A refurbishment, repair and returns solutions company is warning international Amazon sellers to get their returns method in order following the latest returns policy issued by the online giant, which is now in effect.
International companies selling in Europe have been informed by Amazon to provide a returns solution or else provide a refund to the buyer.
According to Trojan, a company that provides returns solutions, as well as multichannel etail sales and fulfilment, returning money back to the buyer may not necessarily be an issue for sellers if the items they sell are cheap, but problems arise when more expensive items are required to be refunded.
This could be a significant issue for sellers if customers catch on that they do not have a returns solution, allowing customers to use this to their advantage.
Those that use Amazon to sell items online were issued with a notice stating that:
“After 15th November, 2016, when processing an international return for orders that you deliver to customers in the United States and the five European marketplaces (i.e. Italy, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom), you must use one of the three methods listed below.”
These three return option methods sellers must now follow are: offer a full refund without requesting the item to be returned; provide a local return address in the buyer’s marketplace; or provide a pre-paid return postage label for a return request from the marketplace in which you are selling.
This policy has been in effect in the United States since 30th April 2016. In the notification to sellers, Amazon states the policy is being implemented to improve the customer experience when on Amazon. The policy does not apply to Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) orders, as the company manages returns and refunds of orders delivered through FBA.
Clive Murphy, managing director of Trojan, said that retailers need providers that understand the entire end user return process. “International sellers shouldn’t have to miss out on sales into the UK and Europe due to not having a return solution and they certainly shouldn’t just take the hit on giving full credit back as a result of not having a realistic returns solution in place,” he said.
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