Returns

The Create return page is where you start a return from a fulfilled order. You select the items and quantities to return, optionally set up an exchange and return shipping, and create the return.

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.

An overview of how a return works end to end, from a customer request through inspecting the item and resolving it with a refund or exchange, and where each part is managed in your store.

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.

An exchange replaces the items a customer returns with different products instead of refunding them. You set it up on the Create return page by turning on Exchange items and adding the replacement products.

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.

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.

In an exchange, the value of the items a customer returns is compared with the value of the replacements. If the replacements cost more, the customer pays the difference; if they cost less, the difference goes back to the customer.

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.

When you create a return, each returned item has a Reason dropdown to record why it is coming back. This lists the return reasons available, such as wrong item, damaged, or changed mind, and why recording them matters.

Return rules set how long a customer has to send something back and whether an order can still be cancelled. This covers the default rule that applies to every order, adding a rule for one market, and keeping those rules in step with the written policy customers read.

When you turn on Exchange items on a return, an Exchange items section appears. It is where you add the replacement products to send to the customer, and it notes that those items are not reserved until you process the return.

Once you create a return, the order shows a Return In Progress status and the return is marked In Progress until you process it. This explains the returning status and where to see it.

An overview of how an exchange works, from turning on Exchange items on a return through adding the replacement products and creating the exchange, and how it differs from a plain return.

Only fulfilled items can be returned. If an order has nothing that can be returned, there are no items to select on the Create return page, so you cannot start a return. This explains when that happens and what to do.