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Amazon no longer issuing pre-paid returns labels
I sell some stuff in the fashion category which should be free returns.
However, over the last couple weeks Amazon has not been providing customers with a pre-paid returns label so they are paying for the return using any method they see fit - and usually by a service more expensive that what Amazon would charge me,
When I goto refund the customer I have to enter a cost to refund the customer for the return shipping. Without entering a cost Amazon will not let me issue a refund.
Initially I entered whatever customer had paid. Now I am entering what Amazon would normally charge me for the returns label.
However, today I have had a complaint that the customer has gone through the returns process but in the document they print out it states that returns are at customer expense unless item is faulty. Yet on the listing itself it states free returns for any reason. I have apologised and issued customer one of my own returns labels,
So why has Amazon stopped issuing customers the pre-paid returns label? The details of the orders even states that it is following the Amazon pre-paid returns process so I do not understand why it is not giving the customer a label to use.
19 replies
Seller_tRuvBEHDedp4q
As a follow up the customer has used my own returns label to return the item.
I have gone to issue a refund but Amazon will not let me process it without entering a cost for the customer return - it has to be above £0.00
But customer used my own prepaid returns label as Amazon did not issue one - so customer had nothing to pay for the return - so why cant I now just refund customer the cost of the item???
This is absolutely barmy
- Amazon tell customer item has free returns
- Amazon tell me seller fulfilled items follows the new prepaid returns process
- Customer asks to return but now Amazon tell them that they have to pay for the return unless item is faulty
- Customer complains to me that they were told by Amazon it had free returns so I issue my own prepaid returns label
- I cannot process refund as Amazon say I have to enter a cost to refund customer the return postage - but customer has not paid anything to return
Obviously I am going have to enter 1p for customers return cost so I can process the refund but this is absolute madness!!!
Seller_LKjg1QRrO36Yq
Is this a glitch or a new policy, do you think?
Seller_tRuvBEHDedp4q
Im going round and round in circles with SS on this issue.
They are not answering the 2 simple questions I keep asking - instead just pointing me at Amazon policy regarding prepaid returns
The questions I have asked 4 times now are:
-
Why has Amazon stopped issuing prepaid return label for a particular ASIN?
Until recently all returns of the item had a prepaid label given to customer by Amazon. However a few weeks ago this stopped. Customer is only given an address label and told to pay for the return. Yet Amazon advertises the item as having free returns. I have now had complaints from customers asking why if it advertised as free return do they have to then pay for the return. When this happens I issue my own prepaid returns label. If customer does pay for the return themselves they sometimes buy a more expensive service that I then have to refund. -
Why when I have issued my own prepaid returns label, can I not issue a refund from the Manage Returns screen?
The system will not let me unless I enter a value for ‘Return Shipping’. But customer has not paid anything for return shipping as I issued my own label.
Thanks to PlanB I now issue the refund via the Orders screen instead where I can just issue refund for the item - but I still do not understand why I cannot do the same from the Manage Returns screen. It just needs a tick box saying I issued my own prepaid label so I do not need to enter a customer Return Shipping cost.
SS just keep pointing me to the relevant policies on the prepaid returns service and the fact that I have to offer free returns on fashion items - but those do not answer the 2 questions above.
I know about the prepaid returns service - but Amazon are not issuing the label
I know I have to offer free returns - but customers are complaining why they have to initially pay for the return and I either explain I refund later, or I give them my own prepaid returns label. Some do not like having to pay initially and if I do issue my own label I then cannot easily issue refund from the Manage Returns screen!!
Seller_tRuvBEHDedp4q
Well I have finally gotten to the bottom of this mystery after weeks of SS not reading and answering my specific question.
Latest response was the parcel was too heavy or bulky for Amazon to issue a prepaid label. They then gave me the values I had entered when I bought shipping - 200g, 60x45x45cm
Now I give accurate weights on my items but not accurate sizes. Instead I recently started to set all my parcels to just under the max allowed by Royal Mail for a Medium parcel.
Royal Mail have 2 parcel sizes - small at 45x35x16 and medium at 61x46x46. For RM24, RM48, Tracked24 and Tracked48 I pay same price whether parcel is Small or Medium. When I buy my labels from Buy Shipping I also get same prices whether I am using small parcel or medium parcel sizes. Therefore I now set all parcels to just under max medium size and just supply an accurate weight.
However, when Amazon issues a prepaid label it looks at the sizes and if above Small parcel size it says it cannot issue the label - even though the service they are using allows parcels upto the Medium size for same cost.
Obviously, I am going to have to change the sizes so it falls within Small parcel size and not Medium size and hopefully Amazon will then start to issue prepaid labels again.
So that solves first problem why they stopped issuing the prepaid returns label - now to solve the issue that if customer uses my own prepaid returns label I cannot issue refund from the Manage Returns screen as I have to enter a return shipping cost to buyer. So far SS have totally ignored that part of the case I opened.
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