Setting up self-serve returns

To let your customers submit product return requests directly in your online store, you need to activate self-serve returns in your Shopify admin. You can also add instructions to your online store that explain to your customers how they can request returns.

Requirements for setting up self-serve returns

To let your customers submit return requests, you need to complete the following tasks:

Activate self-serve returns in your Shopify admin
Give customers access to log in to customer accounts using one of the following methods:
- Upgrade to customer accounts.
- Add the URL for customer accounts to your store's footer, refund policy, or another page in your store. If you don’t want to upgrade to customer accounts, then this option lets you continue using legacy customer accounts in your online store and checkout, and gives customers access to request a return.

Considerations for setting up self-serve returns

Before you set up self-serve returns, review the following considerations:

Self-serve returns don't work with legacy customer accounts.
Exchanges can't be requested in self-serve returns and you can't have exchange-specific return rules.
Your customers can't submit a return request with more than 250 line items. If your customer wants to submit a return request with more than 250 line items, then they have to submit separate requests.
Self-serve returns work with all orders, including B2B orders. You can't activate self-serve returns for specific types of orders.
If you use B2B in Shopify, then both the B2B customer that placed the order and the location admin can request returns. Learn more about B2B customer permissions.

Activate self-serve returns

To set up return requests, you need to activate self-serve returns in your Shopify admin.

After you activate self-serve returns, you need to allow customers to log in from your online store and checkout using the new version of customer accounts. To do that, you can set up customer accounts in your Shopify admin or add the customer accounts URL to your store.

Steps:

From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Customer accounts.
In the Customer accounts section, activate the Self-serve returns option.

Adding the customer accounts URL to your online store

When a customer clicks the customer accounts URL, they're prompted to log in to their customer account, where they can submit a return request.

You can add the customer accounts URL anywhere on your online store where you can enter a URL, such as in your store's return policy or in a returns page.

You can find and copy the customer accounts URL from Customer accounts settings in the Customer accounts section of the page. After you copy the URL, you can add it to your online store wherever makes the most sense for your business.

Add the customer accounts URL to your refund policy

From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Policies.
In the Refund policy section, select the text that you want to hyperlink, and then paste the customer accounts URL.
Click Save.

Add the customer accounts URL to a page

From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Pages.
Click the page where you want to add the customer accounts URL, such as a returns page.
Select the text that you want to hyperlink, and then paste the customer accounts URL.
Click Save.
Optional: Click View page to view how the changes are displayed in your online store.

From your Shopify admin, go to Content > Menus.
Click Footer menu.
Click Add menu item.
In the Name field, enter a page name, such as Returns, Return requests, or Request a return.
In the Link field, paste the customer accounts URL.
Click Add, and then click Save.

Customer experience

To submit return requests, your customer needs to log in to their customer account. Your customer can access their account in the following ways:

Click the customer accounts URL that you add to your online store.
Log in to their customer account from your store's navigation. This option works only if you have the customer accounts activated in your store.

Your customer enters their email address and a six-digit verification code that is sent to their email address. A password isn't required to log in. After your customer enters the code in your store, they're granted access to their account.

Your customers can submit return requests only for orders that are fulfilled or partially fulfilled.

Add return request instructions to your store

Add information to your refund policy or a page within your online store about how return requests work. You can use and adjust the following example instructions of how a customer can submit a return request in your online store.

Submit a return request

Click the profile icon in the store's navigation, or go to the refund policy or a returns page, and then request a return.

1. Log in to your account:
    1. In the "Email" field, enter your email address, and then click "Continue".
    2. In your email account, open the email sent from our store and copy the six-digit verification code included in the email.
    3. Go back to the online store, and then enter a six-digit verification code.
2. Click "Request return" for the order that you want to submit the return for.
3. If your order has more than one item, then select the items that you want to return.
4. Select a return reason and add a note for the store.
5. Click "Request return".

If your return request is approved and requires shipping, then you receive an email with shipping instructions and a return shipping label. After the product is returned, you receive a refund.

Customizing return requests branding

The pages where your customers self-serve and submit return requests use your checkout's branding settings. To make changes to the branding of these pages, you need to update your checkout's branding settings.

The following branding settings don't apply to these pages:

logo position
logo alignment
logo max width

Customizing return request email notifications

Return requests have the following email notifications that you can customize:

return request confirmation
return request approved
return request declined

You can customize these notifications in Settings > Notifications > Returns.

Review the following table to learn more about return request email notifications:

Return request email notifications and their descriptions
Notification	Description
Return request confirmation	Sent automatically to the customer after they request a return using self-serve returns.
Return request approved	Sent to the customer when you approve a return request. This notification includes return shipping information, such as a return shipping label that you upload when approving a return request.
Return request declined	Sent to the customer with a message that indicates why a return request was declined. You can edit the message to the customer before you send it.

If you provide a return shipping label using Shopify Shipping or SFN, then customers receive a return approval email and another email that contains a return shipping label.

Receiving return requests email notifications

If you choose to receive order notifications by email, then you also automatically receive return request notifications by email. Return request notifications aren't available on the Shopify app.

You can manage your order and return request notifications in Settings > Notifications > Staff order notifications.