Blocklist, Allowlist and Custom Lists

Updated 11 November 2026

Overview

This article explains the Blocklist & Allowlist page. The blocklist stops specific emails, orders, products or tags from starting returns. The allowlist lets a matched order or customer past the blocklist, final-sale tags, the return window, exchange-only rules and the return activity grade. Items already returned, and items not yet fulfilled, stay unavailable on both lists.

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

Before you start

• A connected Shopify store. Product entries take a product id or SKU from Shopify.

Blocklist and Allowlist

Adding an entry

In the admin, go to Returns > Blocklist & Allowlist. The page has three tabs: Blocklist, Allowlist and Custom lists (see Custom lists).

1. On the Blocklist or Allowlist tab, click Add to Blocklist or Add to Allowlist.
2. In Choose a list and entry type, pick a type under the list you want. The Blocklist card reads Stop matched orders, customers, products or tags from starting returns.; the Allowlist card reads Let a matched order or customer past the blocklist, final-sale tags, the return window, exchange-only rules and the return activity grade. Use it for temporary exceptions.
3. Type the Value and, for a product, an optional Order number.
4. Click Add to Blocklist or Add to Allowlist.

Screenshot

Returns > Blocklist & Allowlist, the Add a product to the Blocklist step with the Value and Order number fields

Settings

• Blocklist entry types: Order, Email, Product, Product tag or CSV. A Product entry takes a product id or SKU and an Order number (optional): leave it blank to block the product on all orders, or fill it in to block the product only inside the named order.
• Allowlist entry types: Order, Email or CSV.
• CSV: the Import a CSV step takes one line per entry in the format type,value,order_number_or_blank. Types: email, order, product, product_tag, customer. A header line is optional. The third column applies to product lines only and limits the block to that order. Download sample CSV gives a starting file. Click Import CSV; the window reports Imported N of M rows and how many could not be added.
• The table: Search filters entries. Columns are Item, Date added, Type, Added by and Actions. Each entry has Remove, after a Remove entry? confirmation. Tick entries to get a selection bar with Remove Selected. The more actions menu offers Export to CSV, Import from CSV, Recently Deleted and Remove Selected.
• Recently Deleted: entries deleted in the last 30 days, from both lists, with Item, List, Type, Deleted and Deleted by. Restore puts an entry back on its original list after a Restore entry? confirmation.

Screenshot

The Blocklist tab with a few entries, one ticked, and the Remove Selected bar

What the shopper sees

A blocked order cannot start a return; a blocked product or tag is shown as not returnable. An allowlisted customer or order sees items as returnable even past the window or with a final-sale tag, and their return is graded low for return activity.

How it works

The allowlist does not make an already returned or unfulfilled item returnable. Both lists are read before the country check, so a blocklisted order to a country with no policy gets the blocklist refusal.

Important: Because an allowlist entry switches off several safeguards at once, remove it when the case it was added for is over. The Recently Deleted view lets you restore it within 30 days if you need it again.

Custom lists

This section covers the Custom lists tab on the Blocklist & Allowlist page. A custom list is a named set of values that a workflow can test against, for example a list of VIP customer emails that always get approved, or a list of SKUs that always go to review. A list on its own never blocks or approves anything; the workflow that uses it does.

Before you start: Know the type of value you will test: an email, an order, a SKU, a product id, a variant id or a tag.

Creating a list

In the admin, go to Returns > Blocklist & Allowlist, the Custom lists tab.

1. Click Create List.
2. Type a Name, for example VIP Customers.
3. Choose the Type: Email, Order, SKU, Product ID, Variant ID, Tag or Custom.
4. Add a Description (optional) saying what the list is for.
5. Click Create List.

Screenshot

Returns > Blocklist & Allowlist, the Custom lists tab with the Create list dialog open

Adding items

Click a list's name to open it.

1. Type a value in the box, for example SKU-1234 on a SKU list.
2. Click Add Item.

The table shows Value, Added and Added by, with Remove on each item; Remove item? confirms. The heading shows the type chip, the item count and when the list was last updated.

Screenshot

A custom list page with a few SKUs added and the Add Item box

Settings

• Name, Type, Description: set when the list is created. There is no edit form for a list once it exists; to change its name or type, create a new list and delete the old one.
• Delete list: on the Custom lists tab, after a Delete list? confirmation that reads that the list and all of its items will be deleted, that this cannot be undone, and that workflows that use this list will stop matching it.

Note: The Custom lists table shows Name, Type, Items and Last updated. Search lists by name... filters it.

What the shopper sees

Nothing directly. A list only does something when a workflow uses it.

How it works

In a workflow, the In custom list condition matches the return, or its customer, order or line items, against one of your custom lists, with is or is not. With no lists yet the condition reads No custom lists yet. Create one in Returns → Blocklist & Allowlist → Custom Lists. A list of type Custom is shown as (not supported yet) in the condition's picker.

FAQ

Can I block one product on one order only? Yes. Add a Product entry and fill in Order number. The table shows the order beside the product.

A customer is on the blocklist but still started a return. Check which value you blocked. An Email entry matches the email on the order; an Order entry matches that order only. A customer who orders with a different email is not matched by the first.

Does the allowlist skip workflows? The allowlist skips exactly the checks the page names: the blocklist, final-sale tags, the return window, exchange-only rules and the return activity grade. Workflows are not on that list.

Can I import a list from a file? Not on this tab; items are added one at a time with Add Item. CSV import is for the blocklist and allowlist.

What happens to a workflow when I delete its list? The workflow keeps running. An is condition naming the deleted list no longer matches anything, and an is not condition naming it matches every return, so check your workflows after you delete a list. Edit the workflow to point at another list or remove the condition.

Should I use a custom list or the blocklist? The blocklist stops a return outright. A custom list does nothing until a workflow reads it, so use it when you want a fee, a review hold, an approval or any other workflow action rather than a flat refusal.

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