Articles on: Synctrack - Returns & Exchanges

EU Withdrawal form

Overview


Under EU Directive (EU) 2023/2673 (amending Directive 2011/83/EU), any store selling online to EU consumers must let them withdraw from a purchase within 14 days — without giving a reason. From 19 June 2026 this is mandatory. You may not force EU customers to state a reason, contact support, or fill in a survey before they cancel.


The EU Withdrawal form makes your store compliant with a single toggle. When you enable it, Synctrack reuses your existing return portal, emails, and management screen — for orders shipping to the EU-27, it turns the return into a short 2-step withdrawal: the reason is optional, the resolution and return method are set automatically, and the buyer gets a valid withdrawal confirmation. Orders outside the EU keep your normal return flow.


Important: Enabling this feature only affects orders shipping to the EU-27. Non-EU orders are unchanged — the reason field stays required and the buyer sees your standard return confirmation.


What you'll learn



How to enable the EU Withdrawal form


Step 1: Go to EU Withdrawal form


Open the EU Withdrawal form page in your Synctrack Returns admin. The page explains what EU law requires and the risk of non-compliance.



Step 2: Click Enable EU Withdrawal


Click Enable EU Withdrawal. The status switches to Enabled and the withdrawal rules apply to all EU orders automatically, using a 14-day withdrawal window by default. The setting persists after reload.


How it works


Once enabled, the feature runs in the background on your existing return portal. For orders shipping to the EU-27, the buyer follows a short 2-step withdrawal flow:


  1. A buyer opens your return portal and enters their email + order number — no login or verification code required.
  2. Synctrack matches the order and detects its country in this order: shipping address → billing address → customer default address, then checks it against the EU-27.
  3. If the order is in the EU-27, Synctrack checks each item against your withdrawal window and shows "Days left to withdraw: X" on the item. Items past the window can't be selected. The buyer selects the item(s) and quantity to withdraw. Stating a reason is optional — they can continue without one.
  4. The buyer goes straight to the Review screen — the steps for choosing a resolution and a return method are skipped (if you turned on Allow exchange on withdrawal requests, the buyer chooses a resolution first, such as an exchange). On Review, the resolution is pre-set to "Refund to original payment method" and the return method to "Ship with any carrier". The buyer ticks the confirmation checkbox and submits.
  5. On the Done screen the buyer sees a withdrawal confirmation: the order, the email the confirmation was sent to, the 14-day refund timeframe, the return address (from your existing return settings), a durable-medium note, and a fixed link to EU Directive 2011/83/EU.




Important: For orders outside the EU-27, nothing changes — your regular return deadlines apply, the reason field stays required, the buyer sees the standard return confirmation, and the full return flow (resolution + return method) still applies. The buyer receives an email confirmation through your existing return mailer — no separate EU email template.



Step 3: Add the withdrawal button to your storefront

Enabling the feature makes the withdrawal flow work. Adding the button makes it findable — EU buyers should not have to hunt for it.
Step 1: Match the button to your storefront. The Button styling card controls how the floating button looks. You can set its label, colours, shape and where it sits on the page. The live preview next to the card updates as you change each setting, so you can see the result before saving — no need to publish and reload your storefront to check.
Step 1: On the EU Withdrawal form page, find the Storefront button card and click Enable in Theme editor. Shopify opens your theme with the Synctrack EU Withdrawal Button app embed selected.
Step 2: Switch the app embed on and save your theme.
Step 3: Back in Synctrack, the card shows the embed as active.
The button then appears as a floating button on your storefront and takes the buyer straight into the withdrawal flow.
If you skip this step, nothing appears on your storefront. The withdrawal flow still works for anyone who reaches the return portal directly, but no button is shown. This is the single most common reason merchants report "I turned it on and nothing happened".




How to set the withdrawal window


The withdrawal window is how many days EU customers have to withdraw from a purchase, counted from the delivery date.


  1. On the EU Withdrawal form page, find the Withdrawal window card.
  2. Enter the number of days in Withdrawal period (days). The default is 14.
  3. Click Save in the save bar at the top of the page.




Important: You can't go below 14 days — that's the EU legal minimum. If you enter less, the field shows "EU law requires at least 14 days" and the setting isn't saved. Whatever you set, a withdrawal is never allowed more than 12 months + 14 days after delivery, as set by EU law.


Important: When EU Withdrawal is on, EU orders are judged only by the withdrawal window — your regular return deadlines no longer apply to them. If your normal return policy is longer (for example 30 days), EU customers get only the withdrawal period (14 days by default). Raise the withdrawal period to keep the same window for EU customers.


How to allow exchange on withdrawal requests


By default, EU withdrawals are refund-only. To let EU customers choose an exchange instead:


  1. On the EU Withdrawal form page, find the Allow exchange on withdrawal requests card.
  2. Turn the toggle on. It saves immediately.




When it's on, EU customers see the resolution step in the return portal and can choose an exchange from your available resolutions. Everything else about the withdrawal stays the same (optional reason, withdrawal confirmation). Turn it off to go back to refund-only.


Spotting withdrawal requests in Return Management

Withdrawal requests sit in your normal request list, but they are labelled: each one carries an EU Withdrawal badge, both in the list and on the request detail page.
You can also narrow the list to withdrawal requests only, using the EU Withdrawal filter. This matters in practice because withdrawal requests run on a legal 14-day refund clock, while your ordinary returns run on your own policy.


Who can use this feature?


Available on Professional Plan and above


FAQs


  1. Does this create a separate withdrawal portal or email?

No. The feature reuses your existing return portal, return/exchange emails, and return management screen. EU withdrawal requests appear in your normal return management list — there is no new surface to manage.


  1. How does Synctrack decide which orders are "EU orders"?

After the order is matched, Synctrack derives the country from the shipping address first, then billing, then the customer's default address, and compares it against the EU-27 list. Only EU-27 orders trigger the withdrawal behavior.


  1. What happens to orders outside the EU?

They are unchanged. Your regular return deadlines apply, the reason field stays required, and the buyer sees your standard return confirmation, with no withdrawal or legal content.


  1. The reason field is now optional — does the buyer still have to choose items?

Yes. Only the reason becomes optional for EU orders. The buyer still selects the item(s) and submits the request as usual; the request flows into your return management normally.


  1. Where do the return address and refund timeframe on the confirmation come from?

The return address is taken from the return address already configured in your return settings. The refund timeframe follows the EU 14-day standard.


  1. Why can't I see the Enable button?

The feature is available on the Professional plan and above. On Free or Starter plans the button is locked with an upgrade prompt, though you can still read the legal guidance on the page.


  1. Do EU buyers still choose a resolution and return method?

By default, no. For EU-27 orders those two steps are removed from the flow. On the Review screen the resolution is set to "Refund to original payment method" and the return method to "Ship with any carrier" automatically, so the buyer only selects the items, optionally adds a reason, confirms, and submits. If you turn on Allow exchange on withdrawal requests, the buyer also chooses a resolution, such as an exchange.


  1. Do my regular return deadlines still apply to EU orders?

No. With EU Withdrawal on, EU orders are judged only by the withdrawal window. If your normal return policy is longer than your withdrawal period, raise the withdrawal period so EU customers don't get a shorter window. Orders tagged Warranty are treated as warranty claims, not withdrawals, so they keep your regular return policies.


  1. What if an item has no delivery date?

The window is counted from the fulfillment date plus 7 days (to approximate delivery). If the item isn't fulfilled yet, it's counted from the order date plus 7 days.


  1. Can I translate "Days left to withdraw"?

Yes. Go to Customize content → Translations and edit EU withdrawal days left.

Updated on: 29/10/2026

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