If the shop offers it, you can start a return or an exchange from the 'Manage your return' link: you enter your email and your order number, confirm from the link sent to your email and choose how to resolve it —a refund, an exchange for another size or colour, or store credit. It is a service the shop provides, distinct from the legal right of withdrawal: the shop decides which options to offer and under what conditions.
Commercial return or withdrawal: which is which?
These are two different paths and you should not confuse them:
| Withdrawal (legal right) | Return or exchange (shop service) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Cancel the purchase within 14 days | Return, exchange or request store credit |
| Availability | Always, by law | Only if the shop enables it |
| Outcome | Full refund to your payment method | Refund, exchange or store credit, your choice |
| Time limit | 14 calendar days | Whatever the shop sets |
If the shop does not offer commercial returns, you always still have the right of withdrawal (see "How do I withdraw from my purchase within 14 days?").
Step 1: identify yourself
Look for the 'Manage your return' link in the shop and open it. You will see a simple form:
- Your email address (the one used for the order).
- Your order number.
You are not asked to create an account. Click Continue and, for security, we send a magic link to your email (it expires one hour after we send it).
Step 2: choose how to resolve it
Open the link in the email. You will see the order summary and you can:
- Choose the items you want to return or exchange (by default they all come selected; some products may be excluded by the shop). If all your products are excluded, you will see 'These items aren't eligible for a return'. If some of them are already in another open request for the same order, the portal asks you to remove them or to wait for the shop to resolve the earlier one.
- Choose the resolution:
- Refund — the amount is returned to you via the same payment method.
- Exchange — for another size, colour or item; you choose the variant for each product.
- Store credit — a balance for future purchases in the shop.
- Add photos of the product, if you like (optional, up to 5).
A refund is always available (in a commercial return, unlike withdrawal, the delivery charges for the original delivery may not be included). If the shop offers extra credit, you will see it stated next to the options before choosing. An exchange and store credit only appear if the shop has enabled them; store credit also requires your order to have a customer account associated with it and the shop to have new customer accounts enabled in Shopify. Click to confirm.
If you prefer 'Swap for something else'
Some shops offer a fourth option, 'Swap for something else', which takes a different path: it turns your return into credit and lets you choose any product in the shop; if it costs more, you pay the difference (explained in "Exchanges and store credit"). It only appears if the shop has enabled it. It has no photos and has its own confirm button: when you click it, your request is registered and we take you straight to Shopify's secure checkout to pay the difference, if there is one; you receive an email with that same payment link, not the success screen or the confirmation email below. When the payment is completed, the shop receives the notice and you receive a 'payment received' email.
What you receive on confirming
With a refund, exchange or store credit: a success screen with your unique identifier and a confirmation email. Unlike the legal right of withdrawal, a commercial return does not generate an acknowledgement PDF: the shop will review your request and write to you with the next steps. If the shop has automatic approval rules and your request meets them, that first email will already tell you it has been approved.
What if the shop's time limit has passed?
If the shop's commercial window has already closed, you will see a notice. But remember: if you are still within 14 calendar days of receiving the product, you can withdraw —that right is independent of the shop's time limit. For the details of each option, read "Exchanges and store credit: how they work".