Question 1

How much does PackFlow cost?

Accepted Answer

Free plan for up to 100 orders per month (all features included). Paid plans for higher volume - see the Shopify App Store for pricing. 14-day trial on paid plans.

Question 2

Do I need my own DHL business account?

Accepted Answer

Yes. PackFlow generates return labels via the DHL API using your credentials - not via an app account. You need an EKP number, a return-receiver ID, and API credentials from the DHL Developer Portal. Label costs are billed directly through your DHL contract.

Question 3

Which carriers are supported?

Accepted Answer

Currently only DHL Germany (parcel shipping). Other carriers are on the roadmap - feedback welcome via email.

Question 4

Does the app work internationally?

Accepted Answer

The customer portal is available in German and English, plus Dutch, Italian, French and Spanish with the "auto-detect portal language" option. DHL returns work primarily for shipments from Germany and to German destinations; foreign return addresses are supported subject to your DHL contract scope.

Question 5

How long does setup take?

Accepted Answer

About 10 minutes if you already have DHL credentials. The setup wizard walks you through DHL account entry, branding, and menu-link integration.

Question 6

Does PackFlow work with any Shopify theme?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The customer portal runs as an App Proxy under your-shop.com/apps/packflow/return - embedded in your theme, with your header and footer.

Question 7

How does a customer submit a return?

Accepted Answer

Through the link you share in the shop menu or in the shipping confirmation email. The customer enters order number and email, picks the items to return, optionally a reason, optionally an exchange variant, and confirms.

Question 8

Does the customer need to log in?

Accepted Answer

No. Order number and email are enough. If the customer is logged into a Shopify session, the customer ID is passed along automatically.

Question 9

Does the customer get automatic emails?

Accepted Answer

Yes:
- A confirmation email right after submission (can be turned off).
- With manual label approval: an email with tracking number and label download link after your approval.
- An optional rejection email.
- With automatic refund: Shopify's standard refund email.
- For upcharge exchanges: a Shopify invoice.
- The customer can always open the return status page directly.

Question 10

What happens if a customer wants to return outside the return window?

Accepted Answer

The app checks the actual DHL delivery date (fallback: Shopify shipping date). Outside the window, the return is rejected with a clear message.

Question 11

Are returns approved automatically?

Accepted Answer

All returns start as "Submitted". By default the customer then creates the label directly. With manual label approval turned on, it is only created after you approve.

Question 12

How does automatic refund work?

Accepted Answer

With auto-refund mode active, a "Refund amount" button appears on goods receipt. Click opens a confirmation modal - once confirmed, the refund runs via Shopify's Refund API, inventory is restocked, and the customer receives the refund email. On full returns, refunding the original shipping (§ 357 BGB) is preselected in the confirmation modal.

Question 13

When does the customer receive their exchange order?

Accepted Answer

Only after you click "Complete exchange" on goods receipt - not on approval. That way you can still reject the return if the goods come back damaged. With automatic refund turned on, the exchange item is added as an extra shipment on the existing order, including cross-product exchanges. For equal or lower prices it ships immediately and any difference is refunded; for an upcharge the customer gets a Shopify invoice and shipping waits for payment.

Question 14

Can I allow exchanges?

Accepted Answer

Yes, optionally enabled per return reason individually. Cross-product mappings (e.g., short-sleeve T-shirt ↔ long-sleeve T-shirt) are configurable in settings.

Question 15

Can I block returns from specific countries?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In settings you can maintain a list of blocked ISO countries. Customers from those countries see a corresponding message in the portal.

Question 16

What happens to inventory?

Accepted Answer

In auto-refund mode, PackFlow restocks inventory automatically when you trigger the refund. In manual mode, Shopify's standard refund dialog handles it via the "Restock items" checkbox.

Question 17

Can I customize the customer portal?

Accepted Answer

Yes, under "Page design" in the admin: accent color, background color, border radius, container width, header and success texts, progress-indicator style (4 variants: dots, bars, numbers, minimal). All with live preview.

Question 18

Can I customize the customer emails?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in the email customizer (active when the confirmation email or manual label approval is turned on). Header color, header name, footer text, and a logo. The logo is loaded via a Shopify CDN URL - no separate file upload needed.

Question 19

Which languages does the app support?

Accepted Answer

Customer portal: German and English, plus Dutch, Italian, French and Spanish with the "auto-detect portal language" option. Emails: German or English. Admin: German and English, with automatic detection of the Shopify admin language (manual override possible).

Question 20

How is my data processed?

Accepted Answer

The app and database run on Render in Frankfurt. Emails are sent via Resend (dispatch from the EU, account metadata and sent logs in the USA). All three GDPR webhooks implemented (customers/data_request, customers/redact, shop/redact). Provider based in Germany.

Question 21

How are my DHL credentials stored?

Accepted Answer

The DHL API password is encrypted with AES-256-GCM in the database. Other DHL credentials (EKP number, API user, receiver IDs) are non-sensitive and stored in clear text.

Question 22

What happens to customer data?

Accepted Answer

Name, email and address are processed only to handle returns and shared only with the service providers used for this (including DHL and Resend). Status lookups are stored pseudonymously for 90 days and then deleted.

Question 23

What happens if the DHL API is unavailable?

Accepted Answer

In auto mode, the customer sees a notice page asking to retry later. In manual mode, the status remains "Approved" and you can issue the label manually via the "Create shipping label" button in the detail view.

Question 24

What happens if the automatic refund fails?

Accepted Answer

The return stays "Received" and you can repeat the refund via "Retry". An idempotency key prevents double refunds.

Question 25

What happens on uninstall?

Accepted Answer

On uninstall, PackFlow immediately deletes all app data (returns, settings, session). The shop/redact webhook acts as a backstop after about 48 hours, and backups are overwritten within 30 days at the latest. Order data stays in Shopify.

Question 26

What if I handled a return outside of PackFlow?

Accepted Answer

There is a "Mark as resolved" function in the detail view: the status is set to "Completed" without refund, restock, or email. The detail view continues to show that the return was resolved manually.

FAQ - PackFlow Returns

Before installing

Customer experience

Return management

Branding and customization

Security and compliance

Edge cases and incidents