Returns and warranty software for portable power stations.
A returned power station is three problems in one box.
A returned portable power station is a Class 9 dangerous good, a serialised warranty asset and a freight-sized parcel simultaneously. ReturnMate classifies it at the point the return is raised, routes it to a carrier that will legally accept it, records the technician's diagnosis against the serial and batch, and attributes the cost back to the supplier when the cell or BMS was at fault.
Four things a generic returns app gets wrong here.
Standard returns tooling assumes the item comes back in a satchel, gets scanned, and goes on a shelf. For power stations every one of those assumptions is false, and each failure has a price attached.
It's regulated in both directions
Outbound compliance is usually solved. The return leg is the one nobody documented — and it needs the same classification, marking and transport paperwork.
It won't go in a satchel
A 1200Wh unit is typically 12–18kg before packaging. Offering a prepaid parcel label costs roughly ten times what freight or a depot drop would.
Nobody refunds it on trust
“It won't charge” covers a flat cell, a failed BMS, a wall adaptor and a firmware bug. Somebody has to open it before the money moves.
The fault is often the supplier's
Cells and battery management boards fail in batches. Without serial-level fault data you absorb a manufacturing defect as your own warranty cost.
- Serialised units, so a claim can be tied to a specific device and its history
- Warranty terms that vary by chemistry — lithium-ion and LiFePO4 rarely carry the same cover
- High unit value, which makes a wrong refund decision expensive on its own
- Frequently bundled with panels and cables, so a return is often partial rather than whole
Choosing between the Shopify returns apps for an operation like this is covered in our returns app comparison guide.
The return leg is a dangerous goods movement.
The moment a customer is issued a return label for a lithium battery product, a regulated transport event has been created. ReturnMate resolves the classification before the label exists, rather than leaving it to whoever packs the box.
Classification logic, transport documents and the full hazard-class coverage are detailed on dangerous goods handling; the shipper's-side practice is covered in shipping lithium batteries in Australia. ReturnMate supports the compliance workflow — it doesn't replace your own regulatory obligations or advice.
A single claim, carrying three obligations.
This is why the category needs its own handling. A generic app sees one line item to refund. In reality the same RMA carries a compliance duty, a freight decision and a warranty determination — and they have to resolve together.
It can't ship on a standard service
Class 9 with cells installed in equipment. Needs the right UN number, marking and transport document, and a carrier that will accept it inbound.
Classified at RMA creation; documents issued with the label and non-compliant carriers hidden.
Seventeen kilos isn't a parcel
Freight booking or depot drop-off, not a prepaid satchel — and the customer shouldn't be shown an option that costs you tenfold.
Routed by product profile before the portal offers a method.
Eleven claims, one batch
In warranty, technician-confirmed, and the eleventh BMS failure from the same supplier batch this quarter. That's a credit conversation.
Fault, serial and batch logged so the claim is evidenced rather than argued.
“Won't charge” is four different faults.
Technicians classify against a taxonomy built for this category, so a failure pattern becomes visible while it's still eleven units rather than a product recall.
- Customer-reported symptom kept separate from the technician-confirmed fault
- Failure rate measured per SKU against units sold, with a threshold you set
- Batch clustering, so a bad cell run surfaces before it becomes a pattern of complaints
- Thermal and swelling events recorded at the highest severity and alerted immediately
- Age at failure calculated from the original Shopify order, alongside the diagnosis
- Exportable evidence pack for a supplier or manufacturer claim
The reporting layer is covered on fault tracking, and the repair workflow on warranty & repairs. The wider practice is covered in the product failure rate tracking guide.
What the customer is allowed to choose.
The portal decides the return method from the product profile, before the customer sees an option. Nobody gets offered a satchel label for a battery — which is the single most expensive mistake in this category.
DG-approved road freight
Booked collection with a date window, correct paperwork generated with the consignment.
Depot or store drop-off
Customer delivers to a nominated site; staff receive it against the same RMA.
Prepaid parcel label
Never offered for this category. Suppressed automatically rather than left to staff judgement.
Method selection, eligibility gating and evidence capture are described on the customer portal. Receiving and quarantine on arrival are on receiving.
Power station returns questions.
How should a returned power station be shipped back?
As a Class 9 dangerous goods consignment by road, using a carrier approved to accept lithium batteries on that lane, with the correct UN number, marking and transport documentation. ReturnMate resolves the classification from the product profile when the return is raised, generates the paperwork with the label, and hides carrier services that can't legally accept it — so the decision isn't left to whoever is packing the box.
What's the difference between UN3480 and UN3481?
UN3480 covers lithium-ion batteries shipped on their own. UN3481 covers cells contained in equipment, or packed with equipment — which is what a complete power station usually is. The distinction changes the applicable packing instruction and documentation, so ReturnMate takes it from the product profile rather than asking staff to choose correctly under time pressure.
What happens if a battery comes back swollen or heat-affected?
It's treated as a safety-relevant fault at the highest severity, flagged before the parcel is opened, and routed to segregated receiving rather than the general packing bench. It's held rather than automatically consigned onward, and where the unit can't safely move again the disposal path is recorded against the RMA.
Can I stop customers being offered a parcel label for a battery?
Yes — that's the default behaviour for this category. Return methods are filtered by product profile before the customer sees them, so parcel services are suppressed for dangerous goods and heavy units, leaving DG-approved freight collection or a depot or store drop-off. It's the single most expensive avoidable cost in the category.
Can warranty terms differ between lithium-ion and LiFePO4 products?
Yes. Warranty policies attach by product, SKU, tag or collection, so a 24-month lithium-ion term and a 60-month LiFePO4 term coexist in one store, with consumables and accessories excluded by rule. Coverage is calculated from the Shopify purchase date or a supplied proof of purchase, and the determination is written to the RMA so the reasoning survives.
Can I track BMS and cell failures back to a supplier batch?
Yes, and it's usually where the recoverable money is. Faults are recorded as a three-level classification against the serial, and serials carry batch and supplier data — so eleven BMS failures narrow to one batch rather than reading as bad luck. Supplier-attributable labour, parts and freight are totalled into an exportable claim pack.
Can technicians diagnose these units on the workshop floor?
Yes. ReturnMate Tech, our technician app for iOS and Android, opens the right job from a device tag, QR code or carrier label and records the fault classification, diagnostic findings, photos, serial verification, labour minutes and parts consumed — writing to the same RMA the office team is looking at.
Can I charge for out-of-warranty repairs?
Yes. After inspection you build a repair quote from your labour rate and real parts cost, and the customer pays through a Shopify checkout link. When payment clears the job returns to the technician queue. Quotes carry an expiry, and declined quotes route to return-as-is or disposal with the decision logged.
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.
Classification, documents and carrier filtering.
Every hazard class you ship, resolved at label time rather than argued at the depot.
Read more →§ WARRANTY & REPAIRSCoverage, diagnosis, parts and paid repairs.
The workshop workflow behind every claim on this page, through to supplier recovery.
Read more →Stop absorbing someone else's cell failures.
See compliant routing, technician diagnosis and supplier recovery running on your own catalogue. Billed through Shopify, cancel from inside Shopify.