How returns work
Every return in Falcon follows the same path: the customer asks, you decide, the items come back, and you send the refund or exchange. This page walks through each stage from both sides.
The lifecycle at a glance
| Stage | Status in Falcon | What the customer sees |
|---|---|---|
| The customer submits a request | Pending review | Under review |
| You approve it | Approved | Approved |
| The items arrive and you mark them received | Approved (marked received) | Received |
| You refund or create the exchange | Resolved | Completed |
| You reject it | Rejected | Declined |
| You archive it | Archived | Closed |
"Received" is not a separate status. It is a mark on an approved return, so you can tell returns on their way back from returns ready to resolve. See Return statuses.
1. The customer requests a return
The customer opens your return page and finds their order. They can sign in with the order number and their email or phone, with a code sent to their email, or with their store account. See How customers sign in.
Then they go through four steps:
- Items: pick what to return, how many, and why. Some reasons ask for a comment or photos.
- Resolution: choose what they want instead, such as a refund, store credit or an exchange.
- Shipping: choose how they send it back.
- Review: check the summary and click Submit return request.
Falcon only offers items that can be returned. Items outside your return window, blocked by your policy, not yet shipped or already returned are listed as not returnable, with the reason. See The customer journey.
What you see: the request appears under Returns with the status Pending review, and in Needs your attention → Pending review on the Dashboard. If you turned on the "new return" email, you get one too.
What the customer sees: a status page with the headline "Your return request is in process, pending merchant review." They also get the Return request confirmation email if it's on.
Auto-approve
On the Starter plan and up, automations can approve requests that match your rules as soon as they come in. See Auto-approve.
2. You approve or reject it
Open the return in Returns and click Approve or Reject. See Approve or reject a return.
- Approve: Falcon creates the return in Shopify, on the order. The status becomes Approved. The customer gets the Return request approved email with the next steps.
- Reject: you can add a reason for the customer. The status becomes Rejected. The customer sees the reason, if you gave one, on their status page and gets the Return request rejected email.
What the customer sees after approval depends on the shipping option they chose:
- Ship it yourself: instructions and your return address, plus an Add tracking number button.
- Use a return label from us: a Print return label button once the label is ready. Until then the page says the label is being prepared.
- Keep the item: "No need to send anything back." The return goes straight to the refund or exchange step.
3. The items come back
When the parcel arrives, open the return and click Mark as received. The status stays Approved, and the return moves to Ready to resolve on the Dashboard.
The customer's status page now says "Your returned items have been received."
4. You refund or exchange
From the same return, click Refund, or Create exchange for exchanges. Falcon processes the return in Shopify and sends the money, store credit, gift card, discount code or new order. The status becomes Resolved.
- Refunds go to the original payment method, store credit, a gift card or a discount code, depending on what the customer chose. See Refunds.
- Exchanges create a new order in Shopify for the replacement. If the new items cost more, the customer gets an invoice for the difference. See Exchanges.
The customer gets the matching email, such as Refunded to original payment method or Exchange order is created. Gift card and discount codes also show on their status page.
Auto-refund
On the Growth plan and up, automations can refund or create the exchange as soon as items are marked received. See Auto-refund.
5. Closed
A resolved or rejected return has nothing left to do. Click Archive to move it out of your working lists. Archived returns show as Closed to the customer. Click Unarchive to bring one back to the status it had before.
How Falcon works with Shopify returns
Falcon uses Shopify's own returns, so your orders in Shopify always show what happened.
- A request that is still Pending review lives only in Falcon.
- When you approve, Falcon creates the return on the Shopify order.
- When you refund or exchange, Falcon processes that Shopify return.
- Returns you create in the Shopify admin also show up in Falcon shortly after.
- If you change a return's status in the Shopify admin, Falcon follows the change. For example, closing it in Shopify marks it Resolved in Falcon, and declining or cancelling it marks it Rejected.
When new requests pause
Each plan includes a number of returns per billing period. On the Free plan and on yearly plans, new return requests pause once the period's returns are used up. On monthly paid plans, extra returns are billed one by one up to Shopify's spending limit, and then new requests pause. They start again in the next period or when you upgrade. This applies to requests from the return page and to Create return in Falcon. Customers see a message asking them to contact the store. Returns created in the Shopify admin are never blocked. See Plans and billing.