Requires: X-Cart 5.6.0.17 or later. If your store is on X-Cart 5.6.0.16 or earlier, see Order returns: customer experience in the "Order Returns (X-Cart 5.6.0.16 and earlier)" collection instead.
Once self-served returns are enabled, customers can request returns entirely on their own, without contacting you first.
Creating a return request
A Create return button appears next to an order in the customer’s order list, as long as the order has at least one item that’s eligible for return — the item is returnable, its shipment has reached one of the eligible statuses (Delivered by default), the return window hasn’t expired, and the item isn’t already part of another return request.
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Clicking it opens the Creating return for order #… page. Items are grouped by the location they shipped from, and each shows a Returnable until [date] deadline.
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To submit a request, the customer:
Selects the item(s) to return using the checkbox(es).
Adjusts the quantity, if returning less than the full amount.
Picks a reason from the list that appears once an item is selected — if they choose Other, they also need to describe the reason in a comment.
Clicks Submit return.
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Items that don’t qualify for a return are shown separately, with the reason why — for example, the return window has expired, the item isn’t returnable, the shipment hasn’t arrived yet, or it’s already part of another return request.
After submitting, the customer is taken to the return request’s details page and sees a confirmation message; you’re notified as well.
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A customer can submit more than one return request for the same order over time — for example, return one item today and another one next week.
Tracking a return request
Each return request gets its own number in the format: R-<order number>-<sequence> — for example, R-8-1 for the first request on order #8. The request’s details page shows:
A three-step progress bar: Submitted → Processing → Completed.
Items still awaiting your decision, labeled Pending.
Once you approve items, RMA details for the shipment back to you.
Declined items, with the reason you gave.
A Contact admin button for follow-up questions.
Customers can see all of their requests from the Returns section of their account, next to Orders.
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Each order also reflects its return status: items show a Return requested, Return in progress, or Returned label linking back to the corresponding return request.
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FAQ
Q: A customer says they don’t see the Create return button — what should I check?
A: The button only shows up once every condition is met: self-served returns are enabled, the item is returnable, the return window hasn’t expired, and — this is the one that’s easy to miss — the item’s shipment itself (not the order’s overall Fulfillment status) is in one of the eligible statuses you’ve configured, Delivered by default. An order can show as Delivered in the customer’s account while its underlying shipment, on the order’s Shipments tab, is still in an earlier status — the two are tracked separately and don’t always update together. Open the order, check the Shipments tab, and move the shipment itself to Delivered (or whichever status you’ve made eligible) if needed.