Update to seller-fulfilled refund process by January 26, 2026
Effective January 26, 2026, the Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) refund process will be updated to improve your return management experience and give you more time to assess returns.
The processing window for refunds will extend from two business days to four calendar days before Automated Refund triggers. For most return delivery days, you'll gain additional processing time under this change.
If you don't process a refund within four calendar days of receiving a returned item, we may issue an automatic refund. In these cases, you won't be eligible for Seller Assurance for e-Commerce Transactions (SAFE-T) claim reimbursement except for specific situations such as when returned items are lost in transit or delivery confirmation was incorrect through no fault of your own. In these cases, since you did not receive the item for assessment, you can still file a SAFE-T claim for reimbursement.
We recommend that you use the Guided Refund workflow (GRW), which allows you to grade returned items, apply appropriate restocking fees, and upload evidence when items are returned in a different condition than shipped.
To learn how to use the Guided Refund workflow, go to Issue a partial refund.
For more information about SAFE-T claims, go to Reimbursement for seller-fulfilled orders.
Update to seller-fulfilled refund process by January 26, 2026
Effective January 26, 2026, the Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) refund process will be updated to improve your return management experience and give you more time to assess returns.
The processing window for refunds will extend from two business days to four calendar days before Automated Refund triggers. For most return delivery days, you'll gain additional processing time under this change.
If you don't process a refund within four calendar days of receiving a returned item, we may issue an automatic refund. In these cases, you won't be eligible for Seller Assurance for e-Commerce Transactions (SAFE-T) claim reimbursement except for specific situations such as when returned items are lost in transit or delivery confirmation was incorrect through no fault of your own. In these cases, since you did not receive the item for assessment, you can still file a SAFE-T claim for reimbursement.
We recommend that you use the Guided Refund workflow (GRW), which allows you to grade returned items, apply appropriate restocking fees, and upload evidence when items are returned in a different condition than shipped.
To learn how to use the Guided Refund workflow, go to Issue a partial refund.
For more information about SAFE-T claims, go to Reimbursement for seller-fulfilled orders.
135 replies
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
Does this mean that there is no more RFS, where the refund is issued before we even see the item?
Seller_hM9IUEq2cEzBY
So, Safe-T claims are basically eliminated. I like how they dropped this news on December 22, when everyone is too busy to really notice.
I love how as return fraud and abuse is getting worse and worse, instead of taking steps to reduce it, Amazon just keeps reducing our protections so we take more of the cost of their failed system and policies we can not control.
"...will be updated to improve your return management experience..."
NOPE.
Seller_r9wMm8LrE5iKj
AW H*LL NO.
We can only SAFE-T if we let Amazon refund. This often takes more than 4 days. THIS WILL LEAD TO SO MUCH ABUSE, WHICH AMAZON CONSIDERS A FEATURE, NOT A BUG. It also removes our rights when there isn't abuse, and makes this even less like a return on any other platform/B&M store.
What is the point of saying "may" or "in certain cases" and then sending us to documentation that hasn't been updated to describe your policy? A policy that's not in writing is not a policy, it's license for the platform to act capriciously and leave sellers with no other options than lawyering up.
And stop representing these kicks in the groin as improvements. You're implying we're stupid on top of implying you hate us. In order to reduce your concerns about terminal illness, and to alleviate having to pay your rent, I hope you get hit by a bus.
Seller_SPqyukjiOB8bx
"except for specific situations such as when returned items are lost in transit"
Yet you deny any SAFE-T claim when we file one for when it is lost in transit. This is a lie.
Seller_jvfhuXWiqaKrs
" you won't be eligible for Seller Assurance for e-Commerce Transactions (SAFE-T) claim reimbursement except for specific situations such as..."
Amazon Team, can you please provide the complete list of eligible exceptions?
Seller_KvuXBL1ug1xuU
this is laughable, so now instead of having 60 days to file a safe-T claim we now have 4 days? Gee thanks amazon for "improving our returns managment experence"
below is the current 60 day policy from Amazon....which is now changing to 4 days??? seriously?
"2. SAFE-T claim guidelines
You must follow all the below guidelines for your request for reimbursement to be considered.
Claims must be submitted in Seller Central within 60 calendar days of a refund being charged to your account or receipt of the returned item in the case of a free replacement.
Only refunds issued by Amazon to buyers on your behalf are eligible for reimbursements. You are not eligible for reimbursement if the refund was issued by you."
Seller_I9VhpeuVrEsmU
I have a question. On occasion, a buyer returns an incorrect item (accidentally or intentionally) and we message the buyer and process the refund with 100 percent restocking and upload the images. In these instances of 100 percent restocking, Seller Central doesn't show that a refund was done with 100 percent restocking and even screenshots are difficult to get because you can only see the 100 percent restocking up until the point that you submit the entry. If Amazon then subsequently refunds the buyer with our funds, how do we prove that we issued a refund with 100 percent restocking ? In other words, when the refund is $ 0.00 it doesn't show up as a refund with 100 percent restocking at least visible in the seller portal.
KJ_Amazon
Hello, Sellers. Thanks for the questions about this policy update.
I reached out to our partner team and received clarification about this update:
Please note that RFS (Refund at First Scan) is not being eliminated. When Amazon issues prepaid return labels, RFS will continue to work as it currently does.
This new policy only applies to returns where Amazon has not issued an RFS through return requests authorized through Amazon’s prepaid return label program. For these cases, sellers will have 4 calendar days to process the refund after receiving the returned item. Currently, sellers must issue refunds within 2 business days of receiving a return.
"except for specific situations such as when returned items are lost in transit"
Yet you deny any SAFE-T claim when we file one for when it is lost in transit. This is a lie.
The SAFE-T Claim help page is being updated to account for items lost in return transit. Please share any Case IDs about recent claims lost due to a lost return shipment.
Seller_M5ttzklmZrgD6
To be clear, does this effectively prevent SAFE-T Claims from being filed for any order that isn't refunded at first scan? In the past, we could wait for an order to be auto-refunded and then file a SAFE-T Claim for reimbursement. Why is this feature being removed?
