Amazon have extended the Amazon Prepaid Returns label program to all professional sellers in the US selling on Amazon.com. As of the the 15th of June, sellers will start to be automatically enrolled in the program.
We all know that when selling on Amazon the customer comes first and if a buyer wishes to return something then it’s coming back. Most returns will be automatically authorised by Amazon and in these cases an Amazon prepaid returns label will now be generated automatically and the return will happen without your intervention – it would probably happen regardless if you had to intervene so effectively Amazon are just streamlining the process, making it quicker for buyers, and making what you would have had to do happen behind the scenes.
Amazon will now only send you return requests that are outside of the normal Amazon Returns Policy or for products which are exempt from the returns requirements. In these instances Amazon prepaid returns labels won’t be generated and the return request will be flagged to you for manual review as normal.
“As part of our effort to improve the Returns process, we are extending our Prepaid Returns Label program to all Sellers. Professional Sellers will automatically be enrolled starting June 15, 2020 as part of our Selling on Amazon policy
With the Prepaid Return Label program, we automatically authorize all returns that fall within our returns policy, and provide customers with prepaid return shipping labels on your behalf. We reduce your processing time by only sending you return requests that are either outside of Amazon’s policy or exempt from this requirement for manual review.”
– Amazon
4 Responses
Increasingly it feels that Amazon wants to make its retail “partners” into a very subordinate role in which we invest our money into products upon which they earn fees and give up all control over the customer interaction.
All retailers who have been selling on-line for any amount of time know that there are some customers who just try it on and, with even a small push-back form the retailer will change their attitude. Similarly, there are customers who don’t want to return the product, they want help … but automatically routing the customer into receiving a pre-paid label will damage their purchase experience.
It is difficult however to imagine what can possibly stop this authoritarian power grab that typifies all of Amazon’s march for growth – unless the EU steps and imposes strict new laws upon its operations.
“…Automatically Automate Anything so that Amazon Abandon Associates and Amazon Accordingly Accumulates…” Trying poor to rhyme full , yo!
*We all know that when selling on Amazon the customer comes first * .. and of course sellers last. But wait ….notice the new little polls on the seller central dashboard, how are we doing, do you think amazon values your business, hmmm no, of course not…. submit.
Customers don’t want complete returns automation, sometimes they just want help or a replacement part, will amazon take any notice, no, this is just another step to complete facelessnes !
Automated returns will simply increase cost to sell on amazon further, buyers will take advantage of this process and force sellers to pay for returns of orders made in error, they already claim products are faulty to have a free return anyway, just like eBay.
Add this to the recent commission increases it’s becoming less attractive day by day to advertise on the greedy, bullying amazon marketplace.