PayPal have launched a free return shipping program in the US, just in time for the holidays.
You’ll need to activate the feature with your account, but then when you pay with PayPal and need to make a return, PayPal will refund up to $30 of return shipping costs for each claim, for up to 4 refunds until January 31, 2016. If your claim is approved, the refund will be sent to your PayPal account within 10 business days.
The program is designed to get buyer to pay with PayPal rather than other payment forms and is now live in almost 40 countries around the world (Yes, I hear you – What about the UK?).
Sadly for the US, currently the program is due to end on the 31st of January 2016 and to use it you need to hold a US PayPal account that is not suspended or limited and activate the feature before you attempt a returns claim. PayPal users will have 14 calendar days to submit a Refund request from the date on which they returned their item via mail, except that all Refund requests must be submitted no later than 31st January 2016.
This is a great incentive for consumers to pay with PayPal, but it’s also a fantastic sales tool for US merchants who can happily advise consumers to “Pay with PayPal to qualify for free returns” over the holiday period. It is however worth remembering that in the US returns aren’t a legal right as they are in the UK, but many merchants still offer returns simply as good customer service.
