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Exchange Items Are Not Reserved Until Processed

When you add replacement products to an exchange, they are not reserved until you process the return. This means the stock is not held yet, so a replacement can sell out before the exchange is completed.

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When you set up an exchange and add replacement products, those items are not held in stock right away. As the Exchange items section states, the items will not be reserved until you process the return. This matters because a replacement can still be sold to someone else in the meantime, so it is worth understanding before you rely on an exchange. This is a short note on that behavior; the exchange is set up in Exchange.

Tip: Add replacement items when you set up the exchange, but remember they are only reserved once you process it, so confirm the stock is available before you promise a date.

What "not reserved until processed" means

Point What it means
Adding a replacement does not hold stock The item stays available to other customers until you process the return
Reservation happens on processing The replacement is only committed once you process the return
Availability can change A replacement can sell out between adding it and processing the return

Before you begin

  • You are setting up an exchange on a return.
  • Open Orders > Overview in the admin sidebar and open an exchange you have started but not yet processed, which is the state this article explains.

Steps

1. Understand that adding a replacement does not hold stock

Adding a replacement product to an exchange records what the customer should receive, but it does not take that item out of available stock. The Exchange items section states this: the items are not reserved until you process the return. Until then, the same unit can be bought by another customer or picked for another order.

2. Process the return to reserve the replacement

The replacement is only committed once you process the return. Process it promptly after setting up the exchange, so the item is reserved before it can sell to someone else.

3. Confirm stock before promising the customer

Because the item is not held until processing, check the replacement is still in stock before you tell the customer it is on the way, especially for fast-moving products.

Best practices

  • Process exchanges promptly. The sooner you process the return, the sooner the replacement is committed and less likely to sell out.
  • Confirm stock before promising. Because the item is not held, verify availability before you tell the customer their replacement is reserved.
  • Watch fast-moving items. For popular products, the window between adding a replacement and processing matters more.

If something goes wrong

  • A replacement sold out before processing. Because it was not reserved, choose a different replacement or resolve the exchange another way with the customer.
  • You expected the stock to be held. Adding a replacement does not hold stock; only processing the return does.

Next steps

Still stuck?

More in Returns

  • Return and Refund Policy

    The Return and refund policy editor is where you write the policy that tells customers how returns and refunds work. You can start from a template, generate it, or write your own, from Settings, Policies.

  • Restock a Return

    When you process a return, you can restock the returned items back into inventory at a chosen location, review the refund due, and choose whether to issue the refund now or later.

  • Issue a Refund

    The Refund page: choosing the items and quantities, the staff-only reason, the summary that works out the total, the notification that goes out unless you clear it, and the button that carries the figure you are about to send back.

  • Select Items to Return

    The section on the Create return page where you choose what is coming back: how the quantity is capped at what was fulfilled, the reason that appears once you pick one, and the summary lines your choice produces, including tax.

All 15 articles in Returns

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