Instant Exchange

Updated 11 November 2026

Overview

This article explains Instant Exchange. With a standard exchange the shopper waits: the old item goes back, you process it, and only then does the new one ship. Instant Exchange creates the exchange order the moment the return is submitted. The shopper enters a card once, and if the old item is not on its way back by the ship-by date, that card is charged for the items they kept. It covers the settings, the shopper's side, the block on the return page, late arrivals, declines and cancellations. The settings themselves are described in Instant Exchange (policy card).

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

Before you start

• Stripe connected under Tools > Integrations. The card is greyed with Connect Stripe until it is.
• A return policy with Exchange or Shop Now switched on; the Instant Exchange card appears after Shop Now on the Return outcomes tab.
• EasyPost switched on with a key saved, because the ship-by check reads carrier tracking.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, Return outcomes, the Instant Exchange card.

• Instant Exchange: the card toggle. When on, the new item ships right away and the shopper's card is charged only if the returned item is not on its way back, or arrives incomplete. When off, Instant Exchange is not offered. Default: off.
• Card hold: Verify only saves the card without holding money. Hold the value of the returned items for 7 days places a hold that drops off after 7 days. Default: Verify only.
• Days to ship before charging: how many days the shopper has to get the old item scanned by the carrier, from 14 to 28. Default: 14.
• Charge amount: Value of the returned items (what the shopper paid for the items they kept) or Value of the exchange order. Default: Value of the returned items.
• Require Instant Exchange for all exchanges: when on, a return made up only of exchanges must use Instant Exchange, and the new item is reserved at submit. When off, the shopper can choose a standard exchange instead. It applies when every item in the return is an exchange or Shop Now item. Default: off.

Screenshot

The Instant Exchange card on a policy's Return outcomes tab

Note: Instant Exchange is offered only when every item in the return is an exchange or Shop Now item and ReturnZen buys the return label. It is not offered on self-ship returns.

How it works

A shopper bought a hoodie in M for 48.00. They want the L, which is 52.00.

1. In the portal the shopper picks the L and chooses Instant Exchange. They pay the 4.00 difference and enter their card. The card is saved. If your policy says hold, 48.00 shows as pending on their card for 7 days, then drops off.
2. The exchange order for the L is created in Shopify at submit, so you ship it today. The shopper's ship-by date is 14 days out.
3. The shopper mails the M back with the tracked label. The carrier's first scan arrives before the ship-by date. Nothing is charged. The return continues like any other: arrives, inspected, processed, done.
4. If instead the M was never scanned by the ship-by date, the saved card is charged 48.00, what the shopper paid for the hoodie they kept. A note goes on the Shopify order, the shopper gets an email, and the timeline records it.

With the default charge amount, the shopper pays 48.00 plus 4.00 plus 48.00, which is 100.00, exactly the price of an M and an L.

Late arrivals. If the old item shows up after the charge, the return is held for review with two buttons: Refund Charge if the item is fine, Close Return if it is not. Only a person can look at the item, so the app never decides this on its own.

Declines. If the card declines on the charge date, the app tries again on the next two nights. If the third attempt also declines, the return waits in Needs review and the bell alerts you. Retry Charge on the return page runs the charge again. That loss is yours.

EasyPost off. While EasyPost is switched off, has no key, or its key cannot be read, charges on a passed ship-by date are held and the bell reads Instant Exchange charges are on hold while EasyPost is switched off. Switch EasyPost on to resume them. They resume on the first night EasyPost is back.

If you cancel the exchange order in Shopify. The app reads the order before any charge. If you cancelled it, the app never charges, holds the return for review, releases the hold and refunds the price difference paid at submit, once. The shopper's status page says both that the exchange was cancelled and what happened to the charge. A charge that already went through before you cancelled is refunded by hand with Refund Charge.

On the return page

An Instant Exchange block shows the card, the hold, Ship by date and the status, with these actions:

• Charge by Line Item: the return arrived on time but an item is missing or ruined. Charge just that line.
• Refund Charge: the whole charge, or one line with Refund {product}. Use it when the item turns up after the charge and it is fine.
• Retry Charge: run a declined charge again.
• Record Arrival: the parcel arrived without a carrier delivery scan. The return moves to review so you can refund the charge or close the return.
• Close Return: finish the return as it stands. Nothing is charged or refunded.

Figures carry labels so they are never confused: Ship by, Price, Still charged, Deadline charge and Line item charge.

Screenshot

The Instant Exchange block on a return page with its five actions

What the shopper sees

1. On the review page, Exchange type with Instant Exchange or Standard exchange. The card is entered once, on the same page as any price difference.
2. The confirmation page and the status page show Your {card} is saved for this return., the ship-by date, and the hold if there is one.
3. Emails from Shopper > Notifications: Instant Exchange: notice at submit, Instant Exchange: reminder on day 7 and Instant Exchange: reminder the day before while the return is not yet on its way, Instant Exchange: card charged and Instant Exchange: charge refunded when those happen. The notice is not sent when the return is held for review or the new item's order could not be placed at submit.
4. The shopper can cancel before the new item ships; the exchange order is cancelled and nothing is charged. After it ships, cancel is refused and the page shows the ship-by date and the amount.

FAQ

Is the shopper's card charged when they submit? Only for the price difference, if the new item costs more. The kept-item charge happens only if the old item is not scanned by the ship-by date.

What if the shopper mails it on the last day? The carrier's first scan is what counts. A scan on the ship-by date is on time.

Do shoppers get a reminder email? Yes, two: on day 7 of the ship-by window and the day before the ship-by date, each only while the return is not yet on its way.

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