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Issue a Refund

Issuing a refund returns money to the customer for the items you choose, and the refunded items are removed from the order. You can refund the whole order or just part of it, up to the amount still available, and the money goes back to the original payment method. This article explains what a refund does, how a full refund differs from a partial one, and when to refund an order rather than edit it or take a return, and it points you to the step-by-step for the Refund page.

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Issuing a refund returns money to the customer for the items you choose, and those items are removed from the order. You can refund a whole order or only part of it, up to the amount still available, and the money goes back to the original payment method. This article explains what a refund does and when to use it. Refund an Order walks the Refund page step by step.

A refund is only for returning money. If you need to change prices or quantities without returning money, edit the order instead.

Before you begin

  • Your role includes Edit orders.
  • The order has been paid, since there is nothing to refund until money has been taken.
  • You know how much to refund and whether the items are coming back to stock.
  • Open Orders in the admin sidebar and open the order you want to work on.

What issuing a refund does

You open the Refund page with the Refund action on the order. On that page you choose how many of each item to refund, write a reason for your own records, and set the amount in the Summary. When you complete it:

  • The money is returned to the customer, to the Original payment method.
  • The refunded items are removed from the order.
  • The refund is recorded on the order, and you can email the customer with the Send notification to customer option.

Full and partial refunds

There is no separate setting for a full versus a partial refund. The difference is only how much you choose to return:

  • For a full refund, refund every item's quantity, so the whole order amount is returned.
  • For a partial refund, refund only some items, or set a smaller Refund amount, for example to keep a portion for a fee you and the customer agreed on.

The Refund page shows Available to refund, which is the most you can still return on the order. You cannot refund more than this amount.

Refund, edit, or return

Refunding is one of three ways to change an order after it is placed. Use the one that matches what you need to do.

Action Use it when What it does
Refund You are returning money for items the customer keeps or has sent back Returns money to the original payment method and removes the refunded items
Edit order You need to change prices or quantities, not return money Changes the order's line items and total without issuing a refund
Return The customer is sending items back to you Starts a return so the items can come back before you refund them

Best practices

  • Write a clear reason for refund, since it is kept on the order for your team.
  • Check the amount against Available to refund, so you return the right sum.
  • Leave the customer notification on when the customer should know the money is on the way.

Common mistakes

  • Refunding when you meant to edit the order, which returns money instead of adjusting the items. Edit the order to change prices or quantities.
  • Trying to refund more than the available amount, which the page does not allow.
  • Refunding before the customer has returned the items when the order needs a return first.

Next steps

Still stuck?

More in Orders

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  • Order Fulfillment Section

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  • View Orders

    Find and manage your orders from the Orders overview: metrics, status tabs, search, and a sortable table you open orders from.

  • Fulfill an Order

    Fulfilling an order marks its items as shipped once they have gone out. On the fulfillment card you select Mark as fulfilled, tick the items you are shipping, optionally print the packing slip for the parcel, and confirm. The order then moves to Fulfilled. This article walks through marking an order fulfilled from its fulfillment card.

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