Returns (RMAs) — overview
An RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) is the record that a customer is sending goods back. It's the physical half of a return — the sales credit is the money half. An RMA authorizes what's coming back, tracks it in transit, and — when the goods arrive — puts each unit where it belongs: back into sellable stock, onto a separate blemished SKU, or in the bin.
You manage returns under Orders → RMAs. That single menu entry opens a hub with a sub-navigation strip across the top:
- Dashboard — return-rate, restock-recovery, and disposition analytics.
- RMAs — the list of every return, where you create, approve, receive, and close them.
- Receive Station — scan-driven receiving for a busy dock, including parcels that arrive before their RMA.
- Returns Inbox — marketplace returns (Shopify, Walmart, Trackstar) awaiting linkage to RMAs.
- Unmatched — blind receipts awaiting linkage to an RMA or sales order.
- Disposition Policies — rules that default each returned unit to restock, discard, or a blemished SKU.
The RMA lifecycle
A return moves through a predictable set of stages:
- Draft. Staged but not yet authorized — fully editable, and can be deleted. Create one from a fulfilled order, import a batch from a spreadsheet, or let a marketplace return create it. See Process a customer return.
- Approved. Authorized — the return is now expected.
- In Transit. Shipping info (carrier / tracking) is set; the goods are on their way back and count as expected inbound.
- Partially Received / Received. You record what physically arrived — restocking each unit, landing it on a blemished SKU, or discarding it. Receiving updates the RMA to Partially Received or Received. See Receive returns at the Receive Station.
- Closed. The return is complete and settled. A return can also be Canceled any time before it's received.
Amazon FBA returns are a special case — they're received automatically at Amazon and arrive already Closed. For every status and disposition at a glance, see the RMA status reference.
The one rule that keeps stock honest
A returned item can reach you twice — once as a marketplace refund record (which can create an RMA days early) and once as the physical parcel. SKU.io treats the physical receipt as the single inventory event: every other path — a refund webhook, a manual link, the scheduled sweep — records the received quantity without adding stock a second time. Parcels received before their RMA land as blind receipts and reconcile later.
This is the most important idea in the returns area. If you read one concept, read How returns reconciliation works.
In this chapter
Each stage of the work has its own section, with a landing page that lists its guides in reading order.
| To… | Go to… |
|---|---|
| set return defaults and disposition rules before you start | Set up |
| authorize, receive, and credit customer returns | Process returns |
| link marketplace returns so stock is counted once | Marketplace reconciliation |
| look up every RMA status and receive disposition | RMA status reference |
| read return rate, recovery, and why items come back | Read the returns dashboard |
Guides in this section
Authorize and receive
- Process a customer return (RMA) — create it from an order, ship it back, and receive the goods.
- Receive returns at the Receive Station — scan-driven receiving, including blind receipts.
- Import RMAs in bulk — authorize a stack of returns from a spreadsheet.
Credits and replacements
- Create & allocate a sales credit — record money you owe a customer and allocate it against what they owe.
- Resend and exchange an order — ship a free replacement, or turn a return credit into an exchange order.
Reconcile and link
- Link unmatched (blind) returns — connect parcels that arrived without an RMA to the return they belong to.
- Match marketplace returns — link Shopify, Walmart, and Trackstar returns to RMAs from the Returns Inbox.
Automate and configure
- Set up return disposition policies — default each return to restock, discard, or a blemished SKU by product, reason, warehouse, or grade.
- Configure returns settings — the default returns warehouse, blind receiving, return reasons, and excluding a returns warehouse from demand planning.
Understand the model
- Returns, credits, and refunds — which step restocks inventory and which one puts money back.
- How returns reconciliation works — why a return can arrive twice, and how SKU.io counts it once.
Reference
- RMA status reference — every RMA status, receipt reconciliation state, and disposition.
- Returns reconciliation reference — states, inventory and accounting effects, and per-channel behavior at a glance.
Next steps
- New to returns? Start with Process a customer return.
- Running a busy dock? See Receive returns at the Receive Station.
- Selling on marketplaces? Read Match marketplace returns.
- Want the full mental model? Read How returns reconciliation works.