Decide who pays return shipping in Shopify
Return shipping is a setting, not a surprise. You choose in your return rules whether the store pays or the customer pays a flat fee, and you can change the fee on a single return. This tutorial compares the choices on a $45.00 hoodie return.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 5 minutes read
The worked example
| Returned | Summit Hoodie, $45.00 |
| Store pays | Refund $45.00 |
| Flat fee $8.95 | Refund $36.05 |
| Customer arranges shipping | Refund $45.00, customer pays the carrier |
Download the table: return-shipping-options.csv (142 bytes).
A comparison of the return shipping choices in this tutorial, with the refund each one leaves. It is a record, not an import file.
1Open your return rules
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings, then Policies. In the Return and cancellation rules section, click the rule that you want to edit.
2Find the Return shipping costs section
The choice lives here. The return shipping fee is displayed when you create a return, and you can edit the return shipping fee for a specific return.
3Set the flat fee
If the customer pays, enter the flat rate in the field provided. This tutorial uses $8.95. If the store covers return shipping, the fee is $0.00 and the refund is the full item price. Click Save to save the rule.
4Edit the fee on a single return when needed
In the Summary section of a return, click Return shipping, enter a new fee, and click Done. The return shipping fee can be edited only by return, not by item, while the restocking fee can be edited by return or by item.
5Check it on a real return
Create a return and read the Summary before you click Create return. The fee shown there is the fee that comes off the refund.
The arithmetic
The same hoodie, three ways to handle the shipping. The refund is the item price less the fee the customer pays.
| Who pays | Fee | Refund |
|---|---|---|
| Store covers return shipping | $0.00 | $45.00 |
| Customer pays a flat fee | $8.95 | $36.05 |
| Customer arranges their own shipping | $0.00 | $45.00 |
45.00 less 8.95 is $36.05. When the customer arranges their own shipping, no fee is deducted, but the customer pays the carrier directly. A $12.00 item with an $8.95 fee would leave only $3.05, so work out the refund on cheap items before you set a flat fee.
Held at the counter
The shipping fee is edited by return, not by item. You can change the restocking fee on one item, but the return shipping fee can only be changed for the whole return. One return, one shipping fee.
A flat fee can eat a cheap item. An $8.95 fee on a $12.00 item leaves a $3.05 refund. A fee that looks small on a hoodie looks large on socks, so test it on your cheapest returnable item.
The fee shows at return time. The fee is displayed when you create a return, based on your rules. If you change the rules, returns created before the change still show the old fee.
Sources
- Setting up return and cancellation rules — Shopify's help pages: the return window, the return shipping costs choice, the restocking fee, and the self-serve switch (consulted via the help pages' search results on 11 November 2026).
- Creating returns and exchanges — Shopify's help pages: the create-return steps, the return shipping options, the fee-edit rules, the exchange-item rules, and the category-specific return reasons.