Plan: Enterprise | Platform: Shopify, Global-e Native mode
Estimated reading time: 20 minutes
Overview
Global-e is a cross-border commerce platform that acts as the Merchant of Record (MoR) for international orders. In Native mode, Global-e sits inside your Shopify checkout and handles currency conversion, duties and taxes, local payment methods, export compliance, and refund settlement. The Shopify order stays your record of the sale.
Global-e's integration with AfterShip Returns brings domestic and Global-e returns into the same branded return page and the same RMA list. Shoppers returning from any country follow one flow, and your team tracks every return in one place.
This guide walks you through connecting Global-e, reviewing the settings Global-e takes over, updating your return policy copy, and testing a return end to end.
Before you begin
Requirements
A live Global-e Native account connected to your Shopify store, with cross-border orders processed through Global-e checkout
Your Global-e Merchant Guid, available from your Global-e account manager (one Merchant Guid per store covers every destination country and shipping origin)
AfterShip Returns installed on the same Shopify store
AfterShip Returns enabled as the returns provider in Global-e, arranged by your AfterShip Technical Account Manager during onboarding
Shopify Native Store Credit enabled to offer store credit, and Shopify Plus to issue that credit as an eCommerce gift card.
Three imperative Global-e settings requests.
a. Global-e's own return window turned off for your merchant account, so that your AfterShip Returns return window is the only one that applies
b. Global-e's return emails to shoppers turned off, so that shoppers don't receive duplicate notifications
c. Global-e's automatic refunds turned off, so that AfterShip Returns is the only system that issues a refund
Permissions
Admin access to AfterShip Returns and to your Shopify store
The ability to request account changes from Global-e, since Global-e accepts the three settings requests above only from you as the merchant
Limitations
This integration supports Global-e Native mode only. Shopify Managed Markets orders aren't supported and keep using your standard return flow
Only one open return per order is supported. A new return can start once the previous one is closed or voided
Only items Global-e has dispatched can be returned
Exchanges are limited to a same-priced variant of the same product
Once Global-e issues its RMA, you can't change or cancel it from AfterShip Returns. Only Global-e Support can void it
Pickup is available only in the country the order was delivered to
Return label costs are settled with Global-e rather than through AfterShip billing
Configuration changes apply only to returns created after the change
Connect Global-e with AfterShip Returns
Step 1: Install the Global-e app
Connecting Global-e lets AfterShip Returns request return methods, fees, addresses, and customs documents for each cross-border order.
In AfterShip Returns, go to Apps.
Open the Directory tab.
Search for Global-e.
Click Get started on the Global-e card.
Click Install app.
Step 2: Enter your Global-e connection details
These details tell AfterShip Returns which Global-e merchant account and which store to connect. Each field on the install screen has its own Instructions link.
Set Mode to
productionor totestwhile you're trialing the integration.Paste the Merchant Guid supplied by your Global-e account manager.
Select your store under Source.
Click Install.
Note: The connection applies to your entire store, so every Global-e Native order automatically follows the Global-e return flow. You can't enable it for selected orders, and no destination-level setup is needed in AfterShip Returns.
Step 3: Review your existing AfterShip Returns settings
Global-e has no dedicated settings portal. Your return reasons, eligibility rules, return page branding, per-item resolutions, notifications, notes, and tags keep working exactly as they do for a domestic return. The table below covers only what changes.
Important:
You don't need to configure carriers, return locations, package sizes, or routing rules in AfterShip Returns for Global-e orders. Global-e offers these per lane (a shipping origin and destination country pair), and your domestic setup still governs domestic returns.
If you wish to enable self-postage, please ask your technical account manager to enable it in Global-e settings.
Where | Setting | What happens on Global-e orders | What to do |
Return policy > General | Return window | Applies | Yours is the only window that applies once Global-e turns its own off. Until then, keep yours equal to or shorter than Global-e's |
Return policy > Return routing rules | Zones, rules, return methods | Global-e controls | Global-e orders bypass your routing rules. No zones or return methods are needed for Global-e destinations |
Ship and track | Carrier accounts, return locations, package sizes | Global-e controls | Global-e's return address always overrides yours, including for self-postage |
| Cost of return and return shipping fee | Global-e controls | Use the fee Global-e quotes. Global-e also chooses the currency it's quoted in |
| Packing slips and conditional documents | Not available | Global-e generates the cross-border documents instead, and AfterShip Returns shows them as received |
| Additional labels and split shipments | Not available | One label per return. Items from different outbound shipments need separate returns |
| Return Care | Not available | Return Care uses its own label and fee, which conflicts with the Global-e flow |
Return policy > Checkout | Shopper payment on the return page | Not available | The return page never collects a price difference, deposit, or return fee for Global-e orders |
Return policy > Automation rules | Auto-refund: Refund when the return is | Check the trigger before launch | Set the trigger to In transit or Delivered. Marked as received never fires for a Global-e return |
| Auto-restock | Review your settings before enabling | Returned goods sit at a Global-e hub, not your warehouse. Confirm this matches your inventory process |
| Auto-create exchange orders: Create when the return is | Check the trigger before launch | Use a tracking-based trigger, for the same reason as auto-refund |
| Auto-expire | Not available | Expiring a return locally wouldn't void the Global-e RMA, so these returns are skipped |
Return policy > Workflows | Rules that set cost of return, refund shipping fee, or extra labels | Not available | Workflows that set tags, notes, or notifications work normally |
Return policy > Refunds and exchanges | Only one option is supported | Keep Create a new order for exchange items at full value. Global-e recognizes a replacement only when it's a separate order | |
| Refund the original shipping cost | Applies | No action needed. Your setting is honored on Global-e orders |
| Refund the return shipping fee, discount rules, green-return partial refund | Not available | The Global-e return shipping fee is always deducted from the refund |
| Only Same-priced variants exchange is supported. | Turn on Only allow exchanges for same-priced variants. If you allow price differences, the exchange option disappears for Global-e orders | |
| Advanced exchange, Instant exchange, Shop now, Shop with refund value, exchange of a replacement | Not available | Exchange groups return no options on a Global-e order, so shoppers would see nothing to pick |
| AI exchange suggestion | Not available | AI suggestions aren't shown for Global-e orders |
Two small differences worth knowing:
All returned units of the same variant share one return reason.
The return reason text is trimmed to 100 characters on the Global-e Return Note.
a. Automation rules: Auto-refund, auto-create exchange order, auto-restock
b. Refunds and exchanges: Same-priced variant exchanges
c. Refunds and exchanges: Shopify exchange order processing
Refund destinations
Global-e is the Merchant of Record (MoR) for these orders, so Global-e sells to the shopper and pays the shopper. AfterShip Returns issues one refund against the Shopify order, and Global-e pays out what it receives from Shopify.
Destination | Settled by | What to know |
Original payment method | Global-e | AfterShip Returns issues the refund against the Shopify order. Global-e picks it up and pays the shopper in the currency of purchase |
Store credit | AfterShip Returns | Issued internally, without sending the transaction to Global-e. Requires Shopify Native Store Credit |
Store credit issued as an eCommerce gift card | AfterShip Returns | A setting on the Store credit resolution rather than a separate destination. Requires Shopify Plus |
Note:
Store credit and gift cards never reach Global-e, so they don't appear in Global-e's reconciliation report.
Only refunds to the original payment method are settled through Global-e.
Step 4: Update your return policy copy
Returns on a Global-e order follow different rules from your domestic returns, covering refund currency, shipping fees, and exchanges. Update your published return policy and return page before you launch, so shoppers know what to expect.
Refunds to the original payment method are issued in the currency the shopper paid in, not your store currency. The amount shown on the return page is an estimate, and Global-e confirms the final amount at settlement.
The Global-e return shipping fee is deducted from the refund whenever the shopper picks a paid return method. The fee is set by Global-e and varies by destination.
International exchanges are limited to the same product at the same price. A shopper who wants a different product should return the item for a refund and place a new order.
Return shipping for an international exchange is either free to the shopper or self-posted. No return shipping fee is charged on an exchange.
Step 5: Test the integration
Run a full return on a test order before you launch, so that you can confirm the values Global-e supplies match what shoppers see.
Set Mode to
teston the Global-e connection page, or place an order in Global-e's QA environment.In Global-e, set the order to Dispatched to customer.
Confirm that the matching Shopify order is fulfilled. Global-e rejects returns on orders it hasn't dispatched, so confirm this status before you continue.
Submit a return through your return page and verify that:
The return methods, shipping fee, and return address match the values Global-e supplied
The label or QR code and all required documents are available
The estimated refund appears in the currency the shopper paid in, with the "final amount confirmed by Global-e" notice
The return appears in your RMA list
5. Complete the refund and check the amount in Shopify.
The refund should cover the returned items plus sales tax and duties, less the Global-e return shipping fee. The original shipping cost is included only if you have that setting turned on.
WARNING:
Global-e provides no way to cancel or void an RMA from AfterShip Returns. Don't create test RMAs on live orders you need to keep, because only Global-e Support can void them.
To stop using this flow, uninstall the Global-e app from Apps. Global-e orders then follow your standard return flow, and returns already created stay with Global-e.
Merchant experience
After completing these steps:
AfterShip Returns detects Global-e Native orders at lookup and keeps them on the Global-e flow for the return submission process.
Shoppers see your branded return page, your return reasons, and your return window, wherever they're returning from.
Global-e syncs the return methods, shipping fee, return address, label, and customs documents for each lane.
Global-e returns appear in your RMA list alongside domestic returns, with the same notes, tags, and notifications
Refunds are issued once, against the Shopify order, and Global-e pays out what it receives from Shopify
What you can and can't do on a Global-e return
Global-e returns appear in your standard RMA list, and most actions work normally: approve, resolve, notes, tags, flags, fraud reporting, and resending notifications. Once Global-e issues its RMA, that RMA can't be changed or canceled, so AfterShip Returns disables the actions that would leave the two systems out of sync. Only the differences are listed below.
Action | Available | What to know |
Refund | Yes | Issued only by AfterShip Returns, against the Shopify order. Global-e pays out what it receives from Shopify. |
Change refund destination | Yes | Choose the original payment method or store credit for the whole return. |
Create exchange order | Yes | Limited to the same product at the same price. AfterShip Returns links the replacement to the original order for you. |
Reject | Depends on the stage | Before approval, there's no Global-e RMA, so rejecting can be done. After approval, rejecting in AfterShip Returns doesn't void the Global-e RMA. You need to contact Global-e Support for assistance. |
Restock | Check your inventory process | Review whether restocking is right when the goods are at a Global-e hub, not your warehouse. |
Expire or reactivate | No | A local change wouldn't update the Global-e RMA. |
Mark items as received | No | The goods go to a Global-e hub, so receipt status comes from Global-e inbound tracking. |
Remove items | No | The item selection is fixed once Global-e issues the RMA. Global-e Support must void it before you can create a new one. |
Change return method | No | Global-e determines the available methods. |
Change to a green return | No | Not supported on Global-e orders. |
Edit contact or address details | No | Global-e or Shopify owns this information. |
The RMA detail page for a Global-e return
The RMA detail page for a Global-e return, with a green arrow on the Refund action
Shopper experience
Shoppers stay on your branded return page, and the flow works the same way: same lookup, same verification, same estimated refund. Four things differ.
Step | Domestic return | Global-e return |
Return method | Your configured methods and address | Whatever Global-e offers for that lane, with its own fee and return address. Options include a prepaid label, a print-free QR code, a consolidated return, or self-postage. Self-postage still ships to the Global-e address, and the shopper pays only the postage |
Resolution | Refund, store credit, or exchange | All refund destinations stay available. Exchange is limited to a same-priced variant of the same product, and appears only if your store allows same-priced variant exchange |
Payment on the return page | May collect a price difference, deposit, or return fee | Never collects payment |
When the return isn't eligible | Generic error | The shopper stops at return method selection and sees the reason, such as an order Global-e hasn't dispatched yet, an item that can't cross borders, a virtual product, or dangerous goods. No return is created |
For a self-postage return, the page shows the return address, Return Note, and customs documents instead of a label.
Return method selection on the branded return page, with a green arrow on a Global-e prepaid label option
The estimated refund step, with a green arrow on the "final amount confirmed by Global-e" notice
A print-free return, with a green arrow on the QR code
Troubleshooting Tips
Problem | Cause | Solution |
Shoppers are told the return period has expired, even though your window allows it | Global-e still enforces its own return window | Ask Global-e to turn off the return window on your merchant account |
A shopper is blocked at return method selection | Global-e declined the return for that item or order | Check the Global-e order status is Dispatched to customer, then confirm the item can be returned across borders |
Global-e returns never refund automatically | The auto-refund trigger is set to Marked as received, which never fires on a Global-e return | Change Refund when the return is to In transit or Delivered |
A return has no tracking updates and reaches no trigger | Global-e reports the return method as not trackable | Refund or resolve the return manually |
Shoppers receive two sets of return emails | Return emails are still enabled in Global-e | Ask Global-e to turn off return emails for your merchant account |
A shopper is refunded twice | Automatic refunds are still enabled in Global-e | Ask Global-e to turn off automatic refunds for your merchant account |
The exchange option doesn't appear on a Global-e order | Your store allows exchanges with a price difference | Turn on Only allow exchanges for same-priced variants under Return policy > Refunds and exchanges |
The refund in Shopify differs from the estimate the shopper saw | Original-payment refunds are estimates until Global-e settles them | Check the Global-e reconciliation report for the final amount |
FAQ
1. Do I need to set up carriers or return addresses for Global-e destinations?
No. Global-e supplies the eligible return methods, the fee, and the return address for each lane, and AfterShip Returns offers only what Global-e returns. Your domestic carrier accounts, return locations, and routing rules still govern domestic returns.
2. Whose return window applies, mine or Global-e's?
Yours, once Global-e turns its own window off for your account. Ask Global-e for this during onboarding, because the request has to come from you as the merchant. Until it's done, both windows are enforced, and the stricter one wins.
3. Can shoppers exchange an item on an international order?
Yes, but only for the same product at the same price, and only if your store is set to same-priced variant exchange. Global-e orders don't support exchanges for a different product, exchanges with a price difference, Instant exchange, Shop now, or an exchange on a replacement order.
4. Why is the refund amount different from what the shopper saw on the return page?
A refund to the original payment method is an estimate until Global-e settles it. AfterShip Returns issues the refund against the Shopify order, and Global-e pays out the amount it receives from Shopify. The Global-e reconciliation report holds the final figure. The store credit and gift cards are issued directly by AfterShip Returns and aren't affected.
5. Can I mark items as received on a Global-e return?
No. The goods are delivered to a Global-e hub rather than your warehouse, so receipt status comes from Global-e inbound tracking. Inbound tracking reaches the return through the AfterShip connector, so it can lag the carrier by a few hours.
6. Can I reject a Global-e return after I've approved it?
Yes, but rejecting in AfterShip Returns doesn't void the Global-e RMA, so contact Global-e Support as well. If the shopper changes their mind, leave the return open as a label issued but not used. If the shopper now wants to return different items from the same order, Global-e Support has to void the original RMA first.
7. Who do I contact when something goes wrong?
Contact AfterShip Support for setup, connection, RMA, or refund issues. Contact Global-e Support for return methods, carriers, addresses, labels, customs documents, RMA voiding, or reconciliation. Contact your AfterShip account manager for anything commercial.
Appendix
Merchant of Record (MoR): the party that legally sells to the shopper and settles the money. On a Global-e Native order, that's Global-e, not you.
Lane: a shipping origin and destination country pair. Global-e sets the return methods, fee, and address per lane, which is why they differ by country.
Presentment currency: the currency the shopper paid in. Refunds to the original payment method use this currency.
RMA: the return merchandise authorization. Global-e issues its own RMA number when you approve the return, and that number governs the physical return.
GEOrderId: the Global-e order ID stored on the Shopify order. AfterShip Returns uses it to communicate with Global-e. Shoppers never need it.