Handle a return for the wrong item in Shopify
The customer ordered a size M tee and received a size L. The fix is a return plus an exchange item: the wrong size comes back, the right size goes out, and because both cost $28.00 the exchange is even. This tutorial does that swap on one order.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 5 minutes read
The worked example
| Ordered | Trail Crew Tee, size M, $28.00 |
| Received | Trail Crew Tee, size L, $28.00 |
| Exchange item | Trail Crew Tee, size M, $28.00 |
| Balance due | $0.00, even exchange |
Download the record: wrong-item-exchange-record.csv (169 bytes).
A record of the wrong-item exchange in this tutorial. It is a record, not an import file: exchanges are created in the admin, not by CSV.
1Create the return
From your Shopify admin, go to Orders, click the order, then click Return. Enter a quantity of 1 for the size L tee and select a return reason.
2Add the correct item as an exchange
In the Exchange items section, click Add products, select the size M tee, and click Done. You cannot add custom items as exchange items.
3Check the balance
When you create a return, the financial outcome is calculated automatically. A $28.00 item returned against a $28.00 exchange item is an even exchange: the money paid for the returning item is applied to the new item, and nothing is due.
4Choose the return shipping
In the Return shipping options section, create a return label in Shopify, upload one, or pick No shipping required. The mistake was the store's, so zero the return shipping fee in the Summary if your rules would charge it.
5Process and fulfil the exchange
When the wrong size arrives, click Process return and process the return. Then fulfil the exchange item the same way that you fulfil your regular orders.
The arithmetic
Both tees cost the same, so the exchange is even. The return shipping fee is waived because the mistake was the store's.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Size L tee returned | $28.00 |
| Size M tee, exchange item | $28.00 |
| Return shipping, waived | $0.00 |
| Balance due | $0.00 |
28.00 less 28.00 is $0.00. If the exchange item had cost more, the customer would owe the difference, and if it had cost less, a refund would be due.
Held at the counter
Exchange inventory is not reserved yet. Exchange items inventory is not reserved until you process the return. The size M tee could sell out while the wrong size is in transit, so check stock before you promise it.
Order-level discounts do not carry to exchanges. Order level discounts cannot be applied to exchange items, but you can add a product discount to exchange items. If the original order had an order discount, the exchange price is the plain price.
No exchange items on orders with duties. You cannot add exchange items to orders with duties, but you can create a return for orders with duties. For a duties order, refund the wrong item and place a new order for the right one.
Sources
- 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.
- Processing and managing returns — Shopify's help pages: the process-return steps, the restock choice, the refund-shipping section, the refund-method choices, and the cancel / remove / close rules.