What Happens With Amazon Returns? Detailed Review?

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One of the most annoying situations for sellers on Amazon is product returns. And it's not so much that it's associated with some new "headache" as in the often absent objective reasons for such actions of the buyer. Taking advantage of the platform's loyal conditions, many people make thoughtless orders, take products for comparison or "just to look at". That is, a return ≠ a defect or a mistake on your part.

One of the most common reasons for returns is "unauthorized purchase" - often these are orders made by children without parental consent. This term can also refer to fraudulent transactions.

But let's not exaggerate, because for sellers in 90% of cases such operations do not cause critical inconvenience.

What is Amazon's return policy?
The standard period for returns is 30 calendar days from the date of receipt of the package. For some categories (for example, children's toys or gifts from the Birthday Gift List), it is extended to 90 days. In exceptional cases, the period can be extended to 1 year (valid for Amazon Elements, Wickedly Prime, etc.).

In general, the platform's policy in this matter can be called quite generous. On the one hand, it encourages buyers to spend more money. On the other hand, it forces sellers to process almost every return without disputes. Amazon will not even ask you if you are ready to accept the goods back, because most requests are processed automatically (this applies to stores operating on the FBA model).

Very often, the platform will first return the money to the buyer, and only then will it figure out whether the goods are damaged. And this is exactly the case when the generosity of the policy affected sellers. If the parcel returned to the warehouse in improper condition, and the product itself turned out to be defective (and this is not the fault of the manufacturer or you), then Amazon will credit the seller's balance with its full cost.
It is also important that the return of an order from Amazon is not carried out from all categories. Thus, buyers do not have the right to exchange individual and some jewelry, online subscriptions, groceries, medicines, insects. More details on this are provided in the corresponding section of the rules .

So what happens with Amazon returns?
The product is returned to the prep center. If it is whole and looks good, it is repackaged and sent back to the warehouse. That is, it is returned to your balance and is ready for resale.

If the product is damaged, there are several possible outcomes:

you cancel the item and get back the commission, taxes, and an amount equal to its value (provided that the fault for the damage is on Amazon or the buyer);
the item falls into the "unfulfilled" category, you get back the commission for closing the deal (provided that the current illiquidity of the position is your fault);
resale as used goods is possible within the framework of the Grade and Resell program (to do this, you need to re-register and create a new ad);
FBA participants can apply for liquidation and receive up to 10% of the assessed value;
You can donate products to charities without paying disposal fees (FBA Donations option).
Can a seller change the return policy?
Yes, it is possible. But only for those who work on the Fulfillment on page seo service by Merchant model (that is, they send parcels to the buyer themselves, without using warehouses and prep centers of the trading platform).



Do such situations affect the store's reputation?
Definitely. And it's not just about negative reviews. A high percentage of defects directly reduces the health of the account and its position in the overall rating. A large number of returns can lead to the account being blocked.

How to reduce the percentage of returns and is it possible to eliminate them altogether?
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to protect yourself completely. But it’s always important to work on the quality of your products, provide the buyer with detailed descriptions, competent photo and useful video content.
As you can see, the Amazon return process is quite comfortable for both parties to the transaction. However, we wish sellers to encounter such situations as little as possible and remind you that Nexus specialists will be happy to help you with any issue related to business on Amazon.