The Pages Your Online Store Must Have in India: A 2026 Checklist
Razorpay won't switch on live payments without a refunds page, and India's e-commerce rules won't let that page refuse a defective item.
In this post · 9 sections
You have built the store, photographed 40 products and connected Razorpay. Then the website check fails because there is no refunds page, and live payments stay switched off. That is the cheap version of this mistake.
The expensive version is a complaint about a cracked mug that your "no returns, no exceptions" page refused to take back. India's e-commerce rules do not allow that, and amendments taking effect on 1 January 2027 add more. Here is the page-by-page checklist for a small store selling from its own website, with the rule behind each item.
Key takeaways
- A store selling its own stock directly to buyers is an "inventory e-commerce entity" under the 2020 E-Commerce Rules, so Rules 4 and 7 apply.
- You must display your legal name, address, customer care contact and a named grievance officer who acknowledges complaints within 48 hours and resolves them within one month.
- Your return policy cannot refuse returns or refunds for defective, wrong or late items (late delivery has a force majeure exception).
- From 1 January 2027, announced discounts must show the "prior price" (the lowest price in the previous 30 days), and every e-commerce entity must self-audit for dark patterns yearly and display a certificate.
Which rules apply to a store you run yourself
The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 (G.S.R. 462(E), 23 July 2020) cover all goods and services sold over a digital network and all e-commerce models. They split businesses into two types:
- Marketplace e-commerce entity: a platform where others sell, such as Amazon or Meesho. Sellers there have duties under Rule 6.
- Inventory e-commerce entity: "owns the inventory of goods or services and sells such goods or services directly to the consumers" (Rule 3(1)(f)). If you run your own website and ship your own products, this is you.
Rule 4 applies to every e-commerce entity; Rule 7 adds duties for inventory entities. The only carve-out is for personal activity not carried on "on a regular or systematic basis". Shipping orders every week is regular.
On 9 September 2026 the government notified the E-Commerce (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 789(E)), in force from 1 January 2027. "From 2027" below means a requirement added by that amendment.
The checklist: page, rule, what to write
| Page or information | Required by | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| Business identity (footer, About, Contact) | E-Commerce Rules 4(2); Razorpay asks for About us | Legal name of the business (as on GST or bank records), principal address of HQ and any branches, website name. |
| Customer care contact | Rule 4(2)(d); Razorpay Contact us | Email plus landline and/or mobile number that someone answers. |
| Grievance officer | Rules 4(4) and 4(5) | Name, designation and contact details. State the 48-hour acknowledgement and one-month resolution. From 2027, the complainant also gets a copy of the complaint as recorded. |
| Complaint ticket number | Rule 7(1)(f) | Every complaint gets a reference number the buyer can use to track it. |
| Returns, refunds, exchanges | Rule 7(1)(a); Razorpay Refunds policy | Time window, condition of goods, return shipping cost, refund method and timeline. From 2027, best before dates where relevant. |
| Shipping and delivery | Rule 7(1)(a) | Where you ship, dispatch time, delivery estimates, charges, what happens if a parcel is lost. |
| Warranty and guarantee | Rule 7(1)(a) | Any warranty, and how to claim it. Say "no warranty" plainly if there is none. |
| Payment information | Rule 7(1)(c) | Methods accepted, how they are secured, any fees (such as a COD fee), how to cancel recurring payments, chargeback options, and your payment provider's contact. |
| Total price with breakup | Rule 7(1)(e) | A single total price, with delivery, handling and tax shown separately, before the buyer pays. |
| Product declarations for packaged goods | Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, Rule 6(10); E-Commerce Rule 7(1)(b) | Maker/packer/importer name and address, generic name, net quantity, MRP, consumer care details, best before or expiry date where relevant, country of origin. |
| Terms and conditions | Rule 7(1)(d); Razorpay | Contract terms: order acceptance, cancellations, pricing errors, governing law. |
| Privacy policy | Razorpay; data protection law | What personal data you collect, why, who you share it with (courier, payment gateway), how to contact you. |
| Prior price on discounts | Rule 4(13), from 2027 | Show the lowest price of the previous 30 days next to any announced reduced price. |
| Dark-pattern self-audit certificate | Rule 4(15), from 2027 | A yearly self-audit against the 2023 dark pattern guidelines, with a certificate displayed prominently. |
What your return policy can and cannot say
Rule 7(4) is the line small stores cross most often. You cannot refuse to take back goods or refund the money if they are "defective, deficient or spurious", not as advertised, or delivered late against the stated schedule (unless the delay was force majeure).
So "All sales final" can cover change-of-mind returns. It cannot cover a torn kurta or a jar that arrived three weeks late. Two more rules shape the wording:
- Cancellation charges: Rule 4(8) bars charging a buyer for cancelling after confirming purchase unless you bear similar charges when you cancel the order yourself.
- Refund timing: Rule 4(10) requires accepted refunds to be paid within a reasonable period, or as RBI or other applicable law prescribes. Write a number of days you can actually meet.
If you offer cash on delivery, say how COD refunds are paid. Our cash on delivery guide covers COD fees and return costs.
Return policy starting point
Treat this as a draft to edit, not finished legal text. The numbers in brackets are your choices.
Returns and refunds
If your order arrives damaged, defective, different from what was described, or after the delivery date we gave you, contact us within [7] days of delivery at [email / phone]. We will arrange a pickup at no cost to you or reimburse return postage, and you can choose a replacement or a full refund.
Change of mind: we accept unused items in original packaging within [7] days of delivery. Return shipping of [₹80] is deducted from the refund. [Items such as earrings and innerwear cannot be returned for change of mind for hygiene reasons.]
Refunds go to the original payment method within [7] working days of us receiving the item. Cash on delivery orders are refunded by UPI or bank transfer.
You can cancel free of charge until the order is dispatched. If we cancel your order, you get a full refund.
Grievance officer and complaint tickets
Rule 4(4) requires a grievance officer whose name, contact details and designation are displayed on the platform. Rule 4(5) sets the clock: acknowledge within 48 hours, resolve within one month of receipt. From 2027, the officer must also give the complainant a copy of the complaint as recorded. Nothing in the rules says the officer cannot be the owner, which is usually the realistic answer for a one-person store.
From 2027, Rule 4(7) also makes partnering in the National Consumer Helpline's convergence process mandatory rather than best-effort.
Grievance contact starting point
Grievance Officer
[Full name], Grievance Officer, [Legal business name]
Email: [[email protected]] | Phone: [+91 number]
Address: [principal business address]We acknowledge every complaint within 48 hours with a ticket number and a copy of your complaint as we recorded it, and we resolve complaints within one month of receiving them.
Prices, discounts and dark patterns
The CCPA's Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, issued on 30 November 2023, apply to platforms, advertisers and sellers. They list 13 specified dark patterns. These are the ones a small store can slip into without meaning to:
- False urgency: "Only 2 left!" when you have 40, or a "sale ends tonight" timer that resets every day.
- Basket sneaking: adding gift wrap, insurance or a donation to the cart without consent. Necessary fees such as delivery charges are allowed if they are disclosed at the time of purchase.
- Drip pricing: revealing parts of the price late or charging more than the amount shown at checkout. A COD fee that appears only after the order is placed is the classic case.
- Confirm shaming: a decline button that says "No thanks, I enjoy paying full price".
- Forced action: making buyers subscribe to a newsletter or share unnecessary personal details to complete a purchase.
- Bait and switch: advertising a cheap product, then offering a dearer one at checkout because the first is "unavailable".
Rule 4(9) of the E-Commerce Rules separately bars recording purchase consent through pre-ticked checkboxes.
The 30-day prior price rule, worked through
From 2027, any announced price reduction must show the prior price, defined as "the lowest price of a good or service thirty days prior to the announcement". Say your block-print kurta normally sells for ₹1,499, and you ran it at ₹999 for five days in early October. On 25 October you announce a festive sale at ₹1,199. The prior price you must show is ₹999, which makes the "sale" price higher than the reference. Space out promotions accordingly.
Product pages: Legal Metrology declarations
If you sell pre-packaged goods (namkeen, candles, skincare), Rule 6(10) of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 requires the label declarations to appear online too. In a Lok Sabha answer on 16 March 2021, the Department of Consumer Affairs listed them as:
- name and address of the manufacturer, packer or importer
- common or generic name of the commodity
- net quantity and MRP
- consumer care details
- best before or expiry date, for goods that can become unfit for human consumption
- country of origin
The physical pack still needs its full label. From 2027, imported goods must also show the full name of the country of origin. The product description is the natural place for all of this; see our guide to writing product descriptions.
Why Razorpay asks for the same pages
Razorpay's business website details documentation asks for links to About us, Contact us, Pricing details, Terms and conditions, Privacy policy and a Refunds policy. Without them you cannot get live API keys for website payments. If the check fails, you can fix the URLs or use Razorpay's option to create policy pages.
Its April 2026 compliance guide adds refund timelines, a registered address, phone and email, a named grievance or nodal officer, and visible INR prices. That overlaps almost exactly with Rules 4 and 7. Razorpay doesn't list a shipping page, but Rule 7 requires delivery information, so publish one anyway.
For the privacy page, note that the DPDP Rules, notified on 14 November 2025, phase in over 18 months and require a clear, separate consent notice.
How this works in Selzix
In Selzix you can create custom pages for returns, shipping, privacy, terms and grievance details, and link them from the footer and navigation in the visual editor. Buyers get an order-tracking page, and eligible paid orders get invoices (GST tax invoices with HSN codes for Indian stores). Delivery charges and any COD fee are shown at checkout, and you choose whether prices include tax.
Selzix does not write your legal text or check it for compliance; the wording, grievance process and self-audit are yours. There is no built-in complaint-ticket system, so issue reference numbers from your email or helpdesk. See the feature list.
Frequently asked questions
Do these rules apply if I only sell through Instagram DMs?
The rules cover goods sold over any digital network, and the personal exemption does not cover regular selling. Whether a DM-only seller is an "e-commerce entity" (someone who owns or runs the platform) is less clear. The dark pattern guidelines apply to sellers regardless, as does the Consumer Protection Act's ban on unfair trade practices.
Can I have a no-returns policy?
For change-of-mind returns, yes, if you state it clearly before purchase. You cannot use it to refuse goods that are defective, deficient, spurious, different from what you advertised, or delivered late (unless the delay was force majeure).
Can I be my own grievance officer?
The rules require a named grievance officer with displayed contact details and set response times. They do not say it must be someone other than the owner. What matters is that complaints are acknowledged within 48 hours and resolved within a month.
What changes on 1 January 2027?
The prior price rule for discounts, the yearly dark-pattern self-audit and certificate, a copy of the recorded complaint for complainants, best before dates before purchase, and fuller country-of-origin details for imports.
Ready to try it on your own store? Start a 14-day free trial. No card needed.