The Merchant Managed Return Program allows merchants to select their own return policies and return authorization types for all destination countries that they have enabled for shipping.

The program is available to select merchants only, though will gradually roll out to global merchants in the coming months.

Merchants with program access can configure their own return policies and return authorization types on the Settings > Return Settings page. (See “How to set up Return Settings” for details.)

Note that the customer-facing merchant-set return policies will be gradually rolled out in the coming months. After that, merchants with program access can expect to receive their customers’ return requests respective to their own return policies. 

The Merchant Policy Returns, Refunds, and Claims policy will also be effective when we officially launch merchant-set return policies.

This article walks through a number of details about the program, to help merchants better understand the program and strategize for their return policies and return authorization types.

Table of contents (click on a topic to be taken to that particular section):

• Program overview and benefits
• Return policy options available to merchants

• • Wish Auto Review (Default) 
  • Free 30 day returns accepted
  • Prepaid 30 day returns accepted
  • Returns not accepted

• Return authorization types available to merchants

• • Merchant Return Authorization
  • Wish Return Authorization

• Set return address

• • Use merchants’ warehouse for returns
  • Use Wish Return Facility for returns

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Program overview and benefits

The Merchant Managed Return Program allows merchants to select their own return policies and return authorization types per destination country based on their store operation, customer service capabilities, and local laws/regulations.

Therefore, the Merchant Managed Return Program benefits merchants by allowing them to:

• customize and introduce customer-friendly return policies
• be autonomous and flexible in handling returns
• communicate directly to and open with customers to understand issues and needs (for merchants selecting Merchant Return Authorization)
• automate and instantly resolve issues (for merchants selecting Wish Return Authorization)

For merchants who have access to the Merchant Managed Return Program, they need to set up their own return policies and return authorization types for all destination countries that they have enabled for shipping on the Settings > Shipping page. (Please visit the article “How to set up Return Settings” for a step-by-step guide.)

 

Here is a high-level flow chart of configuring return settings:

Return policy options available to merchants:

• Wish Auto Review (Default) 

This is the default option selected for merchants, which means they accept returns per Wish’s customer-facing Returns and Refunds policy, and Wish authorizes and handles customers’ return requests in the best interests of customers and merchants. 

If merchants have no/limited customer support capabilities to handle customers’ return requests by themselves, we encourage them to select this option for all/some destination countries. Wish provides professional customer service to their customers and take care of any regional customer support compliance, potentially improving merchants’ store operation. 

• Free 30 day returns accepted

Selecting this option means that merchants accept return requests and offer free returns to customers within 30 calendar days of the confirmed delivered date.

Additionally, merchants are responsible for paying return shipping costs and refunding the full amount to customers after they receive the returned item. 

• Prepaid 30 day returns accepted

Selecting this option means that merchants accept returns by providing prepaid shipping labels to customers within 30 calendar days of the confirmed delivered date. 

Note that the cost of prepaid shipping labels may be merchants' or customers’ responsibility depending on different situations.

For example, merchants are responsible for paying for returns and refunding the full amount to customers for the following refunds: 

• Any refund on a delivered order for reasons other than buyer’s remorse
• Any refund for significantly not as described issues
• Any refund due to merchant fulfillment issues

For any refund due to buyer’s remorse reasons, customers are responsible for paying for returns. (According to Wish’s customer-facing Returns and Refunds policy, customers can cancel their orders due to buyer’s remorse reasons, i.e., order cancellations, bought by mistake, no longer needed.) 

Meanwhile, merchants are responsible for refunding the product price only or the full amount to customers for any refund due to buyer’s remorse reasons depending on regional compliance. Specifically:

• Customers based in the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), and United Kingdom (UK) have the Rights of Withdrawal. Therefore, for any returns due to buyer’s remorse reasons initiated by EU/EEA/UK customers within 14 calendar days after delivery, merchants are responsible for refunding the full amount to customers. Note that if the 14th day falls on a weekend or holiday, it will be extended to the next business day.
• For any returns due to buyer’s remorse reasons initiated by EU/EEA/UK customers after 14 calendar days or by customers elsewhere (expect the EU/EEA/UK), merchants are responsible for refunding the product price only.

If merchants choose Merchant Return Authorization (See “Merchant Return Authorization” section below for details.), please consider the above situations to calculate and issue the refund amount. Merchants may also choose to offer a returnless refund, allowing customers to keep the product and refund the full amount. Additionally, if customers buy a bulky item (e.g., thin large rug, sofa, armchair, other furniture), we encourage merchants to contact customers and provide them with an estimated cost of returning the item so that customers can decide whether to continue returning.

For any return requests authorized by Wish (i.e., Wish Return Authorization), we consider the above situations to authorize and handle return requests in the best interest of customers and merchants. 

 

Example:

Assume an item’s product price is $30, the shipping price is $10, and the return label cost is $10. 

• If an EU/EEA/UK customer requests for a return due to buyer’s remorse reasons within 14 calendar days after delivery and merchants accept the return request, the estimated refund amount merchants need to refund will be:

(product price + shipping price) - return label cost = $30

• If an EU/EEA/UK customer requests for a return due to buyer’s remorse reasons after 14 calendar days and merchants accept the return request, the estimated refund amount merchants need to refund will be:

product price - return label cost = $20

• If a customer elsewhere (expect the EU/EEA/UK) requests for a return due to buyer’s remorse reasons and merchants accept the return request, the estimated refund amount will be:

product price - return label cost = $20

• For any refund on a delivered order for reasons other than buyer’s remorse/for significantly not as described issues/merchant fulfillment issues, merchants are responsible for paying for returns and refunding the full amount:

product price + shipping price = $40

• Returns not accepted

Selecting this option means that merchants do not accept any return requests for their products.  

However, according to the Returns, Refunds, and Claims policy, merchants’ return policy Returns not accepted will be overridden in the following situations:

• Merchant-Set Return Policy：

When merchants select Returns not accepted for orders from EU/EEA/UK, their return policies will be overridden. Therefore, Wish will automatically review customer return requests per Wish Auto Review (Override) policy, and provide support as required by regulations. To learn more about Wish Auto Review (Override) policy, please visit this article.

• Returns Accepted on Apparel Items:

When selling apparel items, Wish will automatically apply the Wish Auto Review (Override) policy for all destination countries that merchants select Returns not accepted. In other words, Wish will override merchants’ return policy and authorization setting and review relevant return requests in the best interest of customers and merchants.

 

Note that even if merchants set Returns are not accepted, customers can create claims to Wish when the item is significantly not as described. Merchants are not allowed to dispute the result of claims. 

Return authorization types available to merchants

As required by Return Authorization policy, all return requests are authorized either by merchants (Merchant Return Authorization) or by Wish (Wish Return Authorization).

When merchants’ return policy is Wish Auto Review (Default) or Wish Auto Review (Override) overrides their return policy, Wish authorizes and handles return requests in the best interest of customers and merchants (i.e., Wish Return Authorization). 

When merchants set either Free 30 day returns accepted or Prepaid 30 day returns accepted policy, they need to choose a return authorization type (Merchant Return Authorization or Wish Return Authorization) and provide the necessary information in order to handle returns.

• Merchant Return Authorization

Choosing this option means that merchants  review and authorize return requests from customers and offer alternative solutions, including returnless refunds, exchanges or replacements, to customers. 

If customers insist on a return, merchants need to provide customers with a prepaid return shipping label to their own return warehouses. (See “Use merchant’s warehouse for returns” section below for details.) 

To help merchants identify the returned item from Wish customers, Wish will provide a return slip for customers to include in their return parcel. The return slip includes the return id, transaction id, and product id (see below for an example).

Note that merchants are responsible for taking action to customers’ request on the Merchant Dashboard Support Tickets > Action Required page within 48 hours in UTC time (including weekend) from the confirmed delivered date of the returned parcel. 

For newly created return requests, merchants can select from the following actions:

• Authorize return
• Issue refund
• Contact customers
• Create claim

After contacting customers or receiving the returned items from customers, merchants have two additional options:

• Reject return
• Cancel return (if necessary)

For additional guide, please visit the Help Center article, “How to manually authorize return requests.”

Note that if merchants do not take any action or become unresponsive anytime throughout the return process, the request is routed to the Wish Customer Support team per the Merchant Return Authorization policy. The Wish Customer Support team handles customers’ return requests on behalf of merchants. Merchants cannot dispute the results of these cases.

• Wish Return Authorization

As we mentioned above, when merchants’ return policy is Wish Auto Review (Default) or Wish Auto Review (Override) overrides, Wish authorizes and handles return requests in the best interest of customers and merchants (i.e., Wish Return Authorization). 

When merchants set either Free 30 day returns accepted or Prepaid 30 day returns accepted policy and choose Wish Return Authorization, Wish authorizes and handles returns according to the return policy set by merchants.

Note that for any return requests that are authorized by Wish, Wish automatically enrolls merchants in the Wish Return Program. As a part of this program, Wish generates prepaid return labels for merchants.

Set return address

• Use merchants’ warehouse for returns

To use merchants’ own warehouse for returns, merchants need to provide a domestic return address for non-EU countries (i.e., a return address in the country shipping to) and an intra-EU return address for EU countries. 

For example, if merchants select this option for the United States, they need to provide customers with prepaid shipping labels to a domestic United States address. If merchants select this option for France, they need to provide customers with prepaid shipping labels to an address within the EU.

Note that merchants are required to use their own warehouse for returns in the following situations: 

• Merchants set either Free 30 day returns accepted or Prepaid 30 day returns accepted policy and choose Merchant Return Authorization. 
• Merchants set Free 30 day returns accepted or Prepaid 30 day returns accepted policies and choose Wish Return Authorization, but the destination country does not have Wish Return Facility.

• Use Wish Return Facility for returns

If merchants’ return policy is Wish Auto Review (Default) or Wish Auto Review (Override) overrides their return policy, Wish will authorize and handle return requests (i.e., Wish Return Authorization) and may ask customers to return products to a Wish Return Facility. Note that Wish is not obligated to return products to merchants when Wish requires returns from customers per Wish’s customer-facing Returns and Refunds policy. Merchants may dispute these cases based on the refund reason and dispute eligibility defined in Merchant Policy - Refund Issue and Refund Responsibility.

When merchants set Free 30 day returns accepted or Prepaid 30 day returns accepted policies and choose Wish Return Authorization, they may leverage the Wish Return Facility. Note that once items arrive at the Wish Return Facility, Wish will issue refunds to customers. At the Wish Return Facility, Wish will dispose of the returned parcels. Wish will not return parcels or items to merchants. For any item that is not supported by a Wish Return Facility, Wish will automatically issue a returnless refund to customers. To learn more about the Wish Return Facility, please visit the Help Center Article, “Wish Return Program(applicable to merchants participating in Merchant Managed Return Program only).”

 

For any suggestions, questions, or feedback about the program, please reach out to the Account Manager or General Support.