How to Manually Create Return Requests

Plans: All plans Platforms: All platforms

Overview

Merchants can manually create return requests on behalf of your customers in situations where your customers may not be able to raise one. From within the AfterShip Returns admin, you can begin the returns process for your customer and submit the desired refund, exchange, return, or store credit outcome for a particular order.

What you’ll learn

In this article, we will show you:

Create a return request
Special request RMA flow
Standard request RMA flow

Create a return request

Go to the Returns dashboard in your AfterShip Returns admin.
Click Create request.
AfterShip Returns supports two request types:

a. Standard request: These requests will be created by you but recorded as created by the customer. The standard requests will be limited by your return eligibility rules.

b. Special request: These requests will be created and recorded as created by the merchant. The special requests will override all your configured eligibility rules.

Only members with Owner, Admin, or Manager rights can create special requests. All the members with Owner, Admin, Manager, or Support Agent roles can view, edit, and export special requests.

Special request RMA flow

If you create a special request, you can create a return request that overrides the non-returnable rules as a merchant.

Once you are under the special request mode, you will see the notification banner on the top of the returns page to alert you that you are about to create a return request for an order that does not comply with your store’s returns policy and that you are under special request mode that will override return eligibility rules.

Special request mode can override the following non-returnable reasons:

Non-returnable reason	Override capability
Item unfulfilled	✅
Outside of the return window	✅
Blocklist	✅
Do not accept discounted items	✅
Ask a question	✅
Limit one return request per order	✅
Item already requested for return	❌

For example, You added a customer to the blocklist due to their unethical return practices but encountered a situation where the product delivered to the customer was genuinely broken. AfterShip Return’s special request mode allows you to raise a return request for the blocklisted customer overriding the existing eligibility rules in a special mode (see screenshots).

Timelog: Special return requests will be recorded in the registered email address of the merchant or the member with the owner, admin, or manager rights.

Standard request RMA flow

The system redirects merchants to the standard returns page to create a return request, which is the same return experience as witnessed by the shoppers. You need to follow all the return policies and the return request will be recorded as created by the customer (email).

Standard requests do not override any return rules or policies and are raised in compliance with the store’s existing return policy.

Taking the above example, the return request creation will not be supported for the blocklisted customer.

Timelog: Standard return requests will be recorded in the email address (order) of the customer for whom the return request is raised.

Key takeaways

Create return requests manually for customers directly from AfterShip Returns when they’re unable to do so themselves.
Includes two request types - Standard requests (appear customer-created) and Special requests (merchant-created).
Special requests allow merchants to handle exceptional cases, such as blocklisted customers or expired return windows, while maintaining operational flexibility.
Standard requests strictly follow your existing return policies and mirror the same experience customers see on the returns page.
All requests are logged transparently with clear timelogs, showing whether the request was created by a customer or a merchant role.

For any further questions or help, please contact our chat support team or reach out to us at [email protected].

Updated on: 13/01/2026