Refund choices and stock

Every combination of the two questions that decide a refund's effect on stock. For why it works this way, see refunds raised in Shopify.

What each choice does

Line dispatched	Restock ticked	Return line	Stock effect	Credit note	Goods end up
Yes	Yes	Restocked	Added back	Raised	The receiving site's returns location
Yes	No	Scrapped	None	Raised	Discarded
No	No	None created	Moved out of sellable stock	Raised against the order	The site's held-back location
No	Yes	None created	Returns to available on its own	Raised against the order	Back in sellable stock

A refund for more units than the line dispatched is trimmed to the dispatched quantity, and the credit is trimmed in proportion.

What has to happen next

Outcome	Who acts	What they do
Restocked into the returns location	Warehouse	Check the goods, then move them to a pickable location. Until that happens the stock is on-hand but not available. See make returned stock sellable.
Scrapped	Nobody	The stock figure is already right — dispatching the order took the units out.
Held back from sale	Warehouse or buyer	Put them back on sale, or adjust them out and take the write-off. See clear held-back stock.
Returned to available	Nobody	The order released the stock itself.

What a line refund does not cover

Refunds of shipping only, or of a flat amount with no lines attached, create no return line and move no stock. The amount is still credited against the order.