When a customer needs to send something back, you create a Return Merchandise Authorization, or RMA, in the Client Portal.
The RMA tells Mountainy what's coming back, from which order, and what to do with it when it arrives. This article walks through creating one and what happens next.
The return has to be tied to an order that shipped from Mountainy. You create the RMA from that order's page. Items that never shipped through the portal (for example, FBA orders or products Mountainy has never stocked) can't be returned this way.
Decide where the return goes. For Mountainy to receive, inspect, and restock the items, the return destination must be the Mountainy warehouse (Primary for PA or Mountainy AZ for Arizona). If you choose a different destination (your own office, for instance), the RMA is for your records only and Mountainy won't see or process it.
If you use a returns app such as Redo or Loop, returns started by customers in that app create the RMA in the portal automatically. Use the steps below for returns that don't come through the app: a customer who emailed you directly, a damaged item you're replacing, or a return you're authorizing by hand.
Open Orders from the left-hand menu and find the order (search by order number or customer details).
On the order page, open More Actions and choose Create Return.
Check the item or items being returned and enter the quantity for each.
Choose a Return Reason for each item (for example, "No longer wants" or "Too small") and a Return Type, which controls who pays for the return label (see below).
Confirm the customer's name and address. If any required field is blank or hidden, you'll need to fill it in before a label can be generated.
Under the return options, select the Mountainy warehouse as the destination.
Choose whether to generate a return label for the customer. If you do, pick the carrier and service, and adjust the package weight if the default doesn't fit (the weight drives the label cost).
Click Generate RMA.
The RMA now appears on the order page and on the Returns page in the left-hand menu, where you can track it.
The Return Type you choose on each line determines how the return label is handled:
Return Type | What it means |
|---|---|
Paid by Store | A prepaid return label is generated and you cover the cost. |
Paid by Customer | A prepaid return label is generated and the label cost is deducted from the customer's refund. |
Flat Rate | A prepaid label is generated and a fixed amount you've set is deducted from the refund, regardless of the actual label cost. |
Self-Return | No postage is included. The customer prints a label showing the addresses and pays for shipping themselves. |
Not Returnable | The item can't be returned (final sale, hygiene items, and so on). |
The return reasons and types available in the dropdowns come from your returns settings, so if you don't see the option you need, check Settings > Returns or ask us.
If you generated a return label, it's emailed to the customer automatically from the address on the order. The email includes the label and instructions. If you chose Self-Return, the customer receives the addresses to use but supplies their own postage.
If a customer says they never received the label, check the email address on the order first, then let us know in Slack with the RMA number.
Open Returns from the left-hand menu. Each RMA shows its status (Pending until it arrives, then Warehouse Complete and Complete as it's processed), the items expected, and the return tracking number if a label was generated. Items on open RMAs also show up in each product's Pending Return count on the Products page.
See "Return Statuses and How a Return Is Processed" for what each status means and when inventory goes back on the shelf.
If the customer wants a different item instead of a refund, you can create the RMA as an exchange. When you generate an exchange RMA, the portal creates a linked exchange order (its order number starts with EXC-) for the replacement item. The exchange order doesn't ship automatically; you release it from the RMA page when you're ready, whether that's as soon as the return tracking shows movement or after the item has been received and inspected.
An exchange selected by a customer in a returns app or widget does not create the exchange order automatically; a standard RMA is created with the exchange noted, and you create the replacement order yourself.
Refunds are issued in your store (Shopify, Amazon, and so on), not in the portal. The portal records what came back and in what condition; you decide on the refund once the RMA shows the items were received.
Return Statuses and How a Return Is Processed
How to Handle Reshipments with Mountainy
Redo Returns – Automated Returns & Exchanges
Order Statuses Explained: Ready, Not Ready, and Shipped
How Do Carrier Claims Work At Mountainy?