Amazon Return Policy Favors Buyers – Sellers Left Unprotected (Real Case)
Dear Amazon Sellers,
I’m writing to share a troubling experience I had with Amazon’s return policy — one that shows how vulnerable we, as sellers, really are.
A customer recently bought 11 pieces of cable from me and returned them in a damaged condition. I contacted Amazon Support, and they confirmed that the damage was caused by the buyer — not due to shipping, fulfillment, or any fault on my end.
Despite that, Amazon still deducted the product cost from my account, and I was not reimbursed. I asked the support agent if the buyer was charged for damaging the items, and the answer was no. Their policy does not allow for reimbursement in cases of damaged packaging, missing seals, or boxes that differ from the original — even when the customer is clearly at fault.
To make a point, I used a hypothetical example in my chat:
“So if Jeff Bezos starts selling on Amazon, I can buy a $5,000 product from him, return it damaged, and still get my full refund — and Jeff, the seller, eats the loss?”
The agent replied, “Well, you have a point with that.”
This makes it painfully clear:
Buyers can damage products and face no consequences.
Sellers are left to absorb the cost.
Amazon emphasizes customer satisfaction — and we get that. But sellers deserve protection too, especially when buyers misuse the return system.
If you've faced something similar, I’d like to hear your experience. It’s time we speak up and push for fairer policies that don’t penalize honest sellers.
Amazon Return Policy Favors Buyers – Sellers Left Unprotected (Real Case)
Dear Amazon Sellers,
I’m writing to share a troubling experience I had with Amazon’s return policy — one that shows how vulnerable we, as sellers, really are.
A customer recently bought 11 pieces of cable from me and returned them in a damaged condition. I contacted Amazon Support, and they confirmed that the damage was caused by the buyer — not due to shipping, fulfillment, or any fault on my end.
Despite that, Amazon still deducted the product cost from my account, and I was not reimbursed. I asked the support agent if the buyer was charged for damaging the items, and the answer was no. Their policy does not allow for reimbursement in cases of damaged packaging, missing seals, or boxes that differ from the original — even when the customer is clearly at fault.
To make a point, I used a hypothetical example in my chat:
“So if Jeff Bezos starts selling on Amazon, I can buy a $5,000 product from him, return it damaged, and still get my full refund — and Jeff, the seller, eats the loss?”
The agent replied, “Well, you have a point with that.”
This makes it painfully clear:
Buyers can damage products and face no consequences.
Sellers are left to absorb the cost.
Amazon emphasizes customer satisfaction — and we get that. But sellers deserve protection too, especially when buyers misuse the return system.
If you've faced something similar, I’d like to hear your experience. It’s time we speak up and push for fairer policies that don’t penalize honest sellers.
0 replies
Seller_mS10UjVYuuGor
I'm pleased to see you apologised for your language but you shouldn't have used it in the first place, you were lucky the Amazon employee didn't end the chat and report the abuse.
Your issue isn't with Amazon policy, it is with distance selling regulations, customers can open packets/boxes and still return items if they don't like them or have ordered the wrong thing. In many cases the product itself may come back damaged, dirty or otherwise unsaleable but the law is on the customers side. Sadly we all have to price in an element of this happening and stop selling lines that get returned too often to be profitable.
Seller_JPqEdMxSWrGCF
It's sad but true unfortunately, they favour the customers buying experience over the sellers. I've had countless products returned to me with holes in them, burn marks or pieces cut off so the customer can use it and return the rest. It should be a fairer system where individual cases are looked into rather than just claiming businesses have to accept returns end of. The customer service team has no power to do anything, I've tried pleading my cases in the worst situations when they are obviously customer damaged but the response it always blunt just like this.
Seller_mS10UjVYuuGor
I am always be happy to be proved wrong if it helps strengthen my position as a seller.
With that in mind, you've made this statement that you believe to be law:
I appreciate you can't post links but are you able to quote from the dot gov dot uk website where distance selling regulations state a returned item 'must be in saleable condition' please? I'm struggling to find the words 'saleable condition'. Thank you.
Seller_sg54Fq7GfBZzn
We see it, and now Amazon to boot have started adding "Frequently returned" to items where customers have damaged items, giving you a double whammy.
We have a product that is shipped and specifically says on the box "Hand wash only, remove the base before washing", then an information sheet inside saying the same and explaining why.
However, time after time, customers put the item with batteries no less into a dishwasher and then open a return saying "its damaged" and we have to suck up not only the return costs but product loss too.
We file Safe T but to be honest it should not be happening in the first place.
For the item, the batteries concerned are sealed in the base. So who in their right frame of mind would put something with batteries in it that says remove base and handwash only, into a dishwasher ? but they do.
We have had a note on the base added, information sheet, box data and still, they do it and then say oh no it hasnt been.
When catagorically the only way for the batteries to become wet and corroded is immersion in fluids, there is no other way.
We fill the item up to the top when its returned to check for defect and every single time, not one leak.
So then how does the base become saturated with water or juice ? its impossible and beyond the laws of physics, which is why we then have moved away from certain products and stopped selling them on here, as frankly its shocking so it becomes more worthwhile to sell them on our own platform.
Bad Buyers are never going to turn into good buyers and Amazon should recognise that. Bad buyers are bad for their profits, our profits and everyones reputation. If someone commits fraud once and gets away with it they become emboldened to do it again and again.
Perhaps if they were removed and Amazon said hey press release "we are removing bad customers and they are blocked for life" then people would stop
Seller_iGn5rdhr8POnY
"if Jeff Bezos starts selling on Amazon"
That's a totally wild example!
