Hey guys, I am in Australia. I am trying to deal with an exchange from New Zealand so an International one. This is the 1st time, I am not able to create a return label in Shippo or Australia post for the items. Has anyone had this issue before and how do I resolve it. I want to be able to create it for them so it is easy. In this case I have asked the customer just to return themselves and I will then ship the new items but I’d like to resolve this for future exchanges.
Hey! I’ve run into this situation before with cross-border returns between Australia and New Zealand, and it can definitely be a bit tricky. Platforms like Shippo and Australia Post don’t always support generating return labels for international shipments, which is why you’re hitting those limitations.
What you’ve done so far—asking the customer to return the item themselves—is actually the most common workaround for AU/NZ exchanges when a return label can’t be created.
In case you want to streamline this for future orders, here are a few options that can help:
Use a courier service that supports international return labels (like DHL Express or FedEx). They allow pre-generated return labels, though the cost is usually higher.
Set up a local NZ return address through a 3PL or returns-handling service. They can collect and consolidate returns before forwarding them to you.
Reach out to Shippo support to confirm whether they can enable international return label options based on your carrier settings.
It’s a common issue for AU/NZ sellers, but with the right setup, you can make the process much smoother for future exchanges.
Hi @BK01
If you expect more AU-NZ exchanges in the future, here are a few pratical ways to make the process smoother:
- Check which carriers actually support prepaid international return labels for AU-NZ. Australia Post is pretty restricted on this route.
- As a workaround, try creating a standard outbound shipping label to your own address in NZ post instead of using the official return label method.
- Use a courier that fully supports international return labels, like DHL Express or FedEx. They’re more reliable for cross-border return labels and usually allow prepaid labels without the AU Post limitations, though the cost is higher.
- Set different rules for domestic and international returns. For example, you can offer prepaid return labels to Australian customers but ask NZ customers to ship items back themselves or trigger a automatice review. This avoids getting stuck trying to generate labels that carriers don’t support.
- Consider consolidating returns in New Zealand. A small local 3PL or a forwarding service can collect returns for you and then send them back in batches, which cuts down on individual return label issues and reduces cost.
- You can try to reach out to Shippo support. Sometimes international return label options can be enabled depending on the carriers linked to your account.
I’d also recommend using a returns & exchange management tool, ParcelPanel Returns. It can apply different rules for AU vs. NZ customers, you can set the free returns policy to be available only to shoppers in Australia. And it integrates with Shippo, DHL, FedEx, and other carriers, so you can access better label rates and even schedule free pickups where supported.
Hope it helps!
Heidi