In the age of consumerism, nothing is more important than positive buyer experience. Inspired by this idea, Amazon is channelling all-out efforts into boosting customer satisfaction with the help of buyer-oriented practices even if they do not sit perfectly well with sellers. Now consumers can automatically request an Amazon refund and get their money back almost immediately, no matter whether the return is a result of the seller’s failure or not. As one-sided as it sounds, this policy leaves both FBA and third-party merchants with little choice but to issue all refunds.
It should come as no surprise that such a simplified Amazon return process results in the refund rates being dramatically increased. Nowadays, when customers notice the slightest discrepancies, which have nothing to do with the purchased item, they are likely to label it as “unwanted” and ask for their money back. This is when impulsive decision making begins.
There is hardly anything you can do about that as a seller. Buyers will continue to return Amazon orders, and the only thing left to you is preventing this from tarnishing your business reputation.
4 ways to use Amazon refund requests to maximum advantage
Have you received a refund notification from Amazon? Ouch, that hurts. But it is still up to you to resign yourself to the situation or focus on protecting your business. Although you cannot refuse to provide a refund, here is what you can do to put yourself in the best light possible.
React to customer feedback
Don’t tell your customers that you care about their experience. Show it! If a buyer requests a refund via the Amazon return centre, the chances are that you will receive negative feedback. It’s high time to reach out to the dissatisfied customer and apologise for the incident, no matter whether it’s your fault or not. The appropriate response would not go amiss.
Find out why the item has been returned
Always pinpoint the cause of the return. For this purpose, use your Seller Central account to find the Reports section and pay attention to what has been highlighted as the reason for initiating the Amazon return procedure by a buyer. This is a great opportunity to learn from your mistakes.
Run another inspection procedure
Insist on Amazon sending the returned merchandise back to you. Thus, you will be able to thoroughly inspect the product and find out what is really wrong with it. If it’s unopened and in excellent condition, you may deliver it back to Amazon fulfilment centres for further realisation. This way, you will prove that the fault doesn’t lie with your company.
Keep track of all refund requests
In most cases, Amazon allows for 45 days for the product to arrive at its fulfilment centre but issues the requested amount of money from your account immediately. If the item hasn’t reached FBA facilities within this period, you are entitled to ask for reimbursement directly from Amazon. So, be sure to monitor your refund activities to avoid losing money.
With Minatus, you can rest easy knowing that your returns will be handled properly. What is more, all our customers can use the Minatus’ physical address as their Amazon return address in the UK, which is a prerequisite for running a business on the marketplace if you’re an international seller.
