An exchange keeps the sale that a refund walks away with

Two kinds of exchange, one flow

• Same-product swaps — the classic wrong-size case: the shopper picks a different size or color of the item they're returning, straight from the return portal.
• “Shop the store” exchanges — the shopper's return value becomes a budget they can spend on anything in your catalog, right inside the return flow. Bigger basket? They pay only the difference. Included.

Both run in the storefront portal and, for stores on Shopify's new customer accounts, inside the customer account too — so signed-in shoppers can start an exchange without an order-number lookup.

The fiddly parts are handled

• Replacement orders are created for you — no manual draft orders; each one is linked to the customer and the original return.
• Price differences are invoiced properly — if the new items cost more, the shopper gets a Shopify checkout link by email for the difference — tax and shipping are handled by Shopify's checkout, like any order. If they cost less, the remainder is issued as store credit rather than quietly vanishing.
• Stock is re-checked at creation — by default an exchange only goes out for items that are actually in stock (you can allow backorders if that's your policy), so you're not promising inventory you don't have.
• Everything is priced from what was actually paid — discounted unit prices, with order-level discounts spread across the line, the same math as refunds and credit.

Questions merchants ask about exchanges

• What if the new item is out of stock? Availability is re-checked when the replacement order is created. By default only in-stock items ship; you can switch the policy to allow backorders.
• What happens to the price difference? If the new items cost more, the shopper gets a Shopify checkout link for the difference (tax and shipping at checkout). If they cost less, the remainder is issued as store credit — never silently dropped.
• Which plans include exchanges? All of them — there is one plan and it includes same-product swaps, shop-the-store exchanges, and the optional exchange bonus that sweetens a swap.
• Does the shopper need an account? No — the storefront portal needs only the order number and email. Stores on Shopify's new customer accounts also get the same flow inside the account for signed-in shoppers.
• Is the returned item restocked? Yes — the returned item can be restocked automatically once it arrives, at the location you choose.

Why exchanges first

An exchange is usually the best outcome a return can have: the customer ends up with something that fits, and the revenue stays sold. That's why the return portal's offer screen can lead with the swap, next to store credit and the refund — three options. When an exchange isn't right, store credit with a bonus is the next-best keep, and the original-payment refund stays on the screen too — on by default, and yours to keep or hide in settings. Shopify's native self-serve returns don't let a shopper request an exchange at all — see how native returns compare.

Same-product swaps and shop-the-store exchanges are both included, at no charge — see pricing.