Shopify Policy Setup for EC Sites｜Required Policies, Admin Settings, and What to PrepareShopify Policy Setup for EC Sites｜Required Policies, Admin Settings, and What to PrepareShopify Policy Setup for EC Sites｜Required Policies, Admin Settings, and What to Prepare

Why Policy Setup Matters Before Launch

When building a Shopify EC site, it's tempting to treat policy pages as something to handle later. However, the legal requirement to display a Specified Commercial Transactions Act disclosure and to comply with personal information protection laws applies from day one.

Launching without the necessary policies in place can expose your business to regulatory scrutiny from a consumer protection standpoint. It also increases support inquiries when buyers cannot find return or shipping terms before purchasing.

This article explains what policies are required for a Shopify EC site and how to set them up in the Shopify admin.

Policies Required for a Shopify EC Site

1. Specified Commercial Transactions Act Disclosure

The Act on Specified Commercial Transactions (Tokusho-ho) requires businesses engaged in mail-order sales — including EC sites — to display the following information:

• Business name (company name for corporations, full name for individuals)
• Representative or responsible person's name
• Physical address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Product prices (including consumption tax)
• Additional fees such as shipping or handling
• Accepted payment methods and timing
• Estimated delivery timeframe
• Return and cancellation policy
• Policy on defective or incorrect items

This disclosure is mandatory for any EC site selling to customers in Japan, regardless of business type. Sites without it are subject to oversight by the Consumer Affairs Agency.

2. Privacy Policy

Based on the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, the Privacy Policy must state what personal data is collected, the purpose of use, whether data is shared with third parties, and how users can request disclosure, correction, or deletion.

Any EC site collecting names, addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses is considered a personal information handling business and is effectively required to publish a Privacy Policy. If you use tools like Google Analytics or advertising tags, Cookie usage should also be addressed.

3. Return Policy

The Return Policy clearly defines the conditions for returns, refunds, and exchanges:

• Return window (e.g., within 7 days of receipt)
• Eligible conditions (unused, unopened, etc.)
• Ineligible items (food, hygiene products, etc.)
• Handling of defective or incorrectly shipped items
• Refund method and timing

Vague return policies lead to more disputes after purchase. Shopify can auto-generate a return policy template, but it's important to tailor it to your specific business operations.

4. Shipping Policy

The Shipping Policy covers everything from order placement to delivery:

• Carrier(s) used
• Delivery area and regional coverage
• Estimated delivery timeframe
• Shipping fee structure and free shipping thresholds
• Handling of remote areas (e.g., islands, Okinawa)
• Whether international shipping is available

While Shopify's shipping rates are configured under Settings > Shipping and delivery, maintaining a separate Shipping Policy page as a customer-facing reference helps reduce support inquiries.

5. Terms of Service

The Terms of Service defines usage conditions, prohibited activities, disclaimers, intellectual property rights, and governing law. The required content varies by site type and should be tailored to your EC site's business model.

How to Configure Policies in the Shopify Admin

Policies are set directly in the Shopify admin:

1. Log in to the Shopify admin
2. Select Settings from the left menu
3. Click Policies
4. Enter text into each policy field

The five configurable policies are:

Policy	Purpose
Return policy	Returns, refunds, and exchange conditions
Privacy policy	Personal data handling
Terms of service	Usage conditions and disclaimers
Shipping policy	Carrier, timeframe, and fees
Legal notice (Specified Commercial Transactions Act)	Required legal disclosure for Japan-based EC sites

Each field has a Create from template button that auto-generates standard text. However, the generated text is generic and must be edited to reflect your business information and specific operating conditions.

Once saved, the policies automatically appear as footer links on your storefront and as consent links in the checkout flow.

Common Pitfalls in Policy Setup

Copying Another Site's Policies Carries Risk

Using another site's policies verbatim can constitute copyright infringement. More importantly, policies written for a different business — different return conditions, carrier setup, and product categories — will not accurately reflect your own operations, which creates a basis for disputes.

Policies Should Be Reviewed Periodically

Related legislation such as the Act on the Protection of Personal Information and the Consumer Contract Act is revised periodically. Policies set at launch should not be left untouched — review and update them whenever relevant laws change.

Publishing the Representative's Name and Phone Number

The Specified Commercial Transactions Act requires disclosure of the representative's name and phone number. For sole proprietors concerned about publishing a home address or personal phone number, options such as using a virtual office address or a 050 VoIP number are worth considering in advance.

About Our Policy Setup Service

We support the drafting and entry of each policy into the Shopify admin.

Policies covered: Specified Commercial Transactions Act disclosure, Privacy Policy, Return Policy, Shipping Policy, Terms of Service

Estimated cost: +¥50,000

Important: Our policy setup service is a ghostwriting support service. We interview you about your business information and operating conditions, then draft documents tailored to your business type. However, you are responsible for verifying the legal accuracy of each policy's content. If legal judgment is required, we recommend consulting a qualified attorney or legal professional.

Summary

The five policies required when launching a Shopify EC site are: the Specified Commercial Transactions Act disclosure, Privacy Policy, Return Policy, Shipping Policy, and Terms of Service.

All of them can be entered through Settings > Policies in the Shopify admin, with template auto-generation available. That said, it is important to edit the generated text to match your business's actual operations.

Preparing your policies before launch reduces legal risk and improves the efficiency of customer support from day one.