Frate Returns is a returns-management platform for ecommerce teams that centralizes return requests, shipping labels, and refund or exchange workflows. Connecting Frate to Parabola lets CX, ops, and finance teams pull return groups, shipments, and policy data into the same flows they use for ecommerce reconciliation, alerts, and reporting, without manual CSV exports.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://parabola.io/docs/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Pull from Frate
The Pull from Frate step brings live data from your Frate Returns account into Parabola so you can transform it, blend it with data from other systems, and trigger alerts on custom logic.How to authenticate
Get your API token in Frate Returns
- Open the Frate app and navigate to Settings.
- Under API Tokens, generate a new token.
- The token is shown once. Copy it immediately and save it somewhere safe; you won’t be able to see it again.
Available data
The Pull from Frate step gives you access to the following resources:- Return groups: Grouped return records with IDs, associated order IDs and names, customer email, creation timestamps, and overall status. Filter by created, updated, or shipped date ranges, order identifiers, and specific return-group IDs.
- Shipments: Shipment details for returns including shipment ID, carrier, tracking number, label URL, and current status.
- Allowlist items: Policy exception entries with descriptions, creation timestamps, and permitted actions such as exchange, refund to original payment method, or refund to store credit.
Common use cases
- Find return-rate spikes by SKU: Pull return groups and join with order data from Shopify or Amazon Seller Central to calculate return rate by SKU and reason, then send a Slack alert when a SKU crosses a defined threshold.
- Track returns SLAs from request to delivery: Calculate time from return creation through shipment to delivery, then surface bottlenecks for the CX team in a dashboard or Smartsheet tracker.
- Reconcile returns against refunds: Join Frate return groups with refund records in QuickBooks Online or NetSuite so finance can confirm every approved return was actually refunded.
- Validate every return shipped: Compare return groups against shipment records to flag returns missing tracking numbers or stuck in transit, then route exceptions to a CX queue.
- Combine returns with WMS data: Blend Frate returns with restock activity from your warehouse (such as ShipBob, ShipHero, or Stord) to confirm restocked inventory matches what came back through returns.
- Detect repeat-return customers: Group return groups by customer email and flag repeat offenders for CX review or policy enforcement against your allowlist.
Tips for using Parabola with Frate Returns
- Filter first, then join. Filter return groups by date window (created, updated, or shipped) or specific orders before joining to ecommerce, CX, or ERP data so payloads stay small.
- Watch for “pending” pile-ups. Group return groups by status and alert when “pending” volume crosses a threshold, which usually signals a CX backlog.
- Track SLAs with timestamps. Calculate created → shipped and shipped → delivered durations to monitor processing speed and pinpoint where returns slow down.
- Reconcile shipments automatically. Flag missing tracking numbers, duplicate shipments, or returns stuck in transit so CX gets a focused exception list, not a full report.
- Match cadence to use case. Hourly for CX alerts, daily for finance reconciliation, weekly for trend reports on reasons and repeat customers.
- Document logic with cards and step notes. Returns reports often involve custom rules (RMA windows, restock fees). Card up the flow so the next person can audit without guessing.
FAQ
Can I push data back into Frate?
The Pull from Frate step is read-only. To write back to Frate (for example, updating a return group’s status), use a generic Send to an API step pointed at the relevant Frate endpoint with your API token.Can I pull line-item details inside a return group?
Yes, where the API exposes them. Pull return groups first, expand any nested arrays with an Expand JSON step, then join back to your product catalog or order data.How do I limit a pull to recent returns only?
Use the date filters in the Pull from Frate step (created, updated, or shipped) to constrain the pull window. For sharper filtering, add a Filter rows step right after the pull.With Frate and Parabola connected, the returns reports, CX alerts, and refund reconciliations your team rebuilds every week run on a schedule, so the only returns that hit a person are the ones that actually need attention.