Shopify Return Address: Send Returns to the Right Location
On Shopify, the return address comes from your fulfillment locations and appears on the return shipping labels you create in the admin. You choose the location in the label’s Return to section, where Update default location for return labels sets the one used by default. To send returns somewhere specific, make sure that location has the right address, choose it when you create the label, and when the parcel arrives, restock the items at the location that received them with Restock at. Two things are easy to mix up, so keep them apart: the address printed on the label and the location where stock is added back.
The facts below come from Shopify’s Help Center pages on return labels and creating returns, read on October 23, 2026, and processing returns, read on October 31, 2026.
Where the return address comes from
Shopify’s return label page says that your return address is taken from your fulfillment locations, and it’s shown only on shipping labels. It doesn’t appear in your notifications or on your storefront unless you add it yourself, for example on a contact page. Apps you install may be able to read it, depending on their permissions.
What that means in practice:
| You want returns to go to | What to do |
|---|---|
| Your warehouse | Check the warehouse location’s address in Settings > Locations and set it as the default under Return to > Update default location for return labels |
| A different address from where you ship | Add a location with that address and pick it in Return to when you create the label, or upload a label you bought elsewhere |
| A returns partner | Upload their label when you create the return |
Shopify return labels exist only for domestic returns within the United States or within Canada, not between them, and not for US military addresses or international returns. If you ship from elsewhere, buy return labels from a carrier or an app and upload them to the return. For FedEx return labels, both the return location and the customer’s address need a phone number. Canada Post return labels require a signature on delivery, so someone at the return location has to be there to sign.
Create the return with the right label
When you create a return from the order, the Return shipping options section offers three choices:
- Create a return label in Shopify, available when you have a location in the same country as the customer and that country is the United States or Canada.
- Upload a return label, as a PDF, PNG or JPEG, or as a URL, with a tracking number and carrier.
- No shipping required, for returns that don’t need a label, such as items brought back in person.
Return labels are created for the whole order, not per item; if the customer returns only part of the order, adjust the expected weight. At least one item must be fulfilled. Labels use pay-on-scan billing, so you’re charged only when the carrier scans the parcel, and unused labels expire: USPS after 1 year, UPS after 6 months (the label URL after 30 days), FedEx after 90 days, while Canada Post labels don’t expire.
Restock at the location that received it
When the parcel arrives, open the order and click Process return in the Return in progress section. In Return items to receive, select the items, then select Restock at and choose the location where they should go back into stock. Restocking is optional, so you can leave damaged items out of it.
The receiving location and the restock location should normally match, so stock appears where the item physically is. If returns arrive at an address you don’t sell from, set it up as a location, restock there and transfer the items to your selling location. Two limits: items already refunded or restocked can’t be removed from a return, and a return closes automatically when every item is processed and every return item is restocked.
Return instructions for customers
The customer needs to know where to send the parcel and how to pack it. When you create a return, you can send return shipping information, such as instructions or the label, along with the estimated refund. Put the essentials in your refund policy as well: the return window, the address returns go to, who pays for return shipping, and how to reach you. Shopify’s consumer protection guidance lists those items for a refund policy. With self-serve returns, the Return request approved email carries return shipping information such as the label; see Shopify return labels.
In-store returns
If you have a retail location, Shopify’s self-serve returns page notes that customers who buy through the Shop app can return items to a store when you turn that option on in your Shop sales channel settings. Restock those items at the store’s location when you process the return. Processing the return once items arrive is covered in Shopify returns. Related guides are in the shipping and returns hub.
FAQ
How do I change my return address on Shopify? Set the default under Return to > Update default location for return labels when you create a return label, or pick another saved location for one label. To change the address itself, edit that location in Settings > Locations.
Is my return address shown to customers? It appears only on the return shipping labels. It isn’t shown in notifications or on your storefront unless you add it yourself.
Can I restock a return at a different location? When you process a return, select Restock at and choose the location. Pick the location where the item physically arrived.
Can I create Shopify return labels for international returns? Shopify return labels work only for domestic returns within the United States or within Canada. For other returns, buy a label from a carrier or app and upload it to the return.