Two different outcomes, and the difference is clean.
A full refund
The order stops counting as a sale, so no commission stands on it. Your statement marks it plainly: {amount} fully refunded · not counted.
So a sale you fully unwound costs you the sale and not a fee on top of it.
A partial refund
The order stays a sale, and your earnings go down by what you refunded. The commission on the sale remains.
That is the correct answer rather than a harsh one: the sale happened, the buyer kept the item, and you reduced the price after the fact. A partial refund is a discount given late, and a discount does not remove the commission on a sale — a discount code does not either. How to run an offer
What this means practically
It makes the choice between a partial refund and a full return a real calculation rather than a reflex:
A partial refund keeps most of the sale, costs no postage either way, usually keeps the buyer — and the fee stands. For a small flaw on something awkward to post, still clearly the best outcome for everyone. Can I get a partial refund?
A full refund with the item returned removes the fee but costs you postage, the sale, and a fortnight of messages.
So the fee is rarely the deciding factor. The postage and the relationship usually are.
If you refund after the money has been paid out
It comes off your balance now. A balance that goes below zero shows as You owe Metzee {amount} and settles out of later sales rather than being billed — and nothing is withdrawable while it stands. Why is my payout taking so long?
That is the case to watch if you withdraw aggressively and then take a return.
Cash on delivery
Different, because no card payment was ever captured. You pay the buyer back directly, and the order's accounting follows the same rules. How to refund a buyer
What a refund does to your standing
A refund after shipping counts toward Order defect rate, one of six measured standards. One is recoverable over the rolling window; a pattern is not — and that cost is larger than any fee. A buyer is asking for a refund
The thing worth optimising instead
Almost every refund traces to a flaw not named or a photograph that flattered, and both are free to fix. The cheapest refund is the one that never happens. How to write a condition description
More: when is the commission taken, how refunds work, how to read your payout statement.