How do I write terms of service for my Shopify store?
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Who the shopper is contracting with, and under whose law.
Country, plus state or province where it matters. Written as it should appear in the clause.
Each yes adds a clause. Each no keeps the contract shorter.
A minimum age for placing an order.
Answer the questions on the left. Nothing is written, and nothing leaves this page, until you press the button.
- Business nameNeeded
- Governing lawNeeded
- Contact emailNeeded
- Digital goodsNeeded
- SubscriptionsNeeded
- Discount codesNeeded
- Minimum ageNeeded
This is a starting template, not legal advice. Laws differ by country and change; have it reviewed.
The clauses, and which answer switches each one on
A Shopify terms of service generator assembles the contract a shopper accepts when buying from your store, adding clauses only for what you actually sell, so a coffee roaster with a monthly subscription and a welcome discount code gets auto-renewal and cancellation wording plus one-code-per-order, expiry and no-cash-value rules that a hardware shop selling boxed goods never needs.
A starting template, not legal advice. Clauses are fixed wording switched on by your answers; contract and consumer law differ by country and change, so have the result reviewed before your store relies on it.
Most of a store contract is the same everywhere: an offer, an acceptance, a price, a place to settle disputes. The parts that differ are switched on by your answers, and those are the parts worth reading twice.
- Acceptance
- The moment a sale becomes binding. The draft treats a checkout as the shopper making an offer and your dispatch confirmation as accepting it, which leaves you room to cancel a mispriced or suspicious order before goods leave.
- Eligibility
- Who may buy. Pick a minimum age if your products are age-restricted or you want parental involvement below a threshold. The 21 option also mentions asking for proof of age before shipping.
- Licence for digital goods
- A download is licensed rather than sold. Turning this on adds a personal-use licence, a ban on resale and redistribution, and a pointer to how your refund page treats files already opened.
- Auto-renewal
- Switched on by the subscriptions answer. It spells out that plans renew until cancelled, that price changes are announced first, and how a subscriber stops the next charge. Several jurisdictions regulate exactly this wording.
- Promotion rules
- Switched on by the discount-code answer. Five rules: one code per order, codes lapse on their stated date, no cash value, personal use only, and misuse lets you cancel. Individual offers can still override them.
- Governing law
- Whose courts and statutes apply. Type the country, and state or province where it matters, exactly as a lawyer would write it. The clause always yields to consumer protection where the buyer lives.
Nudgesmart is available on the Shopify App Store. Browse the template library or see what it costs.
Four stores and the clauses each one gets
Same generator, four very different contracts. The clause count moves with what each business sells, and the governing-law line is lifted straight from its answer.
| Business | Optional clauses added | Clauses | Governing-law sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical goods only, no codes | None | 11 | These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Oregon, United States. |
| Coffee subscription with a welcome code | Subscriptions, Promotions and discount codes | 13 | These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. |
| Sewing patterns sold as downloads | Digital products, Promotions and discount codes | 13 | These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada. |
| Craft spirits with a monthly club | Subscriptions | 12 | These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia. |
Limits of a generated contract
Consumer law overrides the fine print
Statutory rights such as cooling-off periods, remedies for faulty goods and rules on unfair terms apply whatever your contract says. The liability clause in the draft defers to them on purpose; a clause that tried to exclude them would simply be void.
Renewal rules get specific
Some places require a reminder before each renewal, a one-click cancellation route or a separate confirmation at checkout. If you sell subscriptions, check the renewal wording against where your subscribers live.
Regulated products need more
Alcohol, supplements, cosmetics, firearms accessories and anything medical often carry licensing, labelling or delivery restrictions that belong in the contract. A general template cannot know them.
Contests are not covered
The promotion rules cover discount codes. A giveaway, sweepstakes or spin-to-win game with prizes usually needs its own official rules, and in several countries a registration or a no-purchase-necessary route.
Terms of service questions
Is a terms of service page required for a Shopify store?
Shopify has a dedicated field for it under Settings, Policies, and checkout can link to it. Whether one is legally required depends on where you trade, but without one the only contract terms are whatever the law fills in by default.
Can I stop people stacking discount codes with my terms?
The one-code-per-order rule gives you the written basis, and Shopify discount settings do the actual enforcing, since combinations are controlled per discount. The terms matter most when a code leaks and you need grounds to cancel orders that used it.
What should I write as the governing law?
The place your business is registered, written the way a court would: a country, and for federal countries the state or province too, for example England and Wales, or the State of Oregon, United States.
Do my terms need to repeat my refund and shipping policies?
No. The draft refers to them and makes them part of the contract, which keeps one source of truth for each. Keep the three pages consistent, since a mismatch is read against the seller.
Is anything I type here saved?
No. The contract is assembled in your browser. Your business name, email and jurisdiction are not stored, not added to any link and not sent anywhere.
A contract only matters once someone reaches checkout.
Nudgesmart has 13 campaign types, from email capture to exit intent, for the part of the visit that comes before anyone accepts your terms.
