Purpose: this a guide on how you can process your return shipments in the Sendcloud panel. With the Sendcloud return portal, your customers can initiate hassle-free returns and you can easily process them from a clear and concise returns overview.
Not yet activated your return portal? Click here to see how to activate it and allow easy return options for your customers, or watch our video tutorial.
Returns overview
Our return portal is full of benefits that will help make your return process more efficient.
- Print return labels easily: You don't have manually create each return. Customers can automatically create their returns, so all they have to do is print the label and bring their package to the selected location.
- Automatic Track & Trace: You can use the customizable track & trace emails to inform your customers about the status of their return.
- More orders: Communicate the possibilities for returning shipments clearly on your website. For example in the footer of your website. When your customers know upfront that they can easily return an order if needed, it will make them more comfortable ordering at your webshop and thus will help increase conversion.
Return details and parcel tracking
Refunding returns
We have made the return portal options as flexible as possible when it comes to charging or not charging for returns, and handling your refunds based on incoming return parcels. Many companies offer free returns, but you can choose to charge customers a fixed return fee by going to Settings > Returns and enabling the return fee and entering an amount.
After selecting this option, the end consumer will see the following information in the return portal on the confirmation step. Note: when you fill in a fixed amount like € 5, the message will show that costs instead of "free".
To make issuing returns easier, in the return detail view you can see the total amount to be refunded to the customer will be calculated for you based on the items returned, the return fee (if there is one) and the original shipping cost.
The total refund estimate will be shown at the bottom of the Refund method section. By changing the slider next to "Shipping cost" on or off, you can choose whether to calculate the shipping cost into the refund total or not.
You can click the "mark as refunded" button to note when you have processed an incoming return.
Examples of refunds
Example 1: Full refund
You sell 2 t-shirts to a customer of € 20 each with shipping costs of € 5. Your fixed return fee is € 5. The customer returns both t-shirts.
Items value: € 40
Shipping costs: + € 5
Return costs: - € 5
--------------------------------
Total refund: € 40
Example 2: Partial refund
You sell 2 t-shirts to a customer of € 20 each with shipping costs of € 5. Your fixed return fee is € 5. The customer returns one t-shirt of the two he ordered.
Items value: € 40
Shipping costs: doesn't apply*
Return costs: - € 5
--------------------------------
Total refund: € 35
Resending the return label
The customer will be prompted to download their return label as soon as they have created a return using the return portal, provided they have not chosen to return in-store. It will also be sent to them in an email.
However, if for some reason they are unable to print the return label when initially prompted, or if they can no longer locate it, you might want to resend it to your customer. To do so, simply navigate to the particular return in your Returns overview, click the eye icon to enter the return details and click the "Resend return label" button to send the label again to the customer via their email address.
Manually creating returns
The return portal can only be used for orders which have been processed through your Sendcloud platform, as the data for the return is retrieved via the original order. In some cases, you may want to create a return manually so you can handle the return parcel in Sendcloud.
Here's how to manually create a return:
- Add your client's address details to your sender addresses in your Sendcloud panel. To do this, go to Settings > Addresses > Sender addresses.
- Create a manual shipment. To do this, go to the Shipping tab at the top of your panel and then click on New shipment.
- Select the address data of this customer as the sender address at the top left and enter your own address data when creating the label.
- Create the label and send this shipping label as a PDF file to your customer so that they can physically print and stick it on their parcel.
- After creating and sending this label, we advise you to remove your customer's return address from your settings to prevent mistakes in the future.
For further questions, please contact us via the contact form within your Sendcloud panel.