Track a return in Shopify
Once a return is created, it lives on the order until you process it. This tutorial follows one return, a Ridge Pack at $64.00, from the day it was created to the day the refund went out.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 5 minutes read
The worked example
| Return created | 12 November 2026 |
| Customer shipped | 13 November 2026 |
| Parcel received | 17 November 2026 |
| Days in transit | 4 |
| Refund issued | 17 November 2026, $48.65 |
Download the log: return-tracking-log.csv (233 bytes).
A log of the return in this tutorial, with the dates and the refund. It is a record, not an import file.
1Open the order and find the return
From your Shopify admin, go to Orders, then click the order. The Return in progress section shows the return and what is still owed.
2Check the tracking number and carrier
If you created or uploaded a label, the return carries the tracking number and the shipping carrier. Follow the parcel with the carrier while it is in transit.
3Wait for the parcel before you refund
Do not refund before the parcel arrives. When it lands, check it against the return before you process anything.
4Process the return when it arrives
In the Return in progress section, click Process return. Select the items you received, restock the sellable ones, and choose to issue the refund now.
5Close the return
The return closes automatically when every item is processed and every return item is restocked. If anything is still open, use the menu on the Return in progress card and click Close return.
The arithmetic
The return took 5 days from creation to receipt, and 4 days in transit after the customer posted it. The refund is the item price less the fees.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ridge Pack | $64.00 |
| Restocking fee, 10% of $64.00 | $6.40 |
| Return shipping fee | $8.95 |
| Refund issued 17 November | $48.65 |
12 November to 17 November is 5 days. 13 November to 17 November is 4 days in transit. The refund figures are the same inputs as the return policy tutorial.
Held at the counter
A refund before receipt cannot be undone by the parcel. Once you issue the refund, you cannot take it back if the box arrives empty. Process the return only after you hold the item.
A return with a label cannot be cancelled. If the customer changes their mind after you created a return label, you cannot cancel that return. You can only process it or wait it out.
Partial processing changes the money. You can process only some items at a time, but the financial outcome of partially processed items can differ from processing everything together. Decide the full set before you click.
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.