SERVICES · RELAY MODULES
Returns management automation, run on rules you set
Returns Relay applies your return rules the same way every time, offers an exchange first where it fits, tracks every item back to stock and builds chargeback evidence before the deadline.
Returns pipeline
Exchange offered first · reason codes logged
Returns management automation applies your return rules the same way every time: who gets a label, who gets an exchange or a refund and what happens to the item once it is back. Returns Relay (RELAY-07) builds this in your store, helpdesk and marketplace settings for Amazon, Walmart and Shopify, with reason-code reports and chargeback evidence. It is a standard Relay Module at $750.
What returns cost, in sourced numbers
Returns cost more than the refund. There is the label, the processing, the unit that comes back unsellable, the support time and, on Walmart, a performance standard. The market figures:
- NRF and Happy Returns forecast that 19.3% of US online sales would be returned in 2025 (Oct 15, 2025; a forecast, not a count).
- Walmart's WFS return processing fee starts at $4.70 a unit for items of 1 lb or less and rises with weight (Walmart WFS fees, May 27, 2026).
- Walmart's return rate standard is 6% or below, or 9% for resold items, measured on orders delivered in the past 60 days (Walmart Marketplace Learn, Jul 28, 2026).
- A chargeback costs merchants about $128 on average in third-party fees and internal costs, not counting the goods lost (Mastercard, 2025).
When returns are handled case by case, every one of those costs is decided by whoever opens the ticket. Rules make them consistent, and consistent data shows you which SKUs cause them.
The marketplace rules that come before yours
Your return policy sits inside each marketplace's rules, so those are built in first.
Walmart seller-fulfilled returns (Walmart returns policy, last updated Aug 31, 2026):
- A minimum return window of 30 days, starting seven days after the ship date. Walmart may allow shorter windows for some items.
- No restocking fees, except on items set up with return exemptions that come back not in sellable condition, where up to 20% of the item price is allowed.
- No return shipping charges to customers.
- Walmart's Returns Shipping Service is the default label method unless you set up your own carrier account.
- Keep It and Partial Keep It rules for items you do not want back.
- Sellers must not negotiate with customers or discourage or delay an eligible return. Walmart may refund the customer on your behalf if you do not comply.
Amazon:
Amazon's return policies and your return settings in Seller Central apply. We confirm the current settings in your account before setup rather than printing rules here.
Shopify:
your own return policy, set in your store. For Shopify Payments disputes, the evidence deadline is typically 7 to 21 days after the chargeback is filed, and if you win, the chargeback amount and fee come back in your next payout (Shopify Help Center).
Returns management automation, rule by reason code
Every return gets a reason code, and every reason code gets a rule you choose.
| Reason | Default rule you can choose | What we record |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong size or fit | Offer an exchange first, then a refund | Size and variant, fed back to the size chart |
| Damaged in transit | Below a value you set, refund and let the customer keep it; above, photo and return | Carrier, packaging type, claim filed |
| Defective | Photo, then replacement or refund | Lot or batch, for a quality log |
| Wrong item sent | Prepaid label, reship the right item | Warehouse error, sent to 3PL Audit |
| Not as described | Photo, then refund | Listing flagged for review |
| Changed mind | Refund on receipt, per your policy | Days from delivery to request |
Illustrative rules. You set the real rules and value limits in the spec.
Exchange-first matters most where fit drives returns, as it does for many apparel and footwear brands. "Wrong item sent" feeds 3PL Audit, and "not as described" flags the listing for Catalog Ready, so the cause gets fixed rather than refunded forever.
From doorstep to shelf
Every return moves through the same statuses: requested, label sent, in transit, received, graded, restocked. Grading sorts each unit into resell, refurbish, liquidate or dispose.
Received is not restocked until it is graded. A unit sitting in a receiving bin is cash you cannot sell, so days to restock are tracked by SKU and by warehouse.
Chargeback and dispute evidence
Returns Relay keeps a deadline calendar for disputes by processor and marketplace, and builds an evidence pack for each one:
- Order details
- Tracking with the delivery scan, and signature if any
- Customer messages
- The return policy shown at checkout
- Photos, where you have them
A person reviews and submits every pack. Fraud flags never trigger an automatic refund: repeat returners, empty-box claims and mismatched serial numbers all go to a person.
What it connects to, and who does what
-
Amazon:
return settings in Seller Central and the SP-API returns reports, for reasons and dates by order.
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Walmart:
return settings in Seller Center, the Returns API, return notifications and the Disputes API.
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Shopify:
your store's return settings and Shopify Flow triggers such as "Return requested", "Return processed", "Refund created" and "Dispute created".
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Your helpdesk,
the one you already use.
-
Your warehouse or 3PL:
receiving data and return records, through its API (ShipBob, for example, documents returns and receiving endpoints) or a scheduled export.
-
A returns app
if you use one, subscribed in your name.
Automated: rule application, labels where allowed, status tracking, the reason-code report, evidence pack assembly and deadline reminders. A person: exceptions, refunds above your limit, fraud flags and final evidence submission. On Ops Desk, daily returns work is done by our team; on a module-only build, by yours with the playbook.
How the build runs and how you accept it
Week 1 is the spec: rules by reason, value limits, refund limits and owners. Weeks 1 to 3 are the build. Weeks 3 to 4 run acceptance.
The acceptance tests in a typical Returns Relay spec:
- Each reason code follows its rule on a test return.
- Walmart settings match the Aug 31, 2026 policy: window, no restocking fee outside exemptions, no return shipping charge.
- Restock status shows for every open return.
- The reason-code report runs by SKU and channel.
- A test dispute produces a complete evidence pack before its deadline.
- Documentation is stored in your workspace.
Each week you see return rate by SKU and channel against Walmart's 6% line, the reason mix, days to restock, the exchange share and disputes won as a share of disputes received. We report these. We do not promise them.
Price, timing and what you own
Returns Relay is a standard module: $750, built in 1 to 4 weeks. You pay 50% at the start and 50% at acceptance; anything that fails acceptance is fixed free for 60 days. Module Care is included on any monthly plan, or 10% of the build cost a year otherwise. Daily returns work by our team is part of Ops Desk Growth at $2,499 a month; see order and customer operations. Full terms are on pricing.
Founding offer: 20% off the module build, plus 20% off monthly plans for the first 6 months, for our first 25 clients or until Jan 31, 2027, whichever comes first.
Rules, templates and reports stay in your store, helpdesk and accounts. Named user access with multi-factor authentication. Never your owner password. No bank, payout or legal-entity permissions. We do not receive physical returns; your warehouse or 3PL does. If Walmart's return rate is already the problem, see Walmart account health. Order-status questions are handled by WISMO Breaker, and all ten modules are on the Relay Modules hub.
How much does Returns Relay cost?
It is a one-time $750 build, done in 1 to 4 weeks in your store, helpdesk and marketplace settings. If you want our team to run returns every day, that work is included in Ops Desk Growth at $2,499 a month. Any returns app stays in your name and is paid by you directly.
Can we charge restocking fees on Walmart?
Only on items set up with return exemptions that come back not in original or sellable condition, and then up to 20% of the item price, under Walmart's returns policy last updated Aug 31, 2026. Return shipping charges to customers are not allowed at all.
Do you handle the physical returns?
No. Your warehouse or 3PL receives and inspects the units. Returns Relay sets the rules and issues labels where allowed. It tracks every return through grading to restock and flags units that sit in receiving too long. If your 3PL charges for returns processing, those lines are checked by 3PL Audit.
Will it refund customers on its own?
Only inside the rules and refund limits you approve in writing. Anything above the limit, anything flagged for fraud and anything that does not match a rule goes to a person. Every automatic refund is logged with the rule that triggered it.
Does it help with chargebacks?
Yes. It keeps a deadline calendar by processor and marketplace and assembles an evidence pack for each dispute: order details, tracking, messages, your policy and photos. On Shopify Payments the deadline is typically 7 to 21 days, so the pack is ready well before it. A person reviews and submits it. We do not promise dispute outcomes.
What do we learn from it?
Return reasons by SKU and channel, fed back to the things that cause them: size charts, listings, packaging and the warehouse. A weekly report shows return rate, reason mix, days to restock and exchange share, so you can see whether a fix worked.
A free Profit Leak Scan prices your returns and refund leakage by SKU and channel, so you can see whether returns are the first fix.
Ecomrelays LLC is a Texas company. Part of our team works outside the US, as one managed team with a named US-facing lead. 597 Mountcastle Dr, Rockwall, TX 75087. +1 (469) 331-3129.
Sources10 sources
- 01nrf.comforecast: 19.3% of online sales returned in 2025; Oct 15, 2025; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 02marketplacelearn.walmart.comWFS return processing fee from $4.70 a unit for items 1 lb or less; updated May 27, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 03marketplacelearn.walmart.comreturn rate standard 6% or lower, 9% for resold inventory; updated Jul 28, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 04mastercard.comaverage chargeback costs merchants $128 in third-party fees and internal costs, excluding lost goods; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 05marketplacelearn.walmart.comWalmart seller-fulfilled returns policy, last updated Aug 31, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 06help.shopify.comevidence deadline typically 7 to 21 days; chargeback amount and fee returned if won; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 07help.shopify.comShopify Flow return, refund and dispute triggers; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 08developer-docs.amazon.comSP-API returns report types; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 09developer.walmart.comWalmart Returns and Disputes APIs; return notifications; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 10developer.shipbob.comShipBob API returns and receiving guides; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
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