If you are an Amazon shopper in the United States, you must be very happy with their service and generous return policy, especially when you buy items shipped and sold by Amazon. Basically, we can return items without explanation as long as they were purchased within 30 days. They even pay for return shipping if your received item is defective or doesn’t match the description.
However, it doesn’t mean that you can abuse the system and use it as a try-out/rental service. The Seattle-based company has tightened the policy and over the last few years, a lot of Amazon accounts have been suspended when users request refunds excessively and there is no way to appeal the decision. So, what is the return limit and how to avoid being banned by Amazon?
Why Amazon Bans Accounts for Returns?
The National Retail Federation highlights that retailers face losses exceeding $800 billion due to merchandise returns, a figure that’s on the rise annually. Amazon incurs billions in losses each year because of their return policies. If you return items excessively, it might jeopardize your membership. Amazon makes it easy and free to make the returns; You can either mail them back or drop off at Whole Foods, Kohl’s or a UPS Store. It’s not even mandatory for the item to be in its original packaging.
However, the process becomes more complex if your purchase comes from a third-party seller on Amazon. Each of these sellers has their return policies. While you might be eligible for a refund within a month, return shipping fees might be on you. Retailers, on average, anticipate nearly 18% of their merchandise will be returned for various reasons. Retailers offer product returns and exchanges to enhance the shopping experience for customers, but these policies can prove to be financially burdensome. The high costs associated with product returns include shipping, inventory processing, and other miscellaneous expenses.
What’s the return limit? When will Amazon ban your account?
Amazon is collecting data of all your transactions and they will stop doing business with you when they lose money. Till now, no one knows the exact return limit. In my case, I shop a lot on Amazon in the last 5 years, I sign up for Prime membership, and spend around $1200 per month on the site. I buy almost everything on the site, from cheap products like groceries, books, toilet paper to expensive laptops and electronics. That means I also return more when they don’t meet my expectation. In the last 2 months, I returned 2-3 items each month and the value of refunded items was higher than the value of what I kept. That’s the reason why I received a warning from Amazon:
“We’re writing to apologize for the number of issues you’ve experienced with your shipments. Your correspondences with us indicate you’ve required refunds on a majority of orders for a number of reasons.”
They also said that I had an unusually high rate of problems and they will evaluate each account on a case-by-case basis and might close my account if necessary. Fortunately, this is just a warning and Amazon want to work with me to avoid the worst case. They recommended to comply with Amazon policies or both of Amazon buying and selling accounts will be banned.
I tried to access my order history on the website but it failed to log in or redirected me to the digital content library. Fortunately, I managed to check my orders in the Amazon app on my phone. In the last 6 months, I ordered 104 items and returned 18 items, so the rate of return is approximately 17% of the total number of purchased items. Besides, the total value of returned items is just over 10% of total purchases.
On the Returns Center page, Amazon mentions that they send full refund for new, unopened items sold and fulfilled by Amazon within 30 days. Many of the items I returned were no longer in brand new condition, so this might be another reason they decided to penalize my account.
I sent Amazon an email to appeal the decision but they decided not to restore my account and said the decision is final. This is quite surprising because sometimes they sent me the wrong item; For instance, I ordered a snow pant and received an apron.
Read also:
- Amazon Associates Banned my Affiliate Account multiple times, What I did wrong?
- No More Refund for Price Change on Amazon
Update 1: My wife returned a bicycle purchased in her account. Just a few days later, Amazon decided to cancel both of the accounts for not meeting the terms of Conditions of Use agreement. They said I cannot open a new account or use another account to order on the site. All open orders were canceled, I just could access digital content purchased in the account. I had over $100 in my gift card balance and Amazon agreed to send me the refund, I received a check in my mailbox after 1 week.
Update 2: Since my Amazon.com customer account is banned, all other services including Amazon Seller and Amazon Associates accounts were also closed. After contacting the customer service and explaining how I was a valuable member, they investigated and sent me another email welcoming me back to the program. Afterwards, I’ve used the new account for shopping and making money online for a while and haven’t got any problem so far.
“I’m very sorry that I’ve had to close your Associates account with Associate ID because we’ve been told the attached Amazon.com account will be closed within 24 hours. If you should ever wish to reconsider, we’d certainly welcome you back to the program with a different email address. You can apply for a new Associates account anytime. Your unpaid balance due to you will be paid out 60 days following the end of this month. You’ll continue to receive monthly payment reports and occasional announcements regarding tools, and features for up to 60 days after the end of this month. We look forward to seeing you again.“
How to Avoid Being Suspended
When you receive the warning email, you should immediately check your Amazon account to find out unusual account activities. If you return too many items lately, you should have good reasons and don’t forget to take some pictures if the products are defective or different from what you ordered. Then you should reply to [email protected] and explain what went wrong with your orders.
In case you are abusing the system and returning items without legit reasons, you should stop immediately and also send them an email saying you will be more careful buying products in the future. Try to keep the return rate lower than 10%. Some banned users reported that Amazon also terminated their accounts after the return rate overcame 10%, so it is best to keep the rate as low as possible.
After sending them an email, I received a polite response from Amazon and seemingly my account will be alright.
Hello,
Thanks for writing to us and we are sorry for any misunderstandings with the email you received.
We’re concerned about the activity on your account and want to do all that we can to avoid the inconvenience you experience having to make frequent and possibly avoidable returns of the items you purchase from Amazon.com and with any delivery issues with your orders.
We contacted you so we could better understand the activity on your account and learn how to improve your shopping experience.
Your account remains open and available for your use. If you have any concerns regarding your orders, please contact our customer service and they will help you accordingly.
We appreciate your understanding, and hope to see you again soon.
Best regards,
Account Specialist
Many people assumed that online shopping is similar to in-store shopping, which means you could try on items and return in case you are not satisfied. However, their system analyzes your purchase history and will mark your account as “Concession Abuse”. They will stop accepting returns for all of your future orders and if you somehow keep abusing the policy, your account will be permanently suspended.
When initiating a return, you will be asked for the reason such as defective or broken item, exchange for a different size or color, etc. Make sure to answer the question honestly because Amazon will actually examine the return to check its condition. Your account might be flagged if they find out there is nothing wrong with the item.
Besides, you might be in trouble if you order a lot of clothes on Amazon to try on and only keep a few. When shopping for clothes, you should find item eligible for Prime Wardrobe. It is free for Prime members and allows you to try up to 8 items at a time; Then you can keep what fit you and return all others without any penalization.
Another tip is avoiding ordering bulky items like bicycles or furniture from Amazon. They arrive damaged very often and when Amazon accepts the free return, they probably has a loss for this transaction. When this happens repetitively, obviously they wouldn’t want to continue doing business with you.
Last but not least, if you buy an item from a 3rd-party seller (shipped by Amazon) and have an issue with it, try to contact and resolve with the seller first instead of returning it to Amazon. In many cases, the seller might even send you a full refund without item return. This would help you avoid a strike in your account.
In a recent statement, Amazon mentioned that they are forced to close accounts when they detect extreme abuse but it only happens after they carefully review the account and work with the customer over an extended period of time. In early 2023, Amazon started flagging frequently returned items to encourage customers to check out more details and customer reviews before placing the order. The return labels can negatively impact sales, prompting sellers to modify their listings or products to be more accurate. While retailers factor in returns when pricing their products, current economic conditions, such as corporate cutbacks, have resulted in higher return rates, necessitating tighter policies.
Have you got any issue with your Amazon account? Share with us in a comment below.
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AM says
Yikes! I agree that its difficult to tell what you’re getting 100% of the time from amazon.com because the listing isn’t updated, it looks different in the picture etc; and I have had more than 1 occassion where the packaging is completely inadequate I mean really sticking a coffee mug in a large box WITHOUT the orignal protective box the brand comes with no wonder it came in 2 pieces. Definately extreme for amazon to ban you though. If you bought something at Walmart, got it home and it didn’t work you’d still be able to return it with the receipt during the set time frame. Amazon should honor the same policy. This article definately has me thinking I’m going to go direct to source for products I know and trust and stick to the basic brands like Kleenex and Keurig from Amazon. Their loss, I spend $300-500 a month on there because its almost my exclusive shopping place.
Eslyn says
I was in the same boat. I received a warning notice about the return policy but the policy doesn’t state anything, about having your returns being limited. I only returned products that were defective and not as advertised. I tend to buy expensive organic products for my hair and skin and they tend to have wonderful descriptions and a picture that makes the product look amazing but,when it arrives; it doesn’t tend to look as advertised. I remembering receiving an organic hair product that has no certification, not sealed, and actually shipped in a ziplock bag rather than being shipped with proper labeling and packaging. It was a mess to clean up and I gathered all the parts and packaged it, to ship back for the return. I honestly feel it costs the customers for returns as well, because even when they issue refunds, they tend to take forever to get back your account and you don’t get return labels on your package or a way to reseal box, so it comes out of the customer pocket to find the means, to seal and print out postage. Furthermore, clothing shopping at amazon can be a nightmare when the pictures look better than the actual item and the sizing are wrong, so you can get items that make you look like the family matters Urkel, when you were trying to get work uniforms, which happened to me. It was a disaster, and I do hope there is better process to help buyers and sellers. I found the only way to get help, if there is an issue with your account, is emailing [email protected] directly. So it is possible for customers that still want to shop at amazon, to email Jeff and explain your situation. Usually, the general amazon customer service is helpful and you tend, to get a response directly from executive team when you email Jeff and they at least send out a personal email that actually signed with a name instead, of the autogenerated email from cis amazon that makes you worry, about your account closing with a return policy that doesn’t clearly tell you, there is a return issue. I understand that some people abuse policy, but there are companies that do sell cheap, defective products, and the customers shouldn’t be held accountable for returning those defective products.
Ben says
While I could understand the frustration of getting banned and also being worried of it.
However, something I read above like a 38% return rate just makes me shake my head…yes that is a high number of returns.
If I have to guess, Amazon probably thinks that you are returning products that there is nothing wrong with…also, Amazon likely checks the products you return..so if you
lie about about the return reason or product condition, or do something shady like switch product in the box, they will find out.
Carole says
There certainly are some people who need to be banned. One example, I bought a $1,000 camera lense that had peanut butter or something similar on the product. Definitely, somebody bought and returned. I have had so many similar experiences with receiving returned items that were incomplete or contained the previous owner’s data (GPS) that I’m now selective on what I purchase from them. I don’t purchase anything expensive anymore. TVs come from my local retailers, and computers online from the manufacturer, same with camera lenses. There definitely are people abusing their (formerly) generous return policy. Not saying the people complaining are bad customers. Just my experience in recent years.
Shopping Fun says
It sounds like a lot of the folks on here are doing comparison shopping and return the items they don’t want. The free returns is being abused whole heatedly because you folks are taking the term out of context.
Research before you buy and make sure it’s something you really need!
Waytogo says
I got an email like the one posted by OP. Amazon makes it seems as though your account is in the clear but not sure if I’ll still get banned if I do another return. Also, I’m afraid because my sister sends me diapers on her account in another state and I’d hate to see her banned. My mom also uses my account to send herself stuff and I’d hate to have her address blacklisted. Not sure which way to go.
Claude says
Open question: does anyone ever get banned on Amazon for using their free shipping over $25? I make a lot of small orders. Amazon gotta lose money on me. But no returns, ever. Any chance to get banned for this?
Singhk says
Amazon free shipping had gone up to $35, and I believe recently to $49. To answer your question, I wouldn’t think so, but as a poster J Golberg posted on this page, Amazon doesn’t base their actions on my opinion. Amazon is a private company so they can do anything they want within the confines of the law of the land. There is no law preventing any retailer from banning a buyer for using excessive free shipping.
Opinions says
No.
Steve says
I’m writing here I am outraged with Amazon for accusing me for accepting refunds.
I have not asked for refunds I do have witnesses that know what’s going on up getting these refunds from the associates offering it to us.
I’ve been trying to tell them I did not answer these refunds and now they are saying that I had two accounts opened up with the same email address I do not I have one account that’s it…
Also I gotten credit over and over and over again with apps that I bought without troubleshooting the handy free money just doing away in our business.
Who is the culprit I say I think Amazon knows the culprit points to them you do not give refunds right off the bat is that we do business.
I had associate called me from the billing department and told me Resta sure they will not close my account.. Guess what I’ve been lied to over and over and over again.
There really hurting themselves . I say blame Amazon for being down right rude ..
Louis says
I don’t have a CLUE what you just said… Not even sure if you’re a buyer or a seller? If seller, you really should learn how to spell correctly as it’s unprofessional!!!
But if you can’t even get your point across to people here, as I don’t think anybody could possibly uncode that riddle you just wrote, how do you expect anyone to side with?
soul1 says
Hi, having posted about this on the MoneySavingExpert.com forums here in the UK, a lot of members there seem to agree with Amazon’s policy. Recently it has been in the news that a UK customer called Greg Nelson has been banned by Amazon. Personally I think Amazon’s stance is very harsh with regards to a ban for life and that they should try and work more with their customers before banning them. After all Amazon is supposed to be the most customer centric company on the planet. However once they ban you, it’s very difficult to get your account back. Amazon Executive Customer Relations cannot be contacted directly here in the UK by email or telephone.
Kaka kuku says
I have been selling at Amazon for over 8 years. I ship average 200 packages a day mostly orthopedic products…one thing I can tell you: if you are a seller with Prime, unless you sell grocery (no return policy), you are fine. ANYTHING else , you are screwed! It is unbelievable how buyers abuse the returns at Amazon. Here a few examples :
Buyer places an order of a knee support, uses for 29 days and file return as “defective”. Basically the knee no longer needed a brace…get it?
Buyer buys a ankle brace, uses for 29 days and filed return as “not as described”…did you get it?
Buyer purchase a back support, uses for 29 days and file return as “wrong item was sent”…did you get it?
Unless you did not get what buyer abuse it, you are part of the problem. I had over 10 thousand items with Amazon Prime at their fulfillment center at end of 2014. The number of used products being returned for buyer abuse was over my profit (by the way…buyers do not know that Amazon takes average 30% fee from a seller at Prime…did you get it?). So, i removed ALL my items from Prime warehouses and fulfill myself ever since and the number of returns dropped from 25% to just under 1%. Reason: buyers pay for return cost + 20% restocking fee. When a scammer files a return as “not as described” after 29 days, I ask an image if the product…most of the times , the scammer replies “I decided to keep it”, or “I sent return request to wrong seller”, or even “I do not have a camera”.
Yes, my fellow sellers, Amazon buyer abuse will destroy your business unless you take action. DO NOT sell Prime as it is basically a charity and Amazon plays with your inventory. They do not give a f#&$ about you.
john c says
Fullfilling your sales yourself does not protect your profit as much as you say. Fullfill yourself, buyer can still file not as described claim, and receive the refund and keep your item within Amazon allowed threshold. Fullfill with Amazon, and the most user can do is return so you’ll at least get your item back. If you encountered so many returns, you would want to increase the quality check on your inventory, or do not sell at all.
B Miller says
Actually, his reports suggest that Amazon Prime shoppers are abusive on the policies. I have Prime and I shop a particular way. As soon as this seller took his merchandise out of FBA his products practically became invisible to Prime account holders. I know for a fact that I only shop for Prime items so I don’t have to pay shipping. So do many other prime members. Since his product no longer has the “Prime” icon, I would ignore it because it’s not fulfilled by Amazon. Apparently so did all the other prime users since his returns went from 25% all the way down to 1%. Aside from that one change, everything else you mentioned still applies and yet the only real change the seller experienced was a decrease in abuse, not a continuation.
Louis says
Your returns may have went down but I absolutely guarantee you so did your sales!!! As I wrote in another post I never ever ever buy from third-party I ONLY buy things that are sold and fulfilled by Amazon for the exact reason that you are talking about, all third-party sellers make it very difficult for you to return something!
You’re not doing ANYTHING different than any other company out there my friend including retail stores. Walmart? Has a 90 day return policy. Some stores have a NO limit return policy, meaning two years later you can return it if our you have the receipt!
That’s how you generate sales and you seem to want to have your cake and eat it too. You want to be a retailer, but you don’t want to deal with the returns and they go hand-in-hand!!!!
Anne says
Geeze Kaka kuku, I can’t get over how much Amazon takes from you, seriously nearly 30%? That sounds like a pyramid scheme or some kind of multi level marketing (MLM) deal. There wouldn’t be a chance I’d let that happen. Happy to see you wised up. No way would I put all my blood, sweat and tears into a business only to give 30% to the babysitter.
James Brown says
People like you expecting to “try before you buy” and return whatever you want for whatever reason cause no end of problems for sellers. I sell on Amazon and every frivolous refund costs us money and negatively impacts our seller metrics. Even if you return the item (which many customers don’t) Amazon still charges us the processing and restocking fees. The only reason Amazon has its no questions asked refund policy is that all of the costs are passed on to sellers. I am surprised Amazon banned you as they get their cut no matter and usually don’t care.
Scott says
Time to sue Amazon. Prime member pay for Amazons return policy. Amazon’s canceling a paid account because members return items according to Amazon’s policy is breach of contract, and a violation of state consumer protection acts. TIME FOR CLASS ACTION AMAZON!
Anon says
Well said, Scott! Please keep posting this over and over again so that Amazon employees who come to these websites to scare people into not returning items they have a right to return will get the message!
WE NEED A CLASS ACTION ON THIS NOW!
Andre says
My 2cents. I was also banned. I sent back:
1 pair of sneakers: uncomfortable
1 pair of track pants: too small (did not order next size up as didn’t like the style either)
1 Cell phone: Got a blackberry device a few years back, and then decided it was a bad idea.
Exchanged at television: Got a Sony flat-screen for about 3k, Exchanged it for another one that was more expensive and paid the difference AND paid for shipping.
Bought and kept hundreds of other stuff during about 4 years, including having Prime membership for the last 2 years.
Honetly, being banned from Amazon was a blessing. Reason being, I had gotten too used to sitting at home reading review after review, doing research etc etc.. and then for the returns re-packaging, going to the UPS store, waiting for a refund, etc. Now, I GET OUT OF THE HOUSE and actually go and see the products, hold them, inspect them, wear them and THEN decide to buy. The stuff I buy from brick and mortar stores I don’t really return because I got a chance to experience before buying. Amazon and other online-only retailers forgo the expense of having a chain of stores and personnel to manage those stores and all the other expenses that go along with it. Sure, they have their own expenses, but they can’t expect a 10% return rate for items the customer has never touched or experienced. That is ridiculous. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. They actually expect us to go to a brick and mortar store experience the products, be 90% sure we want it and then come home and order it? BS.
Opinions says
You expect us to believe you got banned for returning only 3 items?
B Miller says
You abused their system. You were not banned for the return of 3 items, get real. 10% return rate is ridiculous. I get by on a 0% return because I shop responsibly. You’re the one that wants your cake and eat it too. So the Amazon ban forced you to shop the way people had been doing for years before the internet. Some people shouldn’t be shopping online in the first place….
Anne says
Well Andre, you know what they say….WHAT GOOD IS CAKE IF YOU CAN’T EAT IT TOO????
kyle lim says
Yes, Ill join the class action suit. Amazon needs to change their policy on lifetime bans.
Catherine says
My husband and I were banned because our adult daughter who lives with us did too many returns. I called amazon to explain the situation and they were supposed to have someone call me back. Instead they sent a standard email response not addressing our issue at all. My husband and I have never returned anything purchased through Amazon. The irony is that our daughter will one day move out and be able to purchase on Amazon again but my husband and I may never be able to purchase from them again.
B Miller says
No, your daughters ban will follow her too. Amazon is very good at security on their site. They’ll link her via bank account, email address, ip addresa and/or mac address amongst other things such as proximity to original IP address, they are very good at what they do. At least you weren’t a seller, your daughters ban would have affected your seller account also and an Amazon seller account is practically a money press if you have the right merchandise.
Anne says
Catherine, don’t worry too much about it. When she moves out, ask her for her account info and just use her account to order what you want from Amazon. I live alone and pay my Prime membership by myself, but I have a friend who has 5 young adult children with 5 young adult spouses and they ALL, all eleven of them, use the same Prime account. Kinda bugs me, but probably only because I’m jealous I have to pay for the account on my own and they have 11 people sharing the expense of the $99 membership fee. That’s $9 for each person. Boo hoo for me.
seaman stains says
Then stop being an irresponsible parent and look after your kids, they live in your house so you my dear are responsible for them.
Eat a 8====D amazon. says
I’m in, let’s sue the bastards. Amazon is nothing , but a bully of the highest degree. If I returned too many things at Best Buy they would simply tell me that I cannot return that particular item anymore; they wouldn’t put armed guards at every Best Buy on the planet and not let me into the store. I accept that a probation period might be necessary to discourage excessive returns, but an all out lifetime ban is the most retarded thing I have ever heard. Also, Amazon is starting to open retail stores. Does that mean I cannot shop there either? Maybe that’s where the armed guards will be…hmmmm
Old Poor Richard says
It’s unbelievable how many d-bags defend Amazon. Basically you go on for years and establish a pattern and habit of returning things, and sometimes you’re cursed with broken stuff. Suddenly, sometimes with an ultimatum letter and sometimes with no warning, they lock you out forever. It’s pure nastiness. First, if you ever return something for an exact replacement (e.g. a defect), it shouldnever NEVER count against you. Amazon is absolutely responsible for the item until it is literally in your hands. Second, sizing mistakes happen. If you buy apparel and it doesn’t fit then it doesn’t fit. Third, it shouldn’t be that you get an ultimatum warning letter and the very next return causes your account to be cancelled (and for some people no warning at all). Instead everybody should have a return-o-meter indicator on their account that constantly gives you a feel for whether Amazon finds your returns excessive.
seaman stains says
Only a loser buys clothes or shoes online, get off your lazy arse and go to a shop and try then on, you fat lazy bastard.
Mark Kling says
Yep, the used to offer FREE returns with Prime. Now they charge and pretend that they never offered free returns. What a scam.
chandan kumnar jha says
Order ID 404-1516886-8216308:
1 of KuberBox Lacey 18k Yellow Gold and Diamond Ring [ASIN: B016DK4JSO]
16 June Received by empty box Seller Empty box provide 16 June delivery boy on time but amazon team my amount not Refund 10885
and very bad respond amazon team
Liz says
chandan kumnar jha, …I am so curious as to WHY anyone would spend $10,885 on a ring on Amazon. If you had that kind of money to drop on a diamond ring, why on Earth would you buy it sight unseen? Why not go to a proper jeweler? Your complaint doesn’t even sound true. And the box being empty upon delivery? I highly doubt that too, unless your post man decided he needed a gift for his girl. Come on. Really? And, isn’t there some sort of policy that you must purchase insurance when buying an item of that value or amount of money? Something about your story sounds very shifty here.
Jon says
I had a similar experience with eBay a couple of years ago. I was one of the first members there, been there for 16 years, fine buyer and seller. A customer decided to lie about an item I sold him and eBay took him at his word without talking to me, no warning, just suddenly cut off from eBay, an indefinite ban on selling. To people saying just sell somewhere else, eBay has a practical monopoly on online auctions, other online auction sites have maybe 5% the traffic and lots of unsold items.
Amazon seems to have a similar mindset, they have a practical monopoly in online retail so they can do whatever they want, it’s unfortunate, but the rest of the customers don’t care or even defend them, so they can keep doing it.
soul1 says
The simple solution to this all is to stop shopping at Amazon altogether. This is what I have done. I used to buy everything from Amazon but not anymore. Amazon have got too big for their boots and the less people that buy from Amazon the more it will hit their profits. There has been a recent case in the press with regards to a lady that got banned in the US. After contacting the press with regards to this her account was reinstated. Her argument was thar nowhere in Amazon’s terms and conditions does it say anything about a returns limit and a potential ban because of this. Amazon need to make their returns policy a lot more clearer especially when it comes to what the acceptable returns limit is. With Amazon’s shoddy packaging of items and couriers handling Amazon’s items poorly it’s not that difficult to reach a 10% returns rate. Add to the facts that there are reports on the web with regards to Amazon sending out items that are used as new and you will find that there is no point shopping with Amazon. Final point to add is do I miss shopping at Amazon? No I don’t. I just prefer to give my hard earned money to other retailers, especially brick and mortar shops who know how to treat their customers fairly.
Denis says
Hi,
Im a french guy and i have the same story. 4 years client of amazon, 200 articles and many return. Amazon close my account and i dont know how to have the garanty of my article. I understand for the abuse, but when you buy on internet it is not a science exact
Im very hungry.
Amazon shopper about to go else where says
Most, if not all (excluding Amazon), will ban customers for life only in case of shoplifting or any fraudulent activity that breaks law. They do not ban customers for exceeding 10% return limit. They will simply refuse the return. This kind of permanent lifetime ban will eventually eat into Amazon’s profit. I think Amazon’s upper management needs to rethink this kind of all out lifetime ban which can also get friends and family members permanently banned who you send gifts to. Temporary ban will be justified in some cases after a warning or two, but all out life time ban with no warning that also permanently bans your friends and family members is simply too excessive. Permanent life time ban can be justified after a few incrementally longer temporary bans without banning families and friends living at different address.
Jupitor says
Yes, what Amazon does is not fair considering other outlets will ban your returns only for a year. You can still shop there, but no returns. BB is one of them.
The funny thing is that being banned does not mean you can’t shop there anymore. There are always many legit ways of doing so.
Opinions says
The risk of keeping a no-return customer on Amazon is great. You could, for instance, give negative reviews on every single product and seller. If everyone accused of abusing returns is still allowed to use the website, it could really mess with the ratings of products and sellers.
Rooster Coburn says
But when Amazon bans those who voice their views then we are back to having a restricted economy instead of a free market economy, and that is a problem.
A. Hart says
Advice Needed Please: I went a little crazy during Amazon’s last Prime day event on July 12, 2016, and ordered too many products. This of course meant that I had to return many items, mainly because they arrived broken, scratched, received the wrong item, or the description on the site was not accurate. Also, the way items were packaged was absolutely horrible with many product boxes being torn, ripped and dirty. Product boxes were dirty, torn and even practically destroyed. Many of these items were supposed to be future Christmas gifts (I shop all year for Xmas gifts for my large family who live out of state) but since I can’t give a gift in a dirty, torn box they were returned. As a Prime Member for many years I never worried about returns..mainly because I rarely did any..but after July 12’s Prime Day..I was returning almost everything I bought for the reasons given above. And then I got this email the other day:
—
Hello,
We have noticed that an unusual number of your recent orders have been returned.
Since our mission is to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, we want to make sure you are happy with your Amazon shopping experience. If we are not living up to our promise, please reply to this email and let us know what we can do to improve.
To speak with a member of our Customer Service team, call 1 (866) 216-1072 or click the Contact Us button on any Amazon.com Help page.
While we welcome returns when orders do not work out, we want to do whatever we can to ensure that you are happy with your Amazon shopping experience.
We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Sincerely,
Account Specialist
—
What makes this bad is that I am still receiving damaged merchandise that I know I will have to return: Electronics whose boxes are torn up. Clothing in the wrong size with stains and tears on them. Wrong shoes received. Wrong cosmetics received.
It’s as if everything went to hell after that Prime Day Event..and I now deeply regret buying during and after this time because obviously the Amazon employees are being rushed and they are making mistakes.
Why am I worried about being banned? Because I am disabled and home bound. I cannot drive due to my disability..and even if I could drive I could never buy all of these products locally because I live in a rural area with no big stores around. And no one to take me shopping. I depend on Amazon Prime not only for my products..but for my pets food & supplements as well. And having them delivered to my door and picked up by UPS is a blessing to me that I gladly pay my Prime Membership for.
I am afraid of even answering that email for fear I will only anger someone and hasten my ban. And since I need to return the aforementioned products..I am also positive the ban will happen. Which greatly saddens me because I love shopping on Amazon for myself, family and pets due to being disabled and stuck at home.
If I do get banned..I would appreciate anyone telling me how to get around this. Being disabled and not being able to drive with no help from anyone makes this a very bad situation for me. Here is my email address for any advice dealing with this. Just remove the **** in the email address and put all the words together: Skincare69****@gmail.com
Thanks for any advice from a very scared Amazon Prime member.
Terri says
Sometimes you have to choose your battles. By that I mean, be more selective about what you buy and from whom. And sometimes you just can’t always get what you want. I’m in the same position you are (needing to order most everything online) but I diligently read reviews and make choices based on what other users experience. For example, I only buy larger items such as furniture or appliances locally, even if I have to pay a little more which insures they get here in one piece and if not, having the option to deal with a local merchant to resolve problems. I research, research, research and use different vendors appropriately based on price, reliability and good reviews. I have spent thousands upon thousands over the years and have returned so few items, it’s hardly worth mentioning. So then, seems my process is working well.
A. Hart says
Hi Terri,
Thanks for your kind reply. I did indeed do my research..but as I mentioned..most of the problems dealt with torn, dirty and opened packaging..which meant I could not give these items as gifts. However..Amazon never banned me..and now I only order items for myself..so that if the packaging is in bad condition it doesn’t matter. I will never order gifts from Amazon again over this issue..so now I am just giving gift cards to people..which I hate because it costs me more..but that’s life. This way..I can save up my returns for really necessary things. Happy Holidays to you and yours.
B Miller says
“I went a little crazy during Amazon’s last Prime day event on July 12, 2016, and ordered too many products”
Then you go on to list all these errors made by Amazon and have absolutely no mention of Remorse purchases. Bullshit, you overbought and are unwilling to take responsibility for your actions. You must be american like most of us.
If they ban your account, you can go to google and look up Amazon Stealth Accounts. You’ll have to lie to get back on but you had no problem lying when you told your nonesense story hear, employ those same tactics and get a stealth account if you’re banned.
Lany Gotham says
I have gotten numerous merchandise that has been faulty or downright trash yet I am the one to be banned?
Even after numerous attempts, they didn’t bother to acknowledge the appeal I gave them.
I had to use a stealth account from Auction Essistance just to buy now.
Terri says
Have you thought about revisiting your buying process and maybe perform some research on the product or read a few reviews before you make your purchase? You appear to be in a very tiny percentage of people receiving “trash” from Amazon.
B Miller says
Of course he has not even considered changing his buying process. He has however taken it upon himself to research how to get back on Amazon after being banned, He learned it is difficult and that they actually cross their T’s and Dot their I’s when it comes to their competency. As a result he had to actually purchase a stealth account with fake info to circumvent the block so he could continue buying from this terrible retailer. Someone who really was burned by receiving so much “trash” would not be in a hurry to get back on that same system.
Louis says
Wow! Must be a big burden to carry around knowing everything B. Miller..
AnonMaikel says
Article –> Boring.
BUT
Comments –> I’m eating popcorn while reading them.
eBaiting says
For me the problem is limited edition games and artbooks. No matter how many times I return items and complain, Amazon insists on sending them in those flimsy bubble envelopes that provide no protection against items getting dented or crushed.
I know why this happens. It’s because the people who work in Amazon’s warehouses get penalized if they don’t fill a certain number of orders every hour. This quota is set unrealistically high, so they barely have enough time to find the item and shove it in a bubble mailer… let alone actually unfolding a cardboard box, taping one side shut, placing the item carefully inside and then surrounding it with adequate packing material. So in the unlikely event that you do get a box it’s probably got one air cushion in it at best, which does nothing to prevent the contents from rattling around. I miss the days when every order I received from Amazon came in a box, with the items inside shrinkwrapped onto a cardboard backing that held them in place. (Been a buyer since 1995.)
J. Goldberg, though he consistently says it in the most assish way imaginable, is not wrong. It’s Amazon’s site and they can choose to refuse service if they want to. Best advice would be to limit returns as much as possible. Don’t buy something if you’re not positive you’ll want to keep it. This means never buy clothes, shoes, anything you need to try on before you know if it’ll fit you. Same goes for anything you’re overly concerned might be damaged in transit.
Me? I’m at the point where I’m out of craps to give. Normally after one or two damaged copies of an item I’ll just get a refund from Amazon, spend a little more and buy it elsewhere. But this time I’m playing chicken with them and I’m not swerving first. Either I get the item undamaged, or I exhaust my allotted returns limit and they ban me. In the event of the latter, I’m saving off my complete order history and will post the dollar amounts so everyone can have that information. (I’m OCD like that. Also explains why I like my limited edition stuff in mint condition.)
eBay pissed me off almost 10 years ago and I’ve lived without them ever since. I know I can live without Amazon too. As can we all.
Joe says
Eventually your credit card provider will start to side with the seller on your chargeback claims as well. Thieves fit a predictable pattern- especially in the digital age- this is not lost on Amex or MasteCard either..
eBaiting says
I never do credit card chargebacks, only exchanges of damaged merchandise for undamaged. Also I’m not a thief. I’m not sure where in my post you got that impression.
B Miller says
Being OCD AND a collector… Considering how often Amazon sends damaged merchandise, why not just stop using them before getting banned and finding a merchant that gives a little more care to the packaging of your collector items? You already know Amazon will not be doing anything to make the packaging any better since their focus is on speed and efficiency.
I’d get sick of having to send things back and if I had OCD not being able to do that would drive me crazy.
eBaiting says
After Amazon ultimately sent me an undamaged copy of the item referenced above, I did just that. I now pre-order all of my limited editions through my local game retailer, where I can inspect the condition of the boxes before I buy them. Once Amazon started charging sales tax, and once my discounted Prime membership expired, there was no longer any financial advantage to buying from them. I still get Amazon gift cards as a credit card reward, but I only use them to buy items whose condition isn’t that important to me.
The reason I stuck it out for so long was because I thought repeatedly complaining to Amazon about the quality of their packaging (and reminding them of how excellent it used to be) would get them to realize they were losing business. But along the way I discovered that I am in the minority – Most people don’t care enough to complain and exchange. So Amazon actually makes more money by using inadequate packaging resulting in (cosmetically) damaged merchandise. What a world we live in.
Anne says
I recently came into a litttle money so I decided to get prime and indulge myself with some of the electronic items on my wish list. I didnt know at the time that amazon is populated with chineese sellers that sell fake crap brand name stuff that amazon should be ashamed of having on their site. Is there no quality control measures with them? One of the items I bought was a zmodo security system with good reviews. I researched for a week before choosing that. It actually arrived with cameras and no dvr box to connect cameras to. After waiting another 10 days for the seller to ship it to me, I plugged it in and worked for 2 hours then stopped.
Another item was speakers that I couldn’t plug in because the usb plug was smashed when I took it out of the box. A matecam that I ordered was supposed to be in a shipment that was delivered in a box with other stuff only there was no matecam in the box. Oh, and also ordered 10 grow lights for some succulent plants that I can’t keep outside in my new area that I live now, 2 of the lights don’t work at all. That is just four of the things I ordered that by Amazon’s policies would make me seem suspicious or costly customer, but in actuallity they are just not doing any due dilllegence to ensure that their customers aren’t getting ripped off.
I have come to some conclusions after reading these postings here. Don’t buy any electronics from amazon because even though it might say a major brand name like panasonic batteries for example, it probably is a knockoff from a chineese company that is selling garbage in a a new wrapper. Don’t buy shoes because unlike clothing, they cost too much to eat the price if they are sized wrong. Buy shoes from someone like Zappos, free returns if they dont fit, no questions. The single and only reason I shopped amazon for those items is because I thought it was safe to do so. Knowing now that it really is not in case you want to keep your account active for other purchases, I will be looking to other retailers for those things from now on.
RGene says
What’s wrong with you guys? I’ve shopped on Amazon for years and have never returned a single item. My tip is buying products sold and shipped by Amazon only.
cc535129 says
Ha funny thing is Zappos is owned by Amazon
Louis says
Ditto!!!!!
B Miller says
Hahaha, whatever man. First of all Zappos is owned by Amazon. Here’s how you avoid the bad electronics. Don’t shop by lowest price! That’s exactly what you are doing and you know it. The lowest price is ALWAYS from China. When the price looks so low that it makes YOU want to buy, know that your decision making is flawed since you base it on absolute lowest price.
I.E. Pay what an item is worth and you’ll get that item. If you buy an item that is far below market value which you know you have been doing, you’re going to get that china Junk.
For example, buy directly from Amazon and not a 3rd party seller that is selling the same catalog item for far less than Amazon. Oh and feedback is there for a reason, review it.
Rooster Coburn says
I think the Chinese sellers probably have enough market restrictions to deal with on Amazon.cn, so if they can find a way to utilize a free market economy kudos to them. Freedom should be for everyone.
Karyn says
What about electronic books? Is it abuse if you frequently return them cause you don’t like them. I read ALOT and 3/4 4the reviews are not helpful enough or they rave about book and it’s crap. So I purchase then if I don’t like I return. Why is this a problem?
Amazonseller says
This is no way relation to the original post but something we see happen frequently.
As and amazon seller
We often get buyers who are completely unreasonable and want refund for no good reason.
We of course deny these types of trouble makers, however this can lead to an A to Z claim, which we will win.
This is where it may lead to a buyer being banned.
Amazon may choose to refund the fraudulent buyer out of its own pocket to keep the peace, and give them another chance.
As the Buyer has been refunded they may not know that they actually lost the A to Z case behind the scenes.
So the Buyer thinks they got away with it and they continue repeating this process.
The Buyer goes and does this once again and goes to sleep on dreams of free money earn’t embellished and arrogant story telling, only to wake up and find their account has been banned.
This i would imagine is one of the largest reason for Amazon buyer bans.
Joe says
Well said Amazonseller!
Zac says
I’ve been buying stuff from amazon since 1999 according to their list of old orders. I wish they listed the total number of orders and amount spent, but I estimate I spent in the tens of thousands with them. I never heard from them about returns until a couple years ago when I returned 6 items (clothing/shoes) within a couple weeks. I ordered a few more items of clothing/shoes since they explicitly advertised free returns on those items. I received an email warning about excessive returns. I didn’t reply and I never heard from them again.
SuCkitScaMmErs says
As an Amazon merchant who constantly loses money to scammers gaming the return policy I cannot tell you how utterly enjoyable it is to read stories about dirtbags getting the Amazon ban-hammer. WHACK! Oh it does my heart good to hear your sniveling excuses and whiny complaints and how Amazon crushed your thieving schemes. Your tears are like sweet nectar of the gods–they taste so magically delicious! I hope all of you who delighted in getting something free at the expense of someone else suffer daily in the knowledge that you have been found out, exposed and summarily kicked the hell out from Amazon for life. Oh and by the way…thanks for shopping on Amazon! LOL :D
Terri says
I think the key phrase here is “false sense of security.” It seems as if most of the people complaining about being banned feel they are entitled to return their merchandise at will, because they are Prime members. That is NOT the purpose of being a Prime member and it sounds like abuse to me. They get lazy about researching the products they want to buy because, after all – they can just go ahead and return them. How convenient for the buyer. It’s not good for business and people who abuse their membership should indeed, be banned.
Rooster Coburn says
I think maybe some people have never been banned from anything, and when it happens via Amazon it seems arbitrary and without due process. I think it is an understandable complaint.
Pedro says
First off, I don’t work for Amazon, but I do shop there quite a bit.
I know people who admittedly returned their laptops every 9 months to Costco until they changed their policy. It’s beyond me how can some of you believe it’s your human right to abuse a friendly business policy and expect the business not to do anything about it. Guess what, Amazon as a business also has the right to choose their target customer base.
Also some of threatening Amazon to shop elsewhere due to this. Please do! I can already see Amazon’s stock dropping and Jeff Bezos crying himself to bed every night over the loss of all the precious customers.
Serge says
I wonder, if I will be banned on Amazon as a buyer, will I also be banned on AWS (Amazon’s cloud) with all my projects running there?
Also, if I will be banned on Amazon Germany, will this affect my Amazon US or Amazon UK or other accounts?
David Fischer says
Amazon, when they ban you, closes your account. If your account is attached to the cloud, then, I believe (not sure) you will lose access to your cloud data.
Pam says
I read a lot of comments and couldn’t figure out if returns are on products which come with seller warranty. As in not sold by Amazon. If one writes to seller directly about a defective product and they issue refund. Does that count against you as well?
Also of one is grandfathered in – had my account for 10 yrs and my sister is part of my account (though different address). If she does a lot of returns I am assuming that would count against my account as well. Anyone in similar situation?
John says
I’m sure you would stear clear of Amazons system to detect and add to your return stats if you dont use Amazons return system to do so. However, you would have to pay for the return for sure.
I understand all of this is based on misuse of the free 30 day return.
I would rather not have to option to return stuff completely free knowing there is a risk of getting in bad standing.
Tc says
I have not been banned yet, but agree with bringing lawsuits against these companies doing this. The shopping channels on tv are also guilty of this. The lie through their teeth to sell products then ban people who return them due to the lies.
B Miller says
A company has a right to ban a person from their business if they believe they are abusing policy. What is the law going to do? Dictate how they write their contracts? The TOS explains that there will be a ban for abuse of the policy and they won’t reveal that exact figure because if they did, people like you find on this response form would use the information to their advantage, you know…. Abuse the return policy to just below the threshold of being banned. MANY companies have policies like this in place.
Infomercials won’t take returns? They ALL use the money back guarantee moniker because they know damn well that the majority of people are too lazy to return the items once they get them. What Infomercial companies refused to allow you to return their junk?
Bob R says
For all of you making excuses for AMZ, my last order was to be delivered to a locker. When it didn’t arrive, the delivery status was “refused by recipient”. I did not know a locker could refuse delivery. But AMZ insisted it was all my problem and denied my refund and took back the products, even though I never had possession of them. Two days later, they admitted the carrier used the wrong delivery code. The package was actually damaged and returned to AMZ. But they’re still denying my refund until they receive the products, as if I had some control over their getting them back. I will buy whatever I can from now on from local retail outlets, pay a few more dollars and know that I can return them, no questions asked. Amazon does too many things, and not many of them very well.