High priority (risky); Customer wants to return something

[helpmelol]

I just received an email from Amazon.de saying that a customer wants to return a product. I use a PO box address (used the street name), but Amazon doesn't accept it and nothing can be returned to that address.

What should I do? Should I offer him a partial refund, or full refund and tell him to keep the product?

And will Amazon ban me if I (partially) refund someone? I read somewhere that Amazon will ban you if you refund a lot...

Please help, I don't know what to do. This is the first Amazon customer who complains

[TonyAlmeida]

Originally Posted by helpmelol

I just received an email from Amazon.de saying that a customer wants to return a product. I use a PO box address (used the street name), but Amazon doesn't accept it and nothing can be returned to that address.

What should I do? Should I offer him a partial refund, or full refund and tell him to keep the product?

And will Amazon ban me if I (partially) refund someone? I read somewhere that Amazon will ban you if you refund a lot...

Please help, I don't know what to do. This is the first Amazon customer who complains

- If you used the street address how does Amazon know it is P.O BOX?
- In U.S, we CAN accept return to P.O BOX with no problem
- Just put that address in to your "Return Address" and authorize the return
- You can offer buyer a partial refund (depend on the reason why buyer want to return it)
- If the item price is not much, you could refund buyer in full and tell them to keep the item and don't need to return (but don't ask for feedback)
- You can also email buyer a prepaid shipping label with the return address of your choice

[metatrade]

Originally Posted by TonyAlmeida

You can also email buyer a prepaid shipping label with the return address of your choice

Do you mean email the buyer a PDF file that contains the return label ?

Do these labels contain the address or just a barcode that the mail service understands ?

[helpmelol]

Originally Posted by TonyAlmeida

- If you used the street address how does Amazon know it is P.O BOX?
- In U.S, we CAN accept return to P.O BOX with no problem
- Just put that address in to your "Return Address" and authorize the return
- You can offer buyer a partial refund (depend on the reason why buyer want to return it)
- If the item price is not much, you could refund buyer in full and tell them to keep the item and don't need to return (but don't ask for feedback)
- You can also email buyer a prepaid shipping label with the return address of your choice

I will probably offer him a full refund & keep product (product is around $40 USD), but don't want to risk losing my account :(.

My only problem is that I am afraid Amazon will ban me if I refund someone. Does Amazon ban for refunding buyers? (Does it have anything to do with their metrics thing, how they measure performance?)

[TonyAlmeida]

Originally Posted by metatrade

Do you mean email the buyer a PDF file that contains the return label ?

Do these labels contain the address or just a barcode that the mail service understands ?

Yes, PDF File
It will contain the full return address. Don't know if the Zon is looking to this info or not but I have not get link or suspend for this reason yet.

Another way is upload it somewhere and delete it after buyer download the label.

[metatrade]

Did you send a banned returns address with PDF or just different to what you have registered ?
That's a great idea to upload it somewhere as theres no record kept with AMz but do they allow links to other websites in their emails ?
If they don't allow links in emails then I guess you could send the link via PDF right ?

[TonyAlmeida]

I have used my own suspended address before. Haven't got any problem yet.

To send link via Amazon I think it is OK (have not try it yet)

[metatrade]

Thanks Tony, I'm just wondering if it would be picked up in a manual review or not.

How long ago did you first send the suspended address and have you passed any reviews since sending it ?

[TonyAlmeida]

Been doing this for more than a year but have not get a review again on those accounts. They are all passed the first review.

[Dmshark25]

Have u already had a lot of returns??? If not than dont worry so much


As long as your item is legit and the refunds are normal you will be ok, every business's has returns and refunds

But if there is so many than it's either bad business practices or selling banned goods

[user3657]

Sending a link is not a good idea. It clearly states in their policy sending someone outside of Amazon is not allowed.

There have been discussions here before of warnings being sent where sellers have sent manufacturers product help links to customers.

[agray34]

Generate a prepaid label. Attached the prepaid label to the message and send it to the customer.

I assume AZ does not have the ability, nor the desire to open up pdf attachments and scan them for trigger keywords to match against.

I have done the attach a label method and have no issues.

I do have lots of competitors trying to play games with returns so you have to be smart. I usually can call up AZ and they run a tool and can see that the buyer account is associated with a merchant account

[TonyAlmeida]

Generate a prepaid label. Attached the prepaid label to the message and send it to the customer.

=> No problem with this as of yet

I assume AZ does not have the ability, nor the desire to open up pdf attachments and scan them for trigger keywords to match against.

=> You are wrong. When it get to manual review they can view/read/open and do whatever they want with it.

I usually can call up AZ and they run a tool and can see that the buyer account is associated with a merchant account

=> What did you tell them?

[metatrade]

Originally Posted by agray34

I assume AZ does not have the ability, nor the desire to open up pdf attachments and scan them for trigger keywords to match against.

I'm assuming that they do have this ability and it's done automatically by the bots - The same way Gmail can finds words in your attached PDF files when you do a keyword search in your mail.

Originally Posted by agray34

I have done the attach a label method and have no issues.

Was it a suspended address you sent on the label and have you passed any reviews since then ?

[agray34]

I passed my first review and then I started to send labels.

Prior to that I started with a low cost item I sell and in the event of a defective, I tell the customer to throw it away or keep it and send a replacement (or refund if they want)

I feel like it is easy for AZ to detect you using other more basic methods such as IP, location (address) and inventory comparison...

[metatrade]

So you are sending returns labels with a suspended address in PDF format via email and you have not had a review since you started doing that ?

[agray34]

Yes. But I started doing it AFTER my first review. I attach USPS return labels in PDF format.