Steps

Authenticate with your Shippo API key.
POST to the shipments endpoint with addresses swapped relative to the outbound shipment (customer as 'address_from', warehouse as 'address_to') and include 'extra.is_return: true' in the shipment payload; verify the exact field path in current Shippo docs as it may be a top-level field or nested under 'extra'.
Retrieve the rates array and select the appropriate return service; note that some carriers offer dedicated return service levels (e.g., USPS Return Service) which may appear as distinct service level tokens.
POST to the transactions endpoint with the selected rate 'object_id' to purchase the return label; download from 'label_url'.
For scan-based returns (pay-on-use), verify that the carrier and service level support this billing model; scan-based returns are not universally available and typically require a pre-negotiated carrier account agreement.
Distribute the label to the customer via email or a returns portal; track the return parcel using the 'tracking_number' from the transaction response.

Known gotchas

Scan-based returns (where postage is only charged when the parcel is accepted by the carrier) require specific carrier account setup outside of Shippo; not all accounts support this and it cannot be enabled purely through the API.
Return label expiration policies vary by carrier; some carriers expire return labels after a set number of days, so generate labels close to when the customer will use them or communicate expiry clearly.
Swapping address direction is your responsibility; Shippo does not automatically infer return intent from 'is_return' alone without the address swap.

shippo.com · 5 steps · unrated

Create a prepaid return label using EasyPost's is_return flag and deliver it to a customer for a domestic parcel return

logistics/shipping · 6 steps · unrated

Create a Shippo Batch to purchase labels for multiple shipments simultaneously and retrieve the combined results

logistics/shipping · 6 steps · unrated

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Generate a Shippo return label using the is_return flag and understand scan-based return label behavior

Steps

Known gotchas

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