Create RMA Authorised Return Label

Start with the authorisation you already issued

An RMA is useful because it connects a physical parcel with an agreed return record. Copy the issued number carefully, including meaningful hyphens or letters. The barcode field supports up to sixteen simple characters. If your system uses a longer identifier, choose an agreed short reference that your own receiving process can resolve, and retain the full information in accompanying paperwork. Do not silently invent a different number for the convenience of the label. The recipient should identify the returns team, and the address should be the authorised receiving location rather than a remembered sales-office address.

Make the return understandable without scanning

The reference also appears in human-readable text so an operator can compare it with paperwork. Use the note for a brief order number, item identifier or other context that your team genuinely needs. Avoid a long account history or personal customer correspondence on the outside of the parcel. Keep return conditions, packing requirements and any approval message in your normal customer communication. If an authorisation is revised or reassigned, regenerate the label and check that both the visible number and decoded reference match the replacement record.

An RMA receiving check

• Use an issued and current authorisation reference.
• Confirm the approved receiving location.
• Keep the customer identifiable in the sender section.
• Include only useful outside-package context.
• Compare the printed reference with a scanner result.

Use the RMA as the shared code value

Leave custom QR contents blank when both codes should identify the same authorisation. A scanner then returns the reference itself, not a hidden tracking service. If the QR instead points to customer instructions, ensure that your receiving team still uses the barcode or printed number to find the RMA. No lookup, approval or refund happens automatically when this PDF is generated.

The generator creates QR codes and Code 128 barcodes locally. Both use your reference by default; optional custom QR text can instead contain your own short URL or text. A blank reference produces a stable internal ID derived from the submitted label details. These are your identifiers, not official carrier tracking numbers. The tool does not buy postage, reserve a shipment or send the encoded data to a code-generation service.

Print a clear handover for the returns desk

Choose an exact-size 4 by 6-inch PDF or repeated copies on a landscape A4/Letter sheet. The copies share one authorisation; the sheet is not a list of different RMAs. Print at 100 percent, then inspect the reference characters that can be confused, such as zero and the letter O. Test a scan from the paper after trimming. Keep required carrier labels visible and separate, and make sure the customer has received your actual return instructions before the parcel is handed over.

RMA label questions

Does this create or approve an RMA?
No. Supply the authorisation from your own returns system or procedure. The template lays it out and encodes it; approval, eligibility and refunds remain part of your business process.

What should I do with an RMA longer than sixteen characters?
Do not change your official reference without an agreed mapping. Use a supported short internal alias only if your team can resolve it, and retain the complete authorisation in your own return paperwork or QR contents.

Find related address layouts and supplementary stickers in our Shipping & Packaging Labels collection.