Hello @Seller_nex6aLZ9HPynF,

Thank you for posting on forums. I understand you're dealing with a situation where a customer is requesting a refund for a keyring they claim broke and was subsequently lost, meaning they cannot return it.

Under Amazon's returns policy, customers are generally required to return items in order to receive a refund. As a seller, you are not obligated to issue a refund until the item has been returned to you. You have the right to request the item back before processing any refund.

When responding to the buyer, you can let them know that per Amazon's return policy, items need to be returned in order for a refund to be processed.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind:

• If the customer opens an A-to-Z Guarantee claim, Amazon may review the case and make a decision based on the circumstances.
• You may choose to offer a partial refund or a returnless refund as a goodwill gesture, but this is entirely at your discretion for seller-fulfilled orders.
• If you do decide to issue a refund without requiring a return, you can do so via the "Issue Refund" option in Manage Orders.

Know About "Returnless Refunds":

There is a program called Returnless Refund where customers can be refunded without sending the item back, but this is typically either a seller-enrolled option or applied by Amazon for very low-value items where the return shipping cost exceeds the item value. Unless you've specifically enrolled in this program, the customer is still expected to return the item.

You are within your rights to request the item be returned before issuing a refund, and you can politely communicate this to the buyer through Buyer-Seller Messaging.

I hope this helps clarify things. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Regards,

Billy