Exchanges
Exchanges keep the sale. Instead of money back, the customer gets a different size, colour or product. Falcon supports two kinds of exchange, and both are available on every plan.
Two kinds of exchange
| Solution | Customer sees by default | What they can pick |
|---|---|---|
| Replace | "Exchange for the same item" | Another variant of the same product, at the same price. |
| Exchange | "Exchange for a different item" | Any product from your store. Price differences are charged or refunded. |
Turn each one on or off, and rename it, in Solutions. In the admin they're called Replace item and Exchange item. Replace is on by default and Exchange is off.
Same item, another variant
With Replace, the customer swaps each returned item for another variant of the same product. For example, a medium shirt for a large one.
- The new variant must be the same product.
- It must be the same price as the item being returned.
- It must be available under your exchange rule (see below).
The detail page has no Money card for these returns. The Items card lists the new variants under Replace to, and the key facts show the number of Items.
Another item from your store
With Exchange, the customer browses your store from the return page and picks anything they like, up to 20 of each item. The new items don't have to match what they're sending back.
On the detail page, the new items appear under Exchange for. The Money card shows how the values compare.
Gift cards are never offered
Gift card products never appear in the exchange shop. If a customer wants credit, offer store credit or a gift card refund instead.
Which items customers can exchange for
By default, customers can only pick variants that are in stock. On the Starter plan and above, you can change this under What customers can exchange for in Return policy:
| Rule | Customers can pick |
|---|---|
| Any variant in stock | Variants that are for sale and have stock. Default. |
| Variants above a stock level | Variants with at least the Minimum inventory you set. |
| Any variant, even out of stock | Any variant. |
| Specific variants with stock | Only the products and variants you pick, when they're in stock. |
The same rule applies to both Replace and Exchange.
Price differences
For Exchange returns, Falcon compares the value of what's coming back with the value of the new items.
The value coming back is the Expected refund: the returned items after discounts and any fees, plus any Exchange bonus. Fees and bonuses are explained in Refunds.
| If the new items cost… | Then |
|---|---|
| The same | Nothing to pay or refund. |
| Less | The customer gets the difference back as a refund. |
| More | The customer pays the difference. It shows as Customer pays on the Money card. |
Create the exchange
You create the exchange from an Approved return, usually once the items are back.
- Open the return.
- Click Create exchange in the Next step panel. This works the same for Replace and Exchange returns.
- In the Create exchange window, check the item lines, fees and Exchange items total.
- Check Refund remaining balance. It's filled in with what's left after the new items, shown as Suggested. It's often 0.
- Leave Restock items ticked to put returned items back in stock, or untick it.
- Leave Send a notification to the customer ticked to email them, or untick it.
- Click Create exchange.
You'll see "Refund processed". The status changes to Resolved. For Exchange returns, the Money card shows Exchanged.
When the customer owes money
If the new items cost more, the window shows a banner: "The customer owes …. Shopify will email them an invoice for the difference." When you create the exchange, Falcon asks Shopify to send the invoice for the order.
What happens in Shopify
The exchange items were added to the Shopify return when you approved it. Creating the exchange processes that return on the original order:
- The returned items are restocked, if you left Restock items ticked.
- The exchange items are processed on the same order.
- Any remaining balance is refunded to the original payment method. This needs a captured payment on the order.
The timeline notes "Exchange processed on order", the order number, and any refund or invoice.
What the customer receives
With Send a notification to the customer ticked, Falcon sends the Exchange order is created email. Its default heading is "Your exchange is on its way". Edit it in Email notifications.
Exchange automatically
An auto-exchange workflow can create the exchange as soon as you mark a return received. See Auto-refund and auto-exchange.