What happens when a shipment is returned

Sometimes a shipment cannot be delivered and comes back to our return mailbox, for example because the address was incorrect or the customer did not pick it up. When that happens, we register the return together with the reason, and handle it according to your return settings.

Why we do not reship returns to your customer

Handling returns is separate from solving delivery issues. A customer who did not receive a shipment usually complains long before the physical return arrives back at our mailbox: by then a claim has typically been raised, the items have been replaced, and the problem is already solved. Reshipping the returned items to the customer would almost always arrive too late, so we never do that. Your return setting only decides what happens to the returned items themselves: destroy them for free, or have them shipped to you so you keep the items for only the cost of shipping.

Choose how we handle your returns

Open Return settings to choose what we do with returned shipments. The setting applies to all your stores.

• Destroy (free): we destroy the returned items. There are no costs. This is the default.
• Ship to me (shipping costs apply): we ship the returned items back to a return address you provide, at the shipping level you select. You only pay for the shipping; the products and packaging are not charged again.

What return shipping costs

When you choose "Ship to me", the settings page shows the shipping costs for your selected level and return address country. Keep in mind:

• Every returned shipment is sent back to you separately, as its own shipment with its own shipping costs. Returns are not collected or combined.
• The exact price depends on the weight of the returned shipment; the settings page shows the starting price for your country and level.
• When a returned shipment is too large or heavy for your chosen shipping level, we automatically upgrade it to a level that can carry it, at that level's price.

How you are notified

Every received return triggers a notification describing the order, the return reason and how the return was handled. You receive these through the Shipping subject in your Notification settings, in the Dashboard and optionally by email. The return details are also shown on the order page and the shipment page.

Billing

Return shipments are billed as shipping only, priced by the destination and the shipping level you chose, just like regular shipments. They appear on your invoice as a separate "Total return shipments" line, with the details included in the invoice attachments.