Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered a similar situation and to seek advice on how to handle it effectively.

As an international seller, we offer both Seller fulfilment (FBM) and Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) options for our customers across different countries.

Recently, we had a customer in the USA who placed a Seller Fulfilled order from our UK warehouse on October 27th to the USA. A week later, they noticed that we had sent out stock available through FBA and contacted an Amazon representative. The representative advised them to place a new order through the FBA stock (which was placed on November 5th) and to request a return for the original Seller Fulfilled order. They were assured that they would receive a full refund, including the shipping costs, once the return was processed. This guidance was given despite the fact that the initial order had already been dispatched and delivered by USPS to their address, shortly after.

To my knowledge, Amazon's Terms & Conditions specify that shipping costs for Seller Fulfilled orders are non-refundable unless the item is defective or the wrong product was received. Moreover, if the customer decides to return the item, they are typically responsible for covering the return shipping costs to our designated local return address.

I believe the advice given by the Amazon representative was incorrect and misleading. Instead of directing the customer to resolve the issue directly with us, they were promised a full refund, including shipping costs, which goes against Amazon's policy for Seller Fulfilled orders.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback or insights from other international sellers who have experienced similar situations. Am I correct in assuming that once a customer places a Seller Fulfilled order and agrees to the shipping charges, these costs are non-refundable unless there is a defect or error with the product?

Looking forward to your thoughts and input.

Thanks in advance