Bundles

Updated 11 November 2026

Overview

This article explains how ReturnZen handles bundles. When a shopper buys a bundle, Shopify records each piece of the set on the order as its own line, at the share of the bundle price that belongs to that piece. ReturnZen reads those lines, so each piece can be returned on its own, and every piece shows which bundle it came from. The question a bundle raises is what happens to the bundle discount when only part of the set comes back. The settings themselves are described in Bundles (General settings).

Use the menu on the left to quickly navigate this article.

Before you start

• Bundles built with Shopify's own bundles or Bundly, which are recognised automatically.
• For any app that puts one line on the order for the whole bundle, the set described in the Bundle list under Policy > General, Bundles.

Bundles

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > General, Bundles.

• Only allow full bundle returns: shoppers must return every item in a bundle together, and the bundle shows in the portal as one item at the full bundle price. When this is off, shoppers can return single items from a bundle. Once submitted, the return still lists every piece separately on your side. Default: off.
• When part of a bundle is returned, price the kept items at: The price they paid (no adjustment; each returned piece is refunded at its share of the bundle price, before tax), Full price (the kept pieces count at their full price, and the refunds for one bundle add up to the bundle price paid minus that), or Full price with a percent off (the same, with the Percent off you type taken off the kept pieces, for example the discount you normally give on a two item order). Default: The price they paid.
• Bundle list: for bundles sold as one product, each Bundle SKU with the Piece SKU and Quantity of every piece inside it, so shoppers can return single pieces. SKUs are matched exactly, including upper and lower case.

Screenshot

Policy > General, the Bundles card with the kept item pricing choices

Note: A partial return of a bundle sold as one product is refunded as an amount against that one order line and puts nothing back in stock, so adjust the piece inventory by hand. A bundle returned whole in one return restocks the bundle product the way any returned item is restocked.

How it works

Why partial bundle returns can cost you money. A bundle discount is earned by buying the whole set. If a shopper buys a five piece set at 25 percent off and returns three pieces, a plain refund gives back exactly what those three pieces cost inside the bundle, and the shopper keeps the other two at the bundle price. They end up with two items for less than anyone paying your normal two item price. Nothing on the order is recorded as a discount, because the bundle price is simply the price, so ordinary discount settings cannot see this.

A worked example. A three piece set. Each piece is 50.00 at full price. The set sells for 120.00, so each piece cost 40.00 inside the bundle.

The shopper returns one piece and keeps two:

• The price they paid: refund 40.00.
• Full price: the two kept pieces are worth 100.00, so the refund is 120.00 minus 100.00, which is 20.00. Bundle adjustment of 20.00.
• Full price with 15 percent off: the two kept pieces are worth 85.00, so the refund is 35.00. Bundle adjustment of 5.00.

The shopper returns two pieces and keeps one:

• The price they paid: refund 80.00.
• Full price: the kept piece is worth 50.00, so the refund is 70.00. Bundle adjustment of 10.00.
• Full price with 15 percent off: the kept piece is worth 42.50, so the refund is 77.50. Bundle adjustment of 2.50.

The shopper returns all three pieces: refund 120.00, no adjustment, under every setting. The more of the set a shopper keeps, the larger the adjustment, because the discount belongs to the whole set. The refund never goes below zero. The difference shows on the shopper's quote and on your return page as one line called Bundle adjustment, and the returned pieces are still listed at the price paid.

Returns in more than one go. Separate returns of the same bundle add up to the same total as one return. Under Full price, a shopper who returns one piece first is refunded 20.00. When they return a second piece later, that return pays 50.00: the piece's 40.00 share plus 10.00 given back. So a later refund can be more than that piece's share of the bundle price. A later return waits only while an earlier return of the same bundle is not priced yet. Until then it shows a sentence asking you to process the earlier return first, then process this one again.

Exchanges. Swapping one piece for the same product in another size keeps the set complete, so there is no adjustment.

What the shopper sees

1. Part of {bundle name} under each piece in the portal.
2. On the review page, a Bundle adjustment line: an amount withheld reads 20.00 and an amount given back reads +12.00. When the adjustment cannot be worked out yet, the line reads Not yet priced with Your final refund will be confirmed when your return is processed.
3. On the confirmation page and the status page, -20.00 and +10.00. The default emails do not print the line.

On your return page the pieces are grouped under a bundle header with the original price struck through beside the bundled price, and the adjustment reads $20.00 withheld or ($12.00) given back. The Bundle Adjustment column appears in the Return totals, Refunds and Store credit reports.

Screenshot

A return page with a bundle header and the Bundle adjustment line

The Bundles card under Policy > General

This section covers the Bundles card on the Policy > General page. A bundle is one product on your store that is sold as a set of other products at a set price. The card decides whether a shopper has to return the whole set, how the pieces they keep are priced when they return the rest, and holds a list of bundles sold as a single order line so ReturnZen knows what is inside them. For the shopper's side and the full worked examples, see Bundles.

Before you start: A connected Shopify store that sells bundles through Shopify's own bundles, Bundly, or a bundle app that puts one line on the order. For single-line bundles, the bundle SKU and the SKU and quantity of each piece.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > General > Bundles.

• Only allow full bundle returns: shoppers must return every item in a bundle together. When this is off, shoppers can return single items from a bundle. Default: off.

  Note: With it on, the bundle shows in the portal as one item at the full bundle price, all or nothing. Once submitted, the return still lists every piece on your side, so restocking and refunds work per product.

• When part of a bundle is returned, price the kept items at: decides what the pieces the shopper keeps are worth when they return the rest. Default: The price they paid.

• The price they paid: no adjustment. Each returned item is refunded at its share of the bundle price, so one item returned from a 120.00 bundle of three refunds 40.00, before tax. This is how Shopify itself behaves.

• Full price: the refunds for one bundle add up to the bundle price paid minus the kept items at their full price. One item returned from a 120.00 bundle of three 50.00 items refunds 20.00 (120.00 minus 100.00), before tax.
• Full price with a percent off: the refunds for one bundle add up to the bundle price paid minus the kept items at their full price less the percent you type. With 15 percent off, one item returned from a 120.00 bundle of three 50.00 items refunds 35.00 (120.00 minus 85.00), before tax. Type the discount in Percent off, a number from 0 to 100 with at most two decimals.

Screenshot

Policy > General, the Bundles card with Only allow full bundle returns and the three kept item pricing choices

Bundle list

• Bundle list: list each bundle sold as one product with the SKU and quantity of every piece inside it. Shoppers can then return single pieces. SKUs are matched exactly, including upper and lower case.

A partial return of a bundle sold as one product is refunded as an amount against that one order line and puts nothing back in stock, so adjust the piece inventory by hand. A bundle returned whole in one return restocks the bundle product the way any returned item is restocked.

To add a bundle by hand:

1. In the empty last row of the table, type the Bundle SKU, the Piece SKU and the Quantity of that piece.
2. Click Add Piece. The button stays greyed out until all three are filled. Repeat for every piece in the set.
3. Click Save Changes in the bar at the foot of the page.

To upload the list instead:

1. Click Download Sample CSV to get the format. The file needs the header bundle_sku,component_sku,quantity then one line per piece, as in the sample file.
2. Click Upload CSV and choose your file.
3. Click Save Changes.

Important: An upload replaces the whole list with the lines in your file, and nothing is saved until you click Save Changes. Deleting a piece asks Delete this piece? and also waits for the save.

Screenshot

Policy > General, the Bundle list table with a bundle SKU and its pieces, the Add Piece, Upload CSV and Download Sample CSV controls

What the shopper sees

Each piece shows Part of (bundle name) in the portal. When an adjustment applies, the review step shows the amount withheld as one line called Bundle adjustment, and the confirmation page shows it as a minus line. The default emails do not print it. The returned pieces stay listed at the price paid, so the numbers are easy to check. On your return page the pieces are grouped under a bundle header, with the original price struck through beside the bundled price, and the same Bundle adjustment line.

Screenshot

Portal review step with two bundle pieces, each reading Part of the bundle, and the Bundle adjustment line in the estimate

How it works

A bundle discount is earned by buying the whole set. If a shopper buys a five piece set at 25 percent off and returns three pieces, a plain refund gives back what those three pieces cost inside the bundle, and the shopper keeps the other two at the bundle price. Nothing on the order is recorded as a discount, because the bundle price is simply the price, so the discount distribution options cannot see this.

A three piece set, each piece 50.00 at full price, sold for 120.00, so each piece cost 40.00 inside the bundle:

• Return one piece, keep two: 40.00 (the price they paid), 20.00 (full price, a 20.00 adjustment), 35.00 (full price with 15 percent off, a 5.00 adjustment).
• Return two pieces, keep one: 80.00, 70.00 (a 10.00 adjustment), 77.50 (a 2.50 adjustment).
• Return all three: 120.00 under every setting, no adjustment.

The more of the set a shopper keeps, the larger the adjustment. The refund never goes below zero.

Separate returns of the same bundle add up to the same total as one return. Under full price, returning one piece pays 20.00. A later return of one more piece pays 50.00, and a later return of both remaining pieces pays 100.00, because the later return gives back part of what the earlier one held back. That later refund can be more than the piece's own share of the bundle price. A give back waits only while an earlier return of that bundle is not priced yet. Until then the return shows a sentence asking you to process the earlier one first, then process this one again.

Swapping one piece of a bundle for the same product in another size keeps the set complete, so there is no adjustment.

Three kinds of bundle are recognised: Shopify's own bundles, Bundly, and the sets in your bundle list. Any other bundle app that puts each piece on the order as a normal product line still works as an ordinary return, without the bundle features. For a bundle from your list, a whole return restocks the bundle product; a partial return restocks nothing, and the return page reads Adjust inventory for the returned (piece) by hand.

FAQ

Does ReturnZen work with my bundle app? Shopify's own bundles and Bundly are recognised automatically. For any app that puts one line on the order for the whole bundle, describe the set in the Bundle list and the same features apply. An app that puts each piece on the order as a normal product works as ordinary items, without the adjustment.

Can I stop partial bundle returns altogether? Yes. Turn on Only allow full bundle returns. The set then comes back whole or not at all, and none of the adjustment rules apply.

Why is a second return of the same bundle refunding more than the piece cost? The first return held part of the discount back. The second return gives it back, so the two together add up to what one return of both pieces would have paid.

Which bundle apps work? Shopify's own bundles and Bundly are read from the order. A bundle app that puts one line on the order works once the bundle is in your bundle list.

Does the adjustment apply to exchanges? Not to a same-product size swap of one piece, which keeps the set complete.

Please reach out to support@returnzen.app with any additional questions.