Amazon Return Policy Explained
Amazon just like many online stores and retailers could experience certain situations when their products or merchandise could come with certain defects, issues, or damage that could cause problems for the people who make purchases on their app, and websites. This proves to be an annoying situation for those who do not know anything about the Amazon Return Policy, which was made to protect buyers against defective or non-working products that are sold at retail prices.
However, due to the nature of the procedure, many people tend to forget or ignore this policy and when they receive a broken product, they prefer to stay in that situation rather than take advantage of the return policies. That is why the next article focuses on explaining everything about returns and how can anyone request and process the return of a product.
AMAZON RETURN POLICY EXPLAINED:
WHAT IS AMAZON’S RETURN POLICY?
In simple words, Amazon offers customers the option of returning items for free in order to get a full return in the case that the delivered item was defective, damaged, or even incorrect. The thing is that customers only have 30 days from the date of delivery to return the items, and also, the items must be sold or fulfilled by Amazon directly since in the case that there was 3rd party involved, the customers have to pay for shipping in most cases.
To return an item, the buyer also needs a “reason” to request this procedure. Normally the reasoning behind a return could be for things like not wanting the item anymore, receiving a broken or non-functional item, or even issues to guarantee that the product is genuine, luckily, it is also possible to make as many returns as you desire, but it is important to be honest to avoid receiving “sanctions”.
Finally, keep in mind that this policy does not apply to customers who make orders via international shipping, as the return process would be completely different for having to deal with customs and other external fees that can not be estimated by Amazon.
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT 3RD PARTY SELLERS?
Even though Amazon can not offer 30 days of returns if 3rd party sellers are involved, these sellers must offer a range between 7 to 30 days for returns as it is something dictated by Amazon. Although it is true that the buyer must contact the manufacturer by themselves, it is common to see these kinds of returns happen without too many complications at all, but it is definitely a little bit more complex than the traditional method.
However, there are other exceptions that even old buyers tend to forget. Wedding registry gifts come with a unique range of 180-day return policies and baby registry gifts have a 365 return days policy as well. This is because of the nature of the products that are purchased and thanks to this, buyers will have more time to process their request in order to get refunded or receive a functional product.
DO YOU NEED TO PAY ANY MONEY FOR RETURNS?
Just like it is stated in the return policy, any product fulfilled by Amazon does not require payment for the shipping (at least in the great majority of cases), but sadly that does not seem to be the case with sellers that are not Amazon. Initiating returns through the natural procedure makes the buyer pay certain shipping fees, but if it is done through the live chat with an operator, then there is a chance of not having to pay anything at all.
WHAT ABOUT USED PRODUCTS?
If the buyer receives a product that started working as expected on the first day but after some time starts failing, the return policy is still applicable if the consumer still falls in the 30 days range after the delivery date. If this happens to be the case, then they will take back the broken or defective item and they will even pay for any possible shipping charge, but remember, 3rd party sellers, do not fall into this category.
WAIT… WHAT ABOUT GIFTS?
As you might already know, gifts are slightly different from traditional purchases as returns are a little bit different, but they are completely possible to request. First of all, it is important to visit the gift return page that can be found on Amazon and then you have to enter the order number that can be found on the packaging.
After that, the next step will be following all the online prompts to receive a free shipping label that must be printed and attached to the box. Finally, the procedure is exactly the same one that was described before.
ELECTRONICS FALL INTO A UNIQUE CATEGORY?
Yes, due to their unique nature, all electronics such as computer components or related items, could be considered rather unique. However, it is comforting to know that they still offer refunds for these products for reasons such as defective products, incorrect descriptions, or receivement of wrong items without having to pay for shipping charges.
However, it is crucial to know that the buyer can be hit with a restocking fee if the item received is damaged from misuse, removed parts, or abuse of the policy that could lead to other internal procedures taken against your account, but this only happens if it is discovered that a certain user is trying to take advantage of the system.
WHAT ITEMS CAN NOT BE RETURNED TO AMAZON?
Since Amazon is one of the largest online sellers in the world, they sell a lot of products and categories, so obviously there are some products that can not be returned such as perishable products, dairy, and meats that are obtained through this business.
Also, downloadable software, gift cards, subscriptions, hazardous materials, pet food, live plants or fresh flowers, and even jewelry and certain personal care items do not fall into this unique program that Amazon has in order to protect as many customers as possible even after receiving bad products that are not worth the money.