Returns and refunds, subject to the cancellation period and at the request of the customer, will be made by either you as a vendor or by Digistore24. The customer's request will be made either
- by email directly to you
- by email directly to us
- via a buyer support link directly to our system.
The buyer support link is included in the customer's order confirmation email. Please note: the customer will only receive the buyer support link if you as a vendor enable this in your return policy. - or via the cancellation button on the order confirmation page directly to our system (if this is enabled by the vendor in the return policy).
You set the period for returning the product or cancelling the subscription when you create your product. If you sell via Digistore24 GmbH , you can choose from return periods of 14, 30, 60, 90 or 180 days. If you sell via Digistore24 Inc. , you can choose from return periods of 60, 90, or 180 days.
Note
As a vendor, you have the option to accept a return or initiate a refund on your own, even outside the return period. In addition, you can be accommodating and give partial refunds, e.g. if the customer has already used part of the product. You can find more information here.
Attention
Digistore24 is legally obliged to process refunds within the withdrawal period! If we receive a refund request within the return period specified by you, we are obliged by law to process the refund on your behalf.
1. Legal return policy
Start of the return period
The return period begins at the time of the first payment and lasts a maximum of 180 days, depending on what you set. A return is technically no longer possible once this period has expired.
Return period for trial period
For example, if the trial period is 10 days, the actual payment will only be made once the trial is over, i.e. after 10 days. The return period will therefore only begin from then.
Return policy for digital products
Digital goods and downloads may be excluded from being returned if the customer has been explicitly informed of this in advance and has expressly agreed to the expiration of the right of withdrawal (via a checkbox on the order form). If there is no such checkbox, the right of withdrawal preset by the vendor shall apply.
Return policy for seminars and services
In most cases, the statutory withdrawal period of 14 days applies here. Digistore24 also offers a "goodwill extension" of the return period of up to 180 days. You can select in your settings which of these return periods you want to set for your seminar.
What happens if the customer cancels after the seminar has taken place and thus the service has already been provided?
For example, if the customer decides to buy a seminar a week before it is held and you have set a 30-day cancellation period in your settings, your customer can theoretically still cancel after they've attended the seminar.
In this case, the customer should be informed by you that their right of withdrawal expires once the seminar/service has been provided in full before the end of the withdrawal period. The customer automatically agrees to this condition upon purchase.
2. Notes on the refund period and refund type
Refunds can take up to 10 business days depending on the payment method originally used to purchase the product.
In this case, refunds are always made via the same payment method of the original purchase - should the account of the purchase be identical to that of the return.
We inform customers by email that their refund request has been received in our system and will be processed within 10 business days.
The 10-day delay is for security purposes :
Some customers request a refund while also initiating a chargeback at their bank. In this case, they would receive the money twice, which we as the seller would then have to recover, if necessary with legal action. We prevent this by delaying our back transfer.
Payment method | Refund duration | Refund type |
Credit card | Up to 1 working day | By credit card to the credit card that was used. Refund will be made directly. |
PayPal | Up to 1 working day | Via PayPal to the PayPal account that was used. Refund will be made directly. |
SEPA direct debit | 10 days | By bank transfer to the bank account used. |
Klarna | Up to 1 working day | Via Klarna to the Klarna account that was used. Refund will be made directly. |
Advance payment | 10 days | By bank transfer - the buyer should let us know their account details. |
Attention
For refunds via direct debit, the customer's address is required for security purposes if no address was requested on the order form. This should be entered via the proof link, which the customer will automatically receive from the system. In addition, proof of identity in the form of a photo ID scan is required for refunds over €200. This is also requested via the proof link.
3. Step-by-step guide: Process returns and make refunds
- In the vendor view, go to Reports > Transactions.
- Search for the desired order using either the customer's last name, email address or order number. here described.
- Orders are displayed in the search results list. Click on the magnifying glass icon of the respective order to view the transaction details.
- Scroll down to the Transactions field and click on the Refund button for the corresponding transaction.
The refund is now requested in our system. Digistore24 will make the refund once the check is complete.
Attention
Refunds can only be made within a maximum of 180 days (after date of purchase). A refund is no longer possible after 180 days.
4. Step-by-step guide: Make a partial refund
If the customer has already opened/used the product they purchased, e.g. food supplements, you may want to be accommodating and refund part of the purchase price. Let the customer know about this and then make a partial refund in the system.
How it works:
- In the vendor view, go to Reports > Transactions.
- Search for the desired order using either the customer's last name, email address or order number.
- Click on the magnifying glass icon of the desired order to view the transaction details.
- Scroll down to the Partial refund window.
- Now enter the amount you want to refund the customer.
- Click on the Refund button for the respective transaction.
After a check by our system, a partial refund will be initiated and the buyer will be refunded the amount - as in the case of an ordinary refund.
Notes on partial refunds:
- The payment status does not change for partial refunds. Subscriptions and installments continue as normal.
- No IPN notifications are sent for partial refunds. This means that connected membership areas, autoresponders or other systems will not receive a status update via an IPN.
- Partial refunds also affect the cancellation rate. Please note, however, that it is not the number of refunds that counts towards the cancellation rate, but rather the amount. So if your partial refund is only a small amount, it will not have a big impact on your cancellation rate.