Ecommerce Legal
CPA compliant returns, terms and shipping policies for online stores, customised to how you actually sell. Check any customer return against the law first with the free deadline checker below.
What is included
- Returns and refunds policy that follows the CPA instead of fighting it
- Website terms and conditions of sale for your store
- Shipping and delivery policy with risk and ownership wording
- ECTA cooling off wording for online sales
- Cancellation and out of stock scripts your staff can copy and paste
- A one page cheat sheet: which law applies to which complaint
How ordering works
- Email us with the button below. You get our written questionnaire back the same business day.
- Answer in writing at your own pace. No calls, no meetings, everything on record.
- We customise the policies to your questionnaire, your products, your courier setup, and email the pack within three business days.
- Pay the fixed price on delivery by EFT. The price you see is the price you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Can a customer return goods just because they changed their mind?
For a normal in store sale, no; change of mind is not a CPA right. For online sales, ECTA gives 7 days after delivery to cancel with the customer paying return shipping. Sales that followed direct marketing carry a 5 business day cooling off under the CPA.
How long do customers have to return defective goods in South Africa?
Six months from delivery under CPA section 56. Within that window the customer chooses repair, replacement or refund, at your expense, and you cannot charge a handling fee for a genuine defect.
Do I legally need terms and conditions on my online store?
ECTA section 43 requires online stores to display specific information, including terms, the full price, and the cooling off right. Without them, customers can cancel more freely and disputes default against you.
Can I refuse a refund if the customer damaged the product?
Yes, if the damage is not a defect. The CPA protects against failures that existed at delivery, not misuse. Your returns policy needs the inspection wording that lets you make that call defensibly, which this pack includes.
Is this pack enough for selling on Takealot or my own store?
It covers your own store completely. Marketplaces apply their own seller terms on top, but your CPA and ECTA duties to the end customer stay the same, and the same policies serve both.
The deadline checker applies CPA sections 16 and 56 and ECTA section 44 to the dates you enter; a court or the Consumer Tribunal decides disputed cases. Free tools are estimates. Packs are templates and guidance, not legal or financial advice.