Return evidence for Shopify stores

See it before you refund it.

The moment a customer requests a return, ReturnThread asks them for one photo and one straight answer, right on their order page. You review what they sent and decide in Shopify.

  • Answers on the order page
  • No separate login or portal
  • You decide, in Shopify
You are the customer. Request a return and answer the store.Live demo
Northwind GoodsOrder #1042
Ceramic pour-over setDelivered 3 days ago · Qty 1
Why are you returning this?

This part is Shopify's own return request. ReturnThread starts after it.

Northwind Goods asks

Add the photo and pick an answer to send.

How it works

One return. One thread, from request to decision.

No inbox ping-pong, no "can you send a picture?" three days later. The question goes out by itself and the answer lands next to the item it belongs to.

  1. Customer · in Shopify

    A return is requested

    Your customer requests a return in their Shopify customer account, the way they already do. ReturnThread doesn't replace that form.

    1

    "It arrived with a chipped edge."

  2. ReturnThread · automatic

    The right question goes out

    You choose which return reasons get a request. Within about a minute the customer is emailed and asked for one photo, one Yes / No answer and an optional note.

    2

    You set the rule once. It runs for every return after that.

  3. Customer · on their order page

    They answer where they already are

    The request sits on the order page in their customer account. No new login, no portal to learn. If they go quiet, they get up to two reminders.

    3

    One photo. One answer. Done in under a minute.

  4. You · in the app

    The evidence is waiting, sorted

    Photo, answer and note arrive against the right item, under "Ready to review". An optional AI check flags a reason that doesn't match what the customer wrote.

    4

    No digging through email to find which photo belongs to which order.

  5. You · in Shopify

    You decide

    Approve or decline in Shopify, as always. ReturnThread shows the return as closed and never touches the money.

    5

    The decision is yours. It always was.

What you get

Small tool. Sharp edges where they matter.

Requests that send themselves

Pick the return reasons that deserve a closer look. Every new return with one of those reasons gets the request, with no one on your team lifting a finger.

Answers on the order page

A block on the order status page of Shopify customer accounts. Customers sign in the way they already do.

Two polite reminders

Customers who don't reply are reminded by email, at most twice. Reminders stop the moment they answer.

Optional AI

A second pair of eyes on the reason

Flags a return reason that doesn't fit the customer's own words. It never decides anything.

Optional AI

Rules drafted for you

The rule assistant looks at the reasons your customers pick and drafts requests. Nothing turns on by itself.

Plain dealing

What ReturnThread will not do.

It's easier to trust a tool that tells you where it stops.

  • It won't approve, decline or refund.Every decision is made by you, in Shopify. A photo being "complete" means the customer sent what was asked, not that the claim is proven.
  • It won't replace your return form.Customers request returns in Shopify as usual. ReturnThread collects evidence after the request.
  • It won't switch AI on for you.The AI check and the rule assistant stay off until you turn them on. They advise; they trigger nothing.
  • It won't work without customer accounts.Your store needs Shopify customer accounts with self-serve returns switched on. Setup takes a few minutes and the app checks each step.
Privacy by default

Kept only as long as it's useful.

Return evidence is your customers' words and photos. It is deleted on a schedule, not kept "just in case".

90 daysafter a return is decided, its questions, answers and photos are deleted.
1 dayis how long a photo that was uploaded but never sent lives after its 24 hours are up.
0customer names, emails or addresses are sent to the AI provider. What a customer writes is.

Not used for training. Where the optional AI check is on, the customer's words are not used to train models, by us or by our AI provider.

The full picture is in the privacy policy and the terms, which include the data processing agreement.

Pricing

One plan. Billed through Shopify.

Try it for 14 days. The charge appears on your Shopify bill, and you can cancel inside the app at any time without uninstalling.

Core

$9USD / month
14-day free trial
  • Automatic requests by return reason
  • Your own questions on any return
  • One photo, a condition answer and a note
  • Up to two reminders for missing replies
Get notified at launch

Coming to the Shopify App Store. The plan and price shown by Shopify at install are the ones that apply.

Questions

Before you ask.

Does my customer need to install or sign up for anything?

No. They answer on the order page of their Shopify customer account, signing in the way your store already asks them to.

What exactly is the customer asked for?

One photo, one Yes / No / Not sure answer, and an optional short note. You write the question, or start from a template. They are told to share only what's needed.

Can I ask my own question on a single return?

Yes. Open any return in the app, type the question, and choose whether a photo is required.

What does the AI see?

Only if you switch it on: the return reason and the customer's own note. Recognisable emails and phone numbers are removed first. The customer's name, email and address from Shopify are never sent. Photos from your customers are not sent to the AI provider.

What happens to the data if I uninstall?

It is deleted. Shopify also tells the app when a customer asks to be erased, and the app deletes that customer's evidence.

Who is behind ReturnThread?

An independent developer in Malaysia. Write to support@returnthread.cloud and a person answers.

Stop refunding on faith.

Ask once, automatically. See the item. Then decide.