Return window: how to state it for Merchant Center

State your return window as a number of days with a clear start, such as “30 days from delivery”, the same on your site and in Merchant Center. “A reasonable time” leaves the shopper guessing when to act, and guessing customers write emails. Pick the number you actually honour and write it down once.

Critical4 min read

By Edvinas Ivanauskas How the guides are reviewed

Why this matters

Google asks for the timeframe in so many words. The Merchant Center guidelines list “Timeframe in which you accept returns” among the things every returns policy should explain. The returns fix page asks for “all requirements and any timelines (for example, reason or return window)”, and the setup page, “Set up your return policies for Shopping ads and free listings”, puts “the time frame within which you accept returns” first in its list of what your website should state.

Inside Merchant Center the window is a number. The return policy flow says: “Select the number of days a customer has to return a product from the 2 options:” a number of days, or “Lifetime”. Google's structured data documentation defines the window the same way, as “The number of days from the delivery date that a product can be returned.” Delivery is the natural start point to write down; if you count from the order date instead, say so, because shoppers will assume delivery.

Different windows for different products are fine, and Google's setup page even gives the example: “Create a single standard return policy that applies to all items having 30 days to return. Then, create an exception policy to indicate items with the exception applied that will need to be returned within 14 days.” The exceptions are assigned with the return policy label [return_policy_label]. Holiday extensions have a field too: “You can extend the return window during certain times of the year like holidays.” Whatever number you choose, it has to be the one you honour, not the one that looked generous in a template.

The free scan flags a returns policy whose window is missing or too vague to pin down, and return-policy structured data that gives a different window from the page. Every returns check is on the misrepresentation checker. For the rest of the policy, start with how to write a clear returns policy, and for the account side, matching Merchant Center to your site.

Typical evidence

Name the return timeframe plainly

A shopper needs to know how long they have to start a return. “Reasonable time” and “at our discretion” leave the answer floating. State your actual window, then check it against the obligations that apply to your market.

“Contact us within a reasonable time and we’ll discuss returns.”

Customer answer →No stated timeframe

“Returns handled on a case-by-case basis at our discretion.”

Customer answer →No stated timeframe

“Return any item within 30 days of the delivery date.”

Customer answer →30-day timeframe stated

Same topic, three versions. The last one gives the buyer an answer they can use.

The public signals this check looks for:

“Returns accepted within a reasonable time”, with no number anywhere on the page
“Returns accepted within a reasonable time”, with no number anywhere on the page.
“30 days” with no start point, so nobody knows whether the clock started at the order, the…
“30 days” with no start point, so nobody knows whether the clock started at the order, the dispatch or the delivery.
“Up to 30 days, at our discretion”
“Up to 30 days, at our discretion”: a number followed by a clause that takes it back.
One window on the returns page, another in the footer banner, and a third in Merchant Cent…
One window on the returns page, another in the footer banner, and a third in Merchant Center.
Several product types with different windows, collapsed into one vague sentence
Several product types with different windows, collapsed into one vague sentence.
A holiday extension still advertised in March
A holiday extension still advertised in March.

What it looks like once it is right

“You have 30 days from delivery to start a return. Opened electronics have 14 days, shown on each product page. Orders delivered from 20 November can be returned until 15 January.” Merchant Center carries a 30-day policy, a 14-day exception labelled for electronics, and the same holiday extension.

Common mistakes

Common mistake

“Returns are accepted within a reasonable timeframe, at our discretion.” A shopper cannot tell whether they have a week or a month, and Merchant Center says 30 days.

Fix checklist

Decide the window you actually honour for each kind of product, in days, and check it against what your team does when a return request arrives.
Write it with a start point on the returns page: “You have 30 days from the day your order is delivered to start a return.”
If some products have a different window, list them by name on the returns page and repeat the window on those product pages.
In Merchant Center, set the same number of days under Shipping and returns, Return policies, and add an exception policy with a [return_policy_label] value for products with a different window.
For a holiday extension, put the dates on the returns page and in the window extension field in Merchant Center, and remove both when it ends.
If your theme or an app adds return-policy schema to your pages, set its number of days to the same window as the returns page.
Delete softeners such as “at our discretion” or “usually” next to the number; they turn a firm window back into a guess.

Compare the page with the applicable submitted policy

StoreVerifier can capture the public return window on the page. Compare it with Merchant Center yourself for the relevant product and market, then update a stale record when the policy changes.

policy windows · page vs feed

Return windowsite 30 days=GMC 30 days

Refund windowsite 14 days=GMC 14 days

Return windowsite 30 days≠GMC 14 days

Questions merchants ask

How many days should my return window be for Google Shopping?

The Google pages on returns ask you to state the time frame; they do not set one number for every store. Merchant Center’s return policy settings take the window you honour, as a number of days or “Lifetime”, and let you add exceptions for products with a different one. Choose the number you actually apply and write it the same way everywhere.

When should the return window start?

Say it on the page. Google's return policy structured data counts the window as “The number of days from the delivery date that a product can be returned”, so delivery is the natural start. If you count from the order date, write that plainly, because a shopper will assume delivery.

Can different products have different return windows?

Yes. Google's return policy setup page gives the example of a standard 30-day policy with a 14-day exception for premium electronics, assigned with the return policy label [return_policy_label] attribute. Show each exception on the returns page and on the product pages it applies to.

Remediation

Risk signal

“Reasonable” is a word for lawyers, not shoppers. A number with a start point ends the argument before it begins, and Merchant Center only takes a number of days or “Lifetime” anyway. Put it on the page, in the account and in any markup, then let the free scan confirm the page still says it.

PriorityTreat this and any other highest-severity findings as first-priority work, then document each fix.

EvidenceRecord the current state before each change, apply the fix, then capture the corrected state so every change is evidenced.

Similar cases

Sources

Last reviewed 23 Sep 2026.

That is one issue. The library documents 134.

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