As of December 28, 2023, Amazon sellers located in areas where UPS charges a Remote Area surcharge will no longer see the charges weeks after return labels are generated. In an email this week, Amazon said the surcharge would appear at the time the label for their customer’s return is generated.
Amazon sent the following message to sellers with the subject line, “Important update on UPS remote area surcharges for product returns”:
Dear Seller,
Starting on 12-28-2023, UPS Remote Area Surcharges for product returns will be applied to your account at the time of label generation. These charges apply to UPS product returns with destination zip codes in remote areas, as determined by UPS.
Previously, these charges were applied to Seller accounts after UPS invoiced Amazon, typically two weeks after the package was shipped. Going forward, you should not receive surcharges from UPS for these locations after a label is generated, unless there are further changes to the location at the time of order return.
Thank you,
Amazon, Fulfilled by Merchant Team
One seller who is in an area where UPS charges a remote area surcharge said they were thankful that Amazon usually sends returns for lighter packages (those under 1 pound) via USPS.
Last year, Amazon ran a test in which it provided buyers with the option of selecting UPS when sending seller-fulfilled returns in addition to USPS (already an option). Apparently UPS is now a standard option for returns.
Carrier surcharges are one reason sellers look for greater control over product returns.
