Customers are refunded instantly when they start a return. This is the exception process for reversing some or all of that refund if an item comes back damaged, stained, or otherwise not as expected.

Reshop refunds customers instantly the moment they start a return, before the item ever makes it back to you. Most returns need nothing further on your end: once an item is marked delivered, it simply auto-accepts after your account's review window, and the refund the customer already received stands as-is.

This process only comes into play when you inspect a returned item and find a problem. Rejecting or adjusting an item doesn't issue a new refund — it reverses some or all of the refund that has already gone out. This article covers how that works, including how to apply a partial deduction like a cleaning or repair fee.

Where to Make This Decision

Open the Returns tab at merchant.reshop.com/app/returns and click into any order marked Open with a Delivered shipping status. You only need to act here if inspection has turned up something worth rejecting or adjusting, otherwise there's nothing to do, and the return will auto-accept on its own. The order detail view shows the shipping timeline, the refund breakdown, the customer's details, and the item(s) being returned, which is what you'll use to make the call.

Your Options Once an Item Is Delivered

If a return needs your input, three options are offered under "What would you like to do with this return?":

The return-level decision — approve, adjust, or reject

Approve full refund and Reject refund close out a whole return in one click; handy when every item in the order gets the same treatment. Adjust refund is for anything more mixed: a multi-item order, or a single item that needs a partial deduction rather than an all-or-nothing call. It opens a per-item view so you can decide on each item individually. None of these buttons issue a new refund, Accept simply confirms the refund already sent to the customer, while Reject and Adjust reverse some or all of it.

Making the Call, Item by Item

Inside Adjust refund, each item in the return gets its own row with three buttons: Accept item, Reject item, and Process partial refund.

Accept item

You're not required to click this for every return; most returns auto-accept on their own (see Timing Matters below), and the customer's refund simply stands as it is. Use Accept item when you want to confirm a return is fine right away, without waiting out the review window. The original and final refund amounts stay the same here, because nothing is being reversed.

Accept item — the refund amount is unchanged ($473.26 → $473.26); nothing is reversed

Reject item

For items that shouldn't have been returned at all; outside the return window, or otherwise not eligible under your policy. Choosing Reject item reverses the entire refund already sent to the customer, and you'll be asked for a reason.

Process partial refund

This is the option for items that are still returnable but have lost some value; a stain, a needed repair, missing tags, light wear. It's the right tool for a common scenario: reversing a cleaning or repair fee out of the refund the customer already received, rather than rejecting the item outright and reversing all of it.

Select Process partial refund, enter the adjusted price and a short reason (for example, "stained"), and the Final refund amount field — what the customer ends up keeping — recalculates automatically.

Process partial refund — a 10% cleaning fee reversed, reason "stained"

What Happens to the Money

The customer's refund isn't held up anywhere waiting on your decision; it's already been paid out by the time you're reviewing the return. When you reject or adjust an item, that amount is reversed, in full or in part, on payment rails separate from the original purchase or refund. You won't see this as a distinct charge on your side — it happens behind the scenes rather than as a new transaction for you to track or reconcile.

A Worked Example: 10% Cleaning Deduction

The "Alka Knit Top – Off White" comes back stained. Its price is $448.50, and the retailer decides to reverse a 10% cleaning/repair fee rather than rejecting the return outright.

The formula behind it: new price = original price × (1 − deduction %). A 10% deduction means multiplying by 0.90; a 25% deduction means multiplying by 0.75, and so on.

Timing Matters

If you don't take any action on a return, that's expected, it's how most returns are handled. Once an item is marked delivered, it auto-accepts after your account's review window, and the refund the customer already received simply stands with nothing reversed.

That window defaults to three days, though some retailers have configured a longer one for their account. Only step in manually when inspection turns up something you want to reject or adjust — there's no need to click Accept item on every return that's fine as-is; the reason to open this flow at all is to act before that window closes if a reversal is warranted.

A Few Good Habits

• Remember this flow is only for exceptions — most returns don't need any action from you at all.
• Always add a reason for a rejection or a partial refund — it's required, and it's the record you (and the customer) will have if the decision is ever questioned.
• Keep reason text specific and consistent — "stained," "missing tags," "damaged zipper" — rather than something vague, so it stays useful in reporting later.
• Before confirming a partial refund, double-check the price field holds the amount the customer keeps, not the amount being reversed — it's the easiest mix-up to make.
• "Edit shipping" only touches shipping/tracking details — it has no effect on the refund decision itself.  Refer to Editing Shipping Information on a Return.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to manually accept every return?

No. Manual review is only needed when you plan to reject or adjust an item. Everything else auto-accepts on its own once your account's review window closes, and no action from you is required.

Has the customer already been refunded?

Yes — Reshop refunds the customer instantly when they start the return, before the item is even back with you. Nothing in this flow issues a new refund: Accept item simply confirms the refund that already went out, while Reject item and Process partial refund reverse some or all of it.

What's the real difference between Reject item and a partial refund?

Reject item reverses the customer's entire original refund — use it when the return itself shouldn't have happened. A partial refund reverses only part of it, so the customer keeps most of what they were refunded, because the item is resellable but not in perfect condition.

Will I see the reversed amount as a charge on my end?

No. Reversals from a rejection or a partial refund run on payment rails separate from the original purchase or refund, so they won't appear as a distinct charge for you to track.

What happens if I don't act on a return?

Nothing goes wrong — that's the normal path. The return auto-accepts once the review window closes (three days by default, longer for some retailers), and the refund the customer already received simply stands.

Do I always need to give a reason?

Yes, for both Reject item and Process partial refund. It's a required field, and it's what explains the decision later if anyone needs to look back at it.

How do I work out the right adjustment amount?

Decide your deduction as a percentage of the item's price, then enter the item's price minus that percentage in the price field — that's what the customer keeps, and it's what determines how much gets reversed. See the worked example above.

Can different items in the same order get different decisions?

Yes. Adjust refund walks through the return item by item, so one item can be accepted while another is partially refunded or rejected, all within the same order.