Use customer questions to test the page
A poster in r/ecommerce reported receiving three emails about delivery times and express shipping after 70 visits, although a five-to-seven-day estimate was already on the store page. This is one self-reported case, not a typical rate or supporting detail that the estimate was hard to find. It is a useful prompt to test whether the answer is visible where a shopper needs it.
This guide is for planning information on UK consumer ecommerce sites selling physical goods. It is not legal advice. Confirm the rules for the actual sale and destination; GOV.UK provides separate guidance for overseas businesses selling to customers in Northern Ireland and notes different rules for some online products.
Write from the fulfilment facts outward
Before drafting, ask the people who manage stock, carriers and support to confirm what the store can actually offer. Keep dispatch time separate from the carrier's estimated journey, and state whether estimates use working or calendar days. Include cut-off times, weekends, pre-orders, remote postcodes and known restrictions only when they apply to the store.
For each method, record the destination, cost basis, expected timing, exclusions and contact route for delay or loss. If the answer depends on stock, postcode or basket contents, check the live product and checkout flow instead of relying on a generic policy sentence.
- Where each delivery option is available, including exclusions
- What dispatch means and how arrival estimates are calculated
- What each option costs and whether an express service exists
- How a customer reports a delay, missing parcel or address problem
Show material delivery information before the order
For distance sales covered by its guidance, GOV.UK says customers must be given information before ordering that includes delivery arrangements, costs and how long goods will take to arrive. The information must be easy to understand and available in a form the customer can save. Check the current guidance for the sale type and any exceptions; do not treat this summary as a complete compliance checklist.
Put the relevant method and cost beside the choice in the buying journey, and link to fuller terms from product pages, basket and checkout. A customer should not have to infer whether an item ships to their address or discover a material delivery condition after entering payment details.
Separate change-of-mind and fault routes
Explain how a customer starts a return, where the item goes, what information to include and how the next step is confirmed. Keep a change-of-mind route distinct from reporting goods that are faulty or not as described, so the store does not direct both situations to one generic form.
GOV.UK describes a limited cancellation right for many distance purchases and lists exceptions, including some personalised or custom-made and perishable goods. The rules and remedies depend on the sale and product; an exception to change-of-mind cancellation does not mean every other customer right disappears. Avoid blanket 'no returns' wording and have a qualified reviewer check cases that are not straightforward.
Run a short policy-page review
Review the page with the people who own each answer. For example, ask a team member unfamiliar with the policy to find the delivery cost for a restricted postcode, estimate arrival for a weekend order, and start the correct route for a faulty or personalised product. Record where they looked, what they expected, and which wording or link needs changing.
Check the final copy on a product page, in the basket and at checkout, then compare it with the order confirmation and the response support would send. Assign an owner and review the information when carriers, costs, destinations, product types or relevant guidance change. The merchant remains responsible for the accuracy and applicability of its terms.