Returns management and reverse logistics
A poorly handled return is a product sitting in a box and a customer waiting for an answer. At Kolineo, your returns are received, inspected and put back on sale under your rules within 24 hours, in Sherbrooke for Canada and near Chicago for your U.S. customers.
What is reverse logistics?
Reverse logistics covers everything that happens when a product comes back from the customer: receiving the parcel, identifying the product, inspecting it, deciding whether it can be resold, then updating inventory. For an online store, this is ecommerce returns management.
The risk is invisible stock. An item sitting in a “to check” box is neither available to sell nor removed from inventory. Meanwhile your store may show an item out of stock that is actually on site, and your customer is still waiting to hear about a refund.
Our service is built for ecommerce brands, manufacturers and distributors whose inventory is already with us, or who want to move it here. Returns come back to the warehouse your orders ship from: a resellable item goes back on the shelf, without a detour through your office. To set up your policy first, read our guide on the process and cost of a return.
Returns processing: what’s included
Every returned parcel follows the same path, from its arrival at the warehouse to the decision about it.
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Receiving and identification
Each returned parcel is received, identified and recorded in our warehouse management system (WMS).
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Inspection
The product is checked against the grid you defined: condition, packaging, missing parts, lot number where applicable.
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Restocked within 24 hours
From the moment the parcel arrives to the moment it is back on the shelf, a resellable item is processed within 24 hours and available for your next orders.
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Repackaging and refurbishing
An item still in good shape but with damaged packaging can be repackaged or refurbished before it goes back on sale.
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Quarantine, return or destruction
Other items are quarantined, sent back to you or your supplier, or destroyed with proof of destruction, according to your instructions.
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Retailer returns
Along with parcels from your online customers, we handle returns from your retailers, under the same inspection rules.
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Amazon FBA removals
Removal orders from your Amazon FBA warehouses are received, inspected and put back into your inventory at Kolineo.
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U.S. customer returns
Received and processed at our Chicago warehouse without crossing the border again.
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Return labels and tracking
Generate return labels in our client portal, or through your own returns app, and follow your returns in real time.
How a return works at Kolineo
Four steps between your customer’s request and up-to-date inventory.
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You set the rules
Accepted reasons, required condition for resale, handling of other cases: we put them in writing with you before the first return.
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Your customer ships it back
To the warehouse that serves them: Sherbrooke for Canadian customers, Chicago for U.S. customers.
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We receive and inspect
The parcel is opened, the product identified and checked against your grid. Any mismatch with the return request is reported to you.
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Your inventory is updated
Resellable items go back into stock; others are set aside per your instructions. You have what you need to process the refund.
Returns from U.S. customers, handled in the U.S.
When a U.S. customer sends an order back to Canada, the parcel crosses the border a second time: longer, more expensive shipping, paperwork, and a product tied up for weeks. Many Canadian brands end up refunding without asking for the item back, and lose the product.
With our Chicago warehouse, your U.S. customers return items to a U.S. address. The return is received and inspected there, and resellable items go back into your U.S. inventory, ready to ship to your next American customers.
- A U.S. return address for your American customers
- On-site inspection, with the same rules as in Sherbrooke
- Restocking straight into your U.S. inventory
- Both inventories visible in one place
Returns of food, cosmetics and health products
A returned food product, cosmetic or health product cannot go back on sale just because the packaging looks intact. A broken seal, an expiry date too close or an untraceable lot is enough to make it unsellable.
Before you start, we agree with you on what can go back into stock, what we check for each product (lot, expiry date, packaging integrity) and what happens to rejected items. These rules are applied to every return, so nothing goes back to a customer unchecked. It matters to our clients in food, cosmetics and pet products.
Returns management FAQ
Should I handle returns in-house or let my 3PL do it?
If your inventory is already at a 3PL, sending returns to your office creates a second stock, outside the system, that has to go back to the warehouse before it can be resold. Letting your 3PL handle returns puts resellable items back where your orders ship from, with accurate inventory. Keeping returns in-house only makes sense if every return needs expertise only you have, such as repairs.
Can my U.S. customers return their orders within the U.S.?
Yes. Our Chicago warehouse receives and inspects returns from your U.S. customers. Resellable items go back into your U.S. inventory without crossing the border, and ship out to your next American customers.
What should I prepare before outsourcing returns?
A written decision grid: accepted return reasons, the condition required to resell an item, what to do with incomplete or damaged products, and who approves exceptions. Add example photos for borderline cases. The more precise the grid, the faster and more consistent the decisions.
When is a returned item available to sell again?
As soon as inspection confirms it meets your criteria and it is put away in inventory, within 24 hours of the parcel’s arrival. Receiving the parcel is not enough on its own: an incomplete or damaged product should not reappear as in stock on your store.
How are returned food or health products handled?
According to your requirements and your industry’s standards, agreed with you before you start: what can go back into stock, what we check (lot, expiry date, seal) and what happens to rejected items, such as quarantine or destruction with proof. A product whose integrity cannot be guaranteed does not go back on sale.
Do you handle Amazon FBA removal orders?
Yes. When you remove inventory from your Amazon FBA warehouses, it can be shipped to Kolineo: we receive it, inspect it under your rules and put it back into your inventory, ready for your other sales channels. Items that cannot be resold follow your instructions: repackaging, return to the supplier or destruction.
How much does returns management cost?
Depending on your returns, billing is per unit or per hour. Cost depends on the number of returns, the level of inspection (visual check or product testing) and any work requested after inspection, such as repackaging. Tell us your volumes and products: the quote details what is billed and how, before you start.
Our other 3PL services
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Warehousing and container unloading
Unloading, quantity checks and inventory visible in real time.
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Order fulfillment services
Picking, packing, kitting and shipping of your orders.
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DTC fulfillment
Your online orders picked, packed and shipped the same day.
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B2B fulfillment and cross docking
Retail orders by the case or pallet, to each retailer’s requirements.
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Shipping and customs
Parcels worldwide, LTL and FTL across Canada and the U.S.
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Logistics outsourcing
The whole chain with one partner, from receiving to returns.
Returns to organize?
Tell us how many returns you get, what you sell and the checks you need, and we will prepare a quote.