Change of Mind Returns: Rules for Online Stores

Change of mind returns are optional for Australian online stores, but you must honour any change-of-mind promise you publish. You can choose a return window and conditions for eligible goods. Those terms must stay separate from customers’ rights when a product is faulty or fails a consumer guarantee.

A 30-day window is a business choice. It isn’t a legal requirement for an ordinary online purchase.

Is a Change-of-Mind Return Required

No, Australian consumer law doesn’t require a refund because a customer simply changes their mind about an ordinary online purchase. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says customers who received what they asked for have no consumer-guarantee remedy merely because they no longer want it.

The ACCC’s refund guidance also says a business with a change-of-mind policy must follow it. If you promise refunds within 30 days, you can’t switch an eligible customer to credit after purchase. Apply the conditions you disclosed when that customer bought the item.

The cooling-off rules for unsolicited sales cover different circumstances, including certain door-to-door and telemarketing sales. They don’t create an automatic cooling-off period for ordinary purchases from your website.

Setting Your Window and Conditions

Choose a change-of-mind window that gives customers time to inspect the purchase and gives you time to sell returned stock again. A shorter window can suit seasonal stock. A longer window gives customers more time to decide, but ties up stock for longer.

State whether the window starts at purchase or delivery. For online orders, a delivery-based window gives customers the full inspection period. Explain whether they must request the return or get the parcel back to you before the window ends.

Write conditions customers can assess before buying. Clothing might need to be unworn, with tags attached. Sealed hygiene products might need an intact seal. Name excluded categories such as personalised goods. Keep those exclusions within the optional change-of-mind policy.

Decide whether an accepted return gives a refund, an exchange or store credit. Credit keeps the value available for another purchase, but customers must know that outcome before they pay.

Return freight can consume the margin on a low-value item. For a hypothetical order with AUD $25 gross margin, a retailer-funded AUD $12 return label leaves AUD $13 before handling costs. An exchange with another AUD $12 outbound parcel leaves AUD $1 on those assumptions.

Customer-paid return freight appears in policies such as JB Hi-Fi’s marketplace terms. You can instead fund a label as part of your own promise. Disclose who pays, whether original delivery charges are refunded and whether you deduct a label cost from the refund. Faulty-item transport costs follow different rules.

When a Restocking Fee is Allowed

A restocking fee is an amount deducted from a discretionary return refund to cover the retailer’s handling of the returned goods. You can set a disclosed fee for eligible change-of-mind returns, subject to consumer-law requirements about truthful information and unfair terms.

Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading permits fees on refunds the business isn’t legally required to provide when the terms are clearly displayed in writing. Show the fee before purchase. Don’t add it for the first time when a customer asks to return the item.

There is no universal standard restocking fee. JR Store’s published returns policy gives examples of 10% for Velux orders and 20% for other returns. That 10% to 20% span describes those published examples, not an Australian market average or a recommended rate.

In a hypothetical example, a 15% fee on an AUD $200 item is AUD $30. The item refund is AUD $170 before any separately disclosed freight deduction. Calculate the fee by multiplying the item price by the percentage divided by 100.

You could write the hypothetical policy this way: “Eligible change-of-mind returns incur a 15% restocking fee deducted from the item refund. This fee does not apply to remedies under Australian Consumer Law.”

Never charge a restocking fee for a remedy the customer is entitled to because goods fail a consumer guarantee. The ACCC’s review of online returns terms identifies fees that restrict those rights as a concern. A published fee doesn’t make an unlawful restriction valid.

How Large Retailers Handle Change of Mind

Large Australian retailers use different windows and refund methods. The table compares their optional promises for eligible goods, with some category and sales-channel limits. Consumer-guarantee rights remain separate from every window below.

Retailer and policy	Change-of-mind window or outcome	Conditions and limits
Bunnings	Refund or exchange; no fixed general window stated on the returns page	Unused, original packaging and saleable condition. Receipt or tax invoice supports a refund. Custom-made goods and tinted paint are excluded. Marketplace sellers have separate terms.
JB Hi-Fi	Generally 30 days for unused, unopened goods	Packaging must be in good condition. Commercial sales are excluded. Certain unopened entertainment products have 90 days, with software exclusions.
BIG W	90 days for eligible direct purchases	Proof of purchase, unused goods and original saleable packaging. Exclusions include clearance items and several hygiene categories. Marketplace purchases have separate terms.
Kmart	60 days; eligible OnePass returns extend to 365 days	Proof of purchase and resaleable, unused goods. Clothing must retain ticketing. Beyond 60 days, the OnePass outcome is an exchange voucher, with extra exclusions.
Officeworks	30 days, refund or exchange in-store	Proof of purchase and unused, resaleable goods with original packaging. Exclusions include special orders, custom printing and downloads.
Amazon Australia	Return eligibility and options depend on the item and seller	Start from Your Orders. Third-party seller returns follow the seller process. Return freight depends on the return option and circumstances.
Target Australia	60 days; eligible OnePass returns extend to 365 days	Proof of purchase and unused, resaleable goods with original packaging. Clothing must be unworn with ticketing. Beyond 60 days, OnePass returns receive a Target Returns Card.
Woolworths	30 days for store credit; no change-of-mind cash refund	Proof of purchase and unused goods in original condition. Perishables must not be expired or within two days of expiry. Exclusions include gift cards and tobacco. Everyday Market is separate.
Costco Australia	Refund at any time for most merchandise; listed electronics have 90 days from receipt	Gift cards and bullion are excluded. Customised purchases have separate restrictions. Larger diamonds require original certification and authenticity checks.
Zara Australia	Online: 30 days from shipping; in-store: 30 days from purchase	Original condition and all labels. Returns stay within the purchase market. Store returns are free; online drop-off returns have a fee.
ALDI Australia	General satisfaction promise: refund or replacement within 60 days	Bring proof of purchase, ideally with packaging. The page separately describes grocery and fresh-produce satisfaction guarantees.
IKEA Australia	365 days for eligible unopened goods; 60 days for eligible opened goods	Unopened, unused goods in original packaging receive a refund. Opened goods must be resaleable and receive in-store credit. Proof of purchase is required.
Harvey Norman Online	No change-of-mind refund promise	Its online policy says it won’t refund simply because the customer changed their mind. Independent stores have their own policies.

A smaller store can borrow the distinction between unopened and opened goods without copying a retailer’s whole policy. Separate direct purchases from marketplace purchases when different sellers fulfil orders. Explain what counts as proof of purchase and how excluded products are identified before checkout.

Wording That Keeps You Compliant

Separate optional change-of-mind terms from consumer-guarantee rights on your returns page. A customer must be able to tell which rules apply to their reason for returning the item.

Business.gov.au’s consumer-law guidance says store policies can’t override consumer guarantees. A broad “no refunds” sign can wrongly imply that faulty goods have no remedy.

Misleading wording	Wording for a hypothetical store with these terms
“No refunds on sale items.”	“Sale items are excluded from our optional change-of-mind returns. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law still apply.”
“All returns must be unopened.”	“Change-of-mind returns must be unopened. This condition does not restrict remedies under Australian Consumer Law.”
“After 30 days, returns are not accepted.”	“Our change-of-mind window ends 30 days after delivery. Consumer-guarantee claims are assessed separately.”
“Every return has a restocking fee.”	“The disclosed restocking fee applies only to eligible change-of-mind returns. It does not apply to remedies under Australian Consumer Law.”

If a product is faulty, route the request to a separate assessment. Read the guide to consumer guarantees for that workflow. Use the return policy template to assemble your full policy, keeping the optional promise and legal rights distinct.

Explaining the Policy at Checkout and in Chat

Make the change-of-mind terms available before payment, then repeat the same terms in support. Put product-specific exclusions beside the product’s purchase controls. Link the full policy from the cart and checkout, with any fee or credit-only outcome visible before the order is placed.

Include the policy link in the order confirmation so customers can find it again. The confirmation must repeat the purchase terms, rather than introduce a new fee. Keep a record of the policy version that applied to each order.

Give staff and chat tools the same written policy. Route a fault complaint separately even if the customer first calls it a change-of-mind return. Returns management software can help organise requests, but the store still needs clear eligibility rules and replies.

These sample replies assume a hypothetical store gives refunds on unused, tagged items within 30 days of delivery, with customer-paid return freight and no restocking fee.

Inside the window: “Your order is within our 30-day change-of-mind window. If the item is unused and its tags are attached, you can return it for an item refund. You’ll pay the return postage. Please send your order number so we can arrange the return.”

Outside the window: “Our change-of-mind window ends 30 days after delivery, so this request is outside that window. If there’s a fault or another problem with the item, please describe it so we can assess your consumer-guarantee rights.”

Faulty item: “Please send your order number and describe the fault. We’ll assess the problem under Australian Consumer Law. The change-of-mind window and tagged-item condition don’t restrict those rights.”

Choose the optional promise your store can fulfil, then have an Australian consumer-law lawyer review your own returns terms before you publish them.