hardDesignCase StudyMidSeniorStaff
Design the returns flow properly, from the customer pressing the button to the money and the stock landing back where they belong.
7 min readUpdated 2026-08-15
Answer
Short answer
A return is its own order running backwards, with authorisation, a transport leg, an inspection that decides disposition, and a refund whose timing trades trust against exposure - and whose amount must come from what the customer paid after order-level discounts, not the line's list price.
Mention reverse logistics where it changes the risk, the owner, or the next check.
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Likely follow-ups
- The customer returns one of a buy-two-get-one-free set. What do you refund?
- Twelve percent of one supplier's units come back as faulty. What should the system do with that signal?
- How do you handle a return that arrives with no paperwork and no identifiable order?
- What changes when the original payment method no longer exists, such as an expired card or a closed wallet?
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