I will note that as we age away from the prior POS, it should be possible for any prior sale to be located and process a return/exchange via the existing facility. So this should become less of an issue. There may be some cases where it’s difficult to locate the original sale order, but I think we can work through that.
Your reply should not be marked as an accepted solution because it doesn’t address the problem of a gift return or an even exchange.
Here is an example of how this cost me a sale and created a very angry customer. The customer came in with a dress and wanted a different size. Not realizing how badly Shopify handles returns, we followed the process. The original sale was on a credit card, so Shopify automatically chose that as the refund process and credited it back. Now it was time to exchange it for the new dress but the customer didn’t have her credit card with her. She didn’t have cash enough to pay for the new dress. She was angry and upset and has not been back.
This is only one of the reasons that Shopify does not work in a brick-and-mortar store setting. Shopify development has created a robust online sales platform but has missed the most simple tasks that even a basic cash register would be able to handle.
I’ve been looking for a workaround with no success for this and several other items such as an end-of-day report and regular deposits that match the end-of-day numbers. Bookkeeping is a nightmare and it is insulting to ask users to pay for apps to deal with the issues Shopify will not address.
I can’t see using Shopify to grow my business. The time I waste trying to get the information I need leaves me no time for anything else. Very disappointed that the reviews didn’t disclose these major deficiencies in the program. Even more disappointing that they exist at all, since they are relatively very simple to address.
11 Likes
This is NOT a solution - Please read all the comments below. Shopify must fix this!!
9 Likes
I got on here to hopefully find a solution, only to find out that this has been a problem for a very long time and still nothing has been done about it. I have swapped from another POS to shopify and currently having to pay for 2 POS which makes it very hard to balance the register and also very costly. Surely there is an easy fix to this problem. Seems like there are many of us who need it to be fixed urgently.
7 Likes
After years of complaints, this still has not been addressed. 
How hard can it be to just add a simple Return button to create a return that is not tied to an order. We also need to be able to select a different payment method when doing a return other than what was originally used on the order. This would help with gifts being returned. Then instead of putting it back on the purchaser’s card, the gift recipient could get cash or store credit or put it on their card. This would help as well when an online purchase is returned in store and the original card has expired. The refund process just fails and there is no way to fix it!
7 Likes
Since Shopify requires you to have a denomination set for Gift Cards, how can I issue a Gift Card for the exact amount? Meaning with tax included?
1 Like
Hmmm…When you sell a gift card there are set denominations but at the bottom you should have a custom gift card amount. You can place any amount in there. Atleast this is how mine works.
After 3 years and no resolution I am still waiting for a simple return button within shopify. This is just crazy that you can not perform a return unless it is linked to a receipt. It has caused many problems for me. I would love to hear how others handle this situation and shopify really should listen to its customers if they are raising our prices.
2 Likes
add us to the list. We are running with this big/insane issue too, this is a critical feature. Please read all the comments below. Shopify must fix this!!
3 Likes
THIS DOES NOT WORK. Please simply add a “return” feature exactly like a processing a new sale. Have it as an option within the POS terminal.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ADD THIS!!! I just switched over from RICS Software and returns are an every day part of retail. We are a week into transitioning from RICS to Shopify and are having a ■■■■ ton of issues with original orders that were done on RICS and need to be returned within Shopify. There is no original order so we currently are not allowed to process a return and are unable to process an exchange because the original order was not in Shopify.
Even after we get done with the transition, this is a simple function that could be a core feature of Shopify. This is a 100% needed enhancment.
7 Likes
We just moved over from QB POS because QB POS was discontinued. Today is day 1 on Shopify and this has already been an issue. Standing in front of a customer and trying to figure out how to process a return from a sale done in QB Point of Sale - knowing it’s impossible to actually process the return was an experience.
5 Likes
This workaround is not an acceptable solution, especially after 3 additional years without this option being added as a feature. It’s pretty simple, allow the quantities of items to become negative in the cart.
2 Likes
Not sure what else we can do to get their attention…I have been begging for a return feature for years!!! So frustrating. Getting ready to make a switch.
3 Likes
Add us to the list of people requiring a method of returns without previous shopify sale. We have moved from Lightspeed which had major flaws, however you could just put a “-” symbol in front of the stock figure or amount in the cart which created a manual return.
3 Likes
This is an awful solution and absolutely out of line with any standard retail practice.
and the fact that nothing has been done to address it is really discouraging and demonstrates how little concern Shopify has for retailers.
3 Likes
Same exact situation. It would be reassuring to feel like Shopify POS developers had even just once seen their software perform in an actual physical storefront. There are SO many gaps in this platform that it just reaffirms that they have not. Negative quantities, devs, negative quantities.
1 Like
Back in time, I suggested this would become less of an issue over time. It has not. Without a receipt, it is difficult to find the original sale. So I reiterate the need for a simple negative quantity solution. Insert head banging against the wall emoji.
2 Likes
We just made the switch as well. It has been quite the challenge with returns. This has been going on since 2015, and I can’t believe they haven’t fixed this!
We ended up deciding to do payouts and manual adjusting the inventory. Hopefully in a few weeks this issue will go away.
2 Likes
This is one of the most requested features and it is still not dealt with. With Shopify pushing their POS so aggressively they really should address this. Returns for a known customer or receipt with a barcode works fine, but most often a customer in a retail store is a new customer, no profile, and many don’t want a receipt. This leaves a huge gap for when a customer wants to do a return but there is not way to search for the original order. @Shopify_77 when will we have a solution for this? We are about to lose a client because this functionality is not there.
3 Likes
Exactly. Please help me try to get through to them!! I have been dealing with this for years. It’s so frustrating.
1 Like
How can we get through to Shopify? This is obviously not working. And plenty of customers are experiencing the same frustration!!
1 Like