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Managing Returns

Managing Returns in Shipwire

If you look at an order that was shipped in your account history, you can click on the “detail” button of that order to report a number of issues with the order. One of these options is “My customer wants to return item(s)”. With this selection, you have the ability to prepare a proper shipping label for your customer to use to ensure that your item(s) are recognizeable by the warheouse and proprly re-inventoried. At this point you will have two options:

1. I do not wish to pay for the return. Please provide the customer a generic Shipwire label.

  • Submitting this option will prompt Shipwire to email you and your customer (select the box to email tracking to your customer) a proper shipping label to our warehouse. The customer should download this label and tape it on the return package and take it to the postal facility of their choice. A carrier with tracking is recommended. Your customer is responsible for the shipment so it is also recommended that they insure the package.
  • Shipwire will notify you on your dashboard and on the shipping details of the original order when the item is received and whether it is re-inventoried or damaged and discarded.

2. I wish to pay for the return. Please provide the customer a pre-paid shipping label.

  • This option is available only in the US and occasionally Canada.
  • If you are in the UK (and Canada possibly), you should have your customer still use the downloaded label and have them send you the cost of returning the product and organize a refund to them. This is 100% the responsibility of you the merchant
  • If you are in the US (and parts of Canada), this option will email your customer a prepaid label with the estimated value of the return postage in parentheses. If this option is submitted, your account will be charged the return postage and your customer could schedule a pick up if possible, or take it to the nearest facility that matches the postage carrier.
  • Insuring the package is recommended in any scenario.

Managing a Return Authorization (RMA)

  1. Log in to Shipwire Account and enter the order number in the search box at the top, go to that order.

  2. Click on “Report a Problem or Return” (underneath order status on top box of page)

  3. Choose the delivery problem with your order and follow the steps relating to your specific order.

If your customer is sending merchandise back to the warehouse, Shipwire will automatically generate an RMA (Return Materials Authorization) label, which MUST be placed on the return. This will ensure that Shipwire can quickly add it back to inventory. It also keeps the inventory counts correct.

Notifying Merchant of Return

If the return label is prepaid, tracking is immediately available and you can track the return back to the warehouse. When the label is not prepaid, please ensure that your customer provides tracking to you if you wish to track the return.

Once the return is processed at the warehouse, Shipwire will determine whether it is in good condition or damaged. You will receive a message regarding the order on your dashboard and by clicking on its details to learn more, you will see whether it was returned in good condition and back in inventory, or if it was damaged and no longer available for fulfilling orders.

note: This process is also duplicated for returns due to undeliverable addresses, customer unavailability to receive orders, customer rejection of orders, and any other related returns issues.

Damaged Returns

When the warehouse returns your item(s) as damaged, you have the option to file a claim for damaged goods if you have outbound insurance. The damaged goods are placed in a section with other damaged goods and eventually discarded. If you would like to have the damaged items shipped back to you, please immediately create a stand alone special project (this must link to a userguide page on “how to create a special project for ASN’s and stand alone”) and define:

  1. original order #
  2. damaged good(s)
  3. send to address
  4. recipient
  5. method of shipping to direct the warehouse.

Please recognize that the shipping fees will be charged to your Shipwire account and the item(s) counting against your monthly plan. Other Shipwire help content on returns and crafting a customer returns policy.

Crafting your Returns Policy

You will most likely encounter one of these four scenarios regarding your customer returning their order. Here are some thoughts for crafting your online returns policy.
Note the following procedures for your scenario:

  1. Customer has original packaging/labels AND is paying: Have the customer ship the order back to us via Fedex, UPS or shipping of their choice. The warehouse will recognize the labeling and put it back to proper inventory. You should recommend they use a carrier that provides tracking.
  2. Customer has original packaging/labels AND you are paying. You should go to the original order in Shipwire. Click on “Report a problem or Return” and walk through the couple questions to get your shipping label to e-mail to your customer, have them print it and put it on the shipment and give it to their local  mail carrier.
  3. Customer does not have original packaging/labels AND is paying:
    • Have your customer package up the product appropriately.
    • Address the package to the same address as your ASN was addressed to.If you use multiple warehouses make sure you tell your merchant the correct address and warehouse.

    • Put on the first address line “Return Order ID (Shipwire order # here!)”. For this you need to get the Shipwire Order ID. You can get this by looking up the customer’s name in the transaction# using the History (My Accounts to History on the left navigation bar of your account home page) page and view the order details.
    • Encourage your customer to insure the return in case it is misplaced.
    • When it is sent get tracking from your customer – you’ll need that in case you need to follow up with support to find it.
  4. Customer does not have original packaging/labels and you are paying: go to “Ship from my desktop” and download the shipping label, email it to your customer, have them print it and put it on the new packaging they will use. Follow steps for option 3 after they have your shipping label.

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