Here are the basics:

• Customer initiates a return on multiple boxes of our large/heavy product (shipped FBM, not FBA). This return is exempt from Amazon's prepaid label program, and our Return Settings were set to give the customer an unpaid address label. (We have since changed this setting to "Seller Prepaid" for exempt returns).

• The customer ends up contacting Amazon support instead of us. Amazon support tells him to take the shipments to UPS and pay for return shipping. In the email they say the following - "We will process a refund on the shipping fee you paid"

• The customer pays over $600 in return shipping costs. We receive the shipments back and refund him the product costs. Customer then emails the receipts to Amazon, and when he is denied the return shipping cost refund he files an A-to-Z Claim and emails us.

• I explain to him that he was responsible for return shipping in this case as he had over-ordered our product and was returning it not due to any defect or mistake on our part. I agreed with him that the Amazon customer service rep should not have advised him to pay retail rates at the UPS Store with the promise of being refunded.

He sent me a screenshot of his email with Amazon customer support, and to me it's pretty cut-and-dried. The rep clearly states that Amazon would refund him the shipping cost. Had he not been told this and contacted us instead, we would have been able to provide him with return shipping labels at less than half of what he paid. I feel bad for the customer, and I did update our settings to make sure this shouldn't happen again, however we can't refund him ~$600 without taking a huge loss. I recognize that the customer is ultimately responsible in this case, but I'd like to see a fair resolution given the situation.

I tried submitting a ticket on his behalf, but was told that "Seller support cannot help with customer issues", and that Amazon does not refund return shipping costs. Is there a way to get this case looked at to help this customer out?

Case ID 16922322341

Thanks! -Josh

This customer requested a return label for an item:

could you give me return label please. I need "UPS Dropoff — box and label needed" label please

I told them I can provide a postage-paid USPS return label or they can request a return through Amazon's return process, but I do not have the ability to generate a "UPS Dropoff -- box and label". They responded to say that they will open an A-to-Z case against us if we don't do it. They also left us negative feedback for their previous three orders, despite only asking for a return label for one order.

I'd be happy to provide them a USPS return label, and of course we will issue a full refund when they return the item to us. We care about our customers (even the drop-shippers/forwarders like this one), but sending return packaging with UPS labels is not somethingwe offer or have ever done before. It's not something Amazon has told us to do, either, and I suspect it's not offered through Amazon's return process. It seems like customer is kind of abusing us, truthfully.

Is there anything to be done?

I currently FBM. Buyer wants to return item and was provided a usps label through the automatic system. She messaged me asking for a UPS return label and wants the QR code since she can't print a return label. Is that something we as a seller provide?