Amazon has time and again proved itself as an e-commerce giant with a whooping customer base of over 300 million across the globe. Started in 1994 as a bookselling company, this retail giant has since expanded in leaps and bounds and today it stands as the world’s largest online retailer. One can practically find everything under the sun here. Shopping with Amazon is very user-friendly, safe and easy. Once an account is set up, shopping at Amazon is a click away. One can select the product, add it to their cart and buy the items they wish to. Payment can either be made at the time of purchase through online payment methods via credit cards and debit cards. There is absolutely no need to fret regarding the security of the card details, the information you provide Amazon is encrypted, offering you the best of data protection. Almost all the products on Amazon quality for cash on delivery too. However, there still are times when customers choose to send the product back.
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1. Amazon’s Return Policy
With third-party sellers collaborating with Amazon to sell their products, the return policy of Amazon is a bit confusing at times. The basic return policy details of Amazon are:
- Any item is eligible for return if it was delivered in a damaged condition, if there are missing parts or accessories or if the item delivered is different from the item which was ordered.
- Items with the “Fulfilled by Amazon” logo alone are bound by the return policy of Amazon.
- Other items which do not carry the “Fulfilled by Amazon” logo are bound by the return policies of the third-party sellers. In some cases, one might have to bear the cost of return shipping.
- All the items that are returned must be in their original condition, with price tags, invoices, bills and any accessories if any, intact.
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2. How to return goods you bought on Amazon
So you order something on Amazon. Be it a brand new mobile or a new dress that you found really cool. You try it and you don’t seem to like it. You wish to return it. The first thing you must be doing is to initiate return from either your Amazon app or the site. Once your return request is accepted, the package to the returned has to be prepared. Though it is not needed for you to pack the item the way it was delivered, it is advisable that a basic packing is done to ease the work of the pickup person. Remember the return will not be picked until the package has the bill/invoice of the goods that need to be returned. Ergo, in case you wish to return goods, it’s advised that you keep your bills safe.
3. How Amazon deals with a returned product
Once you return the item you did not want to, Amazon deals with it in three ways primarily:
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- If the item is brand new, with zero to very minimal defects then the item is sent back to the inventory. This applies to dresses and upholstery fabrics which were returned because of a size mismatch. There is no damage to the product, the product is as good as a new one, hence it is sent back to where it came from so that it can be packed and sold again, as new.
- If the item is a bit old, with no or very minimal defects, like ones with small scratches, missing instruction manuals then it is seldom sold as “Used” under “Amazon Warehouse deals”. Most of the products under the Warehouse deals are open box deals. The items under sale in the warehouse deals are grouped under four categories. Used – Like new, Used – very good, Used – Good and used – acceptable.
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One quick tip about getting products from Warehouse deals is to opt for products after reading through the defect description of the product. You will not be disappointed if you chose the first two categories of goods. Like new and very good as almost as good as the new ones on the online store. Not many of us are aware of the warehouse deals. A tiny scratch might save you of a thousand bucks, if you have mastered the art of judging the product quality by defect description. For example a Samsung S8+ which is sold around 680$ costs around 580$ in Amazon warehouse deals. The best part about the warehouse deals is that, it comes with a 30-day return policy – the same as that for the normal products. All that needed from your end is to make sure you inspect it thoroughly and return the product within the stipulated time if found unsatisfactory. Even smartphones, cameras, video games, and grocery are a part of the warehouse deals.
- In some cases, Amazon does neither of the above mentioned, but they send the returned item back to the manufacturer. The manufacturer then might refurbish the product or in cases where the product is beyond repair, the manufacturer dismantles the product and recycles it.
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4. Returning a Product to Amazon
It has to be noted that every return has to be reasoned out. The reason should be stated at the time of the initiation request. This is to help the executives at Amazon grade the items returned. This dedicated grading team unpacks the returned items and grades them according to a set of pre-set standards of Amazon.
This easy, hassle-free return policy of Amazon comes with a “Concession Abuse” flag. If you tend to send back almost more than half of what you generally buy on Amazon, with no genuine and valid reason your account is bound to be flagged for a “Concession Abuse”.
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Having a Prime account with Amazon does not give you any advantage with respect to the return policy, but an Amazon Prime account is a great way to get expedited product delivery. Prime services also provide video streaming services similar to that of Netflix. Twice a year Amazon offers 10 to 20% discount for Prime accounts. Prime account or not, shopping with Amazon is sure to be a great experience, both in terms of product quality, the return policy and customer service. Since the return policy of Amazon depends on the kind of product, always make sure you take note of it before you make a purchase.
