Return Request and Refund Email Templates: 14 to Copy

A good return or refund email gives the answer in line one, names the order and item, and ends with the next step and a date. Below are 14 templates to copy, grouped by what you're telling the customer, plus three for when you're the customer.

Each uses [brackets] for what you fill in. Returns are one part of ecommerce customer support, and they follow the same rule as any customer service email: the answer first, the reason second.

Replies when you approve a return

Return approved

For a request that meets your policy, when the item has to come back.

Subject: Your return for order [#1042] is approved

Hi [Name],

Your return for [item] from order [#1042] is approved. Pack it in the original box, attach the label [linked here], and drop it at any [carrier] location by [date].

We'll refund [amount] to your [original payment method] within [2] business days of receiving it, and email you when it's done.

[Your name]

Refund issued

Subject: Your refund of [amount] for order [#1042] is on its way

Hi [Name],

We've refunded [amount] to your [card ending 4242] for [item]. Your bank decides when it shows, which is usually within [10] business days.

If it isn't there by [date], reply here and we'll chase it with our payment provider.

[Your name]

Partial refund

When only part of the order comes back, or it comes back used or incomplete.

Subject: Partial refund for order [#1042]

Hi [Name],

Your return arrived, and we've refunded [amount] of the [order total]. The difference is [the original shipping cost / the missing charger / the restocking fee in our return policy].

If you think we've got this wrong, reply with a photo and I'll look again.

[Your name]

Note: Link the line of your policy you're applying. A partial refund with no reason reads as a mistake.

Store credit instead of a refund

Subject: Your [amount] store credit is ready

Hi [Name],

As you asked, we've issued [amount] in store credit instead of a refund. It's saved to the account for [email address] and applies at checkout. [It doesn't expire / It's valid until date.]

[Your name]

Exchange instead of a refund

Subject: Swapping your [item] for a [size or colour]

Hi [Name],

Happy to swap it. We've set aside a [size 9] in [colour], and it ships [today / as soon as the carrier scans your return].

Use the attached label to send the [size 8] back by [date]. The exchange costs you nothing.

[Your name]

Damaged or wrong item

Subject: Sorry about order [#1042], a replacement is on the way

Hi [Name],

Thanks for the photo. That [item] arrived [damaged / in the wrong size], and that's on us. A replacement shipped today with tracking number [number], due by [date].

You don't need to send the first one back.

[Your name]

Replies when the answer is no

Say no in the first sentence, give the reason once, then offer what you can do.

Return declined: outside the return window

Subject: About your return request for order [#1042]

Hi [Name],

I'm sorry, we can't accept a return on [item]. It was delivered on [date], and our return window is [30] days from delivery, which ended on [date].

What I can do is [send a discount code for a replacement / pass on the manufacturer's warranty details].

[Your name]

Return declined: final sale

Subject: Your [item] from order [#1042]

Hi [Name],

I've checked, and [item] was sold as final sale, so we can't take it back or refund it. [The product page and your order confirmation both marked it final sale.]

If it's faulty, that's different: send a photo of the fault and we'll [repair or replace it] under [the warranty].

[Your name]

No refund, but a reason to stay

For a refund you can't give to a customer you want to keep.

Subject: A different fix for your [item]

Hi [Name],

I can't refund [item], because [it was used / it's past our window / it was made to order]. I don't want you stuck with something that doesn't work for you, though.

Here's what I can do today: [store credit for the full amount / a free alteration / a replacement part]. Reply with the one you'd like and I'll set it up.

[Your name]

Replies when the refund is late

"Where's my refund?" works like an order status email: give the status and a date before the customer has to ask twice.

Refund sent but not showing

Subject: Re: Where is my refund?

Hi [Name],

We issued your refund of [amount] on [date], reference [refund ID]. Banks can take up to [10] business days to show it, so you should see it by [date].

If it's not there by then, send me a screenshot of your statement and I'll trace it with our payment provider.

[Your name]

Note: Shopify Payments marks a refund Pending for up to 2 business days, and banks can take up to 10 (Shopify Help Center, checked October 4, 2026).

Return received, refund still processing

If the customer only needs to know the parcel arrived, a short acknowledgment is enough. This one adds the refund date.

Subject: We've got your return for order [#1042]

Hi [Name],

Your return reached us on [date]. We're checking it now and will refund [amount] by [date]. You'll get an email the moment it goes through.

[Your name]

When you're the customer

Return request email

Subject: Return request: order [#1042], [item]

Hi [Store name],

I'd like to return [item] from order [#1042], delivered on [date]. [It doesn't fit / It isn't what I expected], and it's unused with the tags on.

Could you send a return label or the return address? I'd like a refund to my original payment method [or an exchange for a size 9].

Thanks, [Name]

Refund request email

Subject: Refund request: order [#1042], [item] arrived [faulty]

Hi [Store name],

[Item] from order [#1042] arrived on [date] [with a cracked screen / not as described]. Photos are attached.

I'd like a full refund of [amount] to my original payment method. Let me know if you need the item back and how to send it.

Thanks, [Name]

Following up on a refund

Subject: Refund for order [#1042] not received

Hi [Store name],

On [date] you confirmed a refund of [amount] for order [#1042]. It hasn't reached my [card ending 1234] yet. Could you send the refund reference so I can check with my bank?

Thanks, [Name]

Phrases to use and to avoid

Save the replies you send most as Gmail templates, Outlook Quick Parts or macros in your help desk software, then fix the wording once.

If return emails fill your day

Each reply above changes with the order, the item and your policy, and that lookup is the slow part. InboxPilot (we make it) reads the Shopify order the customer is writing about and your store's refund policy, then drafts the reply in Gmail or Outlook for you to approve.

It doesn't issue the refund or create the return label; you still do that in Shopify. Here's how it drafts replies for Shopify stores. After a 7-day trial with no card, Starter is $39 a month for 300 conversations.