How a return works

A customer opens your returns page, types in their order number, picks the thing they want to send back, says why, and chooses what they’d like instead. That’s the whole journey from their side.

From your side, quite a lot is being checked between each of those steps — and that’s what decides whether they get offered a refund, a swap, or nothing at all. Worth understanding early, because almost every “why couldn’t my customer do X?” question traces back to it.

What your customer does

1. Opens your returns page and finds their order.
2. Sees their items — some they can pick, some greyed out.
3. Picks one.
4. If the item is covered by both your normal returns and a warranty, they choose which they’re claiming under.
5. Says why they’re sending it back.
6. Chooses what they want: money back, store credit, a swap, something else from your shop, or in some cases keeping the item.
7. Checks the summary and submits.

What Richpanel checks before letting them

Between picking an item and submitting, several things have to line up:

• Is there anything left to return? If they bought three and already sent one back, only two are available.
• Is this item allowed back at all? You may have blocked certain products, orders, or customers.
• Does a policy cover it? Either your return policy or a warranty policy has to apply.
• Do your workflows allow the thing they picked? A rule can take options off the table.
• Is that option switched on? Swaps, Shop Now, store credit and the rest each have to be enabled before they can appear.

Why two customers see different things

Two people can look at the same product and be offered completely different options. That’s intentional — what someone sees is worked out from their order, the item, where they’re returning from, their email, the tags on the product, why they say they’re returning it, your policies, and your workflows.

So:

• Someone still in time sees money back and a swap.
• Someone past your window sees nothing — unless a warranty covers the item, in which case they can still claim a replacement.
• Someone you’ve blocked can’t start a return at all.
• Someone you’ve specifically allowed can return something that would normally be refused.

This is usually the answer when a customer insists they were offered something a colleague says is impossible. They probably were.

One request, one route

A return and a warranty claim are separate things, and a single request stays on whichever route it started on. If someone begins a normal return, they finish with normal return options. If they begin a warranty claim, they finish with warranty options.

Someone who needs both — a faulty item and a change of mind on something else — has to submit two requests. Worth knowing before you tell a customer to “just add it to the same one”.

Questions people ask

Can a customer change their mind after submitting?

That depends on how you’ve set things up. The request lands with you either way, so if they email asking to change something, your team can act on it before it’s processed.

Why can't my customer see the swap option?

Most often: swaps aren’t switched on, a workflow has restricted the options for that item, or there’s no suitable size or colour in stock to swap to. See Why an item can’t be returned.

Does the customer need an account?

No. They find their order with the order number and email, so there’s nothing to sign up for.

Can someone return part of an order?

Yes. They pick the items individually, so they can send back one thing from a five-item order and keep the rest.