Temporary changes to refund and reimbursement policies for seller-fulfilled orders
We are making some temporary changes to our refund process and Seller Fulfilled Prime refund reimbursement policies.
For all seller-fulfilled orders (Prime and non-Prime):
- From May 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020 (the "extension period"), we are temporarily increasing the time you have to process returned items and refund customers to 14 calendar days for returns delivered to you during this period. The required return processing time will revert to two calendar days after May 31, 2020.
For Amazon prepaid return label returns (Prime and non-Prime):
- During the extension period, the seller reimbursement filing window will be temporarily increased to 90 calendar days. You can submit SAFE-T claims for refunds issued in the prior 90 days during this period. The filing window for SAFE-T claims will revert to 60 days after May 31, 2020.
- You may also file a SAFE-T claim for refunds that you issued during the extension period. These claims will be processed in the same manner as standard SAFE-T claims in which Amazon Customer Service issues a refund to a customer.
- During the SAFE-T claim investigation process, Amazon investigators typically allow you up to a week to provide any required additional information before closing a claim. During this extension period, we will keep your claims open to give you additional time to submit any additional information. Your claim status will remain in “Awaiting Seller Response” status until we receive your response to the questions. After May 31, 2020, the time to provide additional information for claims will revert to one week, after which the claim will be closed.
- In line with the extension of the customer return window, during the extension period you will need to wait 30 days to file a "Lost in transit" claim for any refund issued by Amazon during the extension period.
These changes are temporary and subject to the timelines mentioned above. Our standard SAFE-T claim process will resume policy starting on May 31, 2020.
For more information, visit the following Help pages:
Seller_sUfyk7ajzPzny
All in all, I believe that most members of our Seller Community will find this response to unprecedented circumstances welcome.
Whether or not Reality ACTUALLY reflects this published policy remains to be seen, but Dum Spiro Spero…
Seller_vRjLIkw0bymR6
they shouldn’t be allowing apparel items to come back at all during this time
Seller_GpxiEwTpYANyX
This mostly good news (Thanks Amazon…something I dont write often) allowing more time for sellers to process returns but we will try to stay within the 2 day window for most non-problematic returns (purchase by mistake or no longer wanted or needed and actually comes back to us same as shipped, brand new, unused or unopened).
Though I have to imagine that this came about because Amazon is getting pummeled with returns following an onslaught of buying over the past few weeks (like many of us).
Seller_QVOKhsH8UQsax
How do I file a claim if buyer never received the item and we refunded. Do we file with usps or with amazon? If amazon, where? We used Buy Shipping
Thank you
Seller_TDUBmq5zVK0Ah
Seller_R2dP7Hunjcdj0
So, if I am reading this correctly, Amazon has now RESTORED processing SAFE-T Claims even IF you have given a Refund? I was certain that the NEW policy was that if you refund ANYTHING you may NOT file a SAFE-T Claim.
So, either Amazon has gone-back to the old policy, or “the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing”. For example, just two days ago I received a response from Amazon based on a “Case” I created where I simply requested a Telephone Call from Seller Support, preferably a U.S. based Seller Support. I had to create a case for this because Amazon has REMOVED the “Phone Call” option when creating a new case.
So, of course, the official reply from Amazon was detailed instructions on where and how to request a phone call using the request a call option THAT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE…
Since I told them that what they directed me to do no longer exists as an option I have yet to get a reply…
Amazon is a runaway train with no one but A.I. software in control…
Seller_X7OBF6xVWmHSX
Excellent news.
It would also be great if the SAFE-T claims would be processed on time, more or less. We have one case that is over 40 days now and another that is 15 days old. And we had some cases in between that were processed within a few days. When we email the safe-t team and ask them for an update we get either no reply at all or a message saying “thanks for submitting an appeal, we will review that…”, even though we don’t appeal anything - we are simply asking what’s taking so long.
Seller_C1tmJmMY82XSX
Glad to hear it. Wish they had implemented this at the same time they announced the extended return window for customers, but better late than never.
Seller_7y8JzCDDg5Bcz
Seems very reasonable. The actual resolution from foreign seller support will be a different story
Seller_j4dnWFZClduMC
Will this change be articulated to buyers as well? Because as necessary as this change is to allow sellers to properly quarantine and/or disinfect any returns that are received, I fully expect that this change in policy will result in an uptick of A-to-Z Claims for any fraudulent returns that we would normally let auto-refund and then submit a Safe-T Claim for reimbursement.
