Returns & Refund Analysis
Costs returns properly by SKU, reason and channel — postage both ways, handling, and the units that come back unsellable.
Returns & Refund Analysis is a free Excel workbook: 5 sheets, 428 live formulas and realistic sample data throughout, 20 KB as .xlsx.
The formulas are printed on this page, unedited, so you can check the method before downloading anything. Swap in your own numbers and the whole file recalculates — which is the part no chat window can hand you. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice; no add-in and no macro.
A look inside
This is a real slice of the Impact sheet from the actual file — not a screenshot, and not a mock-up. Cells shown in violet are live formulas, exactly as they arrive.
| # | SKU | Description | Gross margin | Margin % | Cost of returns | Margin after returns | Margin % after |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | =SKUs!A2 | =SKUs!B2 | =(SKUs!E2-SKUs!F2)*(SKUs!D2-SKUs!G2) | =IFERROR(C2/(SKUs!E2*(SKUs!D2-SKUs!G2)),0) | =SKUs!G2*(Costs!$B$8+Costs!$B$5*SKUs!F2) | =C2-E2 | =IFERROR(F2/(SKUs!E2*(SKUs!D2-SKUs!G2)),0) |
| 3 | =SKUs!A3 | =SKUs!B3 | =(SKUs!E3-SKUs!F3)*(SKUs!D3-SKUs!G3) | =IFERROR(C3/(SKUs!E3*(SKUs!D3-SKUs!G3)),0) | =SKUs!G3*(Costs!$B$8+Costs!$B$5*SKUs!F3) | =C3-E3 | =IFERROR(F3/(SKUs!E3*(SKUs!D3-SKUs!G3)),0) |
| 4 | =SKUs!A4 | =SKUs!B4 | =(SKUs!E4-SKUs!F4)*(SKUs!D4-SKUs!G4) | =IFERROR(C4/(SKUs!E4*(SKUs!D4-SKUs!G4)),0) | =SKUs!G4*(Costs!$B$8+Costs!$B$5*SKUs!F4) | =C4-E4 | =IFERROR(F4/(SKUs!E4*(SKUs!D4-SKUs!G4)),0) |
| 5 | =SKUs!A5 | =SKUs!B5 | =(SKUs!E5-SKUs!F5)*(SKUs!D5-SKUs!G5) | =IFERROR(C5/(SKUs!E5*(SKUs!D5-SKUs!G5)),0) | =SKUs!G5*(Costs!$B$8+Costs!$B$5*SKUs!F5) | =C5-E5 | =IFERROR(F5/(SKUs!E5*(SKUs!D5-SKUs!G5)),0) |
| 6 | =SKUs!A6 | =SKUs!B6 | =(SKUs!E6-SKUs!F6)*(SKUs!D6-SKUs!G6) | =IFERROR(C6/(SKUs!E6*(SKUs!D6-SKUs!G6)),0) | =SKUs!G6*(Costs!$B$8+Costs!$B$5*SKUs!F6) | =C6-E6 | =IFERROR(F6/(SKUs!E6*(SKUs!D6-SKUs!G6)),0) |
| 7 | =SKUs!A7 | =SKUs!B7 | =(SKUs!E7-SKUs!F7)*(SKUs!D7-SKUs!G7) | =IFERROR(C7/(SKUs!E7*(SKUs!D7-SKUs!G7)),0) | =SKUs!G7*(Costs!$B$8+Costs!$B$5*SKUs!F7) | =C7-E7 | =IFERROR(F7/(SKUs!E7*(SKUs!D7-SKUs!G7)),0) |
| 8 | =SKUs!A8 | =SKUs!B8 | =(SKUs!E8-SKUs!F8)*(SKUs!D8-SKUs!G8) | =IFERROR(C8/(SKUs!E8*(SKUs!D8-SKUs!G8)),0) | =SKUs!G8*(Costs!$B$8+Costs!$B$5*SKUs!F8) | =C8-E8 | =IFERROR(F8/(SKUs!E8*(SKUs!D8-SKUs!G8)),0) |
| 9 | =SKUs!A9 | =SKUs!B9 | =(SKUs!E9-SKUs!F9)*(SKUs!D9-SKUs!G9) | =IFERROR(C9/(SKUs!E9*(SKUs!D9-SKUs!G9)),0) | =SKUs!G9*(Costs!$B$8+Costs!$B$5*SKUs!F9) | =C9-E9 | =IFERROR(F9/(SKUs!E9*(SKUs!D9-SKUs!G9)),0) |
What’s in the file
What it explains
- A return costs far more than the refund
- Return REASON is where the fix is
- The worst SKUs are usually profitable before returns
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