Create and Edit Return Policies

Updated 11 November 2026

Overview

This article explains the Return Policies page, where you create and manage the policies that decide what shoppers in each country are offered: whether they get a label, which outcomes they can choose, when each outcome is issued, and what fees or bonuses apply. New stores start with every outcome switched off, so nothing is offered to shoppers until a policy is set up.

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

Before you start

A connected Shopify store.
At least one address under Shipping > Destinations, so a policy has somewhere to send returns.

Create a return policy

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies and click Create Policy.

On the Policy name & zone tab, type a Policy name. Shoppers never see it.
Under Returning from countries, tick every country this policy covers. For a catch-all policy, tick Rest of world (no label generated) instead; those shoppers self-ship to your destination.
Choose the Return window start event (Fulfillment date, Order date or Delivery date) and a Destination, or leave No destination (use default).
Open the Labels & shipping tab. Switch on Generate return labels if shoppers in these countries should get a prepaid label, pick the carriers, and decide whether to Generate packing slips.
Open the Return outcomes tab and switch on each outcome you want to offer: Refund, Exchange, Store credit, Keep item, Shop Now, Instant Exchange. On each card set the Processing event, the Return window duration and any fee or bonus.
Open the Advanced settings tab for Bypass review, Shop Later, Original shipping, Return instructions and the other options you rarely change.
Click Save Changes. The policy appears in the list and starts matching new orders from its countries straight away.

Tip: Start with one policy that covers your main countries and run a test return against it (see Testing your first return). Add country policies once the first one behaves the way you want.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Create Policy editor open on the Policy name & zone tab

Every tab and card is described below, in the order the editor shows them.

Policy name & zone

This section covers the Policy name & zone tab, the first tab of a return policy. It sets what the policy is called, which countries it covers, when the return window starts counting, and where returns are shipped.

Before you start: At least one address under Shipping > Destinations.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, and stay on the Policy name & zone tab.

Policy name: required. Your shoppers won't see this name.
Returning from countries: select the countries this policy applies to. Countries another policy already covers are greyed out, because a country belongs to one policy only. At least one country is required unless Rest of world is on.
Rest of world (no label generated): when on, this policy is the catch-all for every country no other policy covers, and customers ship their returns back to your destination themselves; no return label is generated. When off, the policy covers only the countries you select. Turning it on disables the country picker and requires a destination. Default: off.
Return window start event: when the return window starts counting. Fulfillment date, Order date or Delivery date. Delivery date uses the carrier's delivery date, or the fulfillment date when there is none. Default: Fulfillment date.

Note: Each outcome sets its own window length on the Return outcomes tab. This field only sets the day the count starts from.
Withdrawal transit allowance (days): used for the right of withdrawal only. When Shopify has no delivery date for an order, the 14 day withdrawal window starts this many days after the ship date. It must be a whole number of days, 1 or more. Default: 7. See Returns from EU and UK shoppers.
Destination: where returned items are shipped to. Pick a destination from Shipping > Destinations, or leave No destination (use default) to use your default destination. The chosen address is shown under the picker, with a Manage destinations link. Default: No destination (use default).

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, a policy open on the Policy name & zone tab with two countries selected and a destination chosen

Saving

The save bar at the foot of the editor reads You have unsaved changes until you click Save Changes or Discard Changes. A saved policy confirms with Policy saved (or Policy created the first time).

Saving is refused with a message when something is missing:

Give the policy a name before saving.
Pick at least one country under "Returning from countries". (on a policy that is not rest of world)
A rest of world policy needs a destination (the return address shown to the customer).
The withdrawal transit allowance must be a whole number of days, 1 or more.

What the shopper sees

The date their return window closes, worked out from the start event and the outcome's window length and shown in your store's timezone. On a rest of world policy, the destination address and your return instructions instead of a label.

Note: Every return label ships from the shopper to the policy's destination, and the order number prints on the label.

Labels & shipping

This section covers the Labels & shipping tab of a return policy. It decides whether ReturnZen buys a return label for shoppers on this policy, which carriers it shops rates from, and whether a packing slip is offered with the return.

Before you start: EasyPost connected under Shipping > Shipping Services, with at least one carrier account. See Connecting EasyPost. A destination on the policy's Policy name & zone tab.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, and click the Labels & shipping tab.

Generate return labels: when on, ReturnZen automatically creates a prepaid return shipping label for customers on this policy. When off, customers ship their returns back without a label. Default: off.

Note: On a rest of world policy this toggle is locked off and the tab reads Labels are off. Rest of world policies have no return labels. The customer self-ships to your destination.
Label provider: EasyPost, which generates return shipping labels for your customers. Labels are bought through your own EasyPost account and carrier accounts. If no provider is connected the tab reads No label provider is connected. Connect one to generate return shipping labels. and offers Add Integration, which opens Shipping > Shipping Services.
Label rate shopping: how your store buys return labels, Best label rate (recommended) or Specific carriers only. A new policy starts on the store-wide rate shopping mode from Shipping > Shipping Services, so it shows Best label rate (recommended) unless your store is set to specific carriers. The two choices show only when Generate return labels is on and EasyPost is connected.
Best label rate (recommended): ReturnZen automatically compares rates across all connected carriers and buys the most affordable label for each return. It needs no setup and suits most merchants who want to minimize shipping costs automatically. The Enable more carriers here. link opens your EasyPost settings.
Specific carriers only: ReturnZen shops rates only from the carriers you select. If none of them is available for a return, no label is generated, and there is no automatic fallback. It suits merchants with strict carrier requirements.
Select carriers: shown for Specific carriers only. Search your connected carrier accounts and click one to add it as a chip; click the x on a chip to remove it. When every account is picked the list reads All connected carriers are already selected. With no accounts at all the panel reads No carrier accounts found. Connect EasyPost first, then come back to choose carriers. A chip tagged Legacy was saved by carrier name in an older version. Remove it and choose the carrier again.
Generate packing slips: when on, customers get a packing slip to print with their return. When off, no packing slip is offered. Default: off. The toggle is per policy and works with or without labels, including on a rest of world policy. How the slip looks (tax, barcode, what the barcode encodes) is set once under Shipping > Shipping Services; see Packing slip formatting.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Labels & shipping tab with Generate return labels on, Specific carriers only chosen and two carrier chips

What the shopper sees

With labels on, the confirmation page after submitting shows Print Return Label. When USPS Label Broker is on under Shipping > Shipping Services, the shopper can instead choose QR code at any USPS Post Office at review and the page shows the QR code with Print return label instead under it; see USPS Label Broker. With packing slips on, Print Packing Slip sits beside the label button wherever the shopper is sending something back, including a self-ship return and a return whose label failed.

When a label cannot be bought, the shopper is shown the destination address and your self-ship return instructions instead, and the return page in the admin tells you why. See When a label fails.

While EasyPost is switched off or has no key saved, no label is bought even with Generate return labels on. Shoppers get the self-ship method and your return address, and the buttons that create or regenerate a label on the return page are disabled, with a sentence saying why and a link to your EasyPost settings.

Important: The label cost is charged to your EasyPost account when the label is bought. An unscanned label is voided when the return expires, is cancelled or is rejected.

Return outcomes

This section covers the Return outcomes tab of a return policy and the fields its first three cards share. Each outcome (Refund, Exchange, Store credit, Keep item, Shop Now and Instant Exchange) is a card with a toggle, and an outcome is offered to shoppers only when its card is on. New policies start with every card off. The Refund, Exchange and Store credit cards carry the same processing, window, delay and fee fields, described here once; each card's own fields are in its own article.

Before you start: EasyPost connected and Generate return labels on, if you want an outcome issued at a carrier event.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, and click the Return outcomes tab.

Processing event: when the outcome is issued. The six choices are described under Processing event options below. Default: Manual.
Return window duration: Limited window with a number of days, or Unlimited. The window counts from the start event chosen on the Policy name & zone tab. Defaults: 30 days for Refund, 59 days for Exchange and Store credit.
Delay processing by days: shown when the processing event is not Manual. Wait this many days after the processing event before issuing the outcome. Enter 0 to issue it at the processing event. Default: 0.
Handling fees: on the Refund and Exchange cards. A toggle, then one of Flat rate (a fixed amount in your currency), Label cost (the estimated label cost) or Percentage of return value (a percentage of the value of the items being returned). Default: off. The Store credit card uses its own Fee or incentive choice instead.

Note: A fee is deducted from what the customer receives, and the portal shows the amount after the fee before they submit.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Return outcomes tab with the Refund card open, showing Processing event, Return window duration and Handling fees

Processing event options

Manual: you process the return yourself. Nothing is issued automatically.
Pre transit: when the return label's tracking number is created.
In transit: when the carrier first scans the package. A tracking number the shopper typed counts only when the carrier's scan shows your return address.
Out for delivery: when the package is out for delivery to you.
Delivered: when the package arrives at your facility.
Immediate: issued as soon as the customer submits, before the return ships back.

Important: Choosing Immediate opens a confirmation, Turn on immediate processing?, because it issues the refund, store credit or exchange the moment the customer submits, before anything ships back. On the Exchange card the dialog adds that Shop Now orders go out at the same moment.

Under Pre transit, In transit, Out for delivery and Delivered the card adds the line Applies when EasyPost tracks the return: an EasyPost return label, or a tracking number the shopper entered. Manual and Immediate carry no extra line.

How it works

A workflow can override the policy's processing event for the returns it matches with the Set return processing event action: Process manually, Process at submission (immediate), Process at pre transit, Process at in transit, Process at out for delivery or Process on delivery. The workflow's choice wins over the policy's. See Workflows.

Outcomes on one return can mix in some combinations. Refund and exchange can share a return, and store credit and exchange can. Refund and store credit never mix. Each item is paid by its own outcome.

What the shopper sees

Before submitting: the date their return window closes, any handling fee deducted, and the resulting amount. The refund option in the portal reads Receive a refund (minus applicable fees) to your original payment method once your return is approved. The email sent when the outcome is issued states the amount actually paid.

Refund

This section covers the Refund card on the Return outcomes tab of a return policy. With the card on, customers can choose a refund to their original payment method. With it off, the choice is removed, but money a customer is owed can still be paid to the original payment method.

Before you start: A connected Shopify store.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, click the Return outcomes tab and find the Refund card.

Refund: the card toggle. When on, customers can choose a refund to their original payment method. When off, customers cannot choose a refund. Default: off.

The card carries the shared fields: Processing event (default Manual), Return window duration (default 30 days), Delay processing by days and Handling fees. They are described in Return Outcomes: Settings Every Outcome Shares.

Note: While the card is off it reads Money customers are owed, such as an exchange price difference, can still be paid to the original payment method. Turning refunds off removes the choice; it does not hold back money a customer is owed. Four amounts are still paid to the original payment method: an exchange price difference, a kept item left on its own after the item returned with it is rejected, a return your out-of-stock setting converts to a refund, and money left over when store credit is also off.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Refund card switched on with Processing event set to Delivered

How it works

The refund total on the return page is what was actually paid, not the quote. If an amount-only refund was made in Shopify before processing, ReturnZen subtracts it and shows a Refund adjustment line on the return page and on the shopper's status page.

Items carrying your Exchange only tag (set under Policy > General, Product tags) never show Refund, whatever this card says. Their outcomes are limited to exchange, store credit and Shop Now.

Which payment method is refunded first on an order paid with more than one method is set under Policy > General, Refunds, with Refund credit cards before gift cards: when on, refunds go to the credit card first, then gift cards, then store credit; when off, refunds follow Shopify's default order. See Refunds.

A refund that Shopify or the payment provider refuses puts the return in Needs review and raises an alert in the bell; no email goes to the shopper until the refund succeeds. See Flags and Needs review.

What the shopper sees

Refund as a choice on eligible items, described as Receive a refund (minus applicable fees) to your original payment method once your return is approved, with the amount after any fee. Once issued, an email stating the amount actually refunded.

Exchange

This section covers the Exchange card on the Return outcomes tab of a return policy. With the card on, customers can exchange items for a different size or color, and with advanced exchanges also on, for a different product. A variant exchange is the same product in another size or colour; an advanced exchange is a different product.

Before you start: Stripe connected under Tools > Integrations if you want to collect a price difference by card. See Connecting Stripe. Exchange options under Policy > Advanced Exchanges if you want cross-product swaps.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, click the Return outcomes tab and find the Exchange card.

Exchange: the card toggle. When on, customers can exchange items for a different size or color. When off, customers cannot choose an exchange. Default: off.

The card carries the shared fields: Processing event (default Manual), Return window duration (default 59 days), Delay processing by days and Handling fees. See Return Outcomes: Settings Every Outcome Shares. Important: The processing event here also governs Shop Now, which has no processing event of its own. At a carrier event the picker warns: This also governs Shop Now. On Shop Now the customer can pick anything in the store and may have paid only a small difference for something worth far more. The Shop Now order goes out before the returned items are back with you. At Delivered the last sentence reads that the order goes out when the parcel arrives, before anyone opens it or checks what is inside.

Allow advanced exchanges: when on, customers can exchange for a different product, using the options you set up under Policy > Advanced Exchanges; this box only turns them on for this policy. When off, customers can exchange only for another variant of the same product, and no rules are loaded for this policy at all. Default: off.
Exchange shipping method: the shipping method name written on the exchange order, for example Standard Shipping. Empty by default.
Inventory locations: exchanges and Shop Now on this policy check stock at these locations. Manage Locations opens the picker. Changes here affect this policy only; to set locations for all policies, go to Shipping > Locations, which is also what a policy with no locations of its own uses. See Locations.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Exchange card switched on with Allow advanced exchanges ticked and two inventory locations chosen

How it works

Two store-wide settings under Policy > General, Exchanges decide the money on an exchange. Pre-discount credit decides how much the returned item is worth as exchange credit: off, what the shopper paid; on, the item's price on the order before discounts. Different priced exchanges decides what happens to the gap between that credit and the new item: Do not allow different priced exchanges refuses the swap, Allow different priced exchanges and collect or refund the difference charges the gap by card at submit or refunds it when the return is processed, and Allow different priced exchanges but do not collect or refund the difference treats the new item as costing the same as the returned one, so there is no gap. Whether the exchange order shows the credit as a discount is a separate switch, Enable exchange-credit discount under Policy > General, Exchange accounting options. The collect or refund choice needs Stripe. See Exchanges.

A 60.00 hoodie bought for 48.00, swapped for the same hoodie in another size: with Pre-discount credit off the credit is 48.00 against a 60.00 item, a 12.00 gap that is refused, charged or absorbed by the Different priced exchanges choice. With Pre-discount credit on the credit is 60.00, there is no gap, and the swap goes through at 0.00 under all three choices; a 75.00 item is then a 15.00 gap judged the same way.

The exchange order is created in Shopify when the processing event fires. It takes Shopify's next order number, is tagged return, exchange, the RMA and the original order's name, and carries the New order prefix from Policy > General, Exchanges while that is on.

If the replacement is out of stock when the exchange is processed, Automate out-of-stock scenarios under Policy > General, Inventory decides whether the item converts to a refund to the original payment method or to store credit, or whether the return waits in Needs review. See Inventory.

Note: The Exchange and Shop Now toggles are independent. With Exchange off and Shop Now on, Shop Now is still offered, and its card reads that Shop Now returns wait for you to process them.

What the shopper sees

Exchange as a choice, then a picker for the size or colour and, with advanced exchanges on, the other products your rules allow. A product only available at a different price while different priced exchanges are not allowed reads Item not eligible. and then This product is only available at a different price, and different priced exchanges are not offered. Pick a same-priced option, or go back and choose another way to return this item. If the swap costs more and the difference is collected, they pay it by card at submit.

Note: If Stripe is disconnected while a swap needs a payment, the review page reads Payments are temporarily unavailable. Please contact support to complete this return. and the shopper cannot submit.

Store credit

This section covers the Store credit card on the Return outcomes tab of a return policy. With the card on, customers can choose store credit instead of a refund. The credit is a Shopify gift card or native Shopify store credit, depending on the store-wide Store credit type.

Before you start: Store credit type chosen under Policy > General, Store credit. See Store credit.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, click the Return outcomes tab and find the Store credit card.

Store credit: the card toggle. When on, customers can choose store credit instead of a refund. When off, customers cannot choose store credit. Default: off.

The card carries Processing event (default Manual), Return window duration (default 59 days) and Delay processing by days. See Return Outcomes: Settings Every Outcome Shares.

Store credit type: read-only here, shown as a Gift card or Store credit chip. It is set for your whole store; Open settings takes you to Policy > General to change how credit is issued.
Fee or incentive: Handling fees deducts a handling fee from the store credit amount. Bonus credit adds extra credit on top of the customer's return value, as a Flat rate amount or a Percentage. None does neither. Default: nothing selected, which behaves as None.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Store credit card switched on with Bonus credit chosen and a 10 percent bonus

How it works

A bonus is a discount on future purchases, never cash. It is only ever paid as credit, and a percentage bonus is a percentage of the credit the shopper actually receives, so 20 percent means 20 percent of that figure. A 50.00 item with a 20 percent bonus becomes 60.00 of credit.

Store credit carries the sales tax paid on the returned goods. This holds beside an exchange too: a store credit unit returned on the same return as an exchange unit carries its own sales tax on the gift card. There is no setting for this.

Whether store credit is promoted in the portal with a Most popular chip, and whether the chip shows with or without a bonus, is set under Policy > General, Store credit. The chip's colour is set under Shopper > Portal Customization.

Note: Store credit and exchange can share one return. Store credit and refund cannot: choosing one on an item greys out the other on the rest.

What the shopper sees

Store credit as a choice, with the bonus shown as extra value when one is set, and the Most popular chip if you turned it on. The option is described as Receive a gift card code via email once your return has been approved, whatever the store credit type. Once issued, an email with the gift card code, or a note that credit was added to their account.

Keep item

This section covers the Keep item card on the Return outcomes tab of a return policy. With the card on, customers can keep items priced at or under a threshold you set instead of shipping them back. Some stores call this a returnless refund: the shopper keeps the goods and is still paid.

Before you start: At least one of Refund or Store credit on in the same policy, so a kept item has something to be paid as.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, click the Return outcomes tab and find the Keep item card.

Keep item: the card toggle. When on, customers can keep items priced at or under the threshold instead of shipping them back. When off, customers cannot choose to keep an item. Default: off.
Threshold amount: the maximum item price a customer can keep, in your store currency. Default: 0, which makes no item eligible until you raise it.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Keep item card switched on with a threshold of 15.00

How it works

An item at or under the threshold is paid without anything being received. The credit is the item's price plus the sales tax paid on it; a kept item credited at less than the price it was credited from carries no tax. With Duties and import taxes on under Advanced settings, the import duty paid on a kept item is added to its credit as well, except on a return your team creates in the admin. Original shipping is never added to a kept item.

Because nothing comes back, a kept item is money paid on goods you will never inspect. A low threshold, and a workflow that routes high return activity to review, are the usual guard rails. See Workflows.

Important: A kept item left on its own after the item returned with it is rejected is still paid, to the original payment method, even when the Refund card is off.

What the shopper sees

For an item at or under the threshold, a message that they can keep it, and no label or shipping step for that item. Their refund or credit is issued without anything being received.

Shop Now

This section covers the Shop Now card on the Return outcomes tab of a return policy. With the card on, customers can shop for new items during the return and spend their return value right away, before the return has shipped back. The card switches Shop Now on for this policy and sets its bonus; the collections shoppers browse are set under Policy > Shop Now.

Before you start: Stripe connected under Tools > Integrations. The card reads Shop Now requires Stripe. Connect Stripe to enable Shop Now. until it is. Collections under Policy > Shop Now, so the Shop Now page has something to show. See Shop Now collections.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, click the Return outcomes tab and find the Shop Now card.

Shop Now: the card toggle. When on, customers can shop for new items during the return and spend their return value right away. When off, customers cannot choose Shop Now. Default: off.
Shop Now follows the Exchange outcome: a notice at the top of the card, not a setting. Shop Now has no processing event of its own and uses the Exchange card's. With Exchange on it reads Shop Now uses the Exchange outcome's processing event, which on this policy is {event}. followed by what that means: at Pre transit, In transit or Out for delivery, The Shop Now order goes out before the returned items are back with you.; at Delivered, The Shop Now order goes out when the parcel arrives, before anyone opens it or checks what is inside.; at Immediate, The Shop Now order goes out the moment the customer submits, before anything ships back.; at Manual, Shop Now returns wait for you to process them. With Exchange off it reads Shop Now uses the Exchange outcome's processing event, and Exchange is off on this policy. Shop Now returns wait for you to process them.
Bonus credit: when on, customers who choose Shop Now get bonus credit on top of their return value, as a Flat rate or a Percentage of return value with an amount. When off, no bonus credit is added. Default: off.
Set maximum bonus: percentage only. When on, the percentage bonus is capped at the amount you enter under Maximum bonus, in your store currency. When off, the bonus has no cap. Default: off.
Calculate bonus based on tax-included prices (affects only tax-included orders): percentage only. When ticked, the bonus is worked out on the tax-included price; when off, on the value before tax. Only tax-inclusive orders are affected. Default: off.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Shop Now card switched on, showing the Shop Now follows the Exchange outcome notice and a percentage bonus with a maximum

How it works

Shop Now is a real sale against the return's credit. The cart is priced from your catalogue, the credit (plus any bonus) is applied, and anything above the credit is charged to the shopper's card through Stripe at submit. Stock is checked at the inventory locations on the Exchange card, or at the store-wide locations under Shipping > Locations when the card has none.

The Shop Now order is created in Shopify when the Exchange card's processing event fires. At Immediate, a shopper can receive anything in the store before their return has shipped back, so that event is the riskiest setting on the page when Shop Now is on.

A bonus is never cash. It can only be spent, and it is dropped from any leftover that is refunded. The percentage applies to the credit the shopper actually receives.

Note: If a Shop Now item sells out before processing, Automate out-of-stock scenarios under Policy > General, Inventory decides what happens, the same as for exchanges. Money collected for a cart above the credit is a real card charge, and a leftover sent back to the card is a real refund; if Shopify refuses that refund the return waits in Needs review with a banner naming the amount. See Held Returns.

What the shopper sees

A Shop Now choice that opens your collections inside the portal with their credit, plus any bonus, applied. If the cart exceeds the credit they pay the difference by card. If credit is left over, the review page asks Where should your leftover credit go? with two choices: Back to my original payment method or As store credit; the bonus is dropped from a leftover refunded to the card.

Instant Exchange

This section covers the Instant Exchange card on the Return outcomes tab of a return policy. When a shopper picks it, the new item ships right away and their card is charged only if the returned item is not on its way back, or arrives incomplete. The card holds the policy's Instant Exchange settings; the feature article Instant Exchange walks through a return end to end.

Before you start: Stripe connected under Tools > Integrations. The card is greyed out with Connect Stripe until it is. The Exchange card or the Shop Now card on in the same policy; the Instant Exchange card only shows when one of them is. Generate return labels on under Labels & shipping. Instant Exchange is offered only when ReturnZen buys the return label, so it is never offered on a rest of world policy.

Settings

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, click the Return outcomes tab and find the Instant Exchange card, after Shop Now.

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. With the card on, it is offered on a return only when every item in that return is an exchange or Shop Now item and ReturnZen buys the return label. Default: off.
Card hold: whether the shopper's card is only verified, or the value of the returned items is also held on it for 7 days. Verify only checks and saves the card and holds nothing. Hold the value of the returned items for 7 days places a pending amount on the shopper's card for a week, after which it drops off. Default: Verify only.

Important: If the shopper's card declines on the charge date, ReturnZen tries again on the next two nights. The third decline puts the return in review and alerts you in the bell, and Retry Charge on the return page runs the charge again. You carry that loss.
Days to ship before charging: 14 to 28. The shopper's ship-by date is this many days after they submit. Default: 14. Saving refuses any other value with Instant Exchange days to ship before charging must be a whole number from 14 to 28.
Charge amount: Value of the returned items (the default) charges what the shopper paid for the items they kept. Value of the exchange order charges the price of the new items.
Require Instant Exchange for all exchanges: when on, a return made up only of exchanges must use Instant Exchange, with no Standard exchange choice, 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

Policy > Return Policies, the Instant Exchange card switched on with Card hold, Days to ship before charging and Charge amount visible

How it works

The shopper enters a card once. Any price difference is paid at submit as on any exchange, the card is saved, and a hold is placed only if the policy says so. The new item's order is created in Shopify at submit. If the carrier has scanned the return by the time the charge is due, nothing is charged. The check runs each night once the ship-by date has passed and reads the tracking first, so a parcel scanned late but before that check is not charged. If the parcel is still unscanned, the saved card is charged the amount this card sets, and the charge is written to the Shopify order note, the return's timeline and an email to the shopper.

Cancelling before the new item ships cancels the order and charges nothing. After it ships, cancel is refused with the ship-by date and the amount. A late arrival after a charge puts the return in review with Refund Charge and Close Return as the exits.

Note: While EasyPost is switched off or has no usable key, charges on a passed ship-by date are held and the bell says why: Instant Exchange charges are on hold while EasyPost is switched off. Switch EasyPost on to resume them., Instant Exchange charges are on hold while no EasyPost key is saved. Save your EasyPost key to resume them. or Instant Exchange charges are on hold because the saved EasyPost key cannot be read. Save the key again on the EasyPost settings page. They resume on the first night EasyPost is back.

What the shopper sees

On an exchange, two choices at review: Instant Exchange or Standard exchange. The confirmation and status pages show the saved card, the ship-by date and any hold. Five emails under Shopper > Notifications, in the Instant Exchange group, cover the flow: a confirmation at submit; a reminder on day 7 of the ship-by window and another the day before the ship-by date, both only while the return is not yet on its way; a notice when the card is charged; and a notice when you refund a charge in whole or in part.

Advanced settings

This section covers the Advanced settings tab, the last tab of a return policy: automatic approval, the Shop Later offer, and the step-by-step return instructions shoppers see after submitting. The two reimbursement cards on the same tab, Original shipping and Duties and import taxes, are covered in Original Shipping and Duties.

Before you start: For Shop Later with Shop Now: Stripe connected and the Shop Now card on under Return outcomes. For Shop Later with store credit: the Store credit card on.

Bypass review

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, and click the Advanced settings tab.

Bypass review: when on, returns are approved as soon as customers submit them. When off, they are filed as open unless a workflow rule approves them. Either way, a workflow rule or the Rest of world setting on the same policy can send them to review. Default: off.

Note: Approval is not payment. Each outcome is still issued at its own processing event, so with Manual the items are still received and inspected before anything is paid.

Shop Later

Shop Later: when on, customers getting a refund can later switch it to Shop Now or store credit. When off, customers cannot switch their refund later. Default: off.
Shop Now: a box on the Shop Later card. When on, customers can turn their refund into a Shop Now order. When off, Shop Later does not offer Shop Now.
Store credit: a box on the Shop Later card. When on, customers can turn their refund into store credit. When off, Shop Later does not offer store credit.
Bonus credit: shown once a box is ticked. When on, customers who choose Shop Later get bonus credit on top of their return value, as a Flat rate or a Percentage with an amount. When off, no bonus credit is added. Default: off.

Shop Later is not an outcome of its own: the offer goes to a shopper after they submit a return for a refund. Tick at least one of the two boxes; saving with neither reads Shop Later has no outcome. Shop Later needs Shop Now or Store credit. Tick one, or switch Shop Later off. Configure email templates opens Shopper > Notifications, where the Shop Later offer emails live. See Shop Later.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Advanced settings tab with the Shop Later card on, Store credit ticked and a bonus set

Return instructions

Return instructions: step-by-step instructions shown to customers after they submit a return request. Two tabs, With a label (shown to customers who have a prepaid return label) and Self-ship (shown to customers who ship the return back themselves, including when a return label could not be created). Each has its own steps. New policies show the default steps, with the line These are the default steps. Customers see them until you edit them. Edit any step, remove one with Remove step, click + Add Step, or Revert to Default.

The default With a label steps:

Fold the items carefully and pack them securely. All packaging, tags, and accessories must remain attached and untampered with.
Attach your return label to the package.
Drop off the package by {{ event.expires_at_formatted }} at your nearest {{ event.carrier }} location.
We'll issue your refund, credit, or exchange once we approve your return.

The default Self-ship steps keep 1 and 4 and replace the middle two with: Ship the package to the return address shown below using a carrier of your choice. Keep your tracking number until your return is processed.

Two tags can be typed into a step, listed under Available tags. Carrier, {{ event.carrier }}, prints the carrier on the return label, for example USPS or UPS, and is blank when the shopper ships the return without a label. Return by date, {{ event.expires_at_formatted }}, prints the date the return expires, 28 days after the shopper submits. Tags are filled in for each return. A tag with no value for a return prints nothing, so write each step to read well without it. Anything else you type is shown to the customer exactly as written.

Note: The Return by date tag prints a date 28 days after submission on a self-ship return too, which is the day an open self-ship return the carrier has not scanned expires. The default Self-ship steps leave the date out.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Return instructions card on the With a label tab with the four default steps and the Available tags chips

What the shopper sees

The instructions on the confirmation page after submitting, with the tags filled in for their return. With Bypass review on, their return is approved at once, so the status page's progress bar shows Approved as soon as it is submitted. With Shop Later on, an offer after submitting to turn their refund into Shop Now credit or store credit, with any bonus shown.

Original shipping and duties

This section covers the two reimbursement cards on the Advanced settings tab of a return policy: Original shipping and Duties and import taxes. Each adds an amount the shopper paid at checkout to the refund or credit the return issues. The rest of the tab is covered in Advanced Settings.

Before you start: For duties: orders on which Shopify recorded duty at checkout. The app reads the duty from the order.

Original shipping

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies, open a policy, click the Advanced settings tab and find the Original shipping card.

Original shipping: pay back the shipping the customer paid on the original order, on the refund methods ticked below. Default: both boxes off.
Reimburse for refunds: when on, the original shipping is added to a refund to the original payment method. When off, a refund does not include it. Default: off.
Reimburse for store credit: when on, the original shipping is added to the gift card or store credit issued for the return. When off, store credit does not include it. Default: off.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Original shipping card with Reimburse for refunds ticked

Exchanges, kept items and an accepted Instant Resolution never include it. A return does not include it when, at the time it is filed, an earlier return on the same order still holds it or could have paid it, including one that expired and can still be reopened, or when Shopify already shows the order's shipping as refunded. An earlier return lets go of it once it is cancelled or rejected with no payment attempted, expired more than sixty days after it was filed with no payment attempted, or processed with its payments showing that no shipping was paid.

A shipping refund made in Shopify after that is taken off the refund, the store credit or the Shop Now leftover when the return is processed. If the order's refunds cannot be read at that moment, a store credit or a Shop Now leftover adds no shipping, and a refund to the original payment asks Shopify for whatever shipping the order has left to refund.

When a return is switched between refund and store credit, by the shopper on their confirmation or Shop Later page or by your team in the return's Refund method, the shipping follows the money. A return that already holds it for the new method keeps it. Otherwise it takes it if the new method's box is ticked, its items add up to more than nothing, no other return on the order holds it and Shopify does not show it as refunded; if not, it gives up any claim it held, which then no longer stops another return on the order from taking it.

A workflow with the Refund original shipping cost action adds the shipping on either refund method, ticked or not, on a return the customer files. On a policy never saved with these boxes it acts as the earlier single Original shipping switch: the shipping is paid back only inside a Shop Now leftover. The action never adds the shipping to a return your team creates.

Note: A policy saved under the earlier single switch shows Earlier Original shipping switch is on until you tick or untick a box; until then the shipping is paid back only inside a Shop Now leftover, whichever refund method the leftover goes to. A policy with no box saved shows Not set on this policy yet and behaves the same way when a workflow fires.

Duties and import taxes

Duties and import taxes: when on, the import duty the customer paid on the returned items is added to their refund or store credit. When off, import duty is not paid back. Default: off.

The duty in question is the duties and import taxes collected at checkout. With the card on, it is added to a refund to the original payment method (including a kept item's credit paid with that refund), to a store credit, to the credit for an item the customer keeps, and to a Shop Now leftover on either refund method. On a partial return the duty is in proportion to the items returned. It is not added to an exchange price difference, or to a store credit or a kept item's credit on a return whose outcome is an exchange. On a return created in the admin it is not added to the credit for an item the customer keeps.

When the return is processed, duty Shopify already shows as refunded on the order is not added again to a store credit, a kept item's credit paid as store credit or a Shop Now leftover, and if the order's refunds cannot be read then, the duty is not added to them. Changing the setting does not change a return already filed.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Duties and import taxes card switched on

Important: If the duty cannot be read from Shopify at processing, the return waits with the banner Duty on this order could not be read from Shopify. Check the order, then click Process. Process re-reads the order each time: no duty on the order refunds goods and tax; a duty refund made by hand in Shopify is recorded; duty still unrefunded is refused with a sentence naming the amount; a partial hand refund records what it found and names the rest. A hand refund is tied to the return it was for, so a later return on the same order still gets its own duty back. See Held Returns.

How it works

An order with 80.00 of goods, 8.00 shipping and 12.00 duty, returned in full for a refund on a policy with Reimburse for refunds and Duties and import taxes both on: the refund is 80.00 plus 8.00 plus 12.00, 100.00 before sales tax and any fee. The same order returned for an exchange pays back neither the shipping nor the duty. Half the goods returned for store credit with only Reimburse for refunds ticked: 40.00 plus 6.00 duty and no shipping, because the store credit box is off.

What the shopper sees

When original shipping is paid back, the shipping line sits inside the total in their return summary. On a return where it cannot be paid (an exchange, or a second return on the order) the shipping line is absent.

The policies list

In the admin, go to Policy > Return Policies.

Click Create Policy to open a blank policy, or Edit on a policy to open it. The editor has four tabs: Policy name & zone, Labels & shipping, Return outcomes and Advanced settings. Each tab has its own article, starting with Policy Name & Zone.

The list has four columns.

Policy name: your internal name. The policy that catches every country no other policy covers carries a Default chip.
Returning from: the countries the policy covers, shown as flags. Four or more countries read as a count, for example 6 countries. The default policy with no countries of its own reads All countries.
Returning to: the destination the policy sends returns to, from Shipping > Destinations.
Actions: Edit, and Delete on every policy except the default.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the list with a default policy and one country policy, showing the Default chip and the Actions column

How shoppers are matched

A shopper is matched to one policy by the shipping country on their order, and sees only what that policy allows. A country belongs to exactly one policy: a country another policy already covers is greyed out in the picker, and saving a policy that claims a taken country is refused. A rest of world policy catches every country no other policy covers. The default policy covers only the countries it lists. A shopper whose country is on no active policy, on a store with no active rest of world policy, is refused with Returns are not available for your destination.

Note: Policies saved in older versions can overlap. If two of your policies list the same country, the first one listing it is used until you open each policy and remove the country from all but one.

Deleting a policy

Click Delete on the policy.
Read the Delete policy? dialog. It says the policy stops matching new orders, that this cannot be undone, and that returns already on this policy keep it, and its settings, until each one finishes.
Click Delete Policy.

The policy disappears from every picker, and its name can be used again.

Screenshot

Policy > Return Policies, the Delete policy? dialog

FAQ

Can I change the return window for one country? Yes. Give that country its own policy. Each policy has its own start event here and its own window length per outcome on the Return outcomes tab.

What does Delivery date do when the carrier never reported a delivery? It falls back to the fulfillment date, so the window still has a start.

Generate return labels is on. Why do shoppers get no label? EasyPost is switched off or has no key saved under Shipping > Shipping Services, the policy is a rest of world policy, or the label could not be bought for that return. In each case the shopper is shown your return address and ships the return themselves.

Why does the packing slip button not show on the confirmation page? Generate packing slips is off on the policy that matched the order. It is a per-policy toggle on this tab, not a store-wide one, so check the policy for the shopper's country. The formatting options under Shipping Services do not turn the slip on by themselves.

A label failed. Which address is wrong? The return page shows the carrier's own reason when there is one and names both addresses to check: the policy's destination and the customer's address on the order. A destination that reads Could not verify under Shipping > Destinations is the likely cause.

Can a customer mix a refund and store credit on one return? No. Refund and exchange can share a return, and store credit and exchange can, but refund and store credit cannot. In the portal and in the manual return window, choosing refund on one item greys out store credit on the others, and the reverse.

Does the processing event apply to a return the shopper ships on their own? Only In transit can, through a tracking number the shopper types on the status page, and only when the carrier's scan is heading to your return address. The other carrier events need an EasyPost label.

Why did a return process before I received it? Its outcome's processing event is Pre transit, In transit or Out for delivery, or a workflow set one of those on it. Set the event to Delivered or Manual on the card, and check the workflows under Policy > Workflows.

I turned Refund off. Why did a customer still get money back to their card? Because they were owed it on a path that is not the refund choice: an exchange price difference, a kept item whose companion was rejected, an out-of-stock exchange your inventory setting converts to a refund, or a leftover with store credit also off. The card only removes the choice from the portal.

Why is the refund smaller than the quote the shopper saw? A handling fee, a refund already made in Shopify (shown as Refund adjustment), or a bundle adjustment. The return page lists each line.

Why does exchanging for the same item show a price difference? The original order was discounted and Pre-discount credit is off, so the returned item is valued at the discounted price the customer paid while the replacement is priced at full price. Turn Pre-discount credit on under Policy > General, Exchanges.

Can one country allow a price gap and another refuse it? No. Different priced exchanges is one choice for the whole store under Policy > General, Exchanges. The policy card decides whether exchanges are offered at all, and whether advanced exchanges are.

Can I give a bigger bonus in one country than another? Yes. The bonus is set on this card, per policy, so each country group has its own.

Does the bonus apply if the shopper later switches to a refund? No. A bonus is only ever credit. If the credit is changed to a refund, the bonus falls away and the refund is the return value alone.

Why is a cheap item not offered as keep item? The threshold on the policy that matched the order is 0 or lower than the item's price, or the card is off on that policy. Check the policy for the shopper's country.

Can I offer keep item only to some shoppers? The card is per policy, so per country group. For finer control, a workflow can exclude the Keep item outcome for the returns it matches.

Can I run Shop Now without the Exchange card? Yes. The two toggles are independent. With Exchange off, Shop Now is still offered and Shop Now returns wait for you to process them, because there is no processing event to inherit.

Does the bonus apply to the whole cart? The bonus is added to the return credit. If the shopper spends less than the credit plus bonus, the unspent bonus is kept only as store credit; the part refunded to the card is the return value alone.

What does the merchant see on the return? An Instant Exchange block on the return page with the card, the hold, the deadline and the status, and the actions Charge by Line Item (an on-time return with a missing or ruined item), Refund Charge (whole or by line), Retry Charge, Record Arrival (when there is no carrier delivery) and Close Return.

What if I cancel the exchange order in Shopify? The app reads the order before any charge, never charges, puts the return in review, releases the hold and refunds the submit difference once. A charge that already went through is refunded by hand with Refund Charge.

When does a labelled return expire? A reminder goes out 21 days after submission and an unscanned return expires at 28 days, which voids its label. It can be reopened from the return page with Reopen and Process while its reopening window lasts. See Expiry and reopening.

Does Bypass review pay the refund at once? No. It only skips your approval. The money moves at the outcome's processing event on the Return outcomes tab, so with Manual you still click Process after inspecting the items.

Can the instructions differ by country? Yes. They are saved per policy, so each country group has its own steps on both tabs.

Is original shipping refunded on every return from the same order? Once per order. The first return that claims it holds it; later returns on the order do not include it unless the earlier one lets it go.

Why did a return pay no duty although the card is on? The return was filed before the card was turned on, its outcome is an exchange, Shopify already showed the duty as refunded, or the order's refunds could not be read at processing.

What happens to open returns when I delete a policy? Nothing changes for them. They keep the deleted policy, with its processing events, fees and windows, until each one completes. Only new orders stop matching it.

Two policies matched the same country. Which one wins? For policies saved in the current version this cannot happen, because the second claim on a country is refused at save. For older policies that overlap, the first policy listing the country is used. Open each one and remove the country from all but one.

Where do the Shop Now collections and the exchange rules live? Outside the policy. Shop Now's collections menu is under Policy > Shop Now, and the cross-product exchange options are under Policy > Advanced Exchanges. Each policy only switches those features on or off for its shoppers.

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

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