A customer brings back a cracked mug, a beanie in the wrong size or a candle that smells nothing like its label. Each return costs something, and only some of them go back on the shelf. This return and exchange log records each one with its date, receipt or order number, item, quantity, reason, condition, resolution, refund or credit value, who handled it and whether the item was restocked. It totals the period by reason and by resolution and counts what was restocked or written off. The editable sample is a fictional shop's week from November 2 to 8, 2026.
Make a returns log
- Give the log a title, then add the business, the location and the period it covers, such as one week. Choose the currency.
- Add a row for each return. Enter the date, the receipt or order number, the item and the quantity.
- Choose the reason: Faulty, Wrong size, Changed mind, Damaged in transit, Not as described or Other. For Other, say what the reason was in the notes.
- Choose the condition the item came back in and the resolution: Refund, Exchange, Store credit, Repair or Declined. Enter the amount refunded or the value of the store credit.
- Tick Restocked when the item goes back on sale, and leave it unticked for a write-off or an item going back to the supplier. Add who handled the return and any notes.
Every return must be dated within the log's period, and the period must end on or after its start. A refund or a store credit needs an amount above zero, and a declined return cannot have one. A repaired or declined item goes back to the customer, so it has no restock choice. You can log up to 100 returns. Use Start blank for your own log, which covers the week from today, or Reset sample to see the example again.
What should a returns log include?
Enough to answer three questions later: what came back, why, and what it cost. That means the date, the proof of purchase, the item and quantity, the reason, the condition and what you did about it. A short, fixed list of reasons works like return reason codes: fifteen returns marked Wrong size tell you something about a size chart, while fifteen different descriptions of the same problem do not add up.
The same sheet works as a customer returns log at the counter and as a refund log for online orders. Record the condition separately from the reason. A faulty item can come back unopened, and a changed-mind return can come back used, and the two answers lead to different decisions about stock.
How to track customer returns
Log each return when it happens, not at the end of the week from memory. Ask for the receipt or order number, and when there is none, note how the purchase was confirmed. Decide the stock question straight away. Only restock returned items that are fit to sell at full price, and keep damaged ones apart from saleable stock until they are written off or claimed from the supplier.
At the end of the period, compare the log's refunds with the refunds on the till, using the cash reconciliation tool for each day's drawer. A run of Faulty returns on one product is a conversation with the supplier, and a run of Damaged in transit points at packaging or the courier. When a return involves an injury or a hazard, such as broken glass, record it separately with the incident report builder.
The summary and the stock count
The printout totals the returns by reason and by resolution, each with the number of returns, the items across them and the refund or credit value, to the cent. In the sample, 8 returns cover 11 items and $87.35 in refunds and store credit: 4 refunds come to $75.35 and one store credit to $12.00. Faulty has 2 returns but only $14.00, because the faulty desk lamp went for repair rather than a refund.
The stock count shows where the items ended up. In the sample, 5 items were restocked, 4 were written off and 2 went back with the customer: the repaired lamp and a declined tote that was used and past the store's 30-day window. Use the written-off count when you next run a stocktake, so your stock records match the shelf.
The log check never blocks printing. It notes a return with no receipt or order number, quoting the item. In the sample that is the linen tea towels, returned for store credit without a receipt. It flags an item restocked although it came back damaged or was returned as faulty, and returns that do not say who handled them.
Print or download the log
Print / PDF gives you a printable returns log with the returns table, both summaries, the stock count and a checked-by line with signature and date. Each row prints the notes under the item, and a row without a receipt prints "None" so it stands out.
The text download keeps a readable copy. The CSV has one row per return, with the refund or credit value as a plain number, the restocked answer and the stock outcome, so several weeks can go into one returns tracking sheet in a spreadsheet. For the next period, Start blank keeps the business, the location, the currency and the checker. Add the log to your closing checklist routine if returns are checked at the end of each day.
Return rights vary by place
Your returns policy sits alongside the law. Return rights differ by country, and in the US by state. In the UK, GOV.UK explains accepting returns and giving refunds: you must offer a full refund if an item is faulty, not as described or does not do what it is supposed to, and customers who buy online, by mail or by phone can cancel within 14 days of receiving an item. Check the rules where you sell before you write or change a policy. This page is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a returns log without an account?
Yes. The builder runs in your browser and needs no sign-up. Download or print the log to keep it, since the draft lives only in this tab.
Does the log issue the refund or update my stock?
No. It prepares a printout, a text file and a CSV. Nothing is refunded, restocked or sent. Give the refund on your till or payment system, and give the customer a receipt for an exchange if they want one.
Should an exchange have a refund amount?
Only when money changes hands. A like-for-like swap has no value. Enter the price difference if you refunded part of the price.
What counts as a write-off?
Any returned item that does not go back on sale, including items set aside for a supplier claim. A repaired or declined item is not a write-off, since it goes back to the customer.