Going Live

Updated 11 November 2026

Overview

This article covers the last pass before real shoppers use your portal: the setup checklist on Home, the switch from test keys to live keys, and the settings to confirm on the way. Going live is a change in your EasyPost and Stripe keys, not a switch inside ReturnZen.

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

Before you start

• Every integration you plan to use connected with a test key and tried on a test return. See Testing Your First Return.

The Home checklist

In the admin, go to Home.

The card Finish setting up your store tracks eight steps and shows how many are complete. Each step is checked from what is actually saved, not from a box you tick. The steps are grouped into stages, and an Up next panel names the next step with a button that opens its page.

• Connect your Shopify store
• Pick your return portal subdomain
• Set up your return policy
• Add a return destination address
• Connect EasyPost for shipping labels
• Connect Stripe for payments
• Customize your return portal
• Send email to shoppers

The card can be collapsed at any time. Once every stage is complete it offers Dismiss.

Screenshot

Home, the Finish setting up your store card with most steps checked and the Up next panel

Switch to live keys

EasyPost. Replace the test key (EZTK) with your live key (EZAK) under Shipping > Shipping Services, Manage Integration. The Test mode chip on the page and on the Integrations tile goes away. Make sure the webhook is registered in EasyPost and its signing secret is saved, or carrier scans never reach the app. Check that the EasyPost switch under Tools > Integrations is on: while EasyPost is switched off or has no key, returns get no shipping label and shoppers are given the self-ship method and your return address. See Connecting EasyPost.

Stripe. Replace both test keys with live keys under Tools > Integrations > Stripe if you collect exchange differences, use Shop Now or Instant Exchange, or charge fees a return's credit does not cover. See Connecting Stripe.

Important: From the moment live keys are saved, every label costs real postage on your EasyPost account, every card charge is real money, and every refund is real money leaving your Shopify payments.

Check the settings a shopper will meet

Policies. Under Policy > Return Policies, confirm the policies you want are active. A draft policy does not match an order while any other policy is active. If no policy is active, the default policy is used for every shopper even as a draft, and the bell says so.

Destination. Under Shipping > Destinations, confirm the default destination is the address you really want parcels sent to, and that it shows Verified.

Emails. Under Shopper > Notifications, set the Support email, Email sender name and Reply-to email; both addresses are checked when saved. With no support email saved, shoppers are shown no contact line and the page reads Add a support email so shoppers know how to reach you. Then switch on the emails you want. Shopper emails send from the hosted ReturnZen sender with nothing to set up, as your store name from storeslug@mail.returnzen.app, with the reply-to you set. To send from your own domain instead, use Send from your own domain on the same page: type a subdomain such as returns.yourstore.com, click Add Domain, add the DNS records shown at your DNS host, then click Verify Domain. Once verified, emails come from storeslug@returns.yourstore.com. If the records are ever removed, the app falls back to the ReturnZen sender and the bell says so. See Notifications: who sends the emails and who they come from.

Portal. Review Shopper > Portal Customization for your logo, colours and wording, Policy > General for the Order lookup criteria, and Shopper > Return Editing for what shoppers can change after submitting. Open the portal address yourself once more before sharing it.

Screenshot

Shopper > Notifications, the Email settings card with the support email, sender name and reply-to filled in and the Sender card reading Sending as

FAQ

Do I need Klaviyo? No. Klaviyo is optional: connect it only if you want return events in your own flows or want Klaviyo to send the notification emails instead of the hosted sender.

Do I need to set up photo storage? No. Shopper photos are stored by ReturnZen; there is nothing to connect.

What if a shopper's email bounces? If an address bounces or the shopper reports an email as spam, the app stops emailing that address for your store, and the return's timeline says so: "Email not delivered: address bounced. We will not email this address again." A temporary failure reads "Email not delivered: the mailbox was unavailable. Later emails will still be sent."

Can I keep testing after going live? Yes, but every label, charge and refund is real from then on. Use a small order of your own and process it by hand.

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