This guide explains what return reasons are, why they're useful, where to manage them in your Returbo Dashboard, how to add and manage your own, and how they connect to restocking.
What Are Return Reasons?
Return reasons are the options your customers choose from when they start a return, exchange, or complaint on an order. Instead of just requesting a return, customers tell you why they're returning an item (for example, "Wrong size" or "Item arrived damaged").
Why Return Reasons Matter
Collecting this information does more than keep things organized. It gives you data you can actually use.
Spot patterns. If a lot of customers are returning the same product for the same reason, you'll see it right away.
Reduce future returns. Common issues (like sizing problems or inaccurate product descriptions) become easy to fix once you know they're happening.
Understand your customers better. Reasons for returns, exchanges, and complaints are tracked separately, so you get a clearer picture of each type of request.
Default Return Reasons and Translations
Returbo comes with a set of default return reasons built in, covering returns, exchanges, and complaints. You don't need to set anything up to start using them.
These default reasons are already translated into every language Returbo supports, so customers see reasons in their own language automatically. No extra translation work is needed on your end.
Where to Find Return Reason Settings
You can view and manage your return reasons here:
Go to your Returbo Dashboard.
Click Settings.
Open Request Settings --> General
Scroll down to the Return Reasons section.
From here, you'll see the default reasons Returbo provides for returns, exchanges, and complaints.
Adding a Custom Return Reason
Want to add your own return reason instead of just using the defaults? You can do this from the same Return Reasons section.
Go to your Returbo Dashboard.
Open Settings > Request Settings > General
Scroll down to Return Reasons.
Click Edit Reasons.
At the bottom of the section you want to add to (Return, Exchange, or Complaint), click Add a custom reason.
Enter your custom reason.
Add a translation for each language you've activated. For example, if you've added Swedish under Settings > Customization > Languages, you'll need to add the Swedish translation before you can save.
Click Confirm.
Scroll down and click Save changes.
Your custom reason will now appear alongside the default ones for customers to select.
Editing a Custom Reason
If you need to make changes to a custom reason later, click the three vertical dots to the right of it and select Edit reason.
Adding a Sub-Reason
You can also add sub-reasons to any main reason. For example, under a main reason like "Wrong size," you might add a sub-reason like "Too small."
Go to your Returbo Dashboard.
Open Settings > Request Settings > General
Scroll down to Return Reasons.
Click Edit Reasons.
Find the main reason you want to add a sub-reason to.
Click the three vertical dots to the right of that reason.
Select Add sub-reason.
Enter your sub-reason.
Add a translation for each language you've activated, just as you would for a custom reason.
Click Confirm.
Scroll down and click Save changes.
Archiving a Return Reason
If you want to stop using a reason without deleting it, you can archive it instead.
To archive a reason:
Go to your Returbo Dashboard.
Open Settings > Request Settings > General
Scroll down to Return Reasons.
Click Edit Reasons.
Click the three vertical dots to the right of the reason you want to remove.
Select Archive reason.
To unarchive a reason:
From the same Return Reasons screen, click Archived reasons in the top right corner.
Click the three vertical dots to the right of the reason you want to bring back.
Select Unarchive reason.
Restock Options Based on Return Reason
Return reasons aren't just for collecting data, they also control how restocking works. Returbo gives you two ways to handle restocking: automatically, based on the return reason, or manually, on an item-by-item basis.
Complaints are the one exception. Since items involved in a complaint usually can't be resold, they're never restocked, no matter which option you choose.
Automatic Restock
With this option, Returbo restocks (or doesn't restock) items automatically based on the return reason the customer selected. For example, you might want items returned for "Wrong size" restocked automatically, while items returned for "Item arrived damaged" are not.
To set this up:
Go to your Returbo Dashboard.
Open Settings > Request Settings > General
Scroll down to Return Reasons.
Click Edit Reasons.
On the right side of each reason, choose whether that reason should trigger a restock or not.
Complaints don't appear as an option here since they're never restocked.
Manual Restock
With this option, restocking isn't automatic. Instead, when a return or exchange reaches the Pending for Approval stage, you decide item by item whether it should be restocked during the quality check.
This gives you more control if you'd rather inspect items before deciding, rather than relying on the return reason alone.
A Note on Ongoing WMS Integration
If your store uses the Ongoing warehouse management system integration, Returbo will never restock items directly, regardless of which option you choose. All restocking happens within Ongoing instead.
In this case, the restock setting on each return reason controls something slightly different: whether an item should be scrapped by default in Ongoing, not whether it's restocked in Returbo.