Did you know that Shein will sometimes allow you to get a refund on your purchase, without actually requiring you to return the items?
It’s true!
However, in order for a returnless refund to be granted, your return request must meet certain criteria.
In this article, I’ll be sharing what those criteria actually are. I’ll also be sharing some tips to help you get a refund without having to return the item, even when you otherwise would have to. So, I highly recommend reading this article all the way through – hopefully preventing Shein from requiring a return!
How To Get A Shein Refund, Without Requiring A Return
In order to get what’s known as a ‘returnless refund’, your refund request must meet certain criteria.
That being said, while at least one of the below things must be true, they don’t all have to be.
Plus, depending on how you structure your return request, you may end up needing to return the items, where as you wouldn’t if you go about it the right way.
So, let’s look over the criteria Shein uses to determine whether or not they will let you keep the item without requiring a return.
1. The Item Is Low Cost
Unfortunately, this is perhaps the most important factor.
As much as we’d like them to, Shein doesn’t offer returnless refunds to be nice. Instead, it’s primarily based on simple economics.
With low cost items, Shein has determined that the cost to ship the item back, inspect the item, process the return, and relist it for sale are simply not worth it.
So, they directly save money by letting you simply keep it, rather than going through the entire process of returning it.
As a bonus, they win some goodwill in the eyes of their customers – making them more likely to shop at Shein in the future.
For more expensive items however, it is more profitable for them to require a return.
Therefore, if your goal is to get a refund without returning the item, you should only try it with inexpensive items – typically $10 or less.
2. The Item Is Expensive To Ship Back
Shein is also more likely to give you a refund without requiring a return if the item would otherwise be expensive to ship back.
Shein bares the cost of returns, and certain items cost more to return than others.
Typically, an item’s shipping cost is based both on its weight, as well as its volume.
So, the larger the item – and the heavier it is, the more expensive it will be for Shein to ship back.
Again, this all comes down to economics, and Shein isn’t the only one to employ such a policy.
In the past, I sold mugs on Amazon, and Amazon required us to offer free return shipping to customers. However, shipping the mug back would cost us $4 to $5, which was more than what it cost us to make the item!
Therefore, like Shein, we simply gave the customer a refund without requiring that they actually return the item.
3. There Aren’t Many Other Shipments From Your Area At The Same Time
This factor is less common, but it may be the dealbreaker in some circumstances.
Often the most expensive part of the shipping process is shipping it back to the original country that it came from. And although Shein has opened warehouses within the United States, the vast majority of their goods still ship from China.
This also means that many products may ultimately end up back in China as well.
Shein can save money by bundling lots of shipments together.
So, if there are a bunch of other returns being requested in the same area – and they can save money by bundling these together, they may require you to return the item anyway (since the cost to ship it back will ultimately be lower for them.)
Again, the product’s price plays a large role in this as well. Even shipping domestically can still cost a few dollars, so Shein may not bother requiring a return if the product is cheap – even if they are able to save money by bundling returns together.
4. Your Product Isn’t Exempt From Being Returned
According to Shein’s return policy, certain items cannot be returned or exchanged. These include:
- Accessories
- Bodysuits
- Cosmetics
- Customized products
- Free gifts
- Lingerie
- Pet products
- Underwear
Additionally, specific items may list that returns / exchanges are not supported on the product page itself. On Shein’s website, you can find the return policy for the specific item below the add to cart button, and the shipping / delivery section.
Because these products are non-returnable, they are also ineligible for free refunds – even if they would hit other criteria mentioned within this article.
So, be sure that the item you’re trying to get a returnless refund for doesn’t fall into one of the above categories, and check the sales page for the item to make sure that returns are supported.
5. You Aren’t Trying To Return A Large Number Of Products At Once
Next, you’re far more likely to be granted a refund without requiring a return, if you only try to return 1 product at a time.
This one’s important!
Even if you’ve ordered several low-cost items at once, Shein may deem it economically beneficial for you to return all of them, since they can all ship together in one package. This is particularly true for clothing items, since these tend to be lightweight.
Therefore, from Shein’s perspective, there is little difference between returning 1 $30 item, or 3 $10 items, for example.
So, by only requesting a return for one item, they are far more likely to let you keep it without having you send it back.
Keep in mind however that if you do make separate return requests for the same order, Shein will charge you a $7.99 fee to mail it back – where as normally, the return shipping would be completely paid for by them.
So, don’t try this if you actually need to return multiple items – it may end up costing you! More information about this can be found under the ‘Return Shipping Fee’ section of their return policy.
Tip: Consider placing smaller, more frequent orders to prevent yourself from being charged this fee!
6. Your Item Arrived Damaged
If your item arrived damaged, you are more likely to receive a refund without requiring a return.
However, you may need to contact Shein’s customer service department in order for the returnless refund to be granted.
If you think about it, this one makes sense.
Shein incurs costs for processing your return. And if they are unable to even relist the item for sale because it’s damaged, there’s no point in having it sent back to them – even if they were able to get it shipped for free!
That being said, you shouldn’t purposely damage your item in hopes of getting a refund.
There is always the chance that Shein will make you send it back anyway. And if the item does not meet the criteria for a refund, they will mail it back to you, and charge you a $7.99 fee for doing so.
Plus, it’s possible that Shein will offer a replacement instead of a refund, leaving you with 2 units of an item that you don’t actually want.
Important: According to Shein’s return policy, you will need to contact them about damaged or defective items within 24 hours of receiving them. You can contact Shein’s customer support by clicking here!
7. You Haven’t Abused This Feature In The Past
Finally, it’s also important that you haven’t abused this feature in the past.
Shein is a large company, and have dealt with people in the past that have abused this feature to try and get free items.
If you regularly try to get refunds without returning the item, they may end up refusing to issue a returnless refund to you – even if the item would otherwise meet the criteria.
After all, trying to get free items and requesting refunds for items that you want to keep is effectively stealing from the company.
Therefore, their systems may look at things such as the number of orders you’ve placed, and how frequently you’ve requested (and been granted) refunds to determine your eligibility.
Remember, Shein could require returns for all items out of principle, regardless of cost. However, if people are fair about it, then granting refunds without requiring a return of the item is good for both you as a customer, and them as a company.
How Much Time Will It Take For The Refund To Be Processed?
So, once your refund has been granted, how long should you expect it to take before you actually get your money back?
In most cases, you should see the money returned to your original payment method (or Shein wallet) within 3-5 business days.
However, depending on the payment method used, it can take up to a week in some cases.
You’ll know that you’ve been approved for a returnless refund, because Shein will display a message saying the following:
“As our valued customer, we are happy to provide you with a priority refund for this return. You are welcome to keep the item withotu returning it, no return label will be sent.”
Keep in mind that if Shein does require you to return the items, it will take significantly longer.
This is because the items first have to be shipped back to Shein. Once they arrive, it will take up to 5-7 business days for the return to be processed, and your refund to either be approved or denied. You can read more about this underneath the ‘How will I get my refund’ section on their return policy page here.
Note that on the desktop version of their return policy, it says up to 7 business days, where as on the mobile one it says up to 5. To be safe, you should assume that it will take up to 7 business days to process your return.
Only once your refund is approved does the 3-5 business day timer start.
So, it really helps to push for a returnless refund, if you’re able to get one granted.
Not only will you get to keep the item, but you’ll get your money back much faster as well!
Conclusion
If your item meets eligible criteria, it’s simple to receive a refund from Shein, without actually having to return the item.
However, you’re more likely to see success if the item is low cost, expensive to ship back, and you only try to get a refund on one item at a time.
I hope that this article has helped you, and you’ll be able to get refunded without having to return the item.
If you have any other questions about Shein, ask them below and I’ll be happy to help!
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister