REASONBACKDocs

The life of one return

Every step a request goes through, who moves it on, and what happens behind the scenes.

The one rule to remember

Never send a refund for a box you haven’t opened. Your customers pay cash on delivery, and a refund by InstaPay or wallet can’t be taken back. REASONBACK only lets you issue a refund after the box is back and has been checked.
RequestedApprovedPicked upReceivedResolved
Can stop early at:RejectedClosed

A request always moves forward, one step at a time. It can’t skip a step and it can’t go back. Once it reaches Resolved, Rejected or Closed, it’s finished.

Try it: play one return through

Pick a role, then press the buttons. They follow the app’s real rules, so a button greyed out here is greyed out in the app too.

You are signed in as

RMA-1042 · Nour Hassan

Linen dress (M) · Doesn’t fit → too small · EGP 1,140

Requested

TIMELINE

  1. RequestedSubmitted by the customer

A customer just submitted a return on your portal. Someone who can approve should look at it.

In the app you’d write why before closing.

1Requested

A customer asks to send something back

WHAT IT MEANS

The customer filled in your return portal, or a teammate filed it for them with New request. Nothing has been promised yet.

WHAT YOU DO

  1. Read the reason, the photos and the refund method the customer picked.
  2. If it follows your rules, click Approve & ship. Check the pickup address and courier details in the panel that opens, then click Create delivery. If it doesn’t, click Reject.
  3. Need to fix something first? The pencil on each box lets you change the pickup address, courier phone or the exchange items. You can only change the address while the request is Requested.

BEHIND THE SCENES

If you’ve connected Bosta, approving books the courier and the tracking number is added. If you haven’t, the status still moves on, but no courier is booked and you arrange the pickup yourselves.

Agents, warehouse, managers, admins, owner
A request marked Policy exception broke one of your rules on purpose (a teammate overrode it, with a written reason). Only an owner or admin can approve it, unless you’ve turned on auto-approve in Return rules.
2Approved

The courier is on the way to the customer

WHAT IT MEANS

You’ve said yes. The courier is booked to collect the box.

WHAT YOU DO

  1. Usually nothing. Bosta’s updates move the request on by themselves.
  2. The request page shows where the shipment is. Use Refresh if it looks stale.

BEHIND THE SCENES

The customer can follow along on the portal’s Track a request page, including the tracking number.

Moves on automatically, or anyone who can approve can click Mark picked up
3Picked up

The courier has the box

WHAT IT MEANS

The courier has collected the parcel from the customer. It’s travelling back to you. Nobody has looked inside it yet.

WHAT YOU DO

  1. Wait for it to arrive. Don’t send any money yet.

BEHIND THE SCENES

In the Requests list, Picked up requests are shown under the Approved filter. The request itself still says Picked up.

Set by Bosta, or anyone who can approve
This is where the refund is still locked. You can’t pay for a box nobody has opened.
4Received

The box is back and someone has opened it

WHAT IT MEANS

The parcel is at your warehouse and has been checked.

WHAT YOU DO

  1. Open the Warehouse page and scan the box’s tracking code (or type it, or pick it from the list).
  2. For each item, choose In the box, Missing or Wrong item. Then grade it (Like new, Worn / minor issue, Damaged) and decide to Restock or Don’t restock.
  3. Click Confirm received.

BEHIND THE SCENES

If you’ve connected Shopify, the return is recorded on the Shopify order and restocked items go back into your stock. Bosta can also mark a box Received when it’s delivered back to you, but still open it and inspect it on the Warehouse page before paying.

Warehouse, managers, admins, owner
Empty box, wrong item, worn or damaged? Don’t refund it. Reject it instead, or escalate it to a manager (the flag at the top of the request).
5Resolved

The customer gets their money, credit or replacement

WHAT IT MEANS

The request is finished. This is the only step where money goes out.

WHAT YOU DO

  1. Click Issue refund. The amount is worked out for you from the items, exchanges and fees. You can’t type it yourself.
  2. Send the InstaPay, wallet, bank or cash payment the usual way, outside REASONBACK. Copy the number from the window.
  3. Attach a screenshot of the transfer and its reference number if you have them. Tick Email the customer if they gave an email.
  4. For store credit on a Shopify order, the credit goes straight onto the customer’s Shopify account. No transfer needed.
  5. An even exchange with nothing to pay back shows Mark resolved instead.

BEHIND THE SCENES

The proof and reference are saved on the request, along with who sent it and when. This is your record if the customer ever says they weren’t paid.

Finance, managers, admins, owner
An InstaPay or wallet transfer is like handing over cash: there’s no undo and no chargeback. Check the number and amount before you send it.

WHEN IT STOPS EARLY

Rejected

Rejected: the answer is no

  • Before pickup: the request doesn’t meet your rules (outside the window, final sale, and so on).
  • After it’s received: the box came back empty, with the wrong item, or damaged. Nothing is paid.
Before pickup: agents, warehouse, managers, admins, owner. After receiving: finance can too.
Closed

Closed: stopped for another reason

  • Use Close request when a request shouldn’t go on: the customer changed their mind, you sorted it out another way, or it was filed twice.
  • You have to write why (at least 5 characters). The reason is saved on the timeline.
  • Closing doesn’t cancel a Bosta pickup that’s already booked. Cancel that in Bosta yourself.
Anyone who can approve, at any point before the end. After receiving, finance can too.

GOOD TO KNOW

Who can do what

Each teammate has one role. An owner or admin sets it on the Team page.

ActionOwnerAdminManagerAgentWarehouseFinance
Approve or reject a new request✓✓✓✓✓—
Mark picked up✓✓✓✓✓—
Mark received (inspect the box)✓✓✓—✓—
Issue refund✓✓✓——✓
Reject after receiving✓✓✓✓✓✓
Close a request✓✓✓✓✓—

Why is a button greyed out?

  1. 1

    It isn’t that step yet. Issue refund stays locked until the box is Received. That’s on purpose, not a bug.

  2. 2

    Your role can’t make that move. Hover over the button to see why. Ask a teammate whose role can (see the table above).

  3. 3

    It’s a policy exception. Only an owner or admin can approve a request that breaks one of your rules.

Every step is written down. Each request’s timeline shows who moved it, when, and any note they left. If a customer disputes a refund, that timeline is your evidence.
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