card), we'll notify you by email and give you the opportunity to update your payment details before the order is cancelled.

Changes to Pricing or Products
If a subscribed product becomes unavailable or its price changes, we will notify you by email before your next billing date. You may cancel at that time with no penalty.

Contact
Questions about your subscription can be directed to hello@pawstate.com.au.

Paste that in, hit Save, then let's go back and confirm the Return and Refund policy actually has content too — that one's the highest legal priority of the four under Australian Consumer Law, so I want it verified, not assumed.


nah its good, i just used the first one you said to put in there, all done now whats next



Pivoted toward verifying return and refund policy details
Pivoted toward verifying return and refund policy details

Good, that works too — the substance was the same either way. Locked in.

Next: quick verification, then we move to the actual footer content since we got sidetracked auditing policies.

Return and Refund Policy — click into that one now and paste what's there. This is the highest-priority policy of the four legally (Australian Consumer Law guarantees are non-negotiable and this is the one customers actually cite when something goes wrong), so I want to see the real content, not assume it's fine because you mentioned writing it earlier.

Once that's confirmed, we're done with the policy audit entirely and can move to:

  1. Trust line / ABN text block in the footer (we parked this earlier)
  2. Then the rest of go-live checklist: About page, Contact page, PayPal/Afterpay, Payments verification, password removal

Paste the Return and Refund policy content when you're there.


We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.

To start a return, you can contact us at [hello@pawstate.com.au](mailto:hello@pawstate.com.au). Please note that returns will need to be sent to the following address: 11a Sabre Street, Netley, SA, 5037

If your return is accepted, we’ll send you a return shipping label, as well as instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted.

You can always contact us for any return question at [hello@pawstate.com.au](mailto:hello@pawstate.com.au).

Damages and issues Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.

Exceptions / non-returnable items Certain types of items cannot be returned, like perishable goods (such as food, flowers, or plants), custom products (such as special orders or personalized items), and personal care goods (such as beauty products). We also do not accept returns for hazardous materials, flammable liquids, or gases. Please get in touch if you have questions or concerns about your specific item.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on sale items or gift cards.

Exchanges The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and once the return is accepted, make a separate purchase for the new item.

European Union 14 day cooling off period Notwithstanding the above, if the merchandise is being shipped into the European Union, you have the right to cancel or return your order within 14 days, for any reason and without a justification. As above, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.

Refunds We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method within 10 business days. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too. If more than 15 business days have passed since we’ve approved your return, please contact us at hello@pawstate.com.au.


Show more


Identified Australian Consumer Law conflicts and policy gaps
Identified Australian Consumer Law conflicts and policy gaps

Brutal but important: this is Shopify's generic US-style template, and it has a real legal problem for an Australian store.

The critical issue: "We cannot accept returns on sale items"

Under Australian Consumer Law (ACL), this line is not legally enforceable. ACL guarantees (right to a refund/repair/replacement for faulty, not-as-described, or unfit-for-purpose goods) apply regardless of whether an item was on sale, and a business cannot contract out of them — stating otherwise is exactly the kind of "no refunds on sale items" claim the ACCC actively targets small businesses over. You've been putting "Backed by our Australian Consumer Law guarantee" on every product page — that promise directly contradicts this line in your policy. If a customer challenges it, you're not just wrong, you're exposed.

Other issues:

  • EU 14-day cooling off section — dead weight. You don't ship to the EU (Wise is for supplier payments, not EU retail). Delete it; leaving it in makes the policy look copy-pasted (because it is) and could confuse an Australian customer into wrong expectations.
  • "Unworn/unused with tags" — written for apparel. Doesn't map well to a water fountain or cooling mat. Not a legal issue, just sloppy.
  • 10 business days refund timing — fine, no issue there.
  • Return address disclosure — 11a Sabre Street, Netley SA 5037 is now public on your site. If that's your home/residential address rather than a registered business/warehouse address, that's a personal safety and privacy consideration worth a beat of thought, not just a legal one.

Fix for the sale items line — replace:

"Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on sale items or gift cards."

with:

"Discounted items follow the same returns process as full-price items. Gift cards are non-refundable, except where required by Australian Consumer Law."

And add one explicit ACL line near the top, since you're already promising it on product pages:

"Nothing in this policy limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. If a product has a major fault, you're entitled to a replacement or refund; for minor faults, we may choose the appropriate remedy."

Two questions before you edit:

  1. Is Netley a home address or an actual registered/warehouse address you're comfortable being public?
  2. Want me to give you the full corrected policy to paste in one go, or just the two edits inline?

put in a full correct one and netley is my home address.. also i think much earlier we had to ammend this or you said we would need to as it conflicted some of the returns policies from supliers i think about the 30 day return where as they say no change of mind returns or similar



Reconciled supplier restrictions with store return policy conflict
Reconciled supplier restrictions with store return policy conflict

Good memory — you're right, and this is more important than the phrasing issue we just fixed. Here's the real conflict:

Your suppliers (direct-import model via Dropshipzone) generally don't accept change-of-mind returns — only faulty/damaged/wrong-item. But your current policy promises customers a blanket 30-day "no reason needed" return window. That gap means: if a customer changes their mind and sends something back, you can't send it back to the supplier for a refund or credit — you personally eat the full cost of that return, every time. At thin dropship margins, a handful of change-of-mind returns a month could wipe out your profit on those sales entirely.

This is a real business decision, not just copy-editing. Two honest options:

  1. Keep the 30-day change-of-mind promise — good for conversion (customers trust stores with generous returns), but you carry 100% of that cost yourself with no recourse to suppliers. Riskier margin-wise, especially at launch when every dollar counts.
  2. Scale back to ACL-only — only offer returns for faulty, not-as-described, or wrong item (which ACL requires anyway and costs you nothing since it's the supplier's fault), and don't offer change-of-mind at all. Lower conversion appeal, but zero unplanned cost exposure.

Most lean dropshippers start at option 2 and add change-of-mind later once margins prove out. Which do you want?



Q: Change-of-mind returns: keep the 30-day promise (costs you money on each one) or restrict to ACL-required only (faulty/wrong item/not-as-described)? A: ACL-only for now, add change-of-mind later



Restructured policy framework around ACL compliance, excised change-of-mind returns
Restructured policy framework around ACL compliance, excised change-of-mind returns

Smart call — protects margin while you're validating, and ACL guarantees are non-negotiable anyway so you're covered on quality issues regardless. You can loosen this once you've got sales data and better supplier terms.

Here's the full corrected policy:

Returns & Refunds Policy

At PAW STATE, all purchases are covered by your rights under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). Nothing in this policy limits those rights.

Faulty, Damaged, or Incorrect Items
If your item arrives faulty, damaged, or you receive the wrong product, please contact us at hello@pawstate.com.au within 30 days of receiving your order, with photos of the issue where possible. Depending on the fault, you're entitled to a repair, replacement, or refund under the ACL.

Not as Described
If an item is significantly different from its description on our site, you're entitled to a full refund or replacement under the ACL. Contact us and we'll resolve it promptly.

Change of Mind
At this time, we're unable to offer change-of-mind returns or exchanges. Please check product descriptions, sizing, and specifications carefully before ordering. If you have any questions about a product before you buy, contact us at hello@pawstate.com.au and we're happy to help.

How to Start a Return
Contact us at hello@pawstate.com.au with your order number and details of the issue. Do not send items back without contacting us first — items received without prior contact may not be processed.

Refunds
Once your return is received and inspected, we'll notify you of the outcome. Approved refunds are issued to your original payment method within 10 business days. Please allow additional time for your bank or card provider to process the refund.

Non-Returnable Items
We do not accept returns on gift cards, except where required by the Australian Consumer Law.

Contact
For any questions about returns or refunds, email hello@pawstate.com.au.