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A return shipment is a label for a parcel coming back to you. In Zippendo you create it yourself (or let Zippendo create it when the original shipment is sent), print the label and give it to your customer. There is no return portal where customers create their own returns. Walkthrough: Returns. All rule fields: Shipping rule fields. How service points and pickups differ: Service points.
Zippendo does not host a return page for your customers. Some carrier products, such as GLS ShopReturn, email the customer or show a QR code. That comes from the carrier, not from Zippendo.

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What you need

  1. A return shipping rule: a shipping rule with Direction set to Inbound (return) and a return product.
  2. On the normal (Outbound) rule you ship with, set Return shipping rule to that return rule.
Then either switch on Create return automatically when the shipment is sent, or click Create return shipment after the shipment is Sent.

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Create the return shipping rule

Open Shipping rules and click Add shipping rule. Under Direction (Outbound for regular shipments, inbound for returns.), choose Inbound (return).
Create shipping rule with the Direction field: outbound for regular shipments, inbound for returnsCreate shipping rule with the Direction field: outbound for regular shipments, inbound for returns

Direction: Outbound or Inbound (return)

Product now only lists return products. If the carrier has none, you see No products available for Inbound (return). For GLS Denmark, for example, you can pick GLS ShopReturn or GLS Pick&Return.
Product list showing GLS ShopReturn and GLS Pick&Return for a return ruleProduct list showing GLS ShopReturn and GLS Pick&Return for a return rule

Return products for GLS Denmark: GLS ShopReturn and GLS Pick&Return

Address still says Select the sender address for this rule. and lists your sender addresses, also on a return rule. Receiving countries, the conditions, Hard limits and Test work the same as on a normal rule. See Shipping rule fields.

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Connect it to your normal rule

Open the Outbound rule you ship with and click Configure on the Return shipping card.
Return shipping section with Return shipping rule set to NoneReturn shipping section with Return shipping rule set to None

Return shipping: Return shipping rule says None until you pick a return rule

Switch on Create return automatically when the shipment is sent if every shipment should come with a return label. Leave it off if returns are the exception, and create them by hand when you need one.

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Create a return shipment by hand

Open Shipments and click Create shipment. Set Type * to Inbound (the default is Outbound). With Inbound selected, two fields change:
Create shipment form with Type Inbound and Receiver addressCreate shipment form with Type Inbound and Receiver address

Create shipment with Type Inbound and the Receiver address field

Add return addresses under Manage → Addresses. See Sender, pickup, and return addresses. Create shipment on an order always makes a normal (Outbound) shipment. For a return, use this form or Create return shipment below. Fill in Reference * (for example ORDER-12345), the parties and the parcels, then create and send the shipment as usual. See Create a shipment and Send a shipment. To list only return shipments, filter the Shipments list on Inbound. See Search and filters.

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Create return shipment from a sent shipment

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On the shipment

On the shipment page, Create return shipment (Creating return shipment… while it works) appears at the top only when all of these are true:
  • The status is Sent
  • The type is Outbound
  • The shipment’s shipping rule has a Return shipping rule
  • Create return automatically when the shipment is sent is off on that rule
There is nothing else to fill in. One click creates the return shipment.

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On the order

On the order’s Shipments tab, the ⋮ menu on a shipment card has Create return shipment (Creating… while it works). It shows when the shipment is Sent and Outbound and the order’s shipping rule has a Return shipping rule with auto-create off. To pick the return rule, Zippendo looks at the shipment’s own shipping rule first, then at the order’s.

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What you get

You see Return shipment created or Couldn’t create return shipment.

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Automations

An automation can also create return shipments with the action Create return shipment, with an optional Return shipping rule. See Build an automation.