How to Cancel or Resolve Overdue Exchanges That Were Never Returned

Sometimes customers request an exchange, but then never return the item — and the exchange remains stuck in the “inspection” or “in progress” state. While ExchangeIt doesn’t currently support automatically cancelling these overdue or inactive exchanges, there is a manual way to close them out properly in the app.

When a customer submits a return or exchange request, it starts off as a request only. At this point, the merchant can choose to approve or decline the request. Once the request is approved and a return is opened, the app assumes you are waiting for the item to come back for inspection.

However, if the item is never returned and the exchange period expires, the request remains open. Currently, there's no automated timeout or cancellation — this is something we're looking to improve soon.

To manually close these types of return/exchange requests:

1. Mark the item as Not Received on the resolution page.

2. Issue a $0 refund so the request is officially completed and archived.

This will allow you to close the loop and keep your records accurate.

👉 Click here to see a step-by-step interactive demo

This approach is ideal when:

• The exchange date has passed

• The customer hasn't returned the item

• You don’t want to restock or refund

This manual flow is a safeguard against customers who initiate returns but don’t follow through. For example, if someone claims an item was damaged but never sends it back, you’re not required to process the refund. Instead, the merchant can keep the return in “inspection” until you decide the next step.