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Return owner units to a supplier, the owner or a designee

3PL add-on For: Compliance manager, Warehouse staff Checked on 18.0.0.2.0, 18.0.1.0.0

An owner may tell you to send some of its units back: saleable units to its supplier, all kinds of units back to itself (custody), or units that can't be sold to itself or to a return designee such as a reverse distributor. Each of these is a return transfer held for the owner, done on the owner's instruction. The core returns work the same way for your own stock (Return product to a supplier).

Background: the modules follow the reading that a 3PL doesn't direct the disposition of owner stock, so every return to a vendor records the owner's instruction (FD&C Act § 581(6), (22), (24), (26), (27); § 582(a)(1), (a)(7); § 584(d); see Compliance background), and that nonsaleable owner returns go to the owner or its designee without transaction information or statement (FD&C Act § 582(c)(1)(B), § 582(c)(4)(D); see Compliance background). This is how the modules read the law; it has not been reviewed by counsel. See the disclaimer.

The owner tells you to …Instruction kindOn the return transferDSCSA document
return saleable units to its supplierReturn to vendorpartner = the supplieran outbound document in the owner's name
give units back to itself or one of its sitesReturn to the owner (custody) (or Return to vendor)Custody Shipment selected; partner = the owner or one of its addressesnone
send units that can't be sold to itself or a designeeNonsaleable returnNon-saleable return selected; partner = the owner or a return designeenone
Known issue

Known issue (PF-A07-02): the only screen path to these returns is Return on the receipt the owner's units came in on. A transfer made with New in Inventory ‣ Operations ‣ Deliveries has no Held for Owner field, so it can't take the owner's units. Goods the owner stored with you on a custody receipt usually go back on an owner order of kind Custody return to the owner instead: see Send an owner's goods back to it (custody return order).

Return an owner's units to its supplier, or to the owner in custody​

Start the return from the owner's receipt, choose the owner's instruction, scan the units and validate.

Who: Rx Tracking User or Manager

Requires: Rx Tracking (DSCSA): 3PL and title model, with 3PL switched on.

Before you start:

Create the return​

  1. Go to Inventory ‣ Operations ‣ Receipts and open the owner's receipt, for example WH/IN/00007 (Northwind Generics LLC, source document NWG-PO-2611, from Bluepeak Pharmaceuticals Inc.).

  2. Select Return.

  3. Enter the Quantity to return, for example 1, and leave Serials (scan each package) empty.

  4. Select Return.

    Result: the return transfer opens: a delivery WH/OUT/NNNNN, Ready, with Delivery Address = the supplier, Source Document "Return of WH/IN/00007", Held for Owner = the owner, and the fields Custody Shipment and Owner Instruction.

    Screenshot of the return WH/OUT/00026 to Bluepeak: Held for Owner Northwind Generics LLC, Custody Shipment and an empty Owner Instruction.

Choose the instruction, scan and validate​

  1. Choose one:

    • To the owner's supplier: leave Custody Shipment cleared.
    • Back to the owner (custody): select Custody Shipment, and in Delivery Address choose the owner or one of its addresses, for example Northwind Generics LLC, Northwind Distribution Center.

  2. In Owner Instruction, choose the owner's instruction, for example NWG-RTV-3110 (Return to vendor, Northwind Generics LLC) or NWG-RTN-3104 (Return to the owner (custody), Northwind Generics LLC). The list offers the unused instructions of the transfer's owner.

  3. Select Scan Serials, scan the DataMatrix of each unit, for example (01)00399990101300(21)600000011003(17)280331(10)BPDPZ2508K, and select Register.

    Result: the chatter says "1 DSCSA package(s) scanned.".

  4. Select Validate.

    Result: the return is Done.

Result: the units have left, and their packages are Shipped to the partner, still showing the owner as Held for Owner and Seller of Record. Records:

  • to the supplier: the return WH/OUT/NNNNN (Done) and an outbound DSCSA document in the owner's name, numbered with the owner's code, for example DSCSA/NWG/OUT/2026/00002 (DSCSA Documents smart button); the gate log rows of the checks (Inventory ‣ Rx Tracking ‣ Gate Log (in the 3PL ‣ Reports section));
  • in custody: the return WH/OUT/NNNNN (Done) and no DSCSA document;
  • in both cases the instruction, now Used On the validation date for the return transfer (or for the transfer a backorder came from).

What an outbound owner document holds: Read an owner's outbound document. Returns of your own stock need no instruction (Return saleable product to the supplier).

If it doesn't work

Next: Read an owner's outbound document

Send an owner's nonsaleable units to the owner or one of its return designees​

Send units that can't be sold, such as damaged units, to the owner or to a designee the owner named, such as a reverse distributor. An Rx Tracking Manager flags the return as non-saleable. The software refuses any other partner, and records the check of the designee in the gate log.

Your procedure decides which units are nonsaleable and who approves the return; the software requires the Rx Tracking Manager right for the flag and the owner's Nonsaleable return instruction.

Who: Rx Tracking Manager to set the flag; Rx Tracking User or Manager for the other steps.

Requires: Rx Tracking (DSCSA): 3PL and title model, with 3PL switched on.

Before you start:

  • The designee is in the owner profile's Return Designees, and is an authorized trading partner (its DSCSA role and a valid license). See Set the owner's policies.
  • The owner's Nonsaleable return instruction is recorded and unused. See Record an owner's instruction.
  • The owner's receipt the units came in on is Done.

  1. Create the return from the owner's receipt: steps 1–4 of "Create the return" in 3PL-RET-05.

    Result: a delivery WH/OUT/NNNNN, Ready, held for the owner, to the supplier.

  2. In Delivery Address, choose the owner, or one of its return designees, for example Clearwater Reverse Distribution LLC.

  3. As an Rx Tracking Manager, select Non-saleable return (§582(c)(1)(B)(ii)).

    Result: Non-saleable Return Set By and Non-saleable Return Set On appear, with your name and the time.

  4. In Owner Instruction, choose the owner's Nonsaleable return instruction, for example NWG-NSR-3111 (Nonsaleable return, Northwind Generics LLC).

    Screenshot of the return to Clearwater Reverse Distribution LLC, with Non-saleable return selected and the owner's Nonsaleable return instruction.

  5. Select Scan Serials, scan each unit, and select Register.

  6. Select Validate.

    Result: the return is Done.

Result: the units are Shipped to the designee, without a DSCSA document (as in core). Records: the return WH/OUT/NNNNN (Done) with Non-saleable Return Set By and Set On; its chatter lines; gate log rows for the owner, the facility and the designee, with Party Role Return designee and the result Pass; the instruction, Used On the validation date.

If it doesn't work