5 Shopify Size Tickets and the Exact Reply to Each
Size tickets are rarely about one thing. "Wrong size" can mean the customer hasn't ordered yet, the item arrived too small, they bought two sizes on purpose, it was a gift, or the parcel went missing halfway through an exchange. Each one needs a different reply. This guide gives you a ready-to-send answer for each of the five, plus a quick way to work out how much time they cost your team.
The policy and the setup each have their own guide: the Shopify exchange policy guide, how to handle Shopify wrong-size tickets and how to automate Shopify exchanges, all listed at the end of this article. This page covers the replies.
What size tickets cost you: the 2-minute calculation
Before the replies, put a number on the problem. Use this formula: size tickets per month × minutes per ticket ÷ 60 × hourly cost of support = monthly cost.
Here's an example. The inputs are made up for illustration, so swap in your own:
- Size tickets per month: 120
- Minutes per ticket (read, look up the order, check the policy, reply, follow up): 8
- Hourly cost of whoever answers (you, a VA, an agent): $22
- Time spent: 16 hours a month
- Cost: $352 a month
To get your real inputs, tag size tickets in your inbox for two weeks and time five of them. Count the follow-ups too. A "where's my new size?" email belongs to the same ticket's cost. If you answer them yourself, use what an hour of your time is worth. Don't count it as zero. You'll find more templates for this kind of math in the metrics guides on our blog.
Ticket 1: "Which size should I get?"
What's going on. The customer hasn't bought yet, or is about to. This is a sales question that ends up in the support inbox. If they don't get an answer, they either leave or buy two sizes "just in case" (see ticket 3).
What you need. Your size guide, the product's fit notes (runs small, true to size, relaxed fit) and the measurements the customer gives you.
Reply: "Hi Jordan, thanks for asking before ordering. This style runs slightly small, so if you're between sizes, go one up. For reference, the M fits a chest of [from your size chart] and the L fits [from your size chart]. If you send your chest measurement, we'll tell you which one to pick."
Pull the measurements straight from your size chart for each product. Never guess a fit you haven't checked.
Ticket 2: "It arrived and it's too small"
What's going on. The order has been delivered and the customer wants a different size. This is the classic exchange request, and it has the most rules behind it: return window, item condition, final sale, stock.
What you need. Delivery date, the variant ordered, your exchange policy and stock for the new size.
Reply (inside window, new size available): "Hi Jordan, sorry it's too small. Your order is still within our return window, so you can exchange it. Send the M back using the instructions below, and we'll take care of the L as described in our exchange policy. Since the price is the same, you won't pay anything extra."
Reply (new size out of stock): "Hi Jordan, sorry, the L is out of stock at the moment. You can return the M for a refund, or keep it until the L is back and we'll let you know. Reply with the option you'd like."
The exchange policy guide, listed at the end of this article, covers which option to offer and when to say no. Write your rule there once, then copy its wording into this reply.
Ticket 3: "I ordered two sizes, sending one back"
What's going on. The customer ordered the M and the L to try both, and is now returning the one that didn't fit. They aren't complaining. They need a clear way to send it back and to know when the refund for that one item will arrive.
What you need. The order with both line items, your return window and how your store refunds a partial return.
Reply: "Hi Jordan, glad one of them fits. You can return the M using the instructions below. Once we receive it, we'll refund that item as set out in our returns policy. The L is yours to keep."
Make sure the reply names the item being returned. If it doesn't, your next ticket will be "you refunded the wrong one."
Ticket 4: "It was a gift and it doesn't fit"
What's going on. The person writing in isn't the person who paid. That changes the reply. In most cases, a refund goes back to the payment method used on the order, which belongs to the buyer, not the gift recipient. If your reply promises the recipient "a refund," you may be promising money they won't receive.
What you need. The order number or the buyer's name, and your rule for gift returns: exchange, or a gift card sent to the recipient.
Reply: "Hi Alex, thanks for letting us know. Since this was a gift, the easiest option is an exchange for the size you need, so the person who bought it isn't notified of a refund. Send it back using the instructions below and tell us which size you'd like."
Our guide to Shopify gift returns, listed at the end of this article, explains where gift refunds end up and how to get value to the recipient.
Ticket 5: "My exchange got lost in the post"
What's going on. Either the returned item never reached you, or the new size never reached the customer. Now the customer has nothing, and they're worried they've lost both the item and the money.
What you need. Tracking for both shipments: the return and the replacement. Before you send anything else, check which leg went missing.
Reply (replacement lost): "Hi Jordan, sorry about this. Tracking shows your L hasn't moved since [date from tracking]. We've opened a claim with the carrier and we'll let you know the next step as soon as they reply."
Reply (return lost): "Hi Jordan, thanks for flagging it. Could you send us the return tracking number or your proof of postage? As soon as we have it, we'll trace the parcel and keep your exchange moving."
Check the tracking before you decide to reship or refund. If you skip that check, you can end up paying twice for one missing parcel. The shipping guides on our blog cover more carrier problems.
Where Relay fits
All five tickets follow the same pattern. Read the request, look at the order, check it against your rules, then reply, act, or hand it to a person.
Relay is an AI support agent that understands your product, answers customer questions, takes action, and knows when to bring in your team. In practice, it understands the request, finds the order and applies your store's rules. Then it acts: a refund, a discount code, a cancellation or an address change, depending on the permissions you give it. When a case needs a person, it brings in your team.
You set the permissions, so Relay only does what you've allowed. Setup has 3 steps:
- Teach Relay your business.
- Set your rules.
- Connect and go live.
Your first support hire, without the hire.
FAQ
What are the most common size-related tickets on Shopify? Five come back again and again: which size to pick before buying, the item arriving too small, ordering two sizes and returning one, a gift that doesn't fit, and an exchange parcel lost in transit. Each needs its own reply.
How do I calculate what size tickets cost my store? Multiply size tickets per month by minutes per ticket, divide by 60, then multiply by the hourly cost of whoever answers. Include follow-up emails in the minutes.
Can the gift recipient get the refund instead of the buyer? Usually not with a standard refund, which in most cases goes back to the payment method used on the order. For the recipient, an exchange or a gift card is often the better option. Our gift returns guide, listed at the end of this article, explains how it works.
Where do I set my exchange rules? Start with a written exchange policy. Our Shopify exchange policy guide shows you how to write one, and our guide to automating Shopify exchanges shows you how to turn it into rules. Both are listed at the end of this article.
