Expiry and Reopening a Return

Updated 11 November 2026

Overview

This article explains what happens to a return whose label is never used: the shopper is reminded, the return expires and its label is voided, and for a while afterwards it can still be brought back. It covers the two emails, the nightly expiry, the Expired tab and the Reopen and Process button.

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

How it works

The 21 day reminder. Between 20 and 22 days after submission, an open return whose label has not been scanned gets the Expiration reminder email, if that email is on under Shopper > Notifications. A return the carrier has already scanned does not get one.

The 28 day expiry. After 28 days, an open return whose label has still not been scanned is set to Expired by the nightly job, whether or not the Expiration notice email is on. Expiry voids the unscanned label. Any card charge the shopper paid at submit, for example an exchange price difference, is returned to the card; if that refund fails, the timeline says so and names the Stripe payment intent, and you refund it with Refund Charge on the return or in the Stripe dashboard. Expired returns are listed under the Expired tab on the returns list.

Expiry is measured from the day the return was submitted and nothing resets it, including a regenerated label. A return that was approved or sent to review at submission is not open, so it gets neither email and never expires.

No label, no countdown. A return with no label and no self-ship address on its confirmation page has no clock. The timeline explains: This return passed 28 days with no shipping label, and no return address is set up for its confirmation page. It was not expired and the customer was not emailed. Adding a destination under Shipping > Destinations puts an address on the shopper's page, and the next nightly job then expires the return. A self-ship return with a return address on its page does expire: an open one the carrier has not scanned gets the reminder at day 21 and expires at day 28, like a return with a label. A prepaid tracking number imported under Prepaid labels also takes the return off both clocks.

Reopening. For 60 days after submission an expired return can be revived. On the return page, Reopen and Process replaces Process and runs the same processing pass, with the same before-delivery warning; the dialog's button reads Reopen and Process Anyway. The button's tooltip reads: Reopen this return and process it. It was submitted 35 days ago; the return window is 60 days. After the window the tooltip reads: This return was submitted more than 60 days ago and can no longer be reopened. Refund or credit the customer on the Shopify order instead.

Important: Reopening pays the customer just as Process does, so check that the parcel has actually arrived before clicking it.

What the shopper sees

The Expiration reminder email, subject Reminder: your return label expires soon, headed Remember to return your items, tells them to ship by the drop-off date or the return will expire and the label will no longer be valid. The Expiration notice email, subject Your return label has expired, says the return request has expired and the return shipping label is no longer valid. Both only send when they are on.

The confirmation page shows a drop-off-by date 28 days after submit, and the default label instructions repeat it with the Return by date tag.

Once expired, the status page is headed Your return has expired with one card: The time to send this return has passed, and the line To return these items, contact your support email. The label, QR code, packing slip, ship-by date and survey are gone; the items are listed with no figure. A shopper cannot cancel an expired return.

FAQ

Why does an expired return still show a Process button? It is Reopen and Process, not Process. An expired return can be revived for 60 days after it was submitted, most often because the parcel turned up after all. The button reopens the return and processes it in one step, paying the customer, so it is only offered inside the window. If the button is greyed out, the tooltip says why: the return is past the window, has already been processed, or has an outcome that cannot be reopened here.

Does the Return by date tag work on a self-ship return? Yes. It prints the date 28 days after submission, which is the day an open self-ship return the carrier has not scanned expires.

Can I stop a return expiring? No setting changes the 28 days. Process the return before then, or cancel it. Cancel and Reject also void an unscanned label.

Does the Expiration notice email have to be on for returns to expire? No. The nightly job expires the return either way; the email only tells the shopper.

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