What should a return label email include?

The label or QR code, the drop-off deadline as a date, what to pack, who pays postage, and when the refund or exchange happens once it's back. Numbered steps help, because people follow them with the email open on their phone.

How quickly do I have to refund after a return?

In the UK and EU, generally within 14 days of getting the item back, or of the customer showing proof they've sent it, whichever comes first. In the US it's whatever your policy promises. Faster is better either way.

Is a prepaid return label worth the cost?

Often, yes. It removes the step where the customer has to find a box, a courier and a price, which is where returns stall and turn into "I never got my refund" emails a month later. If margins are tight, a QR code with a deduction from the refund is a fair middle ground, as long as your policy says so.

Shipping and returns templates

Return label email templates that get the parcel back without a second email

Q: Who pays for return shipping?

Whoever your policy says, as long as you said it before the sale. In the UK and EU, if you didn't tell the customer up front that they'd pay for returns, you have to cover it. Faulty items are always on you.

Updated October 19, 2026

Return label email templates illustrated by a printer with an oversized return label coming out, a parcel waiting beside it

Return label email templates are the last thing you send before the parcel comes back, and a vague one gets you the item late or not at all. Every version below gives the label or QR code, a drop-off date, what goes in the box and when the refund lands.

The templates

1. Prepaid label attached

WarmEmail

Subject: Your return label for order [#1234]

Hi [first name], Your return's all set up, and it takes three steps: 1. Print the label attached to this email. 2. Pack the [item] with its tags, in any box or bag that'll keep it safe. 3. Stick the label on and drop it at any [carrier] point by [date]. The label's prepaid, so there's nothing to pay. Once the parcel arrives back with us, I'll [refund €48.00 to your card] within [2 working days] and email you to confirm. [Your name] [Store name]

2. QR code, no printer needed

NeutralEmail

Subject: Your return QR code for order [#1234]

Hi [first name], No printer needed for this one. Show the QR code below at any [carrier] drop-off point and they'll print the label for you. [QR code] Please drop it off by [date]. Pack the [item] with its tags, and if you can, keep the receipt they give you until your refund comes through. Once it's back with us, I'll [refund €48.00 to your card] within [2 working days] of it arriving and let you know. [Your name] [Store name]

3. Customer pays return postage

NeutralEmail

Only if your policy said so before they bought. In the UK and EU, if you didn't tell them up front, you pay.

Subject: How to return order [#1234]

Hi [first name], Your return is approved. As our returns policy explains, return postage is paid by the customer, so please send the [item] to: [Store name] [Returns address] Use a tracked service if you can, so we can both see when it arrives. Pop a note in the box with your order number ([#1234]), and send it by [date]. I'll refund [€48.00] to your [card ending 4417] within [2 working days] of it arriving. [Your name] [Store name]

4. Exchange: label plus the replacement

WarmEmail

Subject: Your exchange for order [#1234]

Hi [first name], Happy to swap the [size 10] for a [size 12]. Your prepaid label is attached. Pack the [boots] up, stick the label on and drop them at any [carrier] point by [date]. I've reserved the [size 12] for you, and it'll go out as soon as the carrier scans your return, so you won't be waiting for it to reach us first. [Your name] [Store name]

5. Reminder: label not used yet

FirmEmail

Send a few days before the window closes. Friendly, but clear about the date.

Subject: Reminder: your return for order [#1234]

Hi [first name], Just a reminder that the return label for your [item] hasn't been scanned yet. To get your refund, it needs to be dropped off by [date]. After that the return window closes and I won't be able to refund it. If you've changed your mind and you're keeping it, no need to do anything. And if the label's not working, reply and I'll send a new one. [Your name] [Store name]

6. Short version for chat or WhatsApp

WarmChat / WhatsApp

Your return's set up. I've emailed a prepaid label to [email]. Print it, pop it on the parcel and drop it at any [carrier] point by [date]. Refund goes out as soon as it's back with us, usually within [2 working days].

Put the steps in the order they'll do them#

People read a return email once, on their phone, and then follow it while standing in a queue at the parcel shop. Numbered steps beat a paragraph. Lead with the label, then packing, then where and when. The refund timeline goes last because it's what they'll scroll back to look for.

On Shopify, self-serve returns let customers request a return from their order page, and WooCommerce does the same through a returns plugin. Either way, the email that follows is what decides whether the parcel comes back on time.

The return postage question#

Decide who pays and put it in your policy before anyone buys. In the UK and EU, if you didn't tell the customer up front that return postage is theirs, it's yours, and faulty goods are always yours. A prepaid label costs you the postage but saves the back-and-forth.

Hay.chat checks the order date against the returns window in your policy, opens the return on Shopify and replies with your return steps, or your returns portal link if you use one. That's where it stops: it doesn't create or email the label, so the label or QR code comes from your carrier account or returns app, the same way it does today. If the item comes back worn or missing a part, you'll want the partial refund templates, which lay out the deduction as a sum.

What to include

The label or QR code, and exactly how to use it.
A drop-off deadline as a date, not a number of days.
What goes in the box: the item, tags if it had them, and the order number.
Who pays postage. If it's the customer, say so, along with the address.
What happens once it arrives, and how quickly.

Don't say this

"Items must be returned in their original packaging."

Asking nicely is fine. In the UK and EU, making it a condition of the refund usually isn't, and it's the line that makes people keep things they'd otherwise send back.
"Refunds are processed within 30 days of receipt."

Too slow, and in the UK and EU you've generally got 14 days from getting the item back. Say how quickly you actually do it.
"Once received, your return will be inspected and a decision made."

It sounds like you're looking for a reason to refuse. Say when you'll refund, and mention the check only if it's likely to matter.
"Use any courier you like."

Then you've got an untracked parcel and a customer swearing they sent it. Ask for a tracked service.

Hay.chat opens the return in Shopify and drafts the steps. The label itself comes from your carrier or returns app, and labels that won't scan or bulky items go to a person.

When a person should take over

If the label won't scan or the carrier won't accept the parcel, a person should arrange another way back. Don't send a second automated label.

Bulky items and international returns often need a collection booked by hand. Hand those to someone who can do it.

If a return arrives damaged in transit, a person should handle the carrier claim before the refund goes out.