Variant exchange is a resolution that enables customers to request an exchange for a variant of the original item purchased - such as a different size or color.
In your eCommerce platform account, you can set up variants for each product, and manage inventory for each variant.
When a product’s variants have different pricing, the price difference will be displayed in the return portal.
When a variant exchange is selected for at least one item in the return request, ReturnGO will create a $0 draft order in your Shopify store once the request is approved. On other platforms it may be a regular order.
At the same time, a new action button, RELEASE EXCHANGE, will be available on the RMA page.
For Shopify stores, the RELEASE EXCHANGE button lets you move the draft order to an actual unfulfilled order in Shopify, which you can then process like any order.
Configuring Variant Exchange Resolutions
There are many settings that you can configure to manage how a variant exchange resolution will behave in your returns flow.
Tip: The default settings work in most cases.
To configure variant exchange resolutions:
- Go to Settings > Resolutions.
- In the Exchange Resolutions section, open a variant exchange resolution to edit it or create a new one.
3. In the Details section, edit the internal name for this resolution. This name will not be displayed to customers in the portal.
4. Edit the display name, which is how this resolution will be displayed in your return portal.
5. Edit the description, which is how the additional details of this resolution will be displayed in your return portal.
6. In the Pricing section, set the free exchange variant price range.
- The default is 100%-100%, meaning that exchanges for items of the same price will be free while customers will be charged the difference for more or less expensive items.
- If you change the range, customers won't be charged for cheaper items or refunded for more expensive ones within this range.
- You can change the reference price for price differences in the Exchange section of Settings > Store Settings (read below for details).
7. Toggle Charge price difference for more expensive variants to calculate the price difference and charge customers for variants above the free exchange range.
8. Toggle Refund price difference for less expensive variants to calculate the price difference and refund customers for variants below the free exchange range.
9. Select the refund method for how the customer will receive the refund for any price difference.
10. In the Stock section, select Allow out-of-stock exchange to allow customers to select out-of-stock variants.
11. Set a Minimum available stock threshold.
12. Add a link to the size chart you want to show customers when selecting a new product.
13. Add a size variant option name, to display the size chart URL only for this type of variant (i.e size, color).
14. In the Shipping section, set a default shipping rate for the new product that will be sent out.
15. Click on the save icon to save your changes.
You can now use this resolution to build your return policy in the return policy settings, where you can configure additional settings such as eligibility rules, fees, and more.
Price Difference Resulting in a Refund or a Charge
To settle exchanges where the chosen exchange item has a different price than the originally purchased item, variant exchange resolutions can be configured to:
- Refund the customer the price difference for less expensive variants.
- Charge the customer the price difference for more expensive variants.
The price difference is calculated below and above the free exchange range that you set up in Step 6 above. Anything within that range will be a free 1 to 1 exchange.
Using Catalog or Paid Price for the Price Difference
You can define which reference price to use when calculating the price difference:
- Paid price
- Catalog price at the time of RMA creation
- Catalog price at the time of purchase
To configure the price difference price source:
- Go to Settings > Store Settings.
- Open the Exchanges section.
4. Click on the save icon to save your changes.
Example:
Original item:
- Catalog price: $25
- Purchased with a 20% discount
- Net paid price: $20
- Free exchange rate is set to 100% to 100%
If the reference price is set to the catalog price:
- Choosing a $25 variant will result in a price difference of $0.
- Choosing a $30 variant will result in a charge of $5.
If the reference price is set to the paid price:
- Choosing a $25 variant will result in a charge of $5.
- Choosing a $30 variant will result in a charge of $10.
In this example, the price difference is based on the paid price.
Charging and Refunding Price Differences
If the price difference results in a refund, you can use REFUND/CREDIT on the RMA page to issue the refund.
If the price difference results in a charge, you can use RELEASE EXCHANGE on the RMA page to send an invoice to the customer.
Applying Fees on Variant Exchanges
If you configure a variant exchange policy rule to issue either a restocking fee and/or a return label fee, ReturnGO will create a draft order in your store which itemizes the fees.
This will automatically email the invoice to the customer. The customer will need to settle it before the exchange request can be approved.
Alternatively, you can have customers pay any fees directly in the portal using Portal Checkout.
