Returns and refunds
Money back, stock back — or not, if it came back damaged — with the reason kept.
A return is not an order being deleted. Stock may come back, money goes out, and the reason is worth more than either.
How it works
- The refund is recorded against the original order rather than as a separate negative sale.
- Returned stock is restored, or not, depending on the condition it arrived in.
- The reason is captured and kept.
Reasons are the whole point
Returns analysed as a cost tell you nothing you can act on. Analysed by reason and by product, they name the cause.
Concentrated on one product it is usually the listing — a description or a size guide promising something the item does not deliver, which is fixable in an afternoon. Concentrated on one channel it is that channel’s buyers or its returns policy. Spread evenly across a category, it is the cost of selling that category.
What it does not do
It does not print return labels or run a customer-facing returns portal with automated approval. A return here starts as a decision you make, not a form the customer submits.
Stop reconciling stock by hand
One catalogue, six channels, one stock figure that stays right.