Return and refund cost calculator
See what a return really costs on top of the refund — both parcels, the payment fee you don't get back, the time to process it, and the stock you can't sell again — and what a month of returns adds up to.
Free, no sign-up. Everything is worked out in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How it's worked out
cost of a return = shipping out + return shipping + fee kept + handling + write-off − restocking feeThe fee kept is the order value × the fee rate; handling is minutes ÷ 60 × the hourly cost; the write-off is the product cost × the share you can't resell. The profit had the sale stayed is the order value less product cost, shipping out and the fee — the sale's own margin. Losing that margin and paying the return's cost is the gap between the two outcomes.
Questions
- Do I get the payment fee back when I refund?
- Often not. Many processors keep their fee on a refunded charge, so the fee on the original sale is a cost of the return. Enter 0% if yours gives it back.
- Should I charge a restocking fee?
- It offsets the cost of a return, but it can cost you the customer. Enter the fee to see how much of the return's cost it recovers, and weigh it against the repeat orders you'd lose.
- What counts as resaleable?
- The share of returned units that go back on the shelf at full price. Damaged, opened or out-of-season units are written off (or sold at a loss), and that cost is part of the return.
Refunds that keep stock and money straight
In Manifold a refund is recorded on the order within what was paid, and each one becomes a balanced entry in your general ledger as it happens — so returns show up in your margins, not just your bank account.
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