It's our goal to help customers have a great experience with the products they purchased from your shop, since our products are digital and cannot be returned. But what happens if a customer asks you for a refund for their purchase? We'd love to help you work with the customer to find a solution if possible!
We've developed a marketplace Refund Policy, so you don't have to! We know how hard you've worked to create your products, and we know that digital products can't be returned, so the policy is designed with this in mind first. Also, it helps maintain a consistent experience for all of our customers, and removes the burden for Shop Owners of coming up with a custom refund policy. Again, you can check it out here. However, here are some ways to assist your customer if they ask for a refund:
Offer technical support
If your customer is experiencing an issue using your product, they may simply assume it doesn't work, or they might be frustrated due to a lack of experience with their software. Offer the customer assistance, tips, or workarounds that guide them towards a solution. You can also point the customer to resources in our Help Center, where we've provided common troubleshooting tips and answers to technical questions. Often, this friendly, empathetic support is just what the customer needs to get through a rocky start with your product and get it back up and running.
If you can't resolve the technical issue
We understand- technical issues happen. Maybe the customer has found a bug in your product that can't be fixed right away. If you've determined that the product has a consistently reproducible error that can't be resolved, you can send them our way, and we can offer a refund.
Offer an exchange
It's possible that your customer purchased the wrong version of a product, or even the wrong license. Maybe they bought a PowerPoint presentation, but they actually needed the Keynote version. Or maybe they're ready for an Extended Commercial License, but they only have a Personal License. We're happy to facilitate an exchange! You can learn more about how we handle exchanges in our Exchange Policy. To offer the customer an exchange on their product or license, just send them our way.
Let us know
For other situations, such as when a customer purchased a duplicate license, or if you decide to grant a refund to your customer for any other reason, please submit a ticket and we'll be happy to help.
Please note that the Creative Market Support Team will generally follow our posted Refund Policy when reviewing refund requests. Since digital products cannot be returned, all refunds are at the sole discretion of Creative Market.
Common Questions
Can Shop Owners issue refunds?
Creative Market Customer Support handles all refunds at this time; Shop Owners do not have the capability to process refunds.
If a customer asks the Support Team for a refund, will I have the opportunity to help them instead?
We know how much time and effort you've spent creating your products, and our Refund Policy is designed with this in mind, especially since digital products, once downloaded, can't be returned. Also, we believe that many refund requests can be resolved by receiving technical assistance from the Shop Owner. If your customer contacts the Support Team with a technical issue and a refund request, we'll do our best to let you know, since we're confident you can help.
What happens if and when a customer receives a refund? Will they be able to keep using my product?
Should your customer receive a refund for their purchase, their license for that product is revoked. Therefore, they agree to stop using the product for any purpose whatsoever, by deleting the product files from their computer and/or Dropbox account. This is found in our Terms of Service, section 8:c.
I want to refund my customer proactively, because they can't use my product.
Sometimes, it's just not meant to be: if you've done your best to help your customer, and if both you and your customer agree that the product they purchased won't meet their needs, you can reach out to the Support Team on behalf of your customer to request that we refund their purchase. However, it's important that your customer also agrees to a refund: we can't refund a purchase unless the customer understands that they will no longer own a license after a refund is processed.
A customer was refunded, but I didn't approve it!
Our Refund Policy outlines situations in which Creative Market will typically issue your customer a refund. Generally, we issue refunds if there is a technical problem with your product that you cannot resolve, or if the product was misrepresented in the description. We consider an item to be "misrepresented" when the delivered item does not match the described function in the product description, or when an item stated to be included is not delivered. (Misrepresentation does not include subjective opinions on the quality or appearance of an item.) Finally, please note that if we reach out to you regarding a technical question but don't hear back within 2-3 business days, we may choose to refund your customer out of respect for their personal deadlines.
Again, all refunds are granted at the sole discretion of Creative Market. If you have questions about why a product from your shop might have been refunded, please let us know.