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Stay tuned for September · September 2026

Logistics

Returns built for European right-of-withdrawal.

Self-service portal, automated EU return labels, instant refunds. No €0.50-1.50 per-return fees. You own the code.

Book a ConsultationSee What's Included

Fixed Price

No hourly billing

7-10 weeks

Planning, build, tests

Code You Own

Source code + handover

01 — The Problem

Returns Apps Charge More Than They Save

Returns management is the single most expensive per-order fee category on Shopify. Loop Returns charges €0.50-1.50 per return on top of base subscriptions of €100-500/month. Return Prime, Returnly, and AfterShip Returns follow the same pattern.

Do the math at scale: a European store with 8,000 orders/month and a typical 12% return rate processes 960 returns monthly. At €1.20 per return, that's €1,152/month — €13,824/year — for a function that's mostly mechanical: print a label, log the reason, refund or exchange. Worse, the apps were built for US returns culture (no statutory withdrawal period) and don't handle the EU's 14-day Widerrufsrecht correctly out of the box.

02 — Our Solution

What We Build

A custom returns portal that handles EU consumer law correctly and removes the per-return tax:

Widerrufsrecht-compliant flow: 14-day cooling-off period clearly communicated, return reason categorization that maps to legal categories (Widerruf, defekt, falscher Artikel), automatic refund within 14 days as required.

Return label generation: Direct integration with DHL Retoure, DPD Pickup, Hermes Retoure, GLS BackToOffice. Customer enters their order number, picks a reason, prints a label. No agent involved.

Refund automation: Triggers refund the moment the carrier scans the return at intake — not when it arrives at your warehouse. Reduces refund-related support tickets by 60-70%.

Exchange flows: Customers can exchange size, color, or item entirely without a separate purchase. Inventory holds for 7 days while the original returns.

Restock & disposition logic: Each returned item gets routed automatically — restock, refurbish, dispose — based on configurable rules. Connects to your warehouse system or ERP.

Returns analytics: See return rates by SKU, reason, customer cohort, and carrier. Identify products with quality or sizing issues before they hurt retention.

03 — For Your Market

Built for European Returns Culture

European consumers return at different rates and for different reasons than US consumers. Apparel return rates in Germany run 25-50% (vs 10-20% in the US). Customers expect free return shipping on most categories. The Widerrufsrecht is well-understood and exercised actively.

The custom portal accommodates this:

Pre-printed return labels included in outbound packages (configurable per category). Automatic Widerrufsbelehrung text in the return confirmation email. Integration with Klarna, Riverty, Sezzle, PayPal, and other DACH-popular payment methods so refunds reverse through the original payment path correctly. Multi-language portal (DE, EN, FR, IT, NL minimum) with automatic locale detection.

04 — Replaces

Replaces Apps Like

Loop Returns (€100-500/month + €0.50-1.50 per return), Return Prime (€20-200/month + per-return), AfterShip Returns Center (€20-200/month + per-return), Returnly, and DACH-focused tools that lack EU compliance depth. Stores at 5,000-15,000 orders/month routinely save €6,000-20,000/year on returns alone — and gain operational control they never had with SaaS. More on per-order fee categories.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this handle the EU Widerrufsrecht correctly?

The 14-day withdrawal period is built into the flow as a first-class feature, not bolted on. Return categorization maps directly to legal categories (Widerruf, defekt, falscher Artikel, Sonstiges) so your accounting and customer service have the right context. Refunds trigger within 14 days as the law requires, and the Widerrufsbelehrung text is automatically included in confirmation emails — pulled from your store's legal pages so it stays consistent with your Impressum/AGB.

Will this integrate with our warehouse system or 3PL?

Yes. We've integrated returns flows with JTL-Wawi, Plentymarkets, Pickware, Sendcloud, ShipStation, and several proprietary 3PL APIs. Each return triggers configurable webhooks that hand off the disposition decision (restock, refurbish, dispose) and the inventory update to your fulfillment system. We work with your operations team during scoping to map exactly how returns should flow through your current setup.

How does instant refund reduce support tickets?

Most return-related support tickets are 'where is my refund?' inquiries. By triggering refund the moment the carrier scans the return at drop-off (not when it arrives at your warehouse 3-7 days later), you eliminate the most common ticket type entirely. Stores typically report a 60-70% drop in return-related support volume, which translates to 8-15 hours of support time saved per week at typical volumes.

Ready to cut your app stack?

A 30-minute call. We walk through your current app stack and identify concretely what can be replaced with a custom build — and what shouldn't.

Book a Consultation

7-10 weeks · Fixed Price · Code You Own