You can be seen as a different person if you are running a business on the Amazon platform. It is acceptable and beneficial to sell something on Amazon, but there can be various drawbacks while managing FBA returns. Since you are a seller, you need to take significant steps to secure your seller account when the situation of returns occurs. Negative outcomes are possible if you do not stay on top of your returns and take care of your seller account.
Foremost Steps of Handling Amazon FBA Returns
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Have a record
There should be a proper record of the return email from Amazon with you. Amazon issues FBA refunds whenever a consumer returns a product ordered through prime delivery. It is the chore of Amazon to inform you about the issuing of the refund from the account. Design a folder or file in your email application to keep these emails in an ordered fashion. Thus, it would be helpful for you to have a record of the refund and confirm that the returns took place within 45 days.
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Customer response
Feedback or review is something that a customer often leaves after the refund request. These feedbacks can be either negative or positive. The best that you can do is get in touch with the buyers directly and talk to them. You must deliver an apology to the buyer if the received item is not satisfying.
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Item inspection in the stockroom
Next, you should be concerned with ensuring that the returned item is sent back to the warehouse for examination. The employee of the warehouse will be performing the inspection task. It is necessary to check the article to determine its condition. The warehouse employee will mark the product as “Customer Damage” if they find that the shopper opened it. Such an item cannot be placed in the fulfillable listing. Defective pieces cannot be part of the fulfillable listing. If the stockroom employee declares that the purchaser did not open the item and its wrapping is not spoilt, it can be delivered to the sellable catalog. The consumer will doubt the new condition of the goods if they find a tiny tear in their packaging. Your seller account might get messed up if such a consumer returns a particular product and reports it as a second-hand item.
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Searching for the cause of the returns
Running a report would help you to verify the actual causes of returns. Below are some essential tips to take into consideration.
- First, log in to your Seller Central account and go to Reports.
- Select the fulfillment option and then click on customer concessions.
- You will see the returns option when you click customer concessions.
- Click returns
- It might take around 50 to 60 days.
- Hunt the product in question and verify the actual reason for the return.
Norms Regarding Amazon Seller Refund
In many situations, the goods are returned within 30 days if received from Amazon and Amazon storerooms. A lot of rules and guidelines are attached to some items. There is the possibility of automatic returns by Amazon if the items are within their guidelines. Amazon will be sending a return demand to the seller if the products are found to be out of the policies. There are three aspects on which Amazon seller refunds rely:
- The item’s state when it is brought back.
- How was the product purchased?
- For how long the product was with the buyer?
With the online returns center page, it can be more comfortable for the purchaser to decide on the mode of FBA refunds. If the buyer selects the option of receiving a refund after the sipping of the products, then it may take around 3 to 5 business days for the return to process.
Processing Return Request
Sellers can take many actions to process an Amazon reimbursement demand by taking assistance from Manage Returns. Some of the actions are Issuing a refund, contacting the buyer, authorizing a request, and closing a request.
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Issue a refund
You can issue a refund if you are allowing the shopper to keep your items. Since you are a seller, you have to wait for a while if you want the item back. Once the items are sent back, a refund can be issued. It would be better if you processed the refund within 48 hours of receiving the item back. Thus, it is recommended by Amazon itself.
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Contact Buyer
Tasks such as sending emails and discussions with the buyers are all possible. It is the right way of solving the problem.
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Authorizing request
Professional sellers who get a request outside the policy have the alternative of reassessing a request by hand. To go further, they have to log in to the seller central account choose Orders, and then Manage Returns. In the second step, they have to select the request that they want to review. After that, the seller will be prompted to employ the Return Merchandise Authorization number. Amazon gives the RMA number.
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Closing Request
If you are planning to deliver Amazon reimbursement without demanding a product return, you can close the request. Specific reasons are required for closing the request. You have to provide clarifications to the consumer as well. Buyer can close a request too. If it happens, you will receive an email notification.