Shopify returns are controlled by return rules in Settings, then Policies, where you set the return window, who pays return shipping, any restocking fee and which items are final sale. Turn on self-serve returns as well and customers can request a return from their order status page, which you then approve or decline in the admin.
The catch is in the defaults. If your return rules were off when an item was bought, customers can request a return on it with no time limit, and switching rules on later doesn't fix that, because rule changes only apply to future orders. The other surprise: return fees aren't taken off refunds automatically. When you refund, you deduct the restocking fee or return shipping fee yourself.
What a return rule controls
| Setting | Your options, as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Return window | 14, 30 or 90 days, unlimited, or a custom number of days |
| Window starts from | Each item's delivery, or delivery of the last item in the order |
| Return shipping | Free, a flat fee charged once per return, or the customer buys their own label |
| Restocking fee | Optional, set as a share of the return and shown when the customer requests it |
| Final sale items | Products or collections that can't be returned or cancelled |
| Window overrides | A longer or shorter window for chosen collections, products or variants |
Overrides have one rule worth remembering: when an item sits in more than one override, the shortest window wins. Shopify's example is a store with a 30-day default, a clearance collection on 14 days and furniture on 90 days. A product in both collections gets 14 days. Final sale beats any override, and bundles can't be set as final sale. You also can't mix products and collections in the final sale list; it's one or the other.
Return rules apply to every order, B2B included, and you can't set separate rules by order type. You can tick Extend to account for weekends or holidays, so a window that ends on a weekend runs to the next business day. To use return rules with Shopify POS you need POS Pro, which is worth knowing if you run Shopify POS in a shop.
Setting up return rules
- From your Shopify admin, go to Settings, then Policies.
- In Return and cancellation rules, click the rule you want to edit and turn on return rules.
- Pick the return window and when it starts from.
- Choose how return shipping is handled, and enter a rate if you pick flat rate.
- Optionally add a restocking fee, final sale products or collections, and any window overrides.
- Click Save.
Cancellation rules sit in the same place and cover items that haven't shipped. The choices are no cancellations, until the item is fulfilled, 15 minutes, 1 hour or 24 hours. If you sell to the EU, Shopify's guidance is a return window of at least 14 days counted from delivery of the last item, with cancellations allowed until fulfilment, to support the right of withdrawal. For EU orders, refunds need to go out within 14 days of the cancellation request.
Starting October 23, 2026, if an order shipped to a US address and you use Shopify Tax or Tax Platform, tax is calculated on return shipping fees where they're taxable. It isn't calculated on restocking fees. If you've been adding that tax by hand, review your process so it isn't collected twice.
Self-serve returns: what customers see
With self-serve returns on, a customer signs in to their customer account with their email and a six-digit code, no password needed, and requests a return on delivered items or a cancellation on items that haven't shipped. The return reasons they're offered depend on the product category, so clothing shows options like Too big or Too small. They get an email confirming the request before you've looked at it.
A few limits matter. Self-serve returns don't work with legacy customer accounts, so you either upgrade or add the customer accounts URL to your footer, refund policy or a returns page. Customers can't request an exchange themselves, though you can add exchange items when you approve. A single request can't hold more than 250 line items. And a cancellation request on a subscription order doesn't cancel the subscription itself.
Switching on self-serve returns
Where you do this depends on your admin. If Settings, then Customer accounts has an Order actions section, you click Manage there and turn on Return, Cancel or both. Stores on the Advanced or Plus plan can do that per market, and an order follows the market it was placed in, not where the customer lives. If there's no Order actions section, which includes Starter and Retail plan stores, you turn on Self-serve returns and cancellations in the Customer accounts section and choose returns only, cancellations only or both, for the whole store.
Approving and declining return requests
You need to be the store owner or have the Orders permission to review requests. Use the Customer request filter on the Orders page to find them. A return request shows on a Return requested card inside the order; a cancellation request shows as a banner at the top.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
| Request | What you do |
|---|---|
| Approve a return | Click Review request, adjust fees if needed, add exchange items, choose a return label option, then Approve |
| Decline a return | Pick an internal decline reason and edit the message the customer receives |
| Resolve a cancellation | Click Remove items to open the refund flow; the request is marked resolved when you refund |
| Decline a cancellation | Click Manage request, then Decline request, or Mark as resolved to close it without emailing anyone |
For return shipping you can create a label in Shopify, upload one as a PDF, PNG or JPEG with tracking details, or choose No shipping required. Creating the label in Shopify only works when your location and the customer's address are both in the United States or both in Canada. Once the items are back and inspected, you issue the refund and restock what you can.
My verdict on Shopify returns
I'd switch on return rules before anything else, even if you never turn on self-serve, because rules still apply when you process returns by hand and they stop open-ended requests. Then add self-serve returns once you're on new customer accounts, so customers stop emailing you for every return. If your volume outgrows the admin, I've compared returns software that adds more automation.
Return approvals and refund follow-ups are the kind of repetitive steps I help teams automate. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Shopify return window?
You choose: 14, 30 or 90 days, unlimited, or a custom number of days, starting from each item's delivery or from delivery of the last item.
Does Shopify take return fees off the refund automatically?
No. Return fees aren't automatically deducted, so you deduct any restocking or return shipping fee when you create the refund.
Can customers request a Shopify exchange themselves?
No. Exchanges can't be requested through self-serve returns, but you can add exchange items when you approve a return.
Why can a customer return an old order with no time limit?
If your return rules were off when the item was bought, customers can request a return with no time limit. Rule changes only apply to future orders.
Who can approve Shopify return requests?
The store owner, or staff with the Orders permission.
