> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.perform.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Returns Overview

> The portal view of every return request and its status, where your team approves, rejects, records refunds and reaches the return shipment and label.

**Available to all Returns customers.**

## Summary

The Returns Overview lists every return request your shoppers submit, with its status, items, reason and attachments, and is where your team approves or rejects a request, records the refund amount and method, and jumps to the original order or the return shipment. Reports & Analysis adds return rate, reasons and approval charts.

## Who it’s for

Customer service teams who manage return requests day to day, and operations teams who need to find a return parcel without logging into a carrier portal.

## Key benefits

* **One list for every request.** Pending, approved, rejected, shipping and refunded requests sit in one view, searchable by order ID.
* **Approve or reject with the evidence in front of you.** The request details show the customer, the items, the reason and any image the shopper uploaded. A rejection records a reason that the shopper also sees.
* **Refund details stay with the request.** Record the refund amount, refund method, cost and notes on each request, so finance and service teams read the same record.
* **One click to the parcel.** Each request links to the original shipment and to the return shipment, where tracking events and the label live.
* **Return shipments stay separate from deliveries.** In Shipment Overview, the Shipment Type filter isolates return shipments, and the same filter works in Reports & Analysis.

## How it works

### Statuses

| Status | Meaning |
| - | - |
| Pending | The request waits for approval or rejection. |
| Cancelled | The shopper withdrew the request. |
| Approved | Your team or your rules approved the request. |
| Rejected | Your team rejected the request. The reason is recorded. |
| Shipping | The request is approved, the carrier booking succeeded and the parcel is about to be handed to the carrier. |
| Refunded | The parcel was returned and the shopper received the refund. Set when the return shipment receives the “refund successfully processed” event. |

A Rejected request can be changed to Approved. An approval cannot be reversed.

### Request details

Opening a request shows the customer information, the returned items, the reason and the actions to approve or reject. Two editable sections hold your own inputs:

* **Refund:** refund amount and refund method.
* **Cost and notes:** the cost of the return and free-text notes.

Use a period as the decimal separator when entering amounts.

From the details you can navigate to the original shipment and to the return shipment. **Go to Return Shipment** opens the return shipment in Shipment Overview, where the **Documents** section holds the label or QR code.

### Finding the original order

The request carries the order ID of the original order. Because an order often has several shipments, check the items and the customer data to pick the right one. You can also search by customer email, postal code or customer name.

### Return shipments in Shipment Overview

Return shipments appear in Shipment Overview next to outbound shipments. Filter on **Shipment Type** = **Return** to list only shipments created through customer-initiated returns, and combine it with any other filter. The same filter distinguishes customer returns from undelivered parcels that went back to sender. Returns also has its own tabs in Shipment Overview.

### Deleting a request

Return requests and return shipments cannot be deleted by users. To have one removed, contact support with the order ID of the request or the shipment ID of the return shipment. Removal cannot be undone.

> [!TIP]
>
> Use a sandbox account for testing so you do not create return shipments you later need removed.

### Reports & Analysis

Under **Returns** > **Reports & Analysis**, two reports cover the last 30 days of requests:

| Report | Charts |
| - | - |
| Return approvals | Approval rate over time, as a line chart or table. Exports as PNG or CSV. |
| Return rate & reasons | Returns over time (requests per day), return rate per day as chart or table with PNG and CSV export, and return reasons as a pie chart of the reasons shoppers submitted. |

The reports always show the last 30 days; a date range filter is not available. The whole report can be sent by email.

## Set up in the portal

Go to **Returns** > **Returns Overview**.

1. Search by order ID or scroll the list. The status column shows where each request stands.
2. Select a request to open its details: customer information, items, reason, attachment and the approve or reject actions.
3. To reject, select **Reject**, enter the reason the shopper will see, and select **Proceed**.
4. To approve, select **Approve**. The shipment status updates and the shopper is told the next step.
5. To record the refund, select **Edit**, enter the refund amount and method, add cost and notes if needed, and select **Save**.
6. Select **Go to Return Shipment** to open the parcel’s tracking and documents.

> [!TIP]
>
> If every request should be approved automatically, ask your account team to switch on the automated approval flow. See [Self-Service Returns](https://developers.perform.ai/products/returns/self-service-returns.md).

## Use via API and MCP

* List return shipments with [List Shipments](https://developers.perform.ai/guides/list-shipments.md) (`GET /v5/shipment/list/`, [API reference](https://developers.perform.ai/api-reference/v5/shipments/list-shipments.md)). 
* Through the Perform.AI MCP server, your AI assistant can search return shipments with `list_shipments`. See [MCP tools](https://developers.perform.ai/mcp/tools.md).

## FAQ

### Why has my return shipment not updated?

Either the carrier booking failed, so the carrier never received the shipment details, or the booking succeeded but the carrier has not sent tracking events yet, which is common until the shopper drops the parcel off. Open the return shipment to check, and use the carrier redirect to view it on the carrier’s site. Contact support if a booking failed or the shipment has been silent for a long time.

### Can I get the label or QR code for a shopper from the portal?

Yes. Open the request, select **Go to Return Shipment**, and download the label or QR code from the **Documents** section. The label contains personal data, so share it with care.

### Can I undo an approval or a rejection?

A rejection can be changed to an approval. An approval cannot be reversed.

### How do I find the original order for a return?

Use the order ID shown on the request. If the order has several shipments, compare the items and customer data, or search by customer email, postal code or name.

### Can I delete a test return?

Not from the portal. Contact support with the order ID or shipment ID, and note that removal is permanent. Use a sandbox account for testing.

### Are returns included in my delivery reports?

Return shipments are listed with outbound shipments, so filter on Shipment Type in Reports & Analysis to separate them.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
| - | - | - |
| Return shipment status stuck after approval | Carrier booking failed | Open the return shipment and check the booking attempt. Contact support if it failed. |
| Return shipment approved but no tracking events | Carrier has not scanned the parcel yet | Wait for the drop-off. Pending return shipments are polled for up to 21 days. |
| Cannot find the original shipment for a request | The order has several shipments | Compare items and customer data, or search by email, postal code or name. |
| Refund amount is not saved | Wrong decimal separator | Enter amounts with a period as the decimal point, then **Save**. |
| Return shipments mixed with undelivered parcels | No Shipment Type filter applied | Filter on **Shipment Type** = **Return** to show customer-initiated returns only. |

## Related

* [Self-Service Returns](https://developers.perform.ai/products/returns/self-service-returns.md)
* [Return Options & Labels](https://developers.perform.ai/products/returns/return-options-and-labels.md)
* [Shipment Overview](https://developers.perform.ai/products/post-purchase/shipment-overview.md)
* [Returns overview](https://developers.perform.ai/products/returns/overview.md)


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