ℹ️ This feature is available in Returns V2 only.
Faulty flow is a dedicated feature within Returns V2 for handling defective item claims. This article explains how the flow works, how to configure Advanced Rules and Split Shipments for faulty items, and how to use the settings on the Faulty items tab.
What is faulty flow
Faulty flow is a dedicated process within Returns that lets you handle defective item claims with clarity and efficiency. It provides tools to:
Identify and categorise faulty items.
Assess claims with supporting evidence.
Manage return decisions and automate outcomes using Advanced Rules.
Route faulty items to a different warehouse using Split Shipments.
Before you start
Faulty flow runs off your return reasons. An item is only treated as faulty when the customer selects a return reason that has Mark item as faulty enabled, so set that up before anything else on this page — see How to set up return reasons.
An Advanced Rule can also force faulty flow onto an item whose return reason is not faulty — this is how green returns are built. That is covered under Advanced Rules below.
How it works
Customer flow
Faulty item selection: Customers select a faulty item reason when initiating a return in the portal.
Upload photos and comments: Customers upload images and provide comments to explain the issue.
Await merchant decision: The return label is not generated until the merchant decides whether the item should be returned or kept.
Email notification: Customers receive an email with a decision — return or keep — along with relevant instructions and a return label if required.
Merchant flow
RMA dashboard review:
Faulty items appear tagged and categorised as requiring review.
Uploaded images and comments from customers are visible for assessment.
Decision process:
Decide whether items should be returned or kept.
Multiple faulty items can be addressed individually.
Finalise the decision to send a confirmation email to the customer.
Post-decision actions:
For items marked “Return”: Generate and send the return label.
For items marked “Keep”: No return label is generated; the RMA progresses as completed.
Return processing:
Once decisions are made, faulty items merge into the regular return flow for refunds, credits, or replacements.
Advanced Rules
Advanced Rules can be used to automate faulty flow decisions, removing the need for manual processing. For how rules, conditions and actions work in general, see Understanding advanced rules.
Conditions
Condition | Level | Description |
Return contains faulty items | Return / Order | Triggers when any item in the return has a faulty reason |
Item is marked with faulty return reason | Item | Triggers on the specific item flagged as faulty |
Actions
Both actions force faulty flow onto the item regardless of the return reason the customer selected, so you can automate a keep-or-return decision on items that are not flagged as faulty at all.
Action | Description |
Mark item for 'return not required' | Applies a green return: the item does not need to be sent back. The customer is notified by email, but this does not process the RMA. For the full set-up steps, see How to set up green returns. |
Mark item for 'return is required' | Auto-selects the return decision in the RMA, so a label is generated without you making the decision by hand. |
When one of these actions is applied:
The faulty tag and the faulty confirmation text are not shown to the customer in the portal.
The faulty decision is made automatically in the RMA and the confirmation email is sent without manual intervention.
If all faulty items in the return are covered by the action, the email is sent automatically. If some items are covered and others are not, the email must be sent manually.
The action alone does not waive the return shipping fee. Where the item's return reason is genuinely faulty and Waive return shipping for faulty items is switched on, the fee is still waived as normal. Where the action has forced faulty flow onto an item whose reason is not faulty, it is not — add a postage action to the same rule if you want the fee waived in that case.
⚠️ Instant Exchange is not available on any return containing a faulty item, whether the item was flagged by its return reason or by one of these actions. The customer sees the following message: "We’re sorry, these items can’t be exchanged instantly. Please choose a different return method or contact our support team for help."
Shipping fee logic for automated faulty returns
When a split shipment contains a mix of items:
Shipment with only KEEP items: the shipping fee for that shipment is not charged.
Shipment with KEEP and RETURN items: the shipping fee for that shipment is charged.
Split Shipments: routing faulty items to a separate address
You can route faulty items to a different warehouse or address by adding a faulty condition to your Split Shipments rules.
How it works
A new condition is available in Split Shipments: Product marked as faulty.
When this condition is met, Swap routes the faulty item to the address specified in the split shipment rule, separately from any non-faulty items in the same return.
Key behaviours:
If a faulty split shipment rule conflicts with another rule, the faulty rule takes priority.
The faulty condition can be combined with other conditions using And or Or operators.
If an Advanced Rule also applies faulty flow to the item, the split shipment routing still applies.
Faulty items settings
The settings that control faulty flow are grouped on one tab. Go to Returns → Settings → Return requests and open the Faulty items tab.
Waive return shipping for faulty items
Switch this on to waive the return shipping fee when a return includes at least one faulty item. The waiver covers the whole return rather than the faulty item alone: the fee shows as 0 against every carrier in the portal, and nothing is charged at checkout.
Two things to know:
The waiver follows the return reason, not the Advanced Rules actions. An item that an action has forced into faulty flow is not covered by this setting unless its return reason is faulty in its own right.
Where a return is split across shipments, the per-shipment behaviour described under Shipping fee logic for automated faulty returns applies.
For return shipping fees generally, see How to set or change return shipping fees.
Hide faulty tag
Switch this on to hide the Faulty tag shown on faulty items in the returns portal.
Only the tag is hidden. The item is still handled as faulty in every other respect: the return still waits for your decision before a label is generated, the faulty confirmation text is still shown, and the return shipping waiver still applies if it is switched on. The setting is store-wide and applies to every faulty return.
This is separate from the Advanced Rules faulty actions, which suppress the tag and the faulty text only for the items a rule matches. Which items count as faulty in the first place is set by the Mark item as faulty option on a return reason — see How to set up return reasons.
Confirmation and email editor
Use this to adjust the wording customers see in the portal and in the return created email when their return includes a faulty item. See Customising the confirmation text below.
Confirmation email
The confirmation email sent from the RMA is the same email customers receive after submitting a return via the returns portal.
In faulty flow, the email is held until all faulty item decisions are made, as the list of items to return or keep may change.
Once all decisions are made, the button is enabled — clicking it sends the confirmation email to the customer.
The email includes:
Items to return (faulty items include a note)
Items to keep
Purchased items (if applicable)
The return label or QR code
Customising the confirmation text
The Confirmation and email editor on the Faulty items tab controls the wording a customer sees when their return includes at least one faulty item. It has two tabs, and each field is limited to 200 characters.
Portal confirmation page sets what the customer sees in the portal once the return is submitted:
Headline
Body text
The Portal preview panel beside the editor shows how the page reads as you type.
Return created email sets the two faulty-specific passages in the return created email:
Keep faulty item message — displayed when a faulty item does not need to be returned.
Return instructions for faulty item message — used to request faulty item returns. The return list can include non-faulty items, so keep this wording relevant to both.
This wording replaces your standard confirmation text whenever a return includes at least one faulty item. Within the email, each message appears only when the return has items in that category.
Email example:
FAQs
What happens if a merchant decides a faulty item should be kept?
If the merchant chooses Keep, the customer is notified via email and no further action is required. If all items are marked as keep, the RMA proceeds without generating a shipping label.
Can decisions be reversed?
No. Once a decision is finalised and communicated to the customer, it cannot be changed.
Can faulty items be exchanged instantly?
No. Instant Exchange is not available for faulty item returns. Customers are prompted to choose a standard exchange or another return method.