Returns and refunds
When a customer sends back a delivered order, record the return on the order: choose the products and quantities, the reason, the inventory the products go back to and, if you need one, a return shipping label. Then track what arrives and refund the customer. Returns start from the order's page in Orders > All orders.
Starting a return needs the staff permission to manage order statuses. Generating a return label needs permission to edit orders. Refunding online payments needs the Zid Pay permissions to view transactions and request refunds.
Which orders can be returned
You can return an order once it is Completed. Reverse order appears in More options only for completed orders that have not already been returned with a return label. A return label can be issued only once per order.
Digital products, such as downloadable files and vouchers, are not part of quantity returns.
Ways to return the shipment
A return usually starts when the customer contacts you and asks to send the order back. You then choose how the shipment comes back:
| Way | How it works |
|---|---|
| Return label through Zid | You issue the return label from the order with a shipping company you choose, and the cost is deducted from your Zid wallet. You send the label to the customer, who hands the shipment to the company as the label says. See Generate a return label. |
| Manual return | You record the return in Zid without a label and issue the return label yourself from your account with the shipping company you deal with. You can still issue a label through Zid later from the order's page. |
Start a return
Open the completed order.
Select More options > Reverse order. You can also change the order status to Processing reverse, which opens the same page.
Sample data from a demo store. The Return order # page opens. Fill in the sections below.
Sample data from a demo store. Select Order return at the top of the page and confirm.
When you confirm, the order moves to Processing reverse and you go back to the order page.
Products and return details
The Products and return details card lists the order's products.
Full return is on by default and returns every product with its full quantity.
To return only some products, turn Full return off and enter the quantity to return for each product, from 0 up to the ordered quantity.
Total refund cost shows the value of the returned products. The returned products go back to the inventory you choose, whichever inventory they were shipped from.
Reason and inventory
| Field | Rule |
|---|---|
| Reason for reversal | Required. Pick one or more reasons. To add a new reason, type it and select Create when no match is found. |
| Inventory | Required. The inventory location the products return to. |
The card also shows the order number, creation date and source.
Customer address
The Customer address card is filled in from the order. Check it, since the shipping company collects from this address.
| Field | Rule |
|---|---|
| Country | Required |
| City | Required |
| District | Required |
| Street | Required |
| Phone number | Required, a valid mobile number |
Generate a return label
Under Generate return label, turn on Create a return label directly through Zid to book the return shipment with a shipping provider. The delivery cost is deducted from your Zid wallet.
Choose a provider under Shipping method. As the page notes, Prices don't include VAT.
Under Number of shipments, enter how many boxes the customer is returning. You can return up to the number of boxes the order was sent in.
Select Order return at the top of the page.
The providers and prices depend on the order and the customer's address. Each card says how the shipment reaches the company. With a branch drop-off option, such as SMSA or Aramex branch drop-off, the customer takes the shipment to the company's nearest branch or drop-off point.
If no shipping method is available for the order, the switch is disabled. You can still complete the return and issue the label yourself with a shipping provider.
When you confirm a return with a label, Zid asks you to confirm because the label can be issued only once per order. Without a label, Zid asks you to confirm the return without a shipping label.
Track the returned products
After you start the return, the order page shows two tabs: Order products and Returned Products, with the number of returned products. Open Returned Products.
For each returned product, record what happened to the returned quantity:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Receive | Received in good condition |
| Not received | Did not arrive |
| Damage | Arrived damaged |
The three numbers together cannot exceed the returned quantity. Select Update to save. You can update the products while the order is Processing reverse.
Only the quantity you mark Receive goes back to the inventory you chose for the return. Products that didn't arrive or arrived damaged stay out of your stock.
Refund the customer
The Refund process details card records the refund for the returned products.
Choose the method in Select refund method. The options depend on how the customer paid, and the method the customer paid with is selected when it is available. Otherwise bank transfer is selected.
Enter the Refunded amount, up to the return total.
For methods other than bank transfer, you can add a Note for your records.
For a bank transfer, you can select Upload receipt to add the Refund receipt, choose the bank in The bank transferred to and add a Note, then select Confirm refund in that form.
Otherwise, select Confirm refund.
After you confirm, the card shows the refund method, amount and receipt with a Confirmed badge, and the method can no longer be changed.
To refund an online payment without a return, use the Refund button on the order's payment card. See Order details.
Return shipping
The Shipping details card on the Returned Products tab shows the return shipment.
If no label was issued, you see No label generated. Select Generate label via Zid, choose a shipping provider and the number of shipments, then select Generate shipping label.
Once a label exists, the card shows the shipping company, the shipment status and the tracking number, with Tracking URL and Print waybill.
Select Print waybill and send the label to your customer, for example by email or WhatsApp. When the return method is a branch drop-off, the customer takes the shipment with its label to the shipping company's nearest branch. If you return orders through a carrier of your own instead, issue the return label from your account with that carrier.
If Zid Logistics is not active, the card shows You can easily generate a shipping label after activating Zid Logistics with Activate. You can activate Zid Logistics for returns only, without turning on any of its delivery methods for your store.
Finish the return
When the return label was issued through Zid, the order moves to Reversed on its own once the shipping company brings the returned shipment back to you. Otherwise, when the return is settled, change the order status:
| New status | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Reversed | The return is complete. This status is final. |
| Completed | The return was cancelled and the customer keeps the order. Not available once a return label has been issued. |
Partially Reversed marks an order where only part of the order was returned. Reversed and partially reversed orders cannot change status again.
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