Launching an E-commerce Store in India: A Compliance Checklist

Setting up an online store in India involves more than picking a platform and uploading products. A few compliance basics are worth getting right before launch, both to avoid penalties and to build the trust a first-time customer needs before entering their card details.

Your GSTIN should be displayed if you're a registered business selling taxable goods or services, and your invoices need to be GST-compliant, itemising tax correctly. If you're a private limited company, displaying your CIN in the website footer is a mandatory disclosure under Indian company law, not an optional branding choice.

A clear Return, Refund and Cancellation Policy is expected by customers and, for many product categories, is effectively required for payment gateway approval. This should state your actual return window, condition requirements, and how refunds are processed -- vague or missing policies are one of the most common reasons customers abandon a cart at checkout.

A Shipping Policy stating expected delivery timeframes and any regions you don't currently serve manages expectations before a customer commits to a purchase, reducing complaint volume afterwards.

Your Privacy Policy needs to specifically address how payment and personal data is handled, not just generic language, since you're processing transactions rather than just contact form submissions.

Finally, payment gateways in India (Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree and similar) typically require all of the above to be live on your site before they'll approve your account, so it's worth treating these as launch-blocking items rather than something to add later. Getting them right from day one avoids both compliance risk and a frustrating back-and-forth with your payment gateway's approval team.