Webhook Overview

This specification describes how AfterShip Returns sends webhook events. You can implement your webhook callback endpoint accordingly.

Webhook Events

When a "return" is created or updated in the AfterShip Returns (i.e. a customer has submitted a return request), the system will emit a corresponding event by sending an HTTP POST payload to the webhook's configured URL. (Updates include only the returns of your own connected stores in AfterShip Returns).

All fields updates

You can receive any field update by simply listening the the following events:

return.created: Occurs when a return request is successfully submitted
return.updated: Occurs whenever any field of a return request is updated.

There are also a few other events in smaller granularity that you can subscribed to, in case you want less amount of event updates:

Webhook Events Common Usage Cheatsheet

graph TD; subgraph returnupdated["return.updated"] return.approved return.shipment.created return.shipments.created return.shipment.updated end return.created-->return.approved return.approved--single label ready-->return.shipment.created--all labels ready-->return.shipments.created return.shipments.created--logistics status update-->return.shipment.updated

This table list out the most common usages of the webhooks.

Return Life Cycle	Webhook Event	Critical Payload Fields
RMA submitted.	return.created	status=submitted
RMA approved, labels not yet generated.	return.approved	status=approved
A single RMA label was generated/uploaded.	return.shipment.created	shipments[0].label, shipments[0].tracking_number
RMA labels were fully generated/uploaded.	return.shipments.created	shipments[x].label, shipments[x].tracking_number
A single RMA label was scanned by its carrier.	return.shipment.updated	shipments[0].tracking_status=InStransit
Return items of a single RMA label got delievered to return location.	return.shipment.updated	shipments[0].tracking_status=Delivered

Logistics status updates:

return.shipment.updated: Occurs when a return shipment status is updated, e.g. moved to inTransit or Delivered state.

Parcel Collection Network Status Updates:

If you use a parcel collection network provider such as Happy Returns/Hubbed to receive return items. Events below apply.

return.dropoff.created: Occurs when a drop-off parcel QR code is generated for shoppers to take the items and drop them off at the parcel collection location.
return.dropoff.updated: Occurs when a drop-off parcel is updated, e.g. when it is handed over to parcel collection location.
return.dropoff.shipment.updated: Occurs when shipment statuses of drop-off items update, usually happens when the items are packed by the parcel collection provider and shipped to the warehouse of merchants. This shipment is outside the tracking scope of AfterShip but purely managed by the parcel network provider.

Please check out the detailed payload on this page.

How to setup the Webhooks

Ennable the webhook by visiting webhook configuration page. At the top right corner, switch to the organization you want to configure.
Fill in the form and save your webhook configuration. You will then see a secret at the configuration page. The secret is for you to verify that the sender is from AfterShip following this implementation later on. Now to test out the webhooks, either submit a new return request or edit the notes on existing RMAs, webhooks then fires immediately.

Make Your Integration Backward-Compatible

The webhook enum values are not restrictive and may be extended with more options as the product evolves. To avoid accidental crashes in your webhook integration, please do not define restrictive, fixed enum options in your code. Instead, treat the enum as just a string in your program and be prepared for the possibility of new kinds of values appearing in the future.

Securing Webhooks

We provide a few options for you to securely verify that the sender is from AfterShip.

We currently support only HTTPS URLs, so you can have security by using an SSL-enabled URL. But keep in mind that your endpoint is going to be wide-open on the Internet, and you might not want others to be able to submit random data to your systems. At this time, please aside from trying to keep the URL private. We advise you to simply include a secret key in the URL that you can use to check the secret GET parameter in your scripts.

Retry Webhooks

The webhook receiver shall respond with a 2xx status code. In case of an unsuccessful event (HTTP response code NOT between 200 and 299), AfterShip attempts to deliver your webhooks up to 14 times with exponential backoff.

The attempted webhook delay is calculated by this formula:

2^(number of retries) x 30 seconds

# of attempt	# of retry	Delay (sec) before send out	Acc. Delay (sec)
1	0	0	0
2	1	30	30
3	2	60	90
4	3	120	210
5	4	240	450
6	5	480	930
7	6	960	1890
8	7	1920	3810
9	8	3840	7650
10	9	7680	15330
11	10	15360	30690
12	11	30720	61410
13	12	61440	122850
14	13	122880	245730

For example,

If the attempt fails, AfterShip will retry the 2nd attempt 30 seconds later.
If the 7th attempt fails, AfterShip will retry the 8th attempt 960 seconds later.
If the 14th attempt fails, AfterShip will no longer send out that webhook.