Set Up Blocklists and Allowlists
Plans: Pro, Premium, Enterprise Platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento 1, Magento 2, BigCommerce, and more
AfterShip Returns blocklists and allowlists feature enables you to prevent returns and allow exceptions in certain situations. To set up and manage blocklists and allowlists, navigate to AfterShip Returns admin > Return policy > Eligibility rules.
In this article, we will show you:
Blocklist vs. Allowlist
Blocklist and allowlist set up
Types of listings
CSV upload
FAQs
Blocklists allow you to prevent customers from submitting certain return requests
Blocklists can be created based on predefined criteria like
Customer email address
Order tag
Product tag
Product type
Product SKU
Discount
Allowlists, on the other hand, allows you to make exceptions in certain return situations for a specific product, order, and customer. Allowlists override all the ineligibility rules defined in AfterShip Returns admin that allows customers to submit a return request normally through the returns page.
Allowlists can be configured based on the following criteria
Customer email address
Order number
Product tag
Product type
Discount
Product SKU
Create lists
To create a blocklist or allowlist, navigate to Return policy > Eligibility rules in AfterShip Returns admin
Click Manage to open the blocklist dashboard, where all the listings will be shown and created
To add a listing, click Add listing and select the criteria
Input the listing value for the criteria you selected and click Add
Once the listing is added, you will be able to view the item on the listing dashboard, the date when it was created, and the listing type
You will also see the option to remove listings whenever required. Select the bin icon to the right of the listing you would like to remove
When creating blocklists and allowlists, certain values can be added to the listing naming customer email address, order tag, product tag, type, and SKU.
1. Order tag
Adding an order tag as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the blocklist will make all orders with the same tag ineligible for return
2. Product tag
Adding a product tag as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the blocklist will make all orders with the same tag ineligible for return
Adding a product tag as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the allowlist will make all orders with the same tag eligible for a return, overriding the existing blocklist entry and product-specific returns window settings
3. Customer
The customer here is the email address from which the orders are placed.
Blocklisting an email address will make all products ordered by that customer ineligible for return
Allowlisting an email address will make all products ordered by that customer eligible for a return, overriding the existing blocklist entry and return window settings
To edit your return window settings, check out this article.
4. Product type
Adding a product type as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the blocklist will make all orders of the same type ineligible for return
Adding a product type as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the allowlist will make all orders of the same type eligible for a return, overriding the existing blocklist entry and product-specific returns window settings
5. Product SKU
Blocklisting a product SKU will make that product ineligible for return for any order
Blocklisting a product SKU within an order will make that product ineligible for return within that order
Allowlisting a product SKU will make that product eligible for return for any order
6. Discount
Blocklist a discount code generated in your eCommerce platform’s admin, amount, or percentage (%) to make all the orders on which customers have applied that discount code or those who fall within that discount range or % bracket ineligible for return.
Allowlist a discount code generated in your eCommerce platform’s admin, amount, or percentage (%) to make all the orders on which customers have applied that discount code or those who fall within that discount range or % bracket eligible for return
Know more about setting up discount listings with this guide .
7. Order
Adding an order number to the Allowlist will make all products in the order eligible for return
This overrides any existing blocklist entry or the order’s return window.
The availability of the listings mentioned above varies from eCommerce platform to platform. See this section.
CSV file import is supported to import blocklists directly to AfterShip Returns admin without any manual efforts
Navigate to Return policy > Eligibility rules in AfterShip Returns admin
Click Manage to open the blocklist dashboard where all the listings will be shown and created
Click Import CSV. Select the CSV file with blocklist and allowlist entries from your computer or drop a file to the location and click Upload and continue
Use the structure below to import the CSV file correctly.
Fields in column B should be the same as mentioned in the screenshot or the sample CSV file in AfterShip Returns admin.
If the customer's email address is added to your blocklist or the product has the blocklisted tag or type, this message will be displayed on your returns page:
If you add any customer, product tag, or product type to your allowlist, return requests will be allowed to place, regardless of the blocklist restrictions.
A shopper bought a necklace having a non-returnable tag during a festive season, he/she won’t be able to raise a return request due to the blocklist restrictions.
Since a broken necklace was delivered, the shopper decides to speak with the merchant’s customer service team. After being convinced, the latter adds the shopper’s email address to the allowlist to override the blocklist restrictions for letting the former file a return request successfully.
If you still have some questions regarding the blocklist and allowlist, get clarity from our chat support team.
Blocklists and Allowlists are available for users on Pro, Premium, and Enterprise plans. The availability of certain listings varies from one eCommerce platform to another.
Product tag listings are available for Shopify, Magento 1, and WooCommerce
Product type listings are available for Shopify, Magento 1, 2, and BigCommerce
Order tag listings are available for Shopify and Magento 2 but are only available for blocklists
Customer and SKU listings are available for all supported platforms
Discount listings are available for Shopify and Commerce API
Order number listings are available for all eCommerce platforms but are limited to allowlists
Blocklist and allowlist settings are applied to the products during the return request submission based on the conditions already configured in your Shopify settings.
This means product tags and types must be configured in the Shopify admin for each product in your catalog before a customer places an order for the setting to be picked up by AfterShip Returns admin to apply the blocklist and allowlist rules for that particular product tag or type.
If the product tag or type is added to the product(s) after the customer places an order, the blocklist and allowlist rules for that product type or tag will not function.
For e.g,
Case 1: A customer has ordered the product “Blue T-shirt”. The merchant then adds a “Sale” product tag to the “Blue T-shirt” product in the Shopify settings. The merchant adds this product tag to the blocklist in the AfterShip Returns admin.
Result: In this scenario, the blocklist rule for the product tag “Sale” will not apply since the product tag was added to the product in the Shopify settings after the order is placed. The customer will be able to submit the return request for the product successfully.
Case 2: The merchant has added a “Sale” product tag to the product “Blue T-shirt” in the Shopify settings. The customer then ordered the same product, a “Blue T-shirt”. The merchant adds this product tag to the blocklist in the AfterShip Returns admin.
Result: In this scenario, the blocklist rule for the product tag “Sale” will be applied since the product tag was added to the product in the Shopify settings before the order is placed. The customer will not be able to submit the return request for the product and will see an error message on the order lookup page.
For any further questions or help, please contact our chat support team
Overview
AfterShip Returns blocklists and allowlists feature enables you to prevent returns and allow exceptions in certain situations. To set up and manage blocklists and allowlists, navigate to AfterShip Returns admin > Return policy > Eligibility rules.
What you’ll learn
In this article, we will show you:
Blocklist vs. Allowlist
Blocklist and allowlist set up
Types of listings
CSV upload
FAQs
Blocklist vs. Allowlist
Blocklists allow you to prevent customers from submitting certain return requests
Blocklists can be created based on predefined criteria like
Customer email address
Order tag
Product tag
Product type
Product SKU
Discount
Allowlists, on the other hand, allows you to make exceptions in certain return situations for a specific product, order, and customer. Allowlists override all the ineligibility rules defined in AfterShip Returns admin that allows customers to submit a return request normally through the returns page.
Allowlists can be configured based on the following criteria
Customer email address
Order number
Product tag
Product type
Discount
Product SKU
Blocklist and allowlist set up
Create lists
To create a blocklist or allowlist, navigate to Return policy > Eligibility rules in AfterShip Returns admin
Click Manage to open the blocklist dashboard, where all the listings will be shown and created
To add a listing, click Add listing and select the criteria
Input the listing value for the criteria you selected and click Add
Once the listing is added, you will be able to view the item on the listing dashboard, the date when it was created, and the listing type
You will also see the option to remove listings whenever required. Select the bin icon to the right of the listing you would like to remove
Types of listings
When creating blocklists and allowlists, certain values can be added to the listing naming customer email address, order tag, product tag, type, and SKU.
1. Order tag
Adding an order tag as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the blocklist will make all orders with the same tag ineligible for return
2. Product tag
Adding a product tag as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the blocklist will make all orders with the same tag ineligible for return
Adding a product tag as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the allowlist will make all orders with the same tag eligible for a return, overriding the existing blocklist entry and product-specific returns window settings
3. Customer
The customer here is the email address from which the orders are placed.
Blocklisting an email address will make all products ordered by that customer ineligible for return
Allowlisting an email address will make all products ordered by that customer eligible for a return, overriding the existing blocklist entry and return window settings
To edit your return window settings, check out this article.
4. Product type
Adding a product type as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the blocklist will make all orders of the same type ineligible for return
Adding a product type as defined in your eCommerce platform’s admin to the allowlist will make all orders of the same type eligible for a return, overriding the existing blocklist entry and product-specific returns window settings
5. Product SKU
Blocklisting a product SKU will make that product ineligible for return for any order
Blocklisting a product SKU within an order will make that product ineligible for return within that order
Allowlisting a product SKU will make that product eligible for return for any order
6. Discount
Blocklist a discount code generated in your eCommerce platform’s admin, amount, or percentage (%) to make all the orders on which customers have applied that discount code or those who fall within that discount range or % bracket ineligible for return.
Allowlist a discount code generated in your eCommerce platform’s admin, amount, or percentage (%) to make all the orders on which customers have applied that discount code or those who fall within that discount range or % bracket eligible for return
Know more about setting up discount listings with this guide .
7. Order
Adding an order number to the Allowlist will make all products in the order eligible for return
This overrides any existing blocklist entry or the order’s return window.
The availability of the listings mentioned above varies from eCommerce platform to platform. See this section.
CSV upload
CSV file import is supported to import blocklists directly to AfterShip Returns admin without any manual efforts
Navigate to Return policy > Eligibility rules in AfterShip Returns admin
Click Manage to open the blocklist dashboard where all the listings will be shown and created
Click Import CSV. Select the CSV file with blocklist and allowlist entries from your computer or drop a file to the location and click Upload and continue
Use the structure below to import the CSV file correctly.
Fields in column B should be the same as mentioned in the screenshot or the sample CSV file in AfterShip Returns admin.
How blocklists and allowlists work?
If the customer's email address is added to your blocklist or the product has the blocklisted tag or type, this message will be displayed on your returns page:
The request is not in compliance with our return policy.If you add any customer, product tag, or product type to your allowlist, return requests will be allowed to place, regardless of the blocklist restrictions.
Customer experience
A shopper bought a necklace having a non-returnable tag during a festive season, he/she won’t be able to raise a return request due to the blocklist restrictions.
Since a broken necklace was delivered, the shopper decides to speak with the merchant’s customer service team. After being convinced, the latter adds the shopper’s email address to the allowlist to override the blocklist restrictions for letting the former file a return request successfully.
If you still have some questions regarding the blocklist and allowlist, get clarity from our chat support team.
Supported platforms
Blocklists and Allowlists are available for users on Pro, Premium, and Enterprise plans. The availability of certain listings varies from one eCommerce platform to another.
Product tag listings are available for Shopify, Magento 1, and WooCommerce
Product type listings are available for Shopify, Magento 1, 2, and BigCommerce
Order tag listings are available for Shopify and Magento 2 but are only available for blocklists
Customer and SKU listings are available for all supported platforms
Discount listings are available for Shopify and Commerce API
Order number listings are available for all eCommerce platforms but are limited to allowlists
FAQs
1. Why do my blocklist and allowlist settings are not working?
Blocklist and allowlist settings are applied to the products during the return request submission based on the conditions already configured in your Shopify settings.
This means product tags and types must be configured in the Shopify admin for each product in your catalog before a customer places an order for the setting to be picked up by AfterShip Returns admin to apply the blocklist and allowlist rules for that particular product tag or type.
If the product tag or type is added to the product(s) after the customer places an order, the blocklist and allowlist rules for that product type or tag will not function.
For e.g,
Case 1: A customer has ordered the product “Blue T-shirt”. The merchant then adds a “Sale” product tag to the “Blue T-shirt” product in the Shopify settings. The merchant adds this product tag to the blocklist in the AfterShip Returns admin.
Result: In this scenario, the blocklist rule for the product tag “Sale” will not apply since the product tag was added to the product in the Shopify settings after the order is placed. The customer will be able to submit the return request for the product successfully.
Case 2: The merchant has added a “Sale” product tag to the product “Blue T-shirt” in the Shopify settings. The customer then ordered the same product, a “Blue T-shirt”. The merchant adds this product tag to the blocklist in the AfterShip Returns admin.
Result: In this scenario, the blocklist rule for the product tag “Sale” will be applied since the product tag was added to the product in the Shopify settings before the order is placed. The customer will not be able to submit the return request for the product and will see an error message on the order lookup page.
For any further questions or help, please contact our chat support team
Updated on: 26/04/2024
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