Best Practice for Refund Syncs
The best practice for some storefronts might be different because of their limitations or how they integrate with NetSuite Connector. If a connector has both workflows (in the diagrams) available in the Manage Data Sync page in NetSuite Connector, then you must use the best practice workflow unless told otherwise by specialists or support personnel. Don't use both workflows at the same time, as this can cause problems. If a connector only has one workflow, that's the best practice to follow.
NetSuite Records
When syncing from NetSuite, NetSuite Connector will sync from Cash Refunds or Credit Memo records created from orders that it previously synced. This ensures that NetSuite Connector associates the refund with the correct order in the storefront.
When syncing refunds to NetSuite, the best practice is for NetSuite Connector to sync a Cash Refund or Credit Memo record only. Most storefronts only provide the refund amount and, if applicable, the items being refunded. Typically, NetSuite Connector will not receive the refund until the funds have really been refunded. Therefore, because the real refund has usually occurred, but whether the item has been returned, may or may not have necessarily occurred. Perhaps the return may even be expected to occur. NetSuite Connector doesn't have the data to sync any other record type besides Cash Refund or Credit Memo. Therefore, syncing only those records is the best practice. You can use the NetSuite Return Authorization and Item Receipt records to track the return of your products (if applicable) to accurately reflect that information.
Generic Refund Items
For storefronts that offer partial or nonitem-specific refunds, NetSuite Connector lets you designate specific items in NetSuite to account for the refunded amount on the Refund record. The best practice is to create Other Charge For Sale items to represent those partial or nonitem-specific refunds. These items should not be set to fulfillable and should be in a taxable tax schedule. This lets NetSuite Connector account for any tax included in the refund from the storefront.
Processing the Payment Refund
NetSuite Connector doesn't connect to payment gateways or processors. This means the real refunding of the customer's payment is not done by NetSuite Connector. Refund records created by NetSuite Connector might trigger a refund, and often do. But NetSuite Connector doesn't start the refund process by communicating with the payment processor or gateway. This lets you use any payment processor or gateway in your storefront that the host platform supports to capture and subsequently refund payments.