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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David Fischer says
This is not new or unique to Amazon. Many companies will ban customers from returning items if they return to many items.
My ex wife purchased items from Macy’s and would return half of them the next week (she was a serial shopper). Macy’s, after about 2-years, banned her from returning any future items.
Tank says
Amazon has a bunch of employees trolling this thread. It’s comical.
Rooster Coburn says
Actually, I wonder if Amazon employees ever experience bans, and if so are they able to “abuse” their position within the company to reverse the ban?
c0rr0sive says
Nope, most the employees are warehouse employees, they can’t reverse that. I imagine almost no one can reverse a ban aside from a select few in a specialized department.
Jay K says
I have returned items that were defective without retaliation. However, I now read the reviews before purchasing. If an item has a large percentage stars less than 4 stars I pass and do not buy.
John says
So if this is all based on if Amazon is making money or not, can anyone then provide some input on if it would be better to return items and NOT have Amazon pay for the shipping? As in choosing order created my mistake and the others that will not provide free return shipping?
Obviously there is still restocking costs involved, but it might not trigger the system to flag the account?
It is just impossible to avoid returning some goods when shopping online, however getting a lifetime ban is something I would like to avoid at any cost.
Rules out me buying a lot of stuff on Amazon going forward though. Shame they have not takes less Marfia methods in use instead, such as more and clear stating warnings and removing the free option to return for free / add a fee.
B Miller says
“So if this is all based on if Amazon is making money or not, can anyone then provide some input on if it would be better to return items and NOT have Amazon pay for the shipping? As in choosing order created my mistake and the others that will not provide free return shipping?”
This statement suggest that you know you’ve been using the wrong reasons so you don’t have to pay return shipping thereby shafting the seller and only when the threat of losing the Amazon buying account you decide you should start doing things the right way.
This behavior is terrible and prevalent in today’s society here in the USA. We’ve done a disservice to the young generation, we’ve created a nation of self entitled brats that are incapable of taking any form of responsibility whatsoever.
Andrew says
It seems that the US is unlucky for Amazon. Here in the UK I can return around 2-8 a month. Some that didn’t work as intended which Amazon paid postage for and some that are unwanted which I paid for the postage back. I have received no warnings either.
yellowbuffalo says
I have read all the comments on here from both sides. As a buyer, I don’t like their shady way of treating some customers that they deemed serial returners. What I don’t agree is that if they don’t like people to return items too often, freaking put this on their policy! Say something in black and white, so we know what to expect. How would we know when to draw the line if it’s not clearly stated? Frankly, if it’s not on Terms and policy, it’s not valid. I get that people abuse the return policy, but if there is a policy against this, this should protect both the sellers and the buyers. Right? Frankly, I’m glad I stumbled on this website, now I know I’ll buy less from Amazon, so I won’t have to deal with potential of being banned.
Onecol says
Who do Americans need to return so many items? Reading this it seems normal to them to return 10-15% of stuff or even more.
I am an Amazon buyer for 7 years and I have yet to return one thing. Don’t you think before you buy? (I understand if the stuff is broken, but everything I get is well packed, little chance of something going wrong)
Buying online is not like taking something off the shelf and putting it back if you don’t like it. It seems to me that people are spoiled.
Chris Tomlin says
Amazon has been nothing but great to me. I just ‘learned’ of this accounts being banned due to abuse of the return system. Not from me getting banned or a letter / warning/email etc.. but just randomly running across it on the internet and then looked into it as I couldn’t see why accounts would be banned from such a site. Though it makes sense obviously — Amazon has the best Customer Service in the world,.. hands down imho,.. they have a return/refund policy second to none,.. they can afford to have these two incredible systems because they are so large and make so much money.
So I buy A LOT from Amazon on a regular basis. I’d have to go look at a spreadsheet generated from Amazon (they do that if you didn’t know ) for a date range to get an average but I’d say $500-$1000 a month ish just depends. I’ve returned 2 or 3 items in the last year — so I assume that’s a good ratio? I see people returning 1/10th or 1/8th of their items purchased every month.. I can see that being suspicious. Amazon can obviously be used as a ‘rental’ service for anything you need but that is put in check with the ban system after so many months of this activity. What is rough is it looks like they ban the address which hits you hard.. Unless you want to make some account to another address it is going to be tough to buy from them again and that becomes inconvenient,.. and the convenience of Amazon is a huge factor in why people use them.
Anyhow — I assume Amazon values me as a customer (Been a prime customer for a decade now.. started in 2007) as I just purchased a set of items that all go together quite obviously as a set / work together/attach — for $29X plus tax which brought it to $315 total. In the past 3 months or so Amazon had gotten into the habit of having every few orders be late .. not arriving on time. I had one order I purposefully overnighted (prime 2 day was wasted for overnight of course) — and it not only didn’t arrive the next day but arrived 6 days later! It was marked as a ground shipping as well.. That one got returned — Then some other items were 1-2 days off and I need most of what I order by the day I order it , often for work etc. Anyhow — I mentioned the above as I saw one of the major components of the $300 order was going to be late.. Again. Sigh.. I was nice,.. short to the point (not like this comment) — and the Representative apologized profusely for the recent activity and as a ‘gesture’ from Amazon they refunded the entire order .. ie: I keep the items and it’s at no charge due to their recent multiple issues.
I was shocked. I expected maybe something, extension of prime .. etc — But not that, not on an order that expensive. While that scenario at that amount must be rare — I think it’s fairly common for smaller orders.. $5, $10, $15, $20 ish to be refunded with no return required — Especially orders that would just be even or cost Amazon money with shipping back. Just thought I’d share my experience with Amazon – and honestly, it probably just came down to the Representative I got — if another one handled the case things probably would have been different. Either way, I’ve always been blown away with Amazon’s Customer Service. I think it’s so good because Amazon allows their reps to have A LOT of free will / leeway with what they can do for the customer. It’s up to their judgement to refund, partial refund, gift card, gift prime months, (insert 100 other options) depending on what is going on and probably the history of the customers orders (and returns if that’s even a factor). Prime customer who orders a lot from small purchase amounts to large with few returns.. seems like the tip top of what they want to keep “ideal”. Only thing more ideal may be the rich customer who does the same but with say hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to them — That said, I wonder if they’d rather have people like me than the person who buys less items , way less, but at MUCH higher prices. Shrug, I guess it’s whatever the overall demographic profit margin is.
Louis says
Ditto!!!!! And absolutely correct. See my longer response to your statement written a few posts below :)
Joey D says
Returning 17% of orders is way way way too high. Thats taking advantge of the system. How do you expect a small business selling on amazon to stay in business with this behavior?
Every return costs the business money, so please be careful what you order and dont hurt everyone out there working hard to get you what your looking for and only making a few $ on a sale!
Jane says
The level of work I have to do. Paying business rates. Paying rent. Paying council tax. Paying insurance. Paying suppliers. Paying amazon fees and tax on amazon’s fees. Paying customs fees when neccesary. Paying for postage. And if I make a profit. Paying tax on that. The work I put into managing orders. Sometimes working 18 hours a day. Going the extra mile on orders when things go wrong. I’ve edited my post to keep it short. The next five days I have to make a decison. Am I going to pay my rent. Or am I going to eat. I’ve paid off every other bill. Paid off every other business expense. I had 5 returns 1 “No Longer Needed” 2 “Accidental Order” 3 “No Longer Needed” 4 “Accidental Order” 5 “No Longer Needed” All returned: 1. Used. 2. Used. 3. Very Heavily Used. 4. Used. 5 Returned In Good Condition. Spending money to serve buyers who want a free item experience (paid for by me) is killing me. You were hurting a lot of honest, hard working people returning so many items.
Consumer X says
@jane , I don’t like seeing the small business owner getting the short end of the stick.Seriously hope Amazon improves its algorithms as buyers need to better justify their returns. The explanations you’ve shared aren’t due to an obvious 2 reasons: not as described , or defective. There has to be accountability,and transparency on both sides of the Amazon transaction.
Diana says
I have made 18 purchases in the last six months, mostly Amazon prime, and have returned two items in the last month. After reading this, I’m afraid to return one more thing. The first thing that I returned was a camera because it didn’t focus as clearly as I wanted to while recording, so I purchased a different one instead. The second item was studio lights that I purchased that were deceiving when I purchased them because I thought they would be quite a bit larger but they were tiny and not usable for what I needed them for. The third item that I want to return is a laser printer that does not work. When I turn it on, it just continues to roll the drum. I’m a little scared of returning it now.
Geroge says
It seems that if you pay for your returns, there is less chance of getting banned.
Also if you return items that are ship and sold by Amazon, there is less chance too.
But from mid 2016 up until now, the rate of people complaining they got banned seem to have decreased. Maybe something’s changed?
Rooster Coburn says
Maybe Amazon employees really do peruse this forum and they understand the restrictive nature of consumer banning. Maybe they decided to honor the free market economy!
c0rr0sive says
Nope, customers still get banned, just recently a pair was actually convicted of fraud and sentenced to 6 years in federal prison, most the early complaints probably came from those that legitly abused the return policy and Amazon enacted a sudden change that banned a lot of people rather quickly.
Alex says
I wonder if these events occur with all countries’ amazons or just UK and US.
Don’t see Canada here for instance.
ankit says
My id is on hold
L8rgator says
I am also interested in finding out from “banned” people if they had many returns where they marked “changed their mind” (and therefore paid the return shipping themselves). And also if they primarily buy new or used from the warehouse. I’ve had an enormous number of returns this past year, and now I’m nervous! I have a mix of everything, but more often than not it was a defective item.
Chr says
I’m getting sick of buying USED ITEMS. My last two purchases have been bought BRAND NEW from amazon, yet they were obviously USED. Amazon is selling used items as new. I can’t wait for my account to be banned because I’m returning items that were previously used and I paid full price expecting a brand new unopened item.. Amazon is seriously crooked now.
Louis says
See I just don’t believe you. I’m sorry I just don’t. Why? I’m a big buyer from Amazon. In fact I was told today when I had an issue with something I bought many years ago that I have placed 1348 orders in the last five years. The first two years I was not even a big buyer and did maybe hundred orders a year.
But the last three years I averaged 350 to 400 ORDERS per year. You have to realize that each order can contain anywhere from 1 to 50 different items (Prime Pantry).
So it’s safe to say that I have ordered tens of thousands of items from Amazon in the last five years. Maybe ONCE I received tsomething that looked like it had been used and returned and Amazon sent it to me.
So I find it very hard to swallow that I have ordered tens of thousands of items and have never had that problem and you as a very small buyer, buy two things and they both look used, and that’s not even your first experience it has happened to you many many times???
Maybe you are too particular, maybe you’re subconsciously looking for a reason to return it, maybe you have convinced yourself it’s going to be used and you’re going out of your way to look for signs, I don’t know with the explanation is.
I just know that statistically I don’t see how that’s possible.
I absolutely agree with Chris Tomlin (Christian singer?) Amazon rocks and has the best return policy in the world and nobody can possibly dispute that!!! They offer world-class customer service and they have done things for me that absolutely amaze me.
Now I have had MANY more returns than Chris has had and they still go out of the way to do things for me that are well above and beyond and I have absolutely no complaints on “their” return policy.
I can however complain that why on earth they allow third-party sellers to dictate their own return terms make so sense to me. Amazon is king and it would be simple to me I would say do you want to sell on Amazon? Then you have to offer the exact same return policy. I’ve had some third-party sellers really stick it up my butt…
And to all third party sellers? That is specifically, precisely, EXACTLY why I rarely, I mean seldom if ever, order anything other than sold and filled by Amazon! Because I know that for absolutely any reason they’re going to cheerfully have UPS drive up to my front door and pick up my return and give me a refund on it no questions asked.
3rd party sellers? They are all a pain in the butt!!!!
Consumer X says
I have had some Amazon purchase challenges lately,and decided to look for a reason. Found this article,and the comments. THANKS to techwalls for not deleting them,or closing comments. I recently received an Amazon” high return” notice from an account specialist, without prior notice.The only action the notice asked for was for me to communicate my issues with Amazon. I have,and the China vendors are a focus of my communications. I asked Amazon to require sellers include a China (shipping) disclosure within an items description* Amazon should tighten their policy with the market place vendors by banning them. Given a current situation,Amazon doesn’t appear to ban vendor’s as easily as they do buyers. Amazon doesn’t want to lose ANY money,which includes the administrative hassle for returns/refunds. Amazon can do whatever it wants at this time given their surging profits,but customer protection should matter. In 2016,I had to return 2, ~$1000 technology items within a 2 month period because they failed. I took pictures, and was fortunate my purchase period was during the seasonal temperatures where the failure would occur. This was contrary to the manufacturer/vendor’s product certification claims. Otherwise it would have been more difficult to prove I didn’t contribute to the item failing as the vendor already stated they looked for this in their assessment of my return. Amazon was forced to crack down on charging cable vendors when CNET(?) wrote about non compliant cables sold on Amazon frying people’s devices. Hopefully the FTC will bring in laws to better regulate e-commerce because it’s only getting more profitable,and not going away. As a long time Costco Member,I am sure they use algorithms to determine problematic members. Suspect the 90 day electronics return limit is a result of abuse of Costco’s (generous) return policy.At least Costco is being transparent. They’re not arbitrarily refusing to refund,or banning members.
Rooster Coburn says
In other cultures returns are definitely not always the norm. You might be right about the need for an “out-of-country” disclosure. That way the expectation for a final sale is clear to the buyer and seller.
B Miller says
They should ban people that abuse returns. It is ridiculous that companies have to offer returns for damn near eternity just to get a sale. Our society is terrible. My friend bought a bike from Nashbar that has an unlimited return policy. He can return the bike after 5 years if he wanted to allegedly. This type of return policy creates this in him: He is using the bike as leverage. He was between jobs and was considering sending the bike back to get the money back because of their ridiculous return policy. His financial situation was the dictator of his actions, nothing within the companies control. What really pisses me off about these liberal return policies is that only corporations can offer this shit. Small sellers will fall by the wayside because entitled buyers will want unlimited returns that they will surely abuse. This behavior drives costs up through the roof. Someone ends up paying for all this transit back and forth because people can’t get off their fat asses and go to a local store to try something on, why bother? Ecommerce offers return shipping on the dime of all the other buyers on the site.
Jim E says
Seems like lately every 2nd or 3rd item I order arrives either in less than “new” condition, or is missing parts! How does one install a “new” faucet when the mounting nut and bracket are missing from the packaging? Would you accept a laser printer that is supposed to be new and packaging tape and bags are torn or missing? Not FAIR to sell stuff as “new” when it has been previously opened and used. NOT FAIR.
Anonymous says
One issue that crops up with me that I haven’t seen mentioned here is problems that occur in shipping.
Amazon now sells a lot of “grocery” type items- not just their “Amazon Fresh” line, but things like “Prime Pantry” and whatnot where you are ordering things like soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, non-alcoholic beverages, cereals, and so on and so forth. Wal-Mart’s website of course has even more of those type of products.
If you order a lot of them, and your local USPS delivery person, or someone in the chain from Amazon’s warehouse through the various shipping ports and trucks to the final destination, is careless, anything liquid may leak and ruin most of your order. In my area, Wal-Mart is much worse with this than Amazon, because Wal-Mart uses FedEx, which is the pits- they basically half throw things at the door to a loud thud and you get to it and the wrong side is up, etc.. But USPS has their share of these types of incidents, too.
That’s where a lot of my returns come in- not that I didn’t want it or the item wasn’t as described, that prior to it’s arrival at my place, one items leaked all over the others and make them unusable, and I need replacement shipments (Which, to be fair, are usually sent free of charge, but I’d imagine it counts against me in the return policy thing, and it’s a hassle).
I know in the case of Wal-Mart, I asked them to try a different carrier, and they declined.
I haven’t been banned from anything, but the day may come. To me, it’s the seller’s obligation to get the product in my hands in good condition. If they ban me, screw ’em. I’m not going to accept usable merchandise like corn flakes soaked in laundry detergent. Replace or refund, you know?
I really think these large companies should think about switching local carriers when they get enough of these complaints, or even working jointly to identify individual package carriers who’s deliveries generate a large number of damaged products and fire them or put them through extra training and probationary period or something.
I could definitely see someone like me getting banned and the issue just being the packages are handled poorly and that ruins the merchandise, and not being some sort of desire on the orderers part to use a site to try before they really buy or anything of that nature.
Colleen says
Just curious, for those of you who were banned (or sent a warning email) do you live in the USA?
It seems like the majority of people (at least in the past forums/articles that I’ve read) where people have been banned are located in the UK/overseas.
Also, do you think it helps to return items all at once together or just return right away when you know something is faulty?
Example: I ordered two jerseys (shipped and sold by Amazon with free returns)… it is clear one of them is a factory defect as they are both the same size, but one is significantly smaller than the other. Should I hold on to it and wait until it is close to the 30 day return window being up and then return it just in case there is something else I order that arrives bad/doesn’t fit/etc. within the next 30 days and return them together? Or should I just go ahead and return it. (i.e. will it really matter? since it will be “2 orders” being returned?)
While I would like to return it right away (and get my money back) — I definitely don’t want to be banned over stupid crap adding up so if I should wait, I’ll do it.
Finally- do you think your “return reason” really matters? I’ve already returned two items in the past 3 months simply due to the price dropping on Amazon within days after my order — and since Amazon got rid of price matching/adjustments… I had to return, they paid for the return shipping (“free returns” once again), and then I re-ordered at the better price. It seems SO stupid to me that Amazon does not adjust prices, at least within a week of purchase….
Anonymous says
Good, glad you got banned, I am both a seller and buyer on amazon and customers like you make sellers lives hell, In my 3 years buying on amazon I have purchased probably 200+ items and returned maybe 3 of those items. Your return rate is nearly 1 out of every 5 items you buy which is completely ridiculous, start doing a little research on the items you are buying instead using amazon as a try before you buy rental service and costing sellers money because of your laziness and ignorance.
Max Toronto says
I received inqury letter about returns. Replied them to FO, and closed account myself. If you have any self esteem you would do the same. Plenty of competition out there.
I returned falsly advertised and defective items. So what? They are changing customer service policis to earn even more money then record profits ever they have now.
Anon says
To confirm, you are in Canada, and this is regarding Amazon.ca?
StrangeBusiness says
To those who take Amazon’s side – two points:
1. You would be correct IF Amazon had sold high quality U.S. made merchandise.
However, 99.9% of the stuff they sell is pure Chinese cheap junk, with very questionable quality.
So yeah Amazon – I reserve (!) my right to return that falling apart crap to you and ask for my money back.
2. Lately the packaging of any sold-by-Amazon item is absolutely terrible… May be in my area – I don’t know.
But probably about 20% of my orders come damaged in some way – books, board games, etc. – items I REALLY would like to see in mint condition.
(I paid for a “NEW” item during the checkout, remember that Amazon?)
So yes – that damaged pile of crap that your slaves in shipping centers were not given enough time to package properly – it too goes back to Amazon.
Thank you very much for not caring about me as a customer.
And if you decide to ban me for life – so be it Jeff Stalin.
eBaiting says
It’s definitely not just in your area. One of the ways Amazon maximizes their profit is by minimizing their packaging costs, which has led to inadequate packaging. I too got sick of receiving damaged (new) items from them, but unfortunately people like us are in the minority. Most people aren’t bothered enough to exchange the damaged items, so there’s nothing to encourage Amazon to go back to their original, far superior packaging.
I barely buy from Amazon any more as a direct result of this. Instead I support local retailers where I can inspect the item in person before committing money to it. Depending on where you’re located that might not be an option for some items, but it’s a shame to think we’ve sacrificed item condition for the sake of convenience.
Amazon Shopper says
#1: Amazon doesn’t sell everything on their site. If you’re seeing “cheap Chinese junk with very questionable quality”, that’s likely coming from a third party seller. In fact, dollars to donuts, that’s exactly what it is. These sellers are scum, in most cases.
#2: Shipping packaging varies. I can’t deny that they’ve had some pretty lousy packaging lately, but this isn’t always Amazon’s fault, either.
katherineanderson001 says
Hello all. As a new seller i m going to an account on amazon store, quite nervous though. i want to know why would amazon ban new sellers or can someone help me how should i avoid banning on amazon?
Happy long-time Amazon shopper says
Doesn’t Amazon charge the sellers for the cost of the returns? I can’t believe they’re absorbing the cost. They must also be monitoring the return rates so that sellers (or specific products) will be removed from the site.
FoolMeOnce says
My experience.
Amazon First warning shot! 10/2/2017
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On Oct 2, 2017, at 19:17,
>> wrote:
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 (http://www.amazon.com/help).
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
Amazon.com
————————————-
=================================================
My Response to CIS Amazon 10/2/2017
I believe I post public comments on my opinion of various products.
There are many reasons why products are determined to be unacceptable. I usually declare that in the returns process in the comments section. Therein could be a starting point for suggestions to assist Amazon in its’ desire to improve customer levels of satisfaction.
Not having physical access to a product prior to a purchase should be an obvious reason for product returns. It can sometimes be difficult to see manufacturing quality in a photo, like poor welds in fabrications, or know how soft or stiff bristles in a brush are, or feel the texture of a bed sheet, or the feel and weight of a bath towel, or the software functionality (or lack thereof) in a technology product. Additionally, product descriptions are often lacking, ambiguous, sparse, and in some cases may be inaccurate. The list is endless of why orders may not work out.
I could suggest Amazon take a more in depth approach to vetting vendors and products, especially those coming into the USA. Perhaps reading customer reviews may also help to increase customer satisfaction by taking a proactive approach with vendors to better understand the nature of a return or the reason for dissatisfaction.
It does seem that as Amazon grows with more products and vendors, so too does the probability of product dissatisfaction. Perhaps it’s the principle underpinning the law of large numbers.
Should there be a continued interest, I can offer my services to Amazon on a consulting basis should Amazon request assistance in improving the companies processes and procedures.
I appreciate this expressed concern from Amazon to help improve customer levels of satisfaction. I use the service extensively.
I will forward and blog this email as well as any follow up communications I may receive regarding Amazon customer care.
I hope my taking this time to respond helps Amazon to improve the customer shopping experience, and thank you.
PS: in any future communications, it would be appreciated to know to whom I am communicating with.
===============================================================
Amazon Response 10/3/2017
From: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, 03 October, 2017 12:01:14 AM PDT
Subject: Re: Your Amazon.com Returns
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to send your comments regarding your ordering experiences and the reason for the returns. We have updated your account accordingly. We’re always looking to improve the services we offer to customers, so we appreciate your feedback.
For technical help with your account, click the Contact Us button on any Amazon.com Help page to reach our Customer Service team (http://www.amazon.com/contact-us).
Thanks for your understanding.
=============================================
Yout thoughts?
Time to get politicians involved with these abusive corporate tactics? Oh, nevermind – they’re on the corporate payroll.
C.F. says
Translation: “This is an automated form letter from Amazon. We are so huge that we don’t have to care what you think.”
Pedro says
What about getting a lot of refunds when shipping says lost in transit?
Almost all my recent orders are being reported as lost in transit. What Im curious about is that in the past I contacted to report a received item that appear to be lost in transit and the rep told me he would refund that, I obviously said “ok thanks” but I’m getting worried about all this lost in transit items that I have to request refund of.
I contacted the usual chat and this time they told me that we would have to talk over the phone. I’m scared.
ThePhlegethon says
It’s the seller’s responsibility (in this case Amazon, or the person selling on their Marketplace) to ensure that the item is delivered successfully. If they aren’t insuring against loss/damage, they will end up having to eat the amount of the lost items.
Now, since this is happening repeatedly to you, my first suspicion would be theft, from your unsecured mailbox or doorstep is the most likely, but in that case the tracking information would show it as delivered. (Delivery service drops it off, marks it delivered, then someone watching your box yoinks it.) Every major package handler includes tracking these days. Have you looked up the tracking info yet? May need to inform your local law enforcement.
If it’s not showing as delivered, then the theft is occurring somewhere else along the delivery chain, by someone working in the delivery system or a sorting facility. Definitely worth mentioning when you talk to Amazon on the phone.
Pedro says
What I meant is that I keep getting the items but they all are appearing as lost in transit. When contacting them about it and saying I received them I’ve got refunds -_- (I of course wouldnt say no if they offer it)
ThePhlegethon says
Ah, sorry I misunderstood. I’ve had similar things happen – One company sent me two space heaters when I only ordered one. I called them and let them know, and they told me to send back the extra for a refund. I patiently explained to them, no, I paid for one, I got two, so I should send the extra back for NO refund. Yes that’s right, they agreed. I send it back and within a week I… got a refund. At that point, I kept the money. I tried, but when a company’s stupidity makes it too hard to be honest there’s a point at which I give up. I’ve had enough bad customer service over the years that I figure it evens out karmically.
In your case, the company’s stupidity may also lead to your account being banned. This is out of your control unless you can somehow explain to them what is actually happening. So I’d give that my absolute best shot next time, and if it still doesn’t work I’d just ride the wave of free merch until they drop the hammer. If that does happen, there are other alternatives to Amazon.
Keep us posted here?
Pedro says
Will do!
Red Cloud says
What is going on here? Are some of you E-Bay provocateurs? I have returned many items to Amazon and they are quite good about it. I even got one seller in deep doo doo because he was selling Moscow mules that were highly defective. In fact, all ordered were. They had rocker bottoms, indicating he was reselling rejected ware from some company!
Sh!tholeCountryCop says
I’m a LEO for a sleepy community. We actually had Amazon invest time and resources in prosecuting someone who was actively using return fraud. We’ve done this for other big box retailers too, Wal-Mart in particular.
Becareful with your fraudulent returns because if you get the USPS involved it becomes open season for any DA who wants low hanging fruit.
Do you understand how many people pull this? Its a daily occurrence. Sending you a warning email is pretty nice IMHO. I’ve arrested people for less.
Amazon Shopper says
The problem is that the USPS is just as culpable as Amazon is here. From just leaving packages on the doorstep (if they ever get delivered at all) to harassment of postal customers (I’ve had employees pound down my door because I threw junk mail in the trash, and their supervisor simply just excused it) to leaving work because “it’s too hard to work today”, the USPS is just as bad as Amazon is.
That being said, I have found Amazon’s return and refund policies to be more than reasonable. I’ve had to call them on things like USPS not delivering stuff (frequently), and they constantly refund or re-ship the item. It’s gotten to the point where they just skip USPS as a shipping option all together
Trish says
This is quite interesting… I have tried to return an item and was told to contact the manufacturer. Upon doing so, I was told they were not sending me a replacement because Amazon “bills” the vendors for returns. when I called the manufacture of the defective product and he said I’m not helping you as Amazon billed me back for that item. Whoa.. I have returned a lot of items sold by Amazon and fulfilled by Amazon as the majority have been defective. I personally believe that vendors send items to amazon to sell because they cannot sell it themselves and want amazon to do all the work returns etc…and due to something being wrong and hoping customers don’t file returns. But the vendors get billed so Amazon doesn’t have to pay..how did I find that out?
Rooster Coburn says
Amazon may eventually alienate too many consumers by randomly issuing arbitrary bans. They need to disclose the process or algorithm by which customers receive letters or become banned to be a transparent respectable business entity. There is no due process at present.
K says
I bought thousands of dollars worth of stuff from Amazon and one thing I bought was a $400 chair. It arrived in an old beat up box. When I opened it (with my bare hands) I noticed there was a huge knife slash in the backrest. Also, the holes for the leg screws were so much bigger than the screws! Of course I returned It!!
Next, I ordered a $500 Sony camera. When it arrived, I noticed it was a used camera, not brand new as it was supposed to be. Of course I returned It.
Then I got a warning from Amazon about too many returns in the last 12 months. I explained to them what happened and they apologized. But now I feel very uncomfortable buying from them. Obviously because I see that they repackage returns and sell them off as new even when they are damaged.
I actually feel like closing my account myself because I don’t trust them. Their easy returns are a lie.
I know many of my friends hate Amazon and I used to defend Amazon because I had good experiences with them.
Not so much anymore.
So to the Amazon employees that are commenting and defending Amazon on Here, stop being so stupid and defending Amazon’s unfair treatment of customers because otherwise, the more customers are treated disrespectfully, the more business/customers Amazon will lose, and the more business/customers they lose, the more jobs will be lost.
Angelica says
I have been a customer for several years with Amazon. I submit reviews for purchases as I can because I am disabled and unable to work. I received notice that I was banned from writing reviews. I wrote two emails explaining that I did not know what rule I had violated. I wanted information so that I could revise and resubmit any offending review. Instead Amazon sent an email telling me I was completely banned from reviews and a copy of policies was included. I live on a fixed income and truly believed that I was doing good by writing reviews on Amazon for its community to which I thought I belonged. Evidently Amazon has become a large cold and unfeeling entity where the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. I no longer wish to do business with Amazon because I feel that I have been censored without knowing exactly what I did to violate the policies. I do not feel that I should buy merchandise from an entity that does not allow me to review items. I believe Amazon’s policy of “carte blanc” banning individuals from writing reviews is too stringent and unfeeling. I found other blogs that also show the frustration of individuals being banned for reasons they did not know. I am a disabled 56 year old on a fixed income, also a US Army veteran, and former chemistry educator and so do not believe in censorship but instead in giving individuals detailed information on how they can improve or revise their reviews . I will close my account with Amazon and instead do business with other companies that allow me to write reviews on products and not sensor me.
Elvira says
People should be boycotting amazon. Good for you for closing your account. That is ridiculous what they did.
Waylan Smithers says
The answer to this is simple: feed Amazon a new email address every month and start a new account. Use Amazon Lockers, or a local chain hotel like Holiday Inn for deliveries.
You’ll get Free Prime, and in the off chance you upset the purchase/return balance you can just start over again.
F#ck off, Bezos.
Elvira says
True
Glenn Welt says
DEAR MR. BEZOS: As a successful entrepreneur with 52 years experience, I have a few suggestions so Amazon can save $ and customers at the same time:
1. Product testing. Brick & mortar buyers do it (and I did with my retail businesses). It eliminates returns of defective goods which saves you money and reduces customer disappointments.
2. Use AI to inform customers of what you consider to be potentially excessive return behavior(s, rather than paying EMOTIONALhumans to determine who & when email warnings are sent.
3. Rather than banning customers, employ the system used by Best Buy. If someone reaches your “excessive return” level, give them notice that they won’t be allowed to return ANYTHING for a period of time or number of new purchases.
Larry Henderson says
To Amazon and unhappy customers. I think the word here is SUE, SUE, SUE Amazon. Looks to me a great case for a” class action lawsuit with injuries. I think
a good Constitutional attorney could turn the cards around.
Does anybody remember W.T. Grant? a Great company for 100 years until they forgot Mom and Pop. To Amazon I would say that America and Americans
have been good to you. They have made your business BUT they can put you in BANKRUCTEY as well. Just take a little loss , mark it as “inventory shrinkage” and
a good tax deduction. Folks elect a committee of 25 famous people ,have everybody Donate $5.00 , deposit it to the court and go get them
Hansine says
I’m so sad about this attitude coming from Amazon. I’m sure they have a problem, but is this the way to solve it? I trusted them. I have been a member for years. I do almost all my shopping there because I trust them and the ability to return products with problems. Who wants to return packages!? Almost all of my returns are due to poor sellers and bad packaging or never receiving a product. There seems to be a real upswing of bad to marginal sellers. This feels like a real breach of faith that I have to pay to participate in. Suggestions for other and better places to shop online?