Online Return Policy: Check Refund Rules Before You Buy

Online return policy rules decide what happens when a parcel arrives wrong, broken or not as shown. Read them before you pay, because a seller can only be held to what you can show it promised. This guide covers the window, the shipping cost, the proof to keep and where to go if a seller says no.

Find the return policy before checkout

Start on the product page, not after the order. Look for a link called return policy, exchange policy or the Vietnamese terms chính sách đổi trả. A real seller puts it in plain sight. If you cannot find it in two minutes, treat that as a warning sign.

Vietnam's e-commerce rules point the same way. Decree 85/2021/ND-CP, which amended Decree 52/2013/ND-CP and took effect on January 1, 2022, lists return policies among the information a trading website must publish. That covers the time limit for return, how goods are returned or exchanged, how a refund is paid and who pays the cost of the return.

Take a screenshot of that page on the day you buy. Policies can change, and the screenshot shows what the seller promised when you paid.

Sources: Decree 85/2021/ND-CP of September 25, 2021, amending Decree 52/2013/ND-CP on e-commerce (English text, LuatViet Nam).

Check the return window and what it covers

Every policy has a window, which is the number of days you have to ask for a return. Ask three things. When does the clock start, on the day you pay or the day the parcel arrives? Does the window differ by product type? Does it cover a change of mind, or only goods that are faulty or wrong?

Do not assume a number. Windows differ between marketplaces and between shops on the same marketplace. Some goods are often excluded, such as opened food, personal items or made-to-order products, so look for a list of exceptions. Large marketplaces such as Lazada keep a separate help section on returns and refunds, so check it for the category you are buying.

Write the last return date in your phone calendar. A late request is the most common reason a return fails.

Sources: Lazada Vietnam Help Center home page, archived December 21, 2023, which lists a section on returns and refunds.

Ask who pays for shipping

Return shipping can cost more than a cheap item is worth. A good policy says who pays in each case. A common split is that the seller pays when the goods are faulty or wrong, and the buyer pays when they simply change their mind. Policies vary, so read the exact wording.

The same decree names the cost of return as one of the items a website has to state. If the policy is silent on cost, ask the seller in writing before you pay, and keep the reply. Also ask how the refund comes back. Money may return to your card, your e-wallet or a store credit, and these are not the same thing.

Cash on delivery adds one more step. Check the parcel before you pay the courier, because it is easier to refuse a damaged parcel at the door than to claim a refund later.

Sources: Decree 85/2021/ND-CP, as above.

Keep proof from the first day

If a dispute starts, the person with records usually does better. Keep these items:

• The order confirmation, invoice or receipt, and your payment record.
• Screenshots of the product listing and the return policy page.
• Photos or a short video of the parcel being opened, showing the label and the fault.
• Every message with the seller, kept in the app or saved as an image.
• The courier's tracking number and the delivery date.

The Law on Protection of Consumers' Rights of 2010 gives you the right to accurate and adequate information about the goods and the seller, and to the invoices, vouchers and documents that go with a purchase. It also bars traders from giving incomplete, untruthful or inaccurate information about their goods or about the terms of a deal. Your saved screenshots are how you show that information was given.

Sources: Law No. 59/2010/QH12 on Protection of Consumer Rights, Articles 8 and 10 (English text, LuatViet Nam).

If the seller refuses, know your next step

Start by writing to the seller and stating what you bought, what went wrong, the date and what you want. The 2010 law lets a consumer send a written request for negotiation, and the trader must receive it and negotiate within 7 working days. Under that law, a dispute can be settled through negotiation, mediation, arbitration or a court case.

On a marketplace, use the platform's dispute or complaint tool as well, and do it inside the return window. Platforms hold the payment in many cases, so a complaint filed on time carries weight.

Be wary of terms that try to cancel your rights. Under the same law, a contract term is invalid if it excludes the trader's legal responsibility toward the consumer or limits the consumer's right to complain or sue. A line saying "no complaints accepted" does not remove your legal position, although you should still follow the written steps.

Sources: Law No. 59/2010/QH12, Articles 16, 30 and 31.

A short checklist and a note on the law

Before you pay for any online order, run through this list:

• Can I find the return policy and screenshot it?
• Do I know the window, and when it starts?
• Do I know who pays return shipping?
• Do I know how the refund is paid and how long it takes?
• Have I saved the listing, the receipt and the seller's messages?

One more point for readers who follow the rules closely. The National Assembly passed a new Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights on June 20, 2023. That law starts to apply from July 1 of next year, when it replaces the 2010 law described above. Until then the 2010 law and Decree 85/2021/ND-CP remain the reference points, so check the dates when you read any later guidance.

Sources: DFDL, Vietnam adopts new Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights (updated August 7, 2023).

Sources list: Law No. 59/2010/QH12 on Protection of Consumer Rights; Decree 85/2021/ND-CP; Lazada Vietnam Help Center (archived December 21, 2023); DFDL Vietnam legal update on the 2023 consumer law.