Terms and conditions are a set of rules and statements that users of your online store will have to follow and agree to if they wish to make purchases from your site, as they govern the activities of visitors to that site and their relationship with the owner. In other words, terms and conditions are an agreement between the website owner and its users, detailing the policies and procedures carried out by the site and also providing the owner with the ability to protect themselves from potential legal exposure.
Having a terms and conditions section is an important aspect whenever you provide a service to other people or organizations, or if you plan to offer a service that will be available to a large number of people (such as in online stores or applications) and they should be defined according to the specific needs of each page (an online store requires terms that are different from those of an informational page).
What should I include in my Terms and Conditions?
As we mentioned before, Terms and Conditions will be different depending on the type of page you have, however, these are the most common and essential elements for online stores:
1. Owner of the website, the offer and the link to the Terms
As with all agreements, the Terms should clearly state who owns the website and what the website offers. If the website is operated by a legal entity, it is important to state the full and accurate name of that entity (and not the business name used for the business). It is also important to define what is offered on the website and state that the Terms are a legal agreement that governs its use.
2. Who can use your site? What are the requirements for creating an account?
You should define who has the right and who is allowed to use your site and its services when relevant, or what the requirements are for opening an account. This, for example, if you sell products or services that are not suitable for minors.
3. Returns and refunds policy
Companies selling products online must present their product return policy and refund policy. This is important to comply with consumer protection regulations. Some companies include this information separately, followed by instructions and requirements for completing returns or refunds.
4. Warranties and liability for services and products
Websites that sell products include warranties provided by the site operator and must comply with local consumer protection laws.
5. Ownership of intellectual property, copyright and logos.
To protect the audiovisual content and products of the sites, it is important to include a section indicating that they are the property of the author and that the clients of the website do not have rights over said materials.
6. Customer service and contact information
The terms are expected to contain contact information that allows users and customers to receive customer service and correspond with websites and their operators.
