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Italy: how to manage returns and exchanges when the original order wasn't through OpenFiskal

OpenFiskal issues the return commercial document only if the original sale went through OpenFiskal. In every other case you record the operation normally in Shopify POS, but the documents have to be issued manually from the Agenzia delle Entrate's Fatture e Corrispettivi portal.


Index



When you need the manual procedure


Every return has to be linked to the document that certifies the original sale. OpenFiskal makes that link using the commercial documents (receipts) it generated itself. If the original sale did not go through OpenFiskal, the reference does not exist and the app cannot generate the return document.


There are three situations where this happens.


Returns of sales made before you activated OpenFiskal


The sale is in Shopify, but it was certified by your old Registratore Telematico (RT), the physical fiscal device. The original receipt belongs to that device, not to OpenFiskal, so the app cannot use it as a reference.


From the portal you issue one document: the return.


Exchanges of sales made before you activated OpenFiskal


An exchange is a return plus a new sale, recorded together on the same order. The return falls under the case above. Since both parts belong to the same operation, OpenFiskal does not issue the sale either.


From the portal you issue two documents: the return and the sale.


Returns with no linked order (unverified returns)


The customer brings back an item bought before you moved to Shopify. The return is not linked to any order, not even in Shopify, and Shopify POS records it as an unverified return. Shopify builds it as a return of the item plus the sale of a gift card for the same amount on the same order, so it behaves like an exchange.


From the portal you issue two documents: the return and the sale.


What to give the customer at the time of the return


A return has to be certified at the moment the goods and the money change hands. If the return commercial document comes later, you still need proof of what happened at the counter.


  1. Record the return in Shopify POS and issue the refund as you normally would.
  2. Collect the customer's details: at least first name, last name and email address.
  3. Give the customer the Shopify return receipt, printed or by email. It is a non-fiscal document: it keeps track of the operation and gives the customer something to leave with, but it does not replace the commercial document (the fiscal receipt). Keep a copy for your records.


Do not let the customer leave with nothing in hand, a digital receipt included. You need proof of the operation.


The Shopify receipt covers the whole operation, return and sale included. Then issue the documents from the portal, ideally the same day.


How to issue the documents from the portal


Return document


  1. Log in to the Fatture e Corrispettivi portal.
  2. In the "Corrispettivi" section, open "Documento Commerciale Online" and click "Genera il tuo documento".
  3. Under "Tipo operazione", select "Reso".
  4. If you have the details of the original document, enter them.
  5. If the original document cannot be traced, select "Documento commerciale non recuperabile" and click "Prosegui".
  6. Enter the returned items and the amount refunded, then generate the document.
  7. Store the generated document together with the return receipt.


Sale document


Needed only for exchanges and for returns with no linked order.


  1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 above.
  2. Under "Tipo operazione", select "Vendita".
  3. Enter the items sold and the amount collected, then generate the document. For returns with no linked order, the item sold is the gift card.
  4. Store the document together with the return document.


How to handle an exchange


At the counter the customer leaves with the new item and with the Shopify receipt, which is not a fiscal document. You issue the two commercial documents from the portal straight afterwards, ideally in the same session: first the return of the item brought back, then the sale of the new one.


The same applies to returns with no linked order, where the gift card takes the place of the new item.


If you have already processed a return without giving the customer anything


It happens, especially in the first weeks after a migration. A return commercial document issued today carries today's date, while the refund and the returned stock go back weeks: the two dates do not match.


Gather what you have: proof of the refund (the card movement or the Shopify payout), the order or the receipt for the original sale, the stock movements. Take it to your accountant, who will decide how to settle the position.


Avoid creating backdated documents or credit notes with no supporting paperwork.


For later returns, follow the procedure above: receipt handed over at the counter, documents from the portal the same day.


References


Updated on: 08/09/2026

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