When enabled, customers can exchange an item for a different variant — another size or color of the same product.
Where to find it: Settings > Returns > Setup, under Return Outcomes.
What the customer sees
After choosing a return reason, the customer is asked whether they'd like to exchange for a different option. They can pick a new variant or decline and continue with a refund or store credit.
If the product has only one variant, the step is skipped automatically — there's nothing to swap to.
How exchange orders work
When the return is processed, Onward creates a new Shopify order for the exchange item.
You fulfill that order through your normal Shopify process.
Exchange order status is visible on the return detail page in Onward.
Any difference in value is handled through the customer's chosen resolution — if the new variant costs less, the remainder comes back as a refund or store credit. If it costs more, Onward Returns will collect payment and it will go straight to your Stripe account via Stripe Connect.
Exchange vs. Shop Now
| Exchange | Shop Now |
Scope | Variants of the same product | Any product in the collections you choose |
Best for | Wrong size or color | Customer wants something different entirely |
They're not mutually exclusive — most merchants run both.
Related settings
Shop Now — the broader version of the same idea
Allow returns of Exchanges and Shop Now orders — whether the exchange item can itself be returned