Returns, Exchanges & Claims

For: support & operations staff handling post-purchase order changes in the admin dashboard
What you'll learn: when to use a return, exchange, claim, or order edit; the step flow for taking items back and refunding a customer; and how each of these moves money.

This is a how-to guide for the dashboard, not the API. If you're building an automated post-purchase system instead, see the Admin API reference or the Usage Guide.

Before you start#

You'll need an admin login and access to the Orders section in the left navigation. Every action in this guide starts from a single order's detail page — open the order first (see Order Processing for how to find and read an order).

All four tools live in the same place: the Summary section of the order, where the three-dots menu in the header holds Create Return, Create Exchange, Create Claim, and Edit Order.

Throughout this guide, screenshots use a demo store — the names, orders, and amounts shown are fake. All prices are decimals: $49.99 shows as 49.99.

1. Pick the right tool#

These four tools all change an order after the customer has paid. Choose based on what the customer needs.

Tip: A return takes items back for a refund only. An exchange takes items back and sends new ones. A claim is the exchange/return path specifically for faulty or incorrect items the customer received. Reach for a claim when the store (not the customer) is at fault.

For the basic single-payment refund on an order (no items coming back), use the plain Refund button covered in Order Processing instead — this guide is for when goods move.

2. Create a return (request → receive → refund)#

A return has three stages: you request it, the warehouse receives the items back, and the system refunds the customer.

Request the return#

1. On the order, open the three-dots menu in the Summary header and choose Create Return.
2. In the Inbound section, click Add items, check the boxes next to the items coming back, and click Save.
3. Adjust the quantity for each item if the customer is only returning some.
4. Optionally, use the three-dots icon next to an item to Add Reason (why it's coming back), Add Note, or Remove it from the return.

Set location and return shipping#

5. Choose the return location — the warehouse the items should come back to.
6. Optionally pick a Return shipping option. This deducts the return shipping cost from the customer's refund. Click the pencil icon next to the total to edit that amount.
7. Leave Send notifications on to email the customer, or uncheck it to stay silent.
8. Click Confirm Return, then Continue in the popup. The return now appears in the Summary and Activity sections.

Caution: Confirming a return commits the refund math for these items. Double-check the item list, quantities, and any deducted return shipping before you click Continue — the refund is calculated from exactly what's shown here.

Receive the items and refund#

9. When the package arrives, click Receive items in the Summary section.
10. For each item, enter the quantity received in good condition. Use the heart-broken icon to record any damaged quantity separately.
11. Click Save. Marking items received is what triggers the refund back to the customer.

Caution: Receiving items releases money to the customer. Only mark an item received once it is physically back and inspected — a refund issued here is difficult to reverse.

If any outstanding amount remains after receiving (for example a partial refund still owed), finish it with the standard refund step in Order Processing.

3. Create an exchange#

An exchange takes items back (inbound) and sends replacements out (outbound). If the new items cost more, the customer owes the difference; if they cost less, the customer is refunded.

1. Open the three-dots menu in the Summary header and choose Create Exchange.
2. Inbound (returning): click Add items, check the items coming back, click Save, then set a return location and, optionally, a return shipping method (edit its cost with the pencil icon).
3. Outbound (replacements): in the Outbound section click Add items, check the replacement products, and click Save. Adjust quantities or remove items from the three-dots menu.
4. Choose an Outbound Shipping method for the replacements; edit its cost with the pencil icon if needed.
5. Optionally enable Carry over promotions so eligible discounts still apply to the new items.
6. Leave Send notifications on to email the customer, then click Confirm Exchange → Continue.

After confirming: check the Summary for any amount owed or refundable, mark the returned items received (same step as a return, above), and fulfill the outbound items — see Fulfillment Operations.

Caution: An exchange can both charge the customer more or refund them, depending on the price difference between the returned and replacement items. Confirm the outstanding amount in the Summary before you proceed so the customer isn't over- or under-charged.

Tip: You can cancel an exchange from the Activity section — but only before the outbound items are fulfilled or the inbound items are received. After that, it's committed.

4. Create a claim (damaged or wrong items)#

Use a claim when the customer received faulty or incorrect items. A claim can be started only after the items were delivered. It lets you refund the customer, send a free replacement, or both.

1. Open the three-dots menu in the Summary header and choose Create Claim.
2. Inbound (returning): click Add items, check the faulty items, click Save, then set a return location and, optionally, a return shipping method (edit its cost with the edit icon).
3. Outbound (replacements): if you're sending replacements, click Add items in the Outbound section, check the replacement products, and click Save. Choose an Outbound Shipping method and edit its cost if needed.
   • For a refund-only claim, leave the Outbound section empty.
   • For a replacement, add the outbound items but expect no charge to the customer — the store is covering the fault.
4. Leave Send notifications on, then click Confirm Claim → Continue.

After confirming: watch the Summary for any outstanding refund, mark returned items received if you asked for them back, and fulfill any replacement items via Fulfillment Operations.

Caution: A claim refund is real money leaving the store. Verify the item is genuinely damaged or incorrect — ask for a photo where your policy requires one — before confirming, because the refund is hard to undo.

5. Edit an order (add or remove items)#

Use Edit Order to change what's on an order — add a forgotten item, remove one, or adjust quantities. This can result in an extra charge (items added) or a refund (items removed).

1. Open the three-dots menu in the Summary header and choose Edit Order.
2. Add items: click Add items, check the products, click Save. New items get a New badge; set their quantity.
3. Change quantity: edit the quantity field on any existing item. It gets a Modified badge.
4. Remove items: use an item's three-dots menu and choose Remove. Existing items get a Removed badge; choose Undo from the same menu to restore one. (You can also Duplicate an item into a new line.)
5. Optionally add a customer-facing Note and leave Send notifications on.
6. Click Confirm Edit → Continue. An Order edit requested section appears.
7. Click Force confirm to apply the changes immediately. Then allocate and fulfill any new items normally.

Caution: Editing an order can charge the customer more or owe them a refund. Review the new total before you Force confirm — once applied, settling the difference (a charge or a refund) is handled through the payment steps in Order Processing.

Tip: To throw away an in-progress edit, click Cancel in the Order edit requested section before confirming — all pending changes are discarded.

Quick reference#

• Return — items back, money back. Request → Receive items (this triggers the refund) → settle any remainder.
• Exchange — swap items. Inbound + Outbound; can charge or refund depending on price difference; cancel only before fulfillment/receipt.
• Claim — for damaged/wrong items only, and only after delivery. Refund, replace, or both.
• Edit order — add/remove/change items; Force confirm to apply; may charge more or refund.
• All four start from the three-dots menu in the order's Summary header.
• Every money-moving step — confirming a return/exchange/claim, receiving items, or force-confirming an edit — is hard to reverse. Check items and amounts first.
• Plain single-payment refunds (no goods returning) and the final refund step live in Order Processing.