When someone buys through OfferLab and you've connected your store, we copy the order into Shopify, WooCommerce or Square so you can pack and ship it exactly as you ship everything else. That copy is a record of the sale. The payment itself runs through OfferLab, which is why every refund has to start here too.
Always refund in OfferLab. Never refund an OfferLab order from inside Shopify, WooCommerce or Square. Handle the return however you normally do, then issue the refund in OfferLab.
Why refunds start in OfferLab
Your buyer paid OfferLab, not your store, so your store has no money it could send back. A refund clicked in Shopify, WooCommerce or Square returns nothing to your customer. It only changes your store's record, which then says the order was refunded while your customer is still charged.
It also knocks the two records out of step. When you later refund the same order in OfferLab, your store may refuse to record it, because it believes that money has already gone back.
When you refund in OfferLab, we send the money back to the card your customer paid with and update the order in your store for you, so your store's reports show the refund too.
Handling a return
Returns stay in the workflow you already use. OfferLab only takes over at the moment money goes back.
Run the return the way you always do: your returns portal, your warehouse or 3PL, or Shopify's own returns.
Once the item is back and you're ready to refund, open the order in OfferLab and click Refund. Refund an order walks through every option.
OfferLab refunds your customer and marks the order as refunded in your store.
Restocking is up to you. A refund from OfferLab never adds stock back in your store, because not every refund is a return. Restock in your store when the item physically arrives.
Refunds without a return
Not every refund needs anything back. For a damaged delivery, a late package or a goodwill gesture, skip the return entirely and refund the order in OfferLab.
Who emails your customer
OfferLab sends the refund email when you leave Send notification once refund is finalized ticked, and we don't ask your store to send one as well, so your customer hears about it once. If you'd also like your store to email them, set that up in your store's own automations.
Already refunded in your store by mistake?
No money moved, so your customer hasn't been refunded yet. Refund the order in OfferLab to send their money back. If OfferLab can't update your store afterwards, the order will tell you, and our team can help put the two records back in step.