Create Return Delivery

Return deliveries are created using the standard delivery and quote endpoints by including is_returned: true in the request payload. This flags the shipment as a return — goods travelling back toward the origin (e.g. a customer returning an item to a retailer).

Endpoints

POST {{domain}}/{{tenant_id}}/deliveries
POST {{domain}}/{{tenant_id}}/deliveries/quote-next-available

Authentication: Bearer token required via the Authorization header.

The is_returned Flag

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{
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    "is_returned": true
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}

Behaviour When is_returned: true

Reference — RTN prefix auto-generated

The delivery reference is automatically prefixed to distinguish it from the original forward shipment:

RTN1-{original_reference}
RTN2-{original_reference}  ← if RTN1 already exists

Service availability — filtered to return-eligible services

Only carrier services configured to support returns are considered when quoting or booking. Postage-only services are excluded.

Notifications — return-specific events

When is_returned: true and SMS or email notification flags are set, the system fires a return delivery created notification event rather than the standard delivery created event.

Related Fields

The following fields can be included alongside is_returned to provide additional context for the return shipment.

For more information and to understand the customer experience for returns, see the Create & Manage Returns guide.