Remove Return Items from an Existing RMA
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As a merchant, you may encounter situations where a shopper changes their mind and decides not to return all items in their original return request (RMA). To accommodate this, merchants can now remove return items from an existing RMA, allowing for an updated and more accurate return process.
This feature allows you to adjust the return item quantity in the existing RMA and ensures that your analytics remain accurate, helping you manage your returns more effectively.
Removing an item from a return request will not affect the resolution of the RMA. For instance, if a customer initially requested an exchange for the same item at the same price but later decides not to return it, the merchant can remove the item from the RMA for reporting purposes. However, the exchange item will still be shipped to the customer, who will be required to pay the additional amount for the item being exchanged. This makes it the case of "Shop now" (upsell) exchange.
RMA status: The feature is available for RMAs in Pending or Approved status.
Refund status: The refund status should be Pending (i.e., the refund has not been processed yet).
Exchange status
a. Stripe/No checkout: The exchange order has not been created, and the RMA request is still Pending.
b. Shopify checkout: No restrictions. You can remove items when an exchange order is created.
Return quantity: Must be greater than 1. There has to be more than one item in the return request.
Role requirements: Only Managers or higher roles can remove return items from existing RMAs.
Go to the Returns dashboard in your AfterShip Returns dashboard.
Choose an RMA where you want to remove a return item.
On the upper-right corner, select More actions. Click the Remove return items button.
Choose the item the shopper wants to keep and fill in the reason. You can also notify the shopper about this change by enabling the Edit return request email notification.
After the item is removed, you can view the changes on the RMA details page and review the timeline to track this action.
Removing an item from the RMA will affect the return value, return tax, and total value of the return. However, the following values will not be adjusted:
Cost of return
Pre-discount value
Shop now extra credit
Store credit incentives
The following scenarios will occur when an item is removed from the RMA:
When the expected refund is greater than the value of the removed item, the refund amount is reduced.
Example:
Initial purchase: The shopper bought 2 items worth $200 and $50 respectively, totalling $250.
Original refund: The shopper planned to return both items, so the expected refund would be $250.
Item removal: The shopper decides to keep one 1 item worth $200. The said item is removed from the return.
New refund calculation
Original refund (for 2 items): $250.
New refund (after removing 1 item): $50 (refund is adjusted for only 1 returned item).
Outcome
The refund is reduced by the value of the removed item ($200).
Final refund after removal: $50.
If the expected refund is less than the value of the removed item, merchants will need to collect the difference from the shopper offline. A payment-required banner will show the new upsell value.
Example:
Original return: The shopper wants to return 2 items, each worth $100, so the total return value is $200.
Exchange transaction:
Instead of receiving a refund for the full $200 value of the items, the shopper decides to exchange 1 item for a new item worth $150.
The $150 exchange item reduces the total refund value.
Item removal: After the exchange, the shopper decides to keep one 1 item worth $100. The said item is removed from the return. This means they will no longer return one of the items, which had a value of $100.
Refund calculations:
Exchange value: The shopper exchanged an item worth $150 for a new item. The value of the exchange is $150.
Refund value (Original): If the shopper had returned both items, the refund would have been $200 (the value of two $100 items).
Refund value (New): After removing one of the return items (the $100 item), the shopper will only receive a refund for the remaining item. The refund for the remaining item is $100, as only one item (the original $100 item) is left for refund.
Expected refund (Original): Before removing the item, the shopper expected to receive $50 as a refund, because of the exchange with a cheap product. The shopper was expecting to get the difference between the value of the exchanged item and the value of the item being returned. This comes from the $150 exchange value and the $200 refund expected (i.e., $200 - $150 = $50).
Amount to collect from shopper: Now, because the shopper is no longer returning the $100 item, the new refund amount is $100 (based on the remaining returned item). However, the shopper was originally expecting $50 in refund (after the exchange). This means that the refund value has increased by $50, since the shopper was originally expecting $50 but now gets $100. Therefore, the merchant needs to collect this excess amount of $50 from the shopper.
Payment required banner: The payment required banner will be displayed to show the new upsell value — in this case, the $50 that the shopper needs to pay because the refund value is higher than the expected refund.
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Key points:
The refund is adjusted because of the exchange and item removal.
The merchant collects an additional $50 offline since the new refund is less than the expected refund.
A payment-required banner will tell the merchant the additional amount the shopper needs to pay to cover the difference.
If the shopper has already paid part of the return and exchange value, removing the item will adjust the amount they owe. A payment required banner will appear, and the payment status will change to Partially paid.
Example:
Initial purchase: The customer bought 2 items, each costing $100, so the total cost was $200.
Exchange transaction: The customer decided to exchange one of the items for something else worth $300. They have already paid $100 toward the value of the exchange.
Item removal: The shopper decides to keep one 1 item worth $100. The said item is removed from the return.
Refund calculation:
Initially, if both items were returned, the customer would receive a refund of $200 (the total original purchase amount).
After removing one item from the return, the refund amount is reduced to $100, because they are no longer returning one of the items.
Payment calculation:
Upsell amount paid: The customer had already paid $100 toward the exchange.
Amount to collect from shopper: Since the refund has been reduced (from $200 to $100), the merchant now needs to collect the remaining $100 from the customer.
Status update: The payment status changes to Partially paid because the customer has already paid $100, but still owes $100 more.
Payment required banner: A payment-required banner will appear, notifying the merchant that they need to collect the remaining $100 from shopper.
Removing an item from an RMA does not affect the resolution method of the return request. The exchange or return process continues as originally intended. The primary impact is on the return value, refund calculations, and how the customer is billed.
Although the item is removed, the resolution method—whether it’s a return, exchange, or refund—remains unchanged. The exchange item will still be delivered to the customer, who may need to pay the additional value of the exchanged item (upsell) or be refunded in case they opt for a cheaper product.
Example:
Initial purchase: The customer buys 2 items, $249 and $50 respectively, totalling $299.
Exchange request: The customer requests an exchange for both items, each being replaced with the same item at the same price. In this case, the refund value will be $0 since the items are being with the same items of the same value.
Item removal: The customer decided to not return the item worth $50. As a result, you remove that item from the RMA on the RMA detail page.
Resolution method (Unchanged): Even though an item is removed from the return request, the overall resolution method remains the same. This means the process of exchange continues as planned.
Impact on the exchange: The exchange item (which might be more expensive or a different product), in this case exchanged with the same item at the same price, will still be shipped to the customer. However, since the return request is now for only one item, the customer will be required to pay the additional upsell amount for the new item.
Upsell payment: In the case of an exchange, the exchange item costs the same as the one being returned, the customer will be required to pay the difference ($50). Since the customer will receive a new item, they will need to cover the additional cost if it’s higher than or equal to the original item value.
Refund and billing adjustments
The value of the return items which was originally $299, will be changed to $249.
The value of exchange items will remain the same as $299, as per the original RMA request.
The amount to be collected will show $50 upsell amount for the product that will be delivered to the customer.
Banner
The customer will need to pay the additional cost of the upsell item, and a payment-required banner ($50) will inform them of the new upsell amount.
RMA detail page
On the RMA detail page, you will see an entry for only the product that needs to be returned in exchange for the new item.
Exchange order on eCommerce platform
The exchange process for the remaining item in the RMA will proceed as planned. You can create an exchange order from the RMA detail page, which will redirect you to the Shopify order creation page. Even though the customer has decided not to return the original item and you have removed it from the RMA, the exchange item will still be delivered as requested in the original RMA. As a result, the new order will display both items for which the exchange was requested.
To keep your customers informed about changes to their return requests, you can manage notification emails in the Notification section.
Go to Customizations > Notifications in your AfterShip Returns admin.
Scroll down to Items returned email notification. Activate the email notification and edit the messaging as per your requirement.
Currently, merchants cannot regenerate the return label after removing an item. However, shoppers can still use the existing return label to send the item back to the merchant.
This feature is coming soon. You will be able to remove exchange items in the future.
This feature is on our roadmap. In the next version, AfterShip will assist merchants in capturing the value difference when the returned item is removed.
Overview
As a merchant, you may encounter situations where a shopper changes their mind and decides not to return all items in their original return request (RMA). To accommodate this, merchants can now remove return items from an existing RMA, allowing for an updated and more accurate return process.
This feature allows you to adjust the return item quantity in the existing RMA and ensures that your analytics remain accurate, helping you manage your returns more effectively.
Removing an item from a return request will not affect the resolution of the RMA. For instance, if a customer initially requested an exchange for the same item at the same price but later decides not to return it, the merchant can remove the item from the RMA for reporting purposes. However, the exchange item will still be shipped to the customer, who will be required to pay the additional amount for the item being exchanged. This makes it the case of "Shop now" (upsell) exchange.
Prerequisites
RMA status: The feature is available for RMAs in Pending or Approved status.
Refund status: The refund status should be Pending (i.e., the refund has not been processed yet).
Exchange status
a. Stripe/No checkout: The exchange order has not been created, and the RMA request is still Pending.
b. Shopify checkout: No restrictions. You can remove items when an exchange order is created.
Return quantity: Must be greater than 1. There has to be more than one item in the return request.
Role requirements: Only Managers or higher roles can remove return items from existing RMAs.
How to remove an item from an RMA
Go to the Returns dashboard in your AfterShip Returns dashboard.
Choose an RMA where you want to remove a return item.
On the upper-right corner, select More actions. Click the Remove return items button.
Choose the item the shopper wants to keep and fill in the reason. You can also notify the shopper about this change by enabling the Edit return request email notification.
After the item is removed, you can view the changes on the RMA details page and review the timeline to track this action.
Impact on return and refund calculations
Removing an item from the RMA will affect the return value, return tax, and total value of the return. However, the following values will not be adjusted:
Cost of return
Pre-discount value
Shop now extra credit
Store credit incentives
The following scenarios will occur when an item is removed from the RMA:
1. Refund less money
When the expected refund is greater than the value of the removed item, the refund amount is reduced.
Example:
Initial purchase: The shopper bought 2 items worth $200 and $50 respectively, totalling $250.
Original refund: The shopper planned to return both items, so the expected refund would be $250.
Item removal: The shopper decides to keep one 1 item worth $200. The said item is removed from the return.
New refund calculation
Original refund (for 2 items): $250.
New refund (after removing 1 item): $50 (refund is adjusted for only 1 returned item).
Outcome
The refund is reduced by the value of the removed item ($200).
Final refund after removal: $50.
2. Refund to payment
If the expected refund is less than the value of the removed item, merchants will need to collect the difference from the shopper offline. A payment-required banner will show the new upsell value.
Example:
Original return: The shopper wants to return 2 items, each worth $100, so the total return value is $200.
Exchange transaction:
Instead of receiving a refund for the full $200 value of the items, the shopper decides to exchange 1 item for a new item worth $150.
The $150 exchange item reduces the total refund value.
Item removal: After the exchange, the shopper decides to keep one 1 item worth $100. The said item is removed from the return. This means they will no longer return one of the items, which had a value of $100.
Refund calculations:
Exchange value: The shopper exchanged an item worth $150 for a new item. The value of the exchange is $150.
Refund value (Original): If the shopper had returned both items, the refund would have been $200 (the value of two $100 items).
Refund value (New): After removing one of the return items (the $100 item), the shopper will only receive a refund for the remaining item. The refund for the remaining item is $100, as only one item (the original $100 item) is left for refund.
Expected refund (Original): Before removing the item, the shopper expected to receive $50 as a refund, because of the exchange with a cheap product. The shopper was expecting to get the difference between the value of the exchanged item and the value of the item being returned. This comes from the $150 exchange value and the $200 refund expected (i.e., $200 - $150 = $50).
Amount to collect from shopper: Now, because the shopper is no longer returning the $100 item, the new refund amount is $100 (based on the remaining returned item). However, the shopper was originally expecting $50 in refund (after the exchange). This means that the refund value has increased by $50, since the shopper was originally expecting $50 but now gets $100. Therefore, the merchant needs to collect this excess amount of $50 from the shopper.
Payment required banner: The payment required banner will be displayed to show the new upsell value — in this case, the $50 that the shopper needs to pay because the refund value is higher than the expected refund.
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Key points:
The refund is adjusted because of the exchange and item removal.
The merchant collects an additional $50 offline since the new refund is less than the expected refund.
A payment-required banner will tell the merchant the additional amount the shopper needs to pay to cover the difference.
3. Paid to partially paid
If the shopper has already paid part of the return and exchange value, removing the item will adjust the amount they owe. A payment required banner will appear, and the payment status will change to Partially paid.
Example:
Initial purchase: The customer bought 2 items, each costing $100, so the total cost was $200.
Exchange transaction: The customer decided to exchange one of the items for something else worth $300. They have already paid $100 toward the value of the exchange.
Item removal: The shopper decides to keep one 1 item worth $100. The said item is removed from the return.
Refund calculation:
Initially, if both items were returned, the customer would receive a refund of $200 (the total original purchase amount).
After removing one item from the return, the refund amount is reduced to $100, because they are no longer returning one of the items.
Payment calculation:
Upsell amount paid: The customer had already paid $100 toward the exchange.
Amount to collect from shopper: Since the refund has been reduced (from $200 to $100), the merchant now needs to collect the remaining $100 from the customer.
Status update: The payment status changes to Partially paid because the customer has already paid $100, but still owes $100 more.
Payment required banner: A payment-required banner will appear, notifying the merchant that they need to collect the remaining $100 from shopper.
Impact on the resolution method
Removing an item from an RMA does not affect the resolution method of the return request. The exchange or return process continues as originally intended. The primary impact is on the return value, refund calculations, and how the customer is billed.
Although the item is removed, the resolution method—whether it’s a return, exchange, or refund—remains unchanged. The exchange item will still be delivered to the customer, who may need to pay the additional value of the exchanged item (upsell) or be refunded in case they opt for a cheaper product.
Example:
Initial purchase: The customer buys 2 items, $249 and $50 respectively, totalling $299.
Exchange request: The customer requests an exchange for both items, each being replaced with the same item at the same price. In this case, the refund value will be $0 since the items are being with the same items of the same value.
Item removal: The customer decided to not return the item worth $50. As a result, you remove that item from the RMA on the RMA detail page.
Resolution method (Unchanged): Even though an item is removed from the return request, the overall resolution method remains the same. This means the process of exchange continues as planned.
Impact on the exchange: The exchange item (which might be more expensive or a different product), in this case exchanged with the same item at the same price, will still be shipped to the customer. However, since the return request is now for only one item, the customer will be required to pay the additional upsell amount for the new item.
Upsell payment: In the case of an exchange, the exchange item costs the same as the one being returned, the customer will be required to pay the difference ($50). Since the customer will receive a new item, they will need to cover the additional cost if it’s higher than or equal to the original item value.
Refund and billing adjustments
The value of the return items which was originally $299, will be changed to $249.
The value of exchange items will remain the same as $299, as per the original RMA request.
The amount to be collected will show $50 upsell amount for the product that will be delivered to the customer.
Banner
The customer will need to pay the additional cost of the upsell item, and a payment-required banner ($50) will inform them of the new upsell amount.
RMA detail page
On the RMA detail page, you will see an entry for only the product that needs to be returned in exchange for the new item.
Exchange order on eCommerce platform
The exchange process for the remaining item in the RMA will proceed as planned. You can create an exchange order from the RMA detail page, which will redirect you to the Shopify order creation page. Even though the customer has decided not to return the original item and you have removed it from the RMA, the exchange item will still be delivered as requested in the original RMA. As a result, the new order will display both items for which the exchange was requested.
Customer notification
To keep your customers informed about changes to their return requests, you can manage notification emails in the Notification section.
Go to Customizations > Notifications in your AfterShip Returns admin.
Scroll down to Items returned email notification. Activate the email notification and edit the messaging as per your requirement.
FAQ
1. Can we regenerate a return label after removing an item?
Currently, merchants cannot regenerate the return label after removing an item. However, shoppers can still use the existing return label to send the item back to the merchant.
2. Can we remove the exchange item from the existing RMA?
This feature is coming soon. You will be able to remove exchange items in the future.
3. Can AfterShip help merchants capture the new upsell value?
This feature is on our roadmap. In the next version, AfterShip will assist merchants in capturing the value difference when the returned item is removed.
Updated on: 04/04/2025
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