On the Thursday before Christmas, Amazon prepped shoppers on how to return unwanted items, publishing a blog post explaining “How the returns process works at Amazon.”
Returns are such a big part of online selling that Amazon has a Vice President of Worldwide Returns and ReCommerce, Gopal Pillai.
“We work hard to make it easy for customers to find and discover products by providing a powerful search experience alongside helpful information because we want them to love their purchases,” Pillai wrote. “They usually do, but just like any retailer, sometimes customers want to return something that they purchased from us. And when that happens, our mission at Amazon is to give it a second life. Here is an inside look at what happens after a customer drops off their item for a return, and how Amazon works to maximize reuse and minimize waste.”
Pillai said Amazon works hard to help shoppers find the right product, and for some products, it offers support after the purchase: “We also offer free product support to customers once an item is purchased, helping with product setup, product use, or troubleshooting issues.”
But in the event a customer wants to return an item, Amazon makes it as easy as possible:
- Amazon offers more than 8,000 drop-off locations in the US.
- Four out of five customers have a return drop-off point within a 5-mile radius of their home.
- Many Whole Foods Market store locations include Amazon returns kiosks.
- Eligible items can be dropped off in the original manufacturer’s packaging.
Amazon has dedicated facilities for processing various types of returns, such as clothing, electronics, or furniture and appliances.
According to Thursday’s post, Amazon carefully inspects each item at its return centers to determine if it can be relisted for sale. (“First, we evaluate all sides of the manufacturer’s packaging to identify any damage or broken seals. Then, we evaluate the item inside the packaging, confirm the item matches the description, check for any signs of use, and assess any product damage.)
The vast majority of returns are resold as new or used, returned to selling partners, liquidated, or donated, according to Pillai.
Amazon might sell items at a reduced price through Amazon Warehouse, and it also works with specialty vendors to repair certain items, such as a TV or laptop, so that they can be liquidated.
“In our most recent Sustainability Report, we shared that more than 7.6 million products were repaired in the US. and Europe through repair partners in 2022,” Pillai said.
Amazon also donates unsellable items to over 700 nonprofit organizations in the US through a partnership with Good360 – “In the past five years, Good360 and Amazon have positively impacted more than 30 million people in the US.”
Pillai said when all other options are exhausted and it’s unable to resell, return to selling partners, liquidate or donate products, “we pursue recycling options where possible.”
Thursday’s blog post was for the benefit of Amazon customers. Sellers have their own reality to deal with when it comes to returns. A year ago, Amazon implemented a policy that shifted some costs of returns to sellers, as we reported on January 13, 2023 (“Amazon Return-Shipping Fee Policy Now in Effect”).
Amazon isn’t quite as generous with its return policies for customers as it used to be either, according to media reports such as the (rather dramatic) article in the Daily Dot published on the day before Christmas Eve.
This holiday season, Amazon sellers are required to accept returns through January 31, 2024 for items purchased as early as November 1st, a bit of a reprieve for sellers who some years had to accept returns for orders placed as early as October 1st.
HA HA HA The last item I got from Amazon was the wrong item. When I tried this so called way to return the item I was told it was a non returnable item. So I just went to my charge card and got an instant refund. Done screwing with these companies and their lack of customer service. ALWAYS DO A CHARGE BACK AS ITS THE FASTEST WAY TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK and if these losers want their thingie back then they can pay for return shipping.