Advanced rules allow further customisation of how returns are processed.
They can often replace the traditional swap_noentry and other similar tags.
Advanced rules are made up of actions and conditions:
Actions: What the rule should do (e.g. block a return, change postage fee)
Conditions: When that rule should apply (e.g. for certain tags, customers, products)
You can combine multiple actions and multiple conditions per rule.
Conditions can use AND or OR logic, but not both in the same rule.
This article is for users of Returns V1. For the Returns V2 version, click here.
Setting Up Advanced Rules
To manage rules, go to Returns > Advanced Rules in your V1 Returns dashboard.
Actions
These define what happens when a rule is triggered.
Action | Description |
Order is not eligible for return | Prevents the entire order from being returned |
Order is only eligible for returning the following types | Limit to: Refund, Exchange, Shop Now, Shop Later, Additional Payment |
Order receives free return postage | Makes return postage free |
Order receives discounted return postage of (%) | Apply a percentage discount to the postage fee |
Order is not eligible for a store credit bonus | Disable the store credit bonus |
Order receives a handling fee | Apply a fixed fee to the return |
Set postage fee to | Override the postage fee with a fixed amount |
Multiply postage fee by | Multiply the standard postage fee |
Product is not eligible for return | Block specific products from being returned |
Product is only eligible for returning the following types | Limit product return types to: Exchange, Refund |
Return will be processed automatically | Auto-approve the return when conditions are met |
Return will be processed automatically after X days | Delay auto-approval by a set number of days |
Return requires review | Force manual approval of the return |
Return’s products do not need to be returned | Allow customers to keep items |
Set shipping carriers to | Limit return labels to specific carriers |
Trigger a webhook with the return data | Send return data to an external system via webhooks |
Trigger webhook with gift card data | Send gift card issuance info to an external system via webhooks |
Conditions
These define when a rule applies.
Condition | Description |
Order is tagged with | Applies to orders with specific order tags |
Order is not tagged with | Applies to orders without specific oder tags |
Order was made using a gift card | Applies to orders paid with a gift card |
Order was not made using a gift card | Applies to orders not paid with a gift card |
Order was made between two dates | Applies to orders in a fixed date range |
Order was made between some days ago | Applies to orders based on age (e.g. 30–60 days ago) |
Order’s value is | Applies based on the total value of the order |
Order was made using one of the following discount codes | Applies to promo or discount-based orders |
Order number is one of the following | Targets specific orders by order ID |
Order number is not one of the following | Excludes specific order IDs |
Order was made from one of the following countries | Limits actions to orders from specific regions |
Order was not made from one of the following countries | limits actions to orders not from specific regions |
Order is discounted | Applies to orders with any discount applied |
Customer has purchased more than X times in Y days | Targets frequent buyers. |
Customer is tagged with | Targets customer groups by Shopify tags |
Customer’s email is one of the following | Includes specific customers by email |
Customer’s email is not one of the following | Excludes specific customers |
Customer has returned more than X times in Y days | Limits excessive returners. If “more than 2 times in X days”, the first two returns are allowed. |
Product is tagged with | Applies to returns with specific product tags |
Product is not tagged with | applies to returns without specific product tags |
Product’s value is | Based on the product price |
Product discount is | Based on how much discount was applied |
Product’s name is | Targets specific product names |
Product’s SKU is | Targets specific SKUs |
Variant metafield | Targets products using Shopify variant metafields |
Return’s type is one of the following | Filters by return type (e.g. Refund, Exchange) |
Return’s type is not one of the following | Excludes certain return types |
Return’s type is all of the following | All listed return types must apply |
Return’s type is not all of the following | All listed return types must not apply |
Return’s number of items is | Based on the number of return items |
Return’s shipping status is one of the following | Filters by return status: Pre-Transit, In-Transit, Delivered, Own Label, etc. |
Return’s total package weight is (grams) | Applies based on package weight |
Return’s total value is | Filters based on value of items returned |
Return has X number of items tagged with | Targets returns with a certain number of products with a specific product tag |
Multiple Actions and Conditions
You can add multiple actions and conditions to a single rule.
Conditions can be combined with either:
AND – all must be true
OR – at least one must be true
Note: You cannot mix AND and OR in the same rule.
Example Rules
Here are some examples of Advanced Rules in action.
Example 1: Free return postage for VIP customers
Action | Order receives free return postage |
Condition | Customer is tagged with → VIP |
Example 2: Final sale orders can only be returned for shop now or exchange
Action | Order is only eligible for returning the following types → shop now, exchange |
Condition | Order was made using one of the following discount codes → FINALSALE10 |
Example 3: Prevent refunds for specific products, allow only exchanges
Action | Product is only eligible for returning the following types → exchange |
Condition | Product is tagged with → no-refund |