ecom.biz

Disclosure: Some tool links are affiliate links. If you sign up, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we'd use ourselves.

Phase 3: Launch PrepStep 16 of 34·3 min read

Generate Legal Documents

Why This Matters

No privacy policy? Facebook and Google will reject your ad accounts. No terms of service? A customer dispute could expose you to personal liability. Missing a refund policy? Cart abandonment jumps because buyers don't trust that they can return a product. These three documents take 45 minutes to generate and protect you from problems that cost thousands.

Legal document generators like Termly and TermsFeed walk you through a questionnaire and produce compliant policies in minutes. You don't need a lawyer for this. A generated privacy policy covers GDPR, CCPA, and ad platform requirements. A clear refund policy actually increases sales — stores with a visible return policy at checkout see up to 15% fewer abandoned carts.

Stop treating legal documents as a post-launch afterthought. Think of them as conversion tools and liability shields. A generous, clearly written refund policy builds more trust than any marketing copy. Get these live before your first visitor lands on your site.

What You'll Do

Generate and publish your privacy policy, terms of service, and refund policy. Link them in your site footer.

How To Do It

Which Legal Documents You Actually Need (and Which Can Wait)

This takes about 45 minutes using a generator. Don't let legal anxiety paralyze you — here's exactly what you need.

1. Generate the three must-have documents (30 min)

  • Privacy Policy (legally required): Explains what data you collect, how you use it, and who you share it with. Required by GDPR, CCPA, and every major ad platform. Without this, you cannot run Facebook or Google ads.
  • Terms of Service (strongly recommended): Covers intellectual property, liability limitations, and dispute resolution. Protects you personally if a customer sues.
  • Return/Refund Policy (practically required): Specify the return window (30 days is standard), condition requirements, refund method, and who pays return shipping. Customers expect this — no policy means more abandoned carts.

Use Termly or TermsFeed (both have free tiers) and walk through their questionnaires:

Answer honestly about your data collection. Google Analytics, Klaviyo, Stripe — all count as data collection.

2. Know what can wait (5 min)

  • Cookie Policy: Required in the EU under GDPR. Add this if you sell to European customers.
  • Shipping Policy: Helpful but can be covered on product pages and at checkout.
  • Disclaimer: Only needed for health, financial, or safety-related products.

3. Publish and link them prominently (10 min)

Create a dedicated page for each document on your store. Add links to all three in your site footer. Link your return policy on product pages and at checkout — visibility at the decision point reduces purchase anxiety.

4. Set an annual review reminder (2 min)

Privacy laws change yearly. Set a calendar reminder to regenerate your documents once a year, or whenever you add new data collection tools (new email provider, new analytics tool, new payment processor).

Deliverables

  • Privacy Policy generated via Termly or TermsFeed and published on a dedicated page
  • Terms of Service generated and published on a dedicated page
  • Return/Refund Policy written with 30-day window, published on product pages and at checkout
  • All three documents linked in your site footer

Recommended Tools

T
Freemium

Termly

Generate legally compliant privacy policies, terms of service, and cookie banners. GDPR and CCPA ready.

Free basic plan

Try Termly
T
Freemium

TermsFeed

Privacy policy and terms generator used by thousands of businesses. Simple questionnaire format.

Free basic policies

Try TermsFeed
I
Freemium

Iubenda

All-in-one compliance solution — privacy policies, cookie banners, consent management. Popular with EU sellers.

Free for 1 site

Try Iubenda

Pro Tips

  • 1A 30-day return policy generates fewer returns than a 14-day policy. Sounds counterintuitive, but longer windows reduce panic-driven returns — customers have time to try the product and often keep it. Zappos offers 365-day returns and has a below-average return rate.
  • 2Add a one-line refund policy summary directly below your Add to Cart button: '30-day free returns. No questions asked.' This micro-copy at the decision point reduces cart abandonment by 10-15% and costs you nothing to implement.
  • 3If you sell to EU customers, add a GDPR-compliant cookie consent banner using Termly's free widget. GDPR fines start at 1,000 EUR for small businesses and ad platforms will flag your account without proper consent management.