Question 1

What is the best returns analytics tool for Shopify?

Accepted Answer

MarginFolio is purpose-built returns analytics for Shopify fashion brands. It calculates the exact dollar loss per SKU per return — including friction cost, disposition loss, and customer risk — and ranks products by what is actually destroying margin, not just return volume. Connects in two minutes via read-only Shopify access.

Question 2

How do I calculate the true cost of a return on Shopify?

Accepted Answer

The true cost of a return is more than the refund value. It includes payment processing fees that gateways retain, packaging cost per return shipment, labour cost per item processed, outbound and reverse shipping attribution, COGS for items that cannot be resold, and CAC for first-order returns. MarginFolio computes all of these per SKU automatically from your Shopify data.

Question 3

How is MarginFolio different from Loop Returns or Aftership Returns?

Accepted Answer

Loop and Aftership are returns logistics platforms — they handle the return shipping, RMAs, and customer-facing portal. MarginFolio is returns analytics — it tells you which products and customers are losing you money so you can fix the root cause. The two are complementary; MarginFolio reads from Shopify regardless of which logistics tool you use.

Question 4

How do I find which Shopify products are losing money on returns?

Accepted Answer

Volume-based return reports mislead you because they rank by item count, not dollar loss. MarginFolio ranks every SKU by net loss — refund value plus friction cost minus recoverable COGS — so the product costing you the most is at the top, even if it is not your most-returned item.

Question 5

What is friction cost in ecommerce returns?

Accepted Answer

Friction cost is the per-return operational overhead that is invisible in Shopify reports: retained payment processing fees, packaging materials, warehouse labour, shipping in both directions, and CAC on first-order refunds. On a typical fashion store it averages $8 to $12 per $100 returned, which is enough to turn a high-volume product into a net loss.

Question 6

How do I identify serial returners on Shopify without blocking VIPs?

Accepted Answer

Pure return-rate thresholds wrongly flag high-AOV try-before-you-buy customers. MarginFolio uses combined triggers (return rate, total refund value, recent activity) and applies a net customer value exclusion — customers whose lifetime net spend exceeds a configurable threshold are never flagged, regardless of return rate. Your real VIPs stay protected.

Question 7

How quickly does MarginFolio show value after install?

Accepted Answer

Setup takes about two minutes. Historical Shopify sync runs automatically and most stores see a fully ranked Return Damage Report within 24 hours, with the first actionable SKU surfaced on day one.

Question 8

What Shopify permissions does MarginFolio need?

Accepted Answer

MarginFolio requests five read-only Shopify scopes: orders, returns, products, inventory, and customers. It never writes to your store and never modifies orders, products, or customer data. All data is encrypted at rest and never sold or shared.

Question 9

How much does MarginFolio cost?

Accepted Answer

MarginFolio is $49 per month, flat. No tiers, no usage gates, no setup fee, no annual contract. Founding customers get the $49 rate locked for life while their account is active.