Returns receiving at the 3PL is where revenue gets reclaimed or written off. Done well, you restock 60-80 percent of returns and inventory stays accurate. Done sloppily, you trash sellable product and your Shopify counts drift from reality. This SOP defines the receiving workflow.
Every return is a margin event. Restock means full recovery. Trash means total loss. The decision happens at the warehouse, often within seconds of inspection. SOPs make that decision consistent.
Unworn, original packaging, all components present, no visible damage, no smell or stains. If any criterion fails, downgrade to outlet or trash.
ShipBob receiver takes photo of received item before decision. Photo attached to return record. Disputes resolve faster with evidence.
Restock (full inventory). Outlet (sellable at discount). Damaged (vendor credit if applicable). Trash (write off).
Items over $50 marked trash require manager approval. Prevents accidental write-offs of expensive product.
ShipBob restocked count should match Shopify availability bump. Variance over 5 percent indicates a sync or process problem.
Some products restock 80 percent of returns. Some restock 20 percent. Low restock rates mean quality or packaging issues at the product level.
Customer should see 'return received' and 'refund processed' status changes via Loop or Shopify notifications.
Manager pulls 20 random decisions, reviews photos, confirms category was correct. Catches receiver-level inconsistency.
Record your screen while performing the shipbob returns receiving. ReccordSOP turns the recording into a SOP with timestamped screenshots. When your live setup changes, drift detection flags it.
Generate this SOP free60-80 percent across category. Apparel runs higher (most returns are wrong size, fully restockable). Beauty runs lower (hygiene reasons).
Yes if you have an outlet channel. 10-20 percent of returns are sellable but not pristine, perfect for outlet. Avoid premium-brand contamination by separating sales channels.
If 5+ percent of returns from a single SKU show manufacturing defects, file vendor credit claim. Track patterns monthly.
I built ReccordSOP after watching too many DTC ops teams lose months to undocumented workflows. These SOPs are battle-tested with Shopify operators running $1M to $50M brands.
Last reviewed June 1, 2026