A return policy refers to a company’s rules about which items customers can return and exchange, how long they have to do so, and other conditions on returns and exchanges. Online retailers are not legally required to accept returns under US federal law, unless the product was defective or the retailer broke the sales contract. This means that it’s completely up to you as a company whether and how you want to accept returns. However, whatever return policy you decide on should be clearly posted on your website – several states have laws that require retailers to clearly disclose their return policies.
A customer’s experience making returns has a large impact on whether they decide to shop with you again. Returns are a big part of the reality of online shopping - a customer might order an item in multiple sizes in order to try them on at home and see how they fit, or might receive an item only to realize that it doesn’t look like they thought it would based on the product images. In these cases, you’ll want to make the experience as smooth as possible.