Approve or reject a return
New return requests wait in Pending review until you decide. Approving tells the customer how to send items back and creates the return in Shopify. Rejecting closes the request and tells the customer why.
Before you decide
Open the request from the Pending review tab on the returns list. Check:
- The items, quantities and the Return reason for each one.
- Any comment and proof photos the customer added.
- The Solution the customer chose and the Money breakdown.
Want a second opinion? Leave a comment on the timeline for your team. See Return details.
Approve a return
- Open the request.
- In the Next step panel, click Approve.
You'll see "Return request approved" and the status changes to Approved.
Approve automatically
You can let Falcon approve requests that match your rules the moment they come in. See Auto-approve.
What happens in Shopify
When you approve, Falcon creates a return on the Shopify order. The timeline notes "Synced to Shopify return" with its name, and the name also appears next to the order number on the detail page.
The Shopify return includes:
- Each returned item and quantity.
- The return reason, matched to the closest Shopify reason, plus the customer's reason and comment as a note.
- The restocking fee, if any. Shopify only accepts this as a percentage, so Falcon converts it.
- The return shipping fee, if any.
- The exchange items, for exchanges.
Shopify doesn't email the customer about this return. Falcon sends its own email instead.
Items need to be fulfilled
Shopify can only create a return for items that were fulfilled. If an item has no fulfillment, approval stops with a message naming that item.
What the customer receives
The Return request approved email goes to the customer. Its default heading is "Your return is approved", and it includes how to send the items back for the shipping method they chose.
Emails only go out when the email is switched on in Email notifications. Each email Falcon sends, or tries to send and can't, is noted on the timeline. Emails you've switched off aren't noted.
Return labels
For returns using Merchant label, the customer needs a label from you. You have a few options.
Create the label with Shippo
If Shippo is connected, the Shipping card shows a label box after approval, until the label is created or the items are received.
- Click Create label.
- Falcon buys the label and adds it to the return. You'll see "Return label ready and sent to the customer".
The customer gets the approval email again, now with the label. If something goes wrong, the box shows the problem and a Try again button. If an attempt didn't finish, click Check again. Falcon checks Shippo first and only buys a label if none exists.
Buy labels automatically Growth plan and up
With automatic labels turned on, Falcon buys the label right after approval. The approval email then waits until the label is ready, so it can include it. If buying fails, the email still goes out without the label. Set this up in Carriers and labels.
Upload your own label
Without Shippo, click Add tracking in the Shipping card. Paste a link to the PDF in Return label URL (PDF), add the carrier and tracking number if you have them, and click Save.
Learn more in Shippo labels.
Reject a return
- Open the request.
- Click Reject in the Next step panel, or open More actions and choose Reject.
- In the Reject return request window, write a Reason (shown to the customer). You can use up to 500 characters. It's optional, but it helps the customer understand.
- Click Reject.
You'll see "Return request rejected" and the status changes to Rejected.
You can reject a request while it's Pending review or Approved. Once it's resolved, it can't be rejected.
What happens when you reject
- The customer gets the Return request rejected email. Its default heading is "We couldn't approve your return", and it shows your reason.
- If the request was already approved and synced, Falcon asks Shopify to cancel the Shopify return. Shopify only cancels returns that haven't been processed.
- If a label was bought with Shippo, Falcon cancels it with the carrier. If the cancellation can't be confirmed, the timeline says so and you can request a refund for the label in Shippo.
- The timeline records the rejection and your reason.
Resend the email
Customer lost the email? Open More actions and choose Resend notification. Falcon sends the email that matches the current status again: the confirmation email for pending requests, the approval email for approved ones, and the rejection email for rejected ones. For resolved returns it sends Refunded to original payment method.