Issue a full refund for a return in Shopify
A full refund sends back everything the customer paid: the items and the shipping. This tutorial refunds a returned order in full, two tees and a hoodie at $101.00, plus $12.00 shipping.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 5 minutes read
The worked example
| Items returned | 2 tees $56.00, hoodie $45.00 |
| Items total | $101.00 |
| Shipping paid | $12.00 |
| Order total | $113.00 |
| Full refund | $113.00 |
Download the record: full-refund-record.csv (129 bytes).
A record of the full refund in this tutorial. It is a record, not an import file: refunds are issued in the admin, not by CSV.
1Receive and inspect the return
Wait until the parcel arrives and check it against the return. A full refund follows the parcel, not the request.
2Open the order and click Process return
From your Shopify admin, go to Orders, click the order, and in the Return in progress section click Process return. Select all the return items and restock the sellable ones.
3Refund the shipping too
To refund shipping, in the Refund shipping section, select Shipping, and then enter the amount that you want to refund for shipping. Enter $12.00, the shipping the customer paid.
4Choose to issue the refund now
In the Issue refund section, select Now, and then click Process and refund. The order total updates after you process the return.
5Check the order balance
Confirm the balance the order owes the customer is now $0.00. If a banner with an outstanding balance is still showing, read it before you click anything else.
The arithmetic
The refund is the items plus the shipping the customer paid, with no fees taken off, because this store waived the restocking and return shipping fees for a full return.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| 2 Trail Crew Tees | $56.00 |
| Summit Hoodie | $45.00 |
| Items total | $101.00 |
| Shipping paid | $12.00 |
| Full refund | $113.00 |
56.00 plus 45.00 is $101.00, and 101.00 plus 12.00 is $113.00. Fees would reduce a full refund, so check the Summary for restocking and return shipping fees before you process.
Held at the counter
Fees turn a full refund into a partial one. If your return rules add a restocking fee or a return shipping fee, the refund is the total less those fees. Zero them in the Summary first if you mean a full refund.
A refund without a return records no reason. If the customer is sending items back, create the return before you refund the items. A refund alone records no return reason, and you cannot create a return for items you have already refunded.
Process everything together. Processing only some items can change the financial outcome. For a full refund, select all the return items in one processing step.
Sources
- 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.
- 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.