Who handles exceptions and returns, and what happens next
Exceptions and returns are recorded separately and each has a named owner. A returned unit can be restocked, held, disposed of or claimed. Here is how each case is handled and what to agree before you start.
What is the short answer?
An exception is something on an order that needs a person during dispatch, tracking or delivery. A return is what happens after a parcel comes back to a warehouse. They are recorded separately, each has a named owner and a next step, and any fee for them sits outside the route logistics total.
Who owns each type of problem?
The account manager owns the plan, the launch and the commercial review. Order operations handle the warehouse, the address and day-to-day orders, including pick, pack and outbound exceptions. The customs specialist handles product data, declarations, clearance cases and the documents a lane needs. The exception team handles tracking delays, failed delivery, claims, and restock or disposal after a return.
What counts as an exception?
Typical exceptions are an order held because the weight or the address needs a check, a parcel whose tracking stops moving, a customs request for information, a failed delivery, and a damaged or lost parcel claim. Each one follows its own tracking record and the operating agreement for the account.
What happens when customs asks for information?
The carrier or broker passes on the official request. The service team coordinates the response across you, the carrier and the declaration party. The customs authority decides release, and release timing follows its processing. Accurate declaration data at the start is the best way to avoid these requests.
What happens to a China-warehouse return?
The return is received, counted and recorded. Inspection, repair or repacking is optional. For apparel, a returned piece can be checked for lint, odour, dirt, the hangtag, holes and loose threads, and light work such as steaming, a light stain clean or closing a simple open seam can be requested. The unit is then restocked, disposed of, or claimed.
What happens to an overseas return?
An overseas warehouse can take a booked return or an unannounced one. Receiving can include a photo or a hold, then an optional check or refurbishment, then restock, disposal or a claim. A Sydney return can come back to the Sydney warehouse, which shortens the journey for Australian customers.
Why does a returnable garment matter so much?
For apparel brands, returns are a normal part of the business. A garment that can be checked, refreshed and restocked is inventory you can sell again. A garment that cannot be processed becomes a write-off. Deciding in advance which returns are restocked and which are disposed of keeps the decision fast and consistent.
Worked example: a failed delivery in Australia
An Australia order cannot be delivered because the customer was unavailable and the parcel was not collected. This is an exception. The exception team owns the next step: confirm the address with you, arrange redelivery where the carrier allows it, or bring the parcel back as a return. Any failed-delivery or return fee is listed separately and does not change the China or Sydney logistics total for other orders.
How are exception rates measured?
Exception rates are analysed against an agreed period and an agreed definition, for example exceptions per hundred orders in a month, counted by order rather than by event. Agree the definition at the start so that the numbers you review later mean the same thing to both sides.
What should I agree before launch?
Agree who in your team approves a restock, a disposal or a claim. Agree the return address per market. Decide which return checks you want for apparel and which garment work is worth doing before restock. Agree how you want to be told about an exception and how quickly you will answer an address question. These decisions save days when the first case arrives.
What do Australian consumer rules mean for returns?
If you sell to Australian consumers, the Australian Consumer Law gives them consumer guarantees. When a product has a major problem, the customer can choose a refund or a replacement; for a minor problem, the business can choose to repair, replace or refund. A business does not have to give a refund for a simple change of mind unless its own policy offers one. The ACCC guide linked below explains the rules. Your returns policy and your warehouse return process should match what you promise.
Which exceptions can be prevented?
Many exceptions start before the parcel leaves. Accurate packed weight avoids held orders. A complete address in the destination format avoids failed delivery. Correct declaration data avoids customs requests. Declaring batteries avoids a parcel being stopped on the wrong lane. Reviewing the first weeks of exceptions by type shows which of these to fix first.
How quickly should exceptions be answered?
Agree a response time for the questions only you can answer, such as an address correction or a decision to reship. A delay on your side holds the parcel and can add storage or return costs. The About page lists ShopRest's own response windows: WhatsApp quick enquiries typically within an hour, general enquiries within 24 hours, and operational support for active customers around the clock.
What should I send to set this up?
Send your returns policy, the return addresses you use today, the checks you want on returned garments, and the contact for exception approvals. We confirm return handling on the formal quote, separately from the route logistics price.