Workflows
Your return policy covers the ordinary return. Someone wants to send something back, they’re in time, they get a label, the money goes back. That already runs on its own.
But there are always the ones where you’d rather not let it run on its own:
- Someone says their order arrived damaged. You’d like to see a photo before you agree.
- A customer who’s spent thousands with you wants to swap something. You don’t want to charge them a restocking fee for the privilege.
- Someone has sent back nine of their last ten orders. You’d rather they took store credit than cash.
Workflows are where you write those exceptions down, so they happen every time instead of only when the right person is looking. You’ll find them under Settings > Workflows.
Three you’d probably want on day one
Section titled “Three you’d probably want on day one”“Someone says it arrived damaged”
Section titled ““Someone says it arrived damaged””You can’t tell from the request whether the box was crushed in transit or the customer dropped it. So don’t guess.
Set it up so that when the reason is damaged, the customer has to upload a photo before they can submit, and the return waits for a person to look at it. Your team sees the photo, makes the call, and only then does the label get sent. If it really was damaged on the way, you can waive the return postage in the same breath — that one wasn’t their fault.
“This customer is a VIP”
Section titled ““This customer is a VIP””Tag the customer’s profile in Shopify — vip, or whatever you already use. Then set it up so
anyone carrying that tag doesn’t pay a restocking fee, doesn’t pay for return postage, and
gets longer than everyone else to change their mind.
You can also cover the difference when they swap up. If a VIP exchanges a $60 item for a $90 one, Waive exchange price difference means you pay the $30 instead of asking them for it. You can either cover the whole thing, or set a ceiling — say you’ll cover up to $50, and anything above that they still pay. Worth setting a ceiling unless you’re certain: without one, a VIP could swap a t-shirt for a coat on your tab.
You tag one person, and their next ten returns are handled the way you’d handle them yourself.
“This one returns everything”
Section titled ““This one returns everything””When someone’s return count climbs past whatever your limit is, you don’t have to ban them. You can just narrow what they’re offered — store credit and exchanges only, no cash back. Or cap how many items they can send back at once. The money stays with you and nobody has to have an awkward conversation.
Building one
Section titled “Building one”We’ll do the damaged one, because it’s the one most people want first.
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Go to Settings > Workflows and start a new one.
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Say which returns you mean. Add one line: the return reason is damaged. That’s enough — you don’t need anything else.
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Say what should happen. Add two things:
- Ask for evidence — so they have to upload a photo before they can submit.
- Send for manual review — so it lands with your team instead of approving itself.
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Save it and leave it switched off.
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Look back over recent damaged returns. Would you have wanted a photo on those? Would you have wanted to look before agreeing? If yes, you’ve built the right thing.
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Switch it on.
From then on, nobody claiming damage gets an automatic yes, and everybody claiming damage gives you something to look at.
What you can check
Section titled “What you can check”These are the things a workflow can look at when deciding whether a return is one of your exceptions.
About the customer — their tags, how many orders they’ve placed, how many returns they’ve made, what country they’re in.
About the order — when it was placed, its tags, what it was worth, whether a discount code was used, and how big the discount was.
About the item — its SKU, its tags, its product type, its vendor, why they’re sending it back, and whether they asked for a refund, store credit, or a swap.
About the return itself — what it’s worth in total, and how many items are in it.
What you can do
Section titled “What you can do”Auto approve · Send for manual review · Require manual refund approval · Ask for evidence · Restrict return outcome · Block return · Limit items in return · Modify return window · Add/remove fees · Charge label cost · Shop Now shipping cost · Waive exchange price difference · Route to
Things people set up
Section titled “Things people set up”Checking before you agree
Section titled “Checking before you agree”| The situation | What you set up |
|---|---|
| Someone says it arrived damaged | Ask for a photo, and hold it for a person |
| A big-ticket return | Hold the refund until someone approves it by hand |
| They want cash back on something expensive | Hold it — but let store credit and swaps go straight through |
| A brand-new customer returning immediately | Ask for a photo and a written reason |
Looking after your best customers
Section titled “Looking after your best customers”| The situation | What you set up |
|---|---|
| Customer tagged as VIP | No restocking fee, no return postage |
| A VIP swapping for something pricier | You cover the difference, up to a limit you set |
| Customer has placed a lot of orders | Give them a longer window than everyone else |
| A wholesale or trade account | Send their returns to a different address |
When someone’s taking advantage
Section titled “When someone’s taking advantage”| The situation | What you set up |
|---|---|
| Their return count is climbing | Offer store credit and swaps only — no cash |
| It’s climbing a lot | Cap how many items one return can hold |
| It’s well past reasonable | Stop them opening a return at all |
| They bought with a heavy discount | Store credit only |
Who pays the postage
Section titled “Who pays the postage”| The situation | What you set up |
|---|---|
| It arrived damaged, or you sent the wrong thing | You cover the postage — it wasn’t their fault |
| They simply changed their mind | They cover it |
| It’s bulky or heavy | They cover more of it |
| They’re returning from abroad | A different postage charge again |
Getting things to the right place
Section titled “Getting things to the right place”| The situation | What you set up |
|---|---|
| Different product types live in different warehouses | Send each to its own address |
| A brand handles its own returns | Send that vendor’s items straight to them |
| Returns from a particular country | Send to your regional address |
Products with their own rules
Section titled “Products with their own rules”| The situation | What you set up |
|---|---|
| Final sale items | No returns at all |
| Something you’d rather swap than refund | Exchanges only |
| A seasonal or gifting period | A longer window on orders placed in those weeks |
| Fragile or high-value items | Ask for a photo every time |
Things that catch people out
Section titled “Things that catch people out”One held-back item stops the whole return. If someone’s sending back three things and your setup holds one of them for a look, all three are stuck — the shipping label included. Your customer can’t post anything until someone deals with it. Keep that in mind when you write something fussy about individual items.
When two could apply, the one higher up your list wins. Put the specific, careful ones above the broad ones. If “approve everything under $50” sits above “always check this customer”, the careful one never gets a look in.
Limits on how many items are the exception — the smallest cap always wins, wherever it sits in your list.
Switching one off is instant and safe. Everything you built stays put. If something’s behaving oddly, switch it off first and work out why afterwards.
Questions people ask
Section titled “Questions people ask”Will this change returns that are already open?
No. It only looks at new ones. Switching something on today doesn’t reach back into your list.
Can I waive the price difference on an exchange for a VIP?
Yes — Waive exchange price difference. Leave the limit empty and you cover the whole upcharge however large it is. Set a number and you cover up to that, with the customer paying anything beyond it. Setting a limit is the safer default.
Can it check the photo for me and decide if it's really damaged?
No. It can insist on a photo and put the return in front of a person. The judgement is still yours.
How do I undo one?
Switch it off. Only delete it if you’re certain.
Mine isn't doing anything. What's wrong?
Nearly always one of three things: it’s still switched off, something above it in the list got there first, or you’ve described the returns more narrowly than you meant to. Open a return that should have matched and check your lines against it one at a time.