Return windows by store vertical (Shopify refund policies with a stated window)
| Vertical | Stores | Exactly 30 days % | Under 30 days % | Over 30 days % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronics, gaming & auto | 254 | 72.0% | 19.3% | 8.7% |
| Outdoor & fitness | 496 | 69.6% | 20.6% | 9.9% |
| Other verticals | 448 | 62.5% | 27.0% | 10.5% |
| Home, kitchen & garden | 912 | 61.2% | 27.1% | 11.7% |
| Pets & baby | 545 | 57.1% | 29.0% | 13.9% |
| Beauty & health | 636 | 56.0% | 29.9% | 14.2% |
| Apparel & jewelry | 1,106 | 51.4% | 39.3% | 9.2% |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026. Return window is the first day count near 'return', 'refund' or 'exchange' in the policy text.
Summary
Shoppers check the return policy before they buy, especially from a store they have not used before. We read the refund policies of ranking Shopify stores to find out how long a return window stores usually give, and how often they rule returns out.
The answer is clear: 30 days is the standard. Among 4,397 refund policies that state a return window, the median is 30 days, used by 59.2% of stores. Most of the rest give less, not more.
What we measured
We read the refund policy pages of Shopify stores that rank in Google. 4,908 of those pages had readable policy text.
For each one we took the first day count that appears near the words "return", "refund" or "exchange" as the return window. 4,397 policies stated one. This is pattern-based, so a policy that mentions several windows, or words its window in an unusual way, may be read imperfectly.
We also looked for final sale or no-returns wording. That wording can cover only sale items or certain products, so it does not mean a store refuses every return.
30 days is the default window
Of the 4,397 policies with a return window, 59.2% use 30 days. Shorter windows come next: 13.0% allow 14 days and 6.0% only 7 days. Longer windows are rarer. 60 days is the next step up from 30, at 5.1%, and 2.5% give 90 days.
Put another way, 29.6% of stores with a window give shoppers less than 30 days, and 11.2% give more than 30. A store that offers 60 or 90 days stands out from most of its competitors.
59.2%
Share of 4,397 ranking Shopify store refund policies with a stated return window that use exactly 30 days.
Apparel stores are the least generous
Apparel and jewelry stores are the most likely to offer a short window: 39.3% of 1,106 give under 30 days, and only 51.4% use exactly 30. That may reflect worn or tried-on items, where stores want returns back quickly.
Electronics, gaming and auto parts stores sit at the other end. Only 19.3% of 254 offer under 30 days, and 72.0% use exactly 30. Outdoor and fitness stores are close behind, at 20.6% under 30 days and 69.6% at exactly 30.
Longer windows are most common in beauty and health (14.2% over 30 days) and pets and baby (13.9%).
Top-ranking stores stick to 30 days a bit more often
Stores ranking in the top 3 use exactly 30 days more often (62.5% of 1,409) than stores ranking 11 to 20 (57.2% of 1,401).
This is a correlation. The data does not show that the return window affects rankings; the gap may simply reflect the kind of stores that rank at the top.
Some policies use final sale or no-returns wording
11.5% of the 4,908 readable refund policies use "all sales final", "no returns" or "no refunds" wording, about one in nine. Only 4.0% use the strict phrase "all sales are final".
The wording can apply to sale items, custom orders or specific products rather than the whole store, and we did not check which, so read this as final sale or no-returns wording, not as stores that refuse all returns.
What this means for your store
If your window is 30 days, you match most ranking stores. If it is shorter, you are in a sizeable minority that shoppers may notice, especially in apparel.
- State the window in one plain sentence near the top of the policy, so shoppers and parsers read the same number.
- Show it on product pages and in the cart, not only on the policy page.
- If you sell final sale items, say exactly which ones, so the wording does not read as a store-wide ban.
- If you can afford a longer window, test 60 days: it sets you apart from the 59.2% who offer 30.
Sources
- PageSpeed Matters analysis of refund policy pages from ranking Shopify stores, October 2026
- PageSpeed Matters pattern-based extraction of return windows and final sale wording, October 2026
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/return-policy-statistics">Return Policy Statistics: 30 Days at 59.2% of Shopify Stores - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common return window for online stores?
30 days. Among 4,397 ranking Shopify store refund policies that state a return window, 59.2% use 30 days, 13.0% allow 14 days and 6.0% only 7 days.
How many stores offer more than 30 days for returns?
Few. 11.2% of stores with a stated window give more than 30 days, with 60 days at 5.1% and 90 days at 2.5%. 29.6% give less than 30 days.
How many stores use final sale or no-returns wording?
11.5% of 4,908 readable Shopify refund policies use final sale, no-returns or no-refunds wording, and 4.0% use the strict phrase 'all sales are final'. That wording can cover only some items, so it does not mean those stores refuse every return.
Which stores have the shortest return windows?
Apparel and jewelry stores. 39.3% of 1,106 offer under 30 days, against 19.3% of 254 electronics, gaming and auto parts stores.
A clear return policy, shown where shoppers decide, is one of the cheapest ways to reduce hesitation at checkout. Need help with this? See our ecommerce CRO agency.