Managing your TikTok Shop cancellations, refunds, returns, and replacements

Your customers have a number of ways to change or reverse their purchases when they buy through TikTok Shop. The good news is that it's simple to manage these cancellations, refunds, returns, and replacements in eDesk.

This help file explains how to manage cancellations, refunds, returns, and replacements of orders placed via TikTok Shop.

Before you start

You’ll need an eDesk account with the permission TikTok Shop Adjustments assigned. Request this from the eDesk Admin in your business. Learn more about eDesk permissions here.
You'll need to have installed the TikTok Shop app in eDesk, which enables you to view in eDesk the messages and orders that come in from customers via TikTok Shop. Learn more here.

01 Cancellations

TikTok Shop allows both your customer and your business to cancel an order. TikTok Shop can also initiate a cancellation.

Cancellation by the customer

Customers can request a cancellation within a defined time period set by TikTok Shop, which is usually before an item ships or immediately after purchase. This is known as a Buyer-Initiated Cancellation. Read more about TikTok Shop's cancellation policy for the UK here.

If the customer's cancellation request arrives inside the cancellation time window, the cancellation occurs automatically and your team won't need to do anything.
If the customer's cancellation request arrives outside the cancellation time window, then the request will arrive in a ticket in your eDesk Mailbox so that your team can decide whether to approve it or not. The ticket's subject is New Cancellation Request. In the ticket sidebar, you'll see options to Approve Cancellation or Reject Cancellation:

Select an option to proceed:
- Approve Cancellation
  The Approve Cancellation window opens.
  Complete the fields.
  The order will be cancelled, and the customer is notified and refunded by TikTok Shop.
- Reject Cancellation
  The Reject Cancellation window opens.
  Choose a reason from the list in the Reason field.
  Enter an explanation in the Comment field, for example, to explain that the order can't be cancelled because it's already been shipped.
  The order will continue to be processed as normal in the TikTok Shop.
All Approve/Reject decisions made in eDesk are immediately synced to TikTok Shop, so customers will instantly see the result of their request as soon as you approve/reject it.

Cancellation by your business

Your business can cancel an order in eDesk due to issues like out-of-stock items, suspected fraud, or policy violations. This is known as a Seller-Initiated Cancellation.
To cancel an order:
1. Go to the Orders page in eDesk and find the order.
2. Create a new ticket for the order and then choose the Cancellation option and enter a reason for the cancellation.
3. A message will be sent to the customer to inform them of the cancellation.

Cancellation by TikTok Shop

In some cases, such as non-payment, TikTok Shop may create a cancellation automatically. This is known as a System-Initiated Cancellation. When this occurs, a ticket will arrive in your Mailbox in eDesk to notify you of the cancellation.
Cancelled order

Pro Tip: If you'd prefer not to see tickets for System-Initiated Cancellations, you can create a Rule to set them to Resolved automatically. Learn more about Message Rules here.

02 Returns and Refunds

Returns and refunds that are initiated by the customer after shipping are also known as After-sale Requests.

Refund requested by the customer

In TikTok Shop, a customer can select their order and send a request for:

a refund only
For example, if they never received the item.
a return and refund
For example, if they have received the item but it's damaged or not as described, and they want to send it back.

TikTok Shop policies usually define a refund time window that limits the time period for a customer to raise a Return/Refund request via TikTok Shop. This time window is typically 30 days, starting from the delivery date or after a certain shipping milestone, but can vary depending on the region. Depending on seller settings and TikTok Shop rules, refunds can be full or partial. TikTok Shop may also support certain automatic refund scenarios, depending on policy, for example, where TikTok Shop policy states an instant refund for a specific product category. Learn more about TikTok Shop Returns basic principles here.

When your TikTok Shop receives a request from a customer for either of the above, a ticket with the subject New Refund Request will arrive in your eDesk Mailbox. In the sidebar of the ticket, you'll see some options that allow you to manage the request: Refund request.

Select an option to proceed:

Approve Refund
This opens an Approve Refund window in eDesk.
Select a decision type in the Decision field.
Enable the Buyer can keep the item toggle if you don't want the customer to return the item.
Complete the Amount field if you want to reimburse only part of the item price, and enter how much to partially refund.
Select Approve Refund to send the approval to TikTok Shop, who will process the refund. The customer is notified and reimbursed. The ticket in eDesk will update to reflect the Refunded status.

Note: For multi-item orders, you can select which items to return/refund.
Reject Refund
This opens a Reject Refund window in eDesk.
Select a decision type in the Decision field.
Select the reason for the rejection in the Reason field.
Enter an explanation in the Comment field. For example, the item is still in transit, ineligible reason code etc.
Select Reject Refund to send the rejection to TikTok Shop, who will notify the customer.

Note: It's important that you accept or reject the request promptly because TikTok Shop expects you to respond to the customer within a set time period. Failure to respond in time can result in TikTok Shop stepping in automatically in favor of the customer.

All Approve/Reject decisions made in eDesk are immediately synced to TikTok Shop, so customers will instantly see the result of their request as soon as you approve/reject it.

Refund instigated by your business

Your business may proactively refund an order if there’s a pricing error, inventory shortage, or other logistical issue.
To instigate a refund:
1) Go to the Orders page in eDesk and find the order.
2) Create a new ticket for that order.
3) Use the options in the right hand panel to complete the refund.

Refund instigated by TikTok Shop

In certain automatic refund scenarios, for example, if TikTok Shop policy states an instant refund for a specific product category, your business won't need to approve the refund. Instead, it will be processed automatically by TikTok Shop and eDesk will display the final refund status for the order.
TikTok Shop can also initiate a refund automatically if it detects policy violations or if a buyer complaint is escalated and resolved in the customer’s favor.

03 Replacements

Your customers can request a replacement item via TikTok Shop. Replacements are typically requested when an item is damaged, defective, or incorrect, but the customer still wants the item.

Customers can request a replacement during the Return/Refund time window (see previous section of this help file). This will create a ticket with the subject New Replacement Request in the eDesk Mailbox. In the sidebar of the ticket, you'll see some options that allow you to manage the request:
Replacement Request ticket