Returns, core exchange and warranty software for automotive.
Automotive returns are exchanges and core credits, not refunds.
ReturnMate is returns, core exchange and warranty management software for Shopify merchants selling automotive parts and lead-acid batteries. It serves trade customers at the counter with credit, replacement order and inventory move in one action, carries UN2794 and UN2800 Class 8 profiles on battery SKUs, records depot-to-depot movements — including your own trucks — as tracked transfers, and keeps the audit trail that settles core disputes.
Four things a generic returns app gets wrong here.
The core exchange model does not fit a returns app built around refunds. You are tracking an outbound part, an inbound core, a deposit, and stock moving between depots — often for the same customer on the same day.
A core returns against a part already sold
The exchange is one commercial event split across two movements. Modelled as a refund, the deposit ends up in a side ledger nobody reconciles.
Lead-acid is Class 8
A wet battery filled with acid is a corrosive dangerous good. It cannot travel as an ordinary parcel, inbound or outbound.
The counter is the channel
A trade customer with a dead battery is not going to wait for an RMA queue. Same-day counter service is the category's baseline.
Stock moves on your own trucks
Depot-to-depot movements get double-handled as manual stock adjustments at both ends — unless the movement itself is a record.
- Deposits and credits need to reconcile in Shopify, not a side ledger
- Every action, person and timestamp on the record — that's what settles core disputes
- Cores moved on your own vehicles are recorded as transfers, no label generated
- Each depot sees its own queue through per-location access control
Choosing between the Shopify returns apps for an exchange-led operation is covered in our returns app comparison guide.
Lead-acid, classified per SKU.
Set the dangerous goods profile against the battery SKU once and every future exchange inherits it — including the distinction between a wet battery and a non-spillable one, which changes what the consignment needs.
Classification logic, transport documents and the full hazard-class coverage are detailed on dangerous goods handling. ReturnMate supports the compliance workflow — it doesn't replace your own regulatory obligations or advice.
A trade customer, served in minutes.
The same exchange carries a service promise, a compliance question and an inventory question. Handled as one record at the register, all three resolve while the customer is still at the counter.
How fast is the counter?
The trade customer needs the replacement now. The paperwork has to happen in the same motion as the handover, or it doesn't happen at all.
Counter Swap: credit, replacement order and inventory move in one action at the register.
How does the core travel?
A wet lead-acid core is Class 8 wherever it goes. On a carrier it needs DG routing; on your own truck it's still a movement that needs a record.
Per-SKU DG profile; own-vehicle moves recorded as transfers without a label.
Where did the stock go?
One exchange touches the counter's stock, the depot's stock and a deposit. Adjusted by hand at each end, the numbers drift within a week.
Hub-and-spoke transfers recorded once, with every action, person and timestamp on one record.
How parts, cores and batteries move.
Exchange operations run on three kinds of movement — over the counter, on your own trucks, and occasionally on a carrier. Each one is a first-class record rather than a workaround.
Counter Swap
Credit issued, replacement order created and inventory moved in one action at the register. The core enters the pipeline without a ticket.
Own trucks as transfers
Depot-to-depot movements recorded once as tracked transfers — custody logged, inventory moved, no label generated.
DG-routed carrier
When a carrier does the leg, Class 8 routing applies: StarTrack or TNT by weight, Mainfreight for heavy freight.
- Role-based access per location — each depot works its own queue
- Barcode receiving checks cores in at the dock with condition captured
- Disputes flagged on any RMA pause the SLA until a manager resolves with notes
- Warranty claims on parts run the same record as the exchange that returned them
Counter Swap and the other workflow types are on RMA management; hub-and-spoke movement is on multi-store.
Automotive returns questions.
Can we handle core exchanges at the counter?
Yes. Counter Swap issues the credit, creates the replacement order and moves the inventory in one action at the register, so a trade customer is served immediately and the core still enters the pipeline properly.
How are lead-acid batteries classified?
Per SKU, with the UN number, class and packing group set against the product — typically UN2794 for wet batteries filled with acid, or UN2800 for non-spillable. Every future RMA for that SKU inherits it.
Can we move stock between depots without double-handling?
Yes — hub-and-spoke transfers record the movement once, so you are not adjusting inventory manually in Shopify at both ends.
What if we move cores on our own trucks?
Record it as a transfer rather than a carrier shipment. The movement and custody are tracked without a label being generated.
How do we resolve a dispute about a core?
From the audit trail. Every action, person and timestamp is on the record — who took the core in, what condition it was graded at, where it moved and when. Disputes can also be flagged on any RMA, which pauses the SLA and blocks closure until a manager resolves it with documented notes.
Do trade counter staff see everyone's returns?
No. Role-based access control per location means each site sees its own queue, which is what keeps a busy trade counter working from a short list rather than the whole network's workload.
How much does ReturnMate cost?
ReturnMate has a Free plan at $0/month including 5 RMAs. Starter is $49/month for up to 50 RMAs, with Growth, Ops, Scale and Enterprise plans available for larger operations. Full details are on the pricing page at returnmate.io/pricing.
Related capabilities.
Twelve workflows, including Counter Swap and transfers.
The record behind every exchange on this page, with the audit trail that settles disputes.
Read more →§ MULTI-STOREHub-and-spoke transfers and per-location access.
Depot movements recorded once — including the ones on your own trucks.
Read more →Stop running core exchanges out of a side ledger.
See Counter Swap, depot transfers and Class 8 routing running on your own catalogue. Billed through Shopify, cancel from inside Shopify.