Probe whether a serial is valid for a return
Non-destructive check: verifies that the scanned serial number was on the original shipment for the given order. Returns a verdict object without throwing. Useful for inline scanner UI feedback before submitting a receive.
Response shapes:
valid: true— serial is sold, linked to the original order, and not yet returned.valid: false— serial exists but fails one of: wrong order, not sold, already returned.valid: null— nooriginal_order_idsupplied; cannot validate.
This endpoint honors the entity’s settings.returns.serial_validation_mode in the
sense that its verdict is for informational use; the actual gate is enforced by
POST /v1/returns/:id/receive and POST /v1/returns/:id/disposition when
serial_validation_mode is hard. Requires the serials:read scope.
Authorizations
API key issued per entity via Settings > Developers > API Keys.
Each key carries scopes (e.g. orders:read, products:write).
Bearer token format: Authorization: Bearer ark_live_ent_Test keys use ark_test_ent_. Both are issued per entity
via Settings > Developers > API Keys.
Body
Response
Validation verdict (never 4xx from this endpoint; check valid field)

