The following is a short list of Web commerce sites that either CLICKED or CLUNKED in the area of return policies.

Amazon.com-- CLICK

Click over to Amazon.coms return policy, and youll see they titled their section "Returns Are Easy."

Ahh... that makes me feel better. Amazon wants to make my life easy. Thank you, Amazon.

If you read on, you notice it really is easy to return books, videos, CDs, or anything else. The company has also made it clear it'll accept any gift returns through the end of January.

Sears-- CLUNK

The first challenge was to find the return policy. And boy did I find it varying drastically in each product category. It's quick to read, difficult to understand. In a nutshell, the company's multiple two-line return policies claim that Sears stands behind all its products. If youve got a problem, call the 800 number and theyre sure they can work something out.

Sorry, always-reliable Sears, but short, vague return policies dont foster much customer confidence.

Heres a good rule of thumb: If you work for the company and YOURE confused by the policy, guess what your customers think.

Gap-- CLICK

Extremely well-written policy that clearly explains all your options for returning goods. The document lists the items and information youll need upon returning. Plus, the company allow online purchases to be returned in person to any Gap store.

Buy.com-- CLICK that went CLUNK

The company was almost a CLICK a few weeks ago when they boldly put a "Return Policy" link at the top of its front page. I was quite impressed by this move, and I can highly recommend everyone else follow this example.

Many might think that posting a return-policy link at the top of the front page would be a huge mistake. Understandable since its eating up prime Web real estate. That space could be used to promote some amazing deal of the day. But stop and think about the psychology. Many people like the concept of shopping online, but are somewhat unsure about buying online. This uncertainty results in a high percentage of abandoned shopping carts. If youre upfront about your companys return policy, then youre reaching out to engage your customers trust. Will they read the return policy if you put the link at the top of your homepage? Probably not. Most people know that its not going to be scintillating literature. Theyll probably think, "Heck, if theyre willing to put their return policy up front, its got to be good." Developing customer trust in any business relationship is difficult. Its even worse online, since theres no possibility of a face-to-face meeting. If theres ever an opportunity to build customer trust, do it.

As of this writing, the top of the page "return policy" link no longer exists. That gesture would have won my approval. Instead, these clowns had to create FOUR different return policies? Why did they do this? I have no idea. Read further and youll realize that three of them are exactly the same.

Daves number one rule of Web commerce: If you can make something simpler, do it.