What is it?
Product policies let merchants define return rules at the product, category, or tag level. Instead of applying one return policy across the whole catalog, merchants can vary behavior per product group — for example, allowing full returns on regular-priced apparel while marking swimwear, lingerie, or final-sale items as non-returnable.
Rules apply in the customer-facing Returns Portal and are enforced before a return request is accepted.
Key benefits
Per-product, per-category, or per-tag rules — pick the granularity that fits your catalog
Independent returnability and exchange controls — a product can be refundable but not exchangeable, or vice versa
Item-level enforcement — non-returnable items are excluded inside the Returns Portal; the rest of the order can still be returned
Tag-based flexibility — target via product variant tags, order line item tags, or order tags in addition to categories and individual products
Live category data — categories sync from the connected e-commerce integration, so policies apply against the real catalog
How it works
When a customer initiates a return, Ingrid Returns evaluates each line item against the active product policies. Items that fail policy are not presented as returnable in the portal; the customer sees only items they're eligible to return.
Policy evaluation happens at return creation. Changes to product policies don't retroactively affect returns already in progress — existing return sessions keep the policies that were active when they started.
When a product matches more than one policy, more specific targets (tags, individual products) take precedence over broader ones (categories).
Use cases
Hygiene items as non-returnable — a fashion merchant marks the Swimwear and Underwear categories as non-returnable. Customers initiating a return on an order containing these items see them excluded; other items can still be returned.
Exchange restricted to current season — an apparel merchant offers exchanges for current-season items only. The Archive / Previous Seasons category is set to "returnable yes, exchange no", so customers get a refund option but not an exchange for last-season items.
Tag-based exclusions for personalized goods — a brand offering personalization marks all variants carrying the "engraved" tag as non-returnable, without needing to set up a separate category.
Configuration
Location
Returns Back-office → Settings → Product Policies
Settings
Setting | Description | Options | Default |
Target | Apply the policy to a specific product, tag, or category | Product / Category / Tag | — |
Returnable | Whether customers can initiate a return for this item | Yes / No | Yes |
Exchange eligible | Whether the customer can select an exchange instead of a refund | Yes / No | Shop default |
Setup steps
Navigate to
Returns Back-office → Settings → Product Policies.Select New policy.
Choose whether the policy applies to a product, a category, or a tag.
Search for and select the target.
Set Returnable to No for final-sale items, or leave Yes and adjust exchange eligibility.
Save.
There are no onboarding prerequisites beyond having an active shop and a connected e-commerce integration so that product categories are available.
FAQ
Q: Can a policy apply to a tag rather than a full category?
A: Yes. The target selector supports tag-based targeting at the product variant, order line item, and order level — in addition to category and individual product targeting.
Q: Which policy applies when a product matches more than one rule?
A: Policies are evaluated by specificity — more targeted rules (tags, individual products) take precedence over broader rules (categories).
Q: A new category doesn't appear in the policy target selector.
A: Categories are pulled from the connected e-commerce integration. Allow one sync cycle for new categories to appear. If the issue persists, verify the e-com integration is active and syncing.
Q: I removed a policy but a customer is still seeing the item as non-returnable.
A: Policy changes apply to new return requests only. If the customer's return session started before the change was saved, the old policy still applies to that session. Ask them to restart the return flow.
Q: Do customers get notified when a policy changes?
A: No. Policy changes don't trigger customer notifications. Communicate changes through your own channels.