How to process customer return requests
Customer return requests land on the Returns Portal page, where you can review the returned items and reasons, approve or reject each request, and generate the return shipping label. The page works the same way for Shopify and WooCommerce stores — what differs is what happens in your store afterwards.
- 1
In the sidebar, click Returns Portal (you land on the Requests tab).
- 2
Find the request — search by order number, email, customer name or return label tracking code, or use the status tabs: All, Pending, Approved, Processed, Completed, Rejected, Cancelled.
- 3
Click the request card to expand it and review the returned items, quantities, and the customer's reason (Too small, Too large, Changed my mind, Damaged or defective, Other).
- 4
For a Pending request, click Approve & create label or Reject. Approving creates the return label right away and moves the request to Processed — there is no separate labelling step afterwards.
- 5
If the label could not be created, the card shows a Label problem badge with the reason. Fix the cause, then click Create return label to try again.
- 6
Click Download label in the shipment section to save the label PDF, or follow the Tracking link to monitor the return.
Select your store platform
Good to know
- Approving creates a real Return on the Shopify order with the label attached as a reverse delivery — you can see it on the order in your Shopify admin. Shopify, not OrderKrab, sends the customer the return shipping label email.
- Store sync failed on a Shopify store usually means the OrderKrab app is missing the returns permission. Open Settings → Apps and sales channels → OrderKrab in your Shopify admin, accept the updated permissions, then click Create return label again.
- A return that spans items shipped from more than one location can't be pushed to Shopify as a single return — OrderKrab reports it rather than guessing which location the goods go back to.
- This page is a PRO feature. On the LABELS plan it opens an upgrade screen, so customer-initiated returns are unavailable — but Create Return on an order still works, and return shipping is still configured under Shipping → Returns.
- The eye icon opens the related order page; the external-link icon opens the order in your store admin.
- A Customer notified badge shows when the customer has been informed.
- With Auto-approve return requests switched on under Returns Portal → Settings, requests never sit here as Pending — they are approved and labelled the moment the buyer submits. Switched off, every request waits for you on this tab.
- Label problems come in three kinds: Label creation failed (the carrier refused the shipment, or the country has no return carrier configured), Label initiation failed, and Store sync failed — the label exists, but your store was not updated, so the customer was not emailed. Each one clears itself as soon as a later attempt succeeds.
- A failed return label never moves the order to Needs attention. Return problems are shown on the Returns page only, so check here rather than the order list.
- Approving creates the label and notifies the customer; it never issues a refund. Refunds stay a deliberate action in your store admin.