Make shipping and returns easy to verify
Use a small test matrix to align policy pages, structured data and the rules shoppers see at checkout.
Write the policy in fields a shopper can compare
For each market, record currency, delivery destinations, handling time, transit time, shipping fees, return window and who pays return postage. Record the event that starts the return window. A shopper needs to know whether 30 days starts at purchase or delivery, and whether the product must arrive back by then.
Distinguish handling from transit
Suppose an order takes one to two business days to dispatch and three to five business days to travel. Explain the two intervals in the customer policy and reflect your delivery estimates in markup. If your estimate excludes holidays, explain that next to the estimate. Test a Friday order close to your cutoff to check how the storefront computes the date.
Document exceptions next to the affected offer
A blanket 30-day policy can conflict with a final-sale product or a special-order item. Put the exception on the product page and make it visible before the customer commits. Use the same country and currency in the policy and offer. Include one ordinary item, one exception and one cross-border order in your release checklist.
Review the published values
Paste the published JSON-LD into the policy checker and inspect each shipping and return record. Open the live product with a destination from your test matrix, then compare checkout with the quoted rate. If free shipping depends on order value, check a basket below the threshold and one above it. Review Merchant Center settings too if your store publishes there.
Assign an owner to each policy change
Keep the policy revision date and the person or team responsible for pushing changes to the store, markup and feeds. When you introduce a seasonal surcharge, check all three on launch day and schedule the expiration check. A test using actual checkout totals gives you evidence that the published policy is being followed.