Creating a return on a customer's behalf

When a customer phones or emails to send something back, you raise the return yourself from the order. Create return sits in the Returns section of the order page in your Orbit dashboard. It walks you through three steps: the items, the reasons, and how the return will be settled. Because you raised it, the return starts as Approved. After that it follows the same receive and complete steps as one the customer raised.

Considerations

• Your return window applies here too. If it has closed for the order, Orbit refuses the return. To take it anyway, extend or clear the window first. See Setting your return window and return reasons.
• Only items you have sent can come back. Create return shows once something on the order has been sent, and an item that has not gone out yet reads Not sent yet in the window.
• You cannot return more of an item than you sent. Units already on a requested, approved or received return count against that. Declined and cancelled returns do not.
• Creating the return moves no money and no stock. You refund when you complete the return or from the order, and stock comes back when you mark the items received.
• The customer gets the Return Approved email as soon as you create the return. It gives your store address to send the items to, or asks them to contact you for it if you have not saved one.

Create a return

1. From your Orbit dashboard, go to Orders.
2. Open the order.
3. Scroll to the Returns section. It reads No returns if none exist yet.
4. Click Create return. The Create return: step 1 of 3 window opens.

Step 1: pick the items

5. Under Select items to return, tick each item coming back. Each row shows the product and the line total.
6. A Quantity (max 3) box appears under each ticked item, showing how many can come back. It starts at 1. Type the number coming back.
7. Click Next. The button stays grey until you have ticked at least one item.

A bundle lists its components under the bundle's name. Click Return whole bundle to tick every component at its full quantity, or tick the components one by one.

Step 2: give a reason

8. Under Select a reason for each item, each item you ticked is listed with its quantity.
9. Click Select reason... and pick a reason. The list is the one on your Return reasons page.
10. Type what the customer told you in Additional note (optional). The note is saved against that item.
11. Click Next. The button stays grey until every item has a reason.

Step 3: choose the resolution and check the summary

12. Set Resolution type to Refund or Exchange. Agree this with the customer before you go on. It decides the later steps of the return.
13. Leave Auto-restock items on if the units should go back on sale once they arrive. Switch it off for goods you will not sell again. This only sets the starting choice you see when you receive the items. You can still change it then.
14. Under Notes (optional), type anything else the customer said. It is saved as the Customer notes on the return.
15. Check the Summary. It lists each item with its quantity and value, and the Total refund. The values come from the line totals on the order.
16. Click Create return. The message Return created appears.

The new return shows in the Returns section with its number, such as RET-0001, its resolution, the status Approved, its item count and the date. Click it to open the return page.

Refund or exchange?

• Refund: the customer gets their money back. Once you receive and check the items, you issue the refund against the original payment, either when you complete the return or from the order. See Refunding an order.
• Exchange: the customer gets replacement goods. Their money stays with you and you fulfil the replacements. Check the replacement is in stock first.

What happens next

• Status: the return starts as Approved. Open it and click Receive items when the parcel arrives, then Complete return. See Processing a return.
• Stock: each unit comes back only when you choose Restock on Receive items. With Auto-restock items off, every line starts as Quarantine instead.
• Money: creating the return pays nothing. When you complete a refund return, Orbit offers to refund the customer in the same step. You can also refund from the order's Refund button.
• The customer: they get the Return Approved email now, and Return Completed at the end.
• Where it shows: under Orders, then Returns, and in the Return column of the Orders list, which reads Return in progress.

Tip: If the customer is keeping the item, such as a low value product that costs more to post back than to replace, open the return and click Resolve without return.

Related guides

• Processing a return
• Managing returns
• Refunding an order
• Setting your return window and return reasons