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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Liam says
When you make a purchase in a higher level of prices than normal, your account is deactivated. When you purchase more than 4 gift cards , the last one is cancelled and you cannot purchase more than 3 in the same day if not your account is deactivated.
Taken advantage of says
ContentNegotiation631m
I had Amazon demand money for prime wardrobe items that I had returned over two months ago.
And the week before I had them contact me about them demanding money for my prime membership because it expired and it had not expired it expires in October, I had to argue with them over this in their chat. I waited a few hours contacted another agent through chat to try to agin dispute this, I got a different customer service agent this time and apparently it was a mistake, my membership is not up. OK but if I had submitted to your previous customer service agent you would’ve stole my money and suspended my account?!?!
I have been a member for years, I always return my items, I have never not returned my items and now they are claiming that I didn’t return items that I sent back over a month ago?!? It’s also funny how they’re picking in choosing only the expensive items that I’ve returned something definitely doesn’t smell right.
I did my job on my end they did not do their job on their end and then trying to steal for me is infuriating!!!
Given that they make so many mistakes on their end, they delivered my treadmill to somebody else twice and could not locate it!!! does that mean I get money for both treadmills, because I didn’t receive it???? The agent says well it shows delivered that was Again another time consuming argument and then after I spent hours straightening it out, they again deliver it to somebody else’s home after I spoke to them giving them proper instructions on how to get to my home and no this was not during the pandemic. Amazon has always made errors and now the stealing from customers?!?!?
Amazon you make too many mistakes!! now you have no quality control over your customer service agents or your warehouse agents because they’re ripping customers off. Maybe you should take some more time during the hiring process and hire people that don’t steal this is not acceptable.
Something is going on with Amazon they’re trying to rip off customers now, I wouldn’t use prime wardrobe if I were you because you are going to lose money and they’re going to charge you for all items even though you return them.
You will be left having already return all the items and charged for them too. You will be left empty handed and amazon will take your money and keep all items.
DO NOT USE PRIME WARDROBE!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s an Amazon scam to fraudulently steal funds from customers.
Charles says
I had very bad experience with amazon ofm office who kept emailing me threatening me when I asked for items that were not even delivered to me but were at their warehouse or taken by the delivery guy and I found their notes saying item is at their warehouse but they refuse to refund till now .hen I send them email asking for refunds their customer officers keep changing and I have to explain to them all over again .they promise to give me refunds but did not honour their words .when I wrote in kept asking for my refunds they close my account when I have ordered 800 items since December due to lock down here and am asking refund for 80 items thar not shipped to me .on top of that I return laptops that came damaged within weeks as they came from China and send photo proofs to amazon that I am sending items over but theystill hadn’t refunded me for that .most recently on the 12th May I returned a kids dreser that costs 150 as the delivery men here are thugs and he dumped the items at the common corridor at 11pm on a Saturday and the wood item was badly damaged.yet amazon has not refunded me for that item either and closed my account. I have been very honest with them taking photos of damaged items and even video of their delivery man dumping heavy bottles of detergents at my doorsteps and broke my doorsteps but amazon staffs can’t be bothered and only gave me lip service they will make sure it wont happen again and that they will refund me but till now they hadn’t. Amazon owe me 5000 in refund which they owe me since February this year and they closed my account when I kept asking for my refunds
Matt says
Charlie, if you ordered 800 items from December to February, and you returned 80 of them. And you are saying Amazon owes you 5k in returns. How much money do you make? And where are you putting everything?
Autumn says
I think the most important thing here is, LEARN HOW TO READ TERMS AND CONDITIONS, FAQs, and FINE PRINTS.
All of the return issues you have like tier system and non returnable items are on their help page.
These type of complaints above can mostly be avoided if you READ things.
Delivery issues are mainly because of the companies that delivers them.
I personally don’t get those people who buy clothes online and then complain that it has issues with sizing or style or quality.
BUY from an ACTUAL PHYSICAL STORE where you can try it on, check the quality before actually buying it.
TIP:
1. Don’t buy things online that doesn’t have reviews. I mostly look for the negative reviews hidden in the positive reviews, to gauge if it’s worth it.
2. READ return policy not just the headlines
3. Allot time for delivery. Set expectation for sudden delays or unexpected non delivery.
There is no system that is perfect. We should all know that, specially as big as Amazon who has different company partners that helps with fulfilling orders.
Malcolm says
They offer the ability to try on and return clothes for a reason :) Obviously some people may not have access to stores that carry what they want in rural areas.
Michael Lucas says
First, I’m not sure how ANY company can offer you extra services (1. Faster Shipping, 2. Free Shipping, AND what is clearly meant to convey worry-free shopping, without you having to go out to a physical store to try stuff on, 3. FREE RETURNS for ANY reason and for 30 days) You shouldn’t get to ask people to pay extra for the peace of mind of not having to worry if something will fit right, sound right, match your home, or any other issue that might keep you from using Amazon in favor of a Brick and Morter While receiving EVERY benefit of that arrangement (1. You are MUCH more likely to go ahead and buy from Amazon, thinking that you pay for the privilege of returning ANY and ALL items you buy, for ANY reason you deem necessary. 2. Charging you a monthly fee for said privileges, 3. Then, without even hinting that they don’t really mean ANY reason, despite saying exactly that, they get to decide when to end access to your account, so they can keep only the highest profit margin customers. Do I get the option also of demanding that someone investigate how it is that EVERY small item that I have returned has been super smooth in getting a refund. Yet the more expensive items, which seemed to have the same easy refundability early on, have steadily degraded in service so much that EVERY single item over the last year has had the SAME EASY-TO-SEE SCAM affecting it, such that every single item has been tracked by ups to have been returned and delivered to Amazon within 4 days, yet, these and only these items are the ones that Amazon doesn’t see sitting in their facility, doesn’t track AT ALL with every one of them still sitting there untouched, and untracked after 15-30 days IN THEIR FACILITY, and forcing me to call in, and MAKE THEM look at UPS’s tracking, to prove its been there far too long… ESPECIALLY when you consider that I use my Amazon Prime Store Card always, and will end up paying interest on the returned items for every day they sat in their “don’t scan in ever” pile of big items.. How has no state Attorney General sued them for charging for this service, profiting from the arrangement in every way, and abusing their status when they think that any customer might get their money’s worth. Unreal
Bash says
I totally agree with you, Michael.
Amazon is making billions and yet they keep chasing and annoying customer’s about some returns. It’s ridiculous and they can get away with it because they are Amazon. When you return an item, there are options like (no longer wanted or needed) or (quality or performance not adequate), so these options clearly indicate that Amazon is giving us flexible option where in reality they are not. Instead, their CIS decision will send you an email claiming that they want you to help them improve their services, whereas in reality, it’s a warning. The return policy should give you some peace of mind knowing that you can return an item if there is anything wrong with it. However, if you’re stressed about ordering and returning item this means that they are taking away from the joy of shopping. I’m not happy with them the way I used to be, and I wish there was a better alternative to switch to. Although, if you live in the UK, I would highly recommend Currys PC Words for electronics, not once have they given me trouble for returning an item.
Tracy McCart says
We should all start a class action suit against them. If there are any lawyers out there we’re interested!
Fyou_Amazon says
I once purchased something from Amazon which was “new” but turned out to be used, i.e. the box was obviously opened. Probably they did not check the returned item very carefully, or the Amazon staff intentionally opened it. I contacted the customer service for investigation but I did not ask for return or refund because I was worried about the bad record, they said they would resolve the problem internally but refused to give me any feedback or report. I don’t believe that they will really take it seriously.
However, for the next time if get something manipulated again, I will not give in anymore
Wicked World says
A lot of items for sale on Amazon are FBA items (fulfilled By Amazon) Yes they are Shipped and Sold to the end customer by Amazon but the actual item has been sent to a Amazon Warehouse to be sold by an everyday person like you and me.
Amazon routinely loses or breaks the items people send in to sell and low balls the seller on value to be reimbursed. Sometimes the loss of one item may mean you have to sell the other 6 at hoped for price just to break even and get your money back you had invested on the 7 to begin with.
Which may take several months to sell to boot.
Other sellers tank prices by trying to be the lowest and having repricing software that undercuts everyone else by 1 penny, making you ultimately after Amazon selling fees often lose money and sell for less than what it cost to buy and send in.
You also get customers of Amazon that buy an item then break it, wear it, use it or say they found it cheaper somewhere else a month or more later and Amazon accepts the return, but the person who pays is the seller that sent it to Amazon for sale.
Amazon charges this seller, I normally pay a return fee of about $5, which wipes the profit on the item if it even sold again, which items have to be new unopened to sell as new and often the customers opened it. So you also have to pay to have it shipped back to you to inspect if its a total loss or can be shipped back in, which costs you again and you have to have enough other stuff to make the shipping fee of say $20 be worth sending stuff in.
This customer also has wasted a few months, the time it was sent to them, another month to send it back to Amazon, another to get it shipped to you, then a few weeks to send back into Amazon and be at the facilty and up for sale again. All that time someone who would have actually kept the item can’t buy it because it’s tied up with this a-ho. It also might be seasonal, so now it’s winter and swim suits or vice versa aren’t selling, so you have Amazon storage fees.
Also sometimes when a customer returns an item Amazon may decide its still in sellable condition. If you don’t pay and wait/waste time having it shipped to you to inspect, then if it really isn’t in new condition, then the next customer may claim such and you get in trouble with Amazon as selling not New Items when reality is some jerk just changed their mind and returned it and Amazon didn’t look close and relisted it. Amazon often just says it was customer damaged / unsellable condition to cover themselves and you get to waste time and money to have it returned to you, just to find out it was never opened and still in brand new condition.
Also with Amazon returns a lot of people do like they do on eBay, they buy a New item and then return their old used one in the box. These returns get resold and the next buyer or the seller gets burned or Amazon sells to people that buy returns pallets to resell and they get burned having paid for New items and wind up with boxes of used garbage.
It’s the everyday seller that supplies Amazon with the items you see for sale that is paying for and losing because of return abuse.
Just like I also sell on eBay and routinely get burned by customers that buy and change their mind and want to cancel. PayPal doesn’t return the transaction fees including the 2.9% which is also on the sales tax amount, item & shipping, even if the purchase is canceled.
Or customers claim the item was defective, not as described, missing parts, now the seller is out the original shipping cost, the time wasted selling and delivering the item AND have to pay to have it shipped back. on top of that lots of pc’s of S buyers send back something other than what was sent to them or have damaged the item to where it can’t be sold as originally was. Amazon & eBay charge fees to sellers to list items, to sell items and other fees like the transactional / final value fees.
It’s really inconsiderate to the sellers, the scammy crap many, many buyers do and they wrongfully think they’re just sticking it to Amazon or eBay when reality is they are harming someone like themselves that is just trying to get by selling online to make a living. Possibly like myself, injured after working 1/3 of a century at a factory and trying to survive selling online since my body is damaged after all those decades of 7 day on, 1 day off, rotating shifts and such. No one is making a buyer click the buy button and agree to purchase at the price listed. It’s wrong for a seller to be punished when they shipped the item listed, for the price listed and delivered it in the time listed that the buyer agreed to when they paid for the item(s).
You are supposed to be entering a binding contract, a man/woman is only as good as his word and I guarantee the lot of you that abuse this system, would rightfully be upset if you sold items to have the buyer come back later saying they changed their mind or found it cheaper elsewhere or lying about the condition you delivered it, etc. Especially when you get stuck with fees and loss of money because of their whimsical whishy washy or often untruthful and don’t care attitude. Like they are owed something beyond the delivery of the item as originally listed & they give zero F’s how it hurts or costs you or others because of their inconsideration, untruthfulness or changing their mind.
Michael Lucas says
see my comment above, and please don’t use anecdotal evidence or arguments, I would like to hear your point of view about the glaring issues with amazons policy here, and how it is not fraudulent for them to ENTER INTO A BINDING AGREEMENT, in which i pay for extra services, only to find out years later that its only binding as long as Amazon is coming out far ahead vs the value the customer actually receives. Thanks.
ThatGirlTammy says
Thanks for this detailed explanation of the seller’s side of things. I’m sorry you have to see such a bad side of what sounds like way too many people. I can certainly understand your frustration. I learned a lot from your post. It’s sad how entitled some people feel. My reply is just a word of encouragement to let you know I respect you working for a living and am sorry you have to deal with so much garbage in this self-centered, disrespectful society we seem to be living in more and more. Keep your chin up; at least some of us admire your entrepreneurship and endurance. Just remember, most people willing to knowingly harm others for their own gain are usually selfish and actually hurting deep inside. Try to find understanding that maybe they’d be different people if their upbringing had been different, or maybe some terrible things they endured hadn’t happened to them. One never really knows, but I thank the Lord often for my loving parents and many other blessings in my life. It helps me smile at the grumpy person or rude person that just pissed me off. Lol. It might be the first smile or greeting they’ve had in a while. Hang in there! :)
Keven says
Amazon sells stuff that’s not as described on the website. Such as glasses fanatic are a different size then there web site shows. Or what the do is sell a return as new. Also found that most of their customer reps are full of it and read from a scrip. Also they delete bad reveiws instead of posting.
Jeanette says
Amazon closed my account after 10 years being with them and I did not receive a warning email only a email saying they closed my account. I have asked them why and also asked for them to explain how many items I have returned. They did not answer me back. I have only sent back one item ever. Amazon is still charging my card for prime when they have kicked me off and not I can not get in touch with them.
Kim H says
Go tou your bank and start the process of not paying Amazon. Or get a new bank card. If you are unable to use your account, legally they can’t keep charging you.
Stephanie says
Same thing here they banned me in August for too many returns and I had no idea that was even a thing? I do know I have spent well over 20k just since March of this year with Amazon and yeah some of the stuff I returned, some stuff I was going to return but instead a friend bought from me, some stuff I decided not to return and kept. I got zero warning, they did not complete the returns that were in route to them at the time of the cancellation of my account, they continued to charge my accounts as I had several cards on my payment methods. I’m a shopaholic I spend a lot of money on lots of different items. It’s bullshit they Continue to bill you for services you no longer receive. Also it is very inconvenient when something breaks after they cancel your account and you cannot get into your account to prove proof of purchase to a manufacturing company such as my handheld vac made Shark.
Tim says
Did Tuan get his account back? It’s not clear from the article.
Jeanette – you got banned for one return? How may items did you buy?
Lori says
The problem with Amazon is they don’t want to be held accountable to their lying lousy drivers. Ever since I signed up for Amazon Prime, my packages have ended up in the weirdest, unsafest places and ALL the drivers posted they handed the package directly to someone when the hadn’t. Complaints about drivers have gone on deaf ears! Amazon likes to pretend they care about the customer by allowing us the opportunity to map out our delivery instructions. I mean how hard can it be for the driver to follow a note that says “Please don’t leave packages in lobby. Please deliver to my apartment door”? Yet 9 out of 10 times the driver just throws your package wherever it is convenient for them and will lie about it! I’ve asked customer service myself “as a Prime member aren’t I paying to have my packages delivered to my door?” for which I was told yes! But still, packages wind up wherever they wind up. Why am I paying for a service I don’t get?
Bottom line, Amazon could care less about you as a customer. If they ban you, they still have millions of other customer willing to do the job the Amazon drivers are supposed to do. Most of you won’t demand refunds when deliver services are lacking. Most of you will just grumble to your friends or post on line where it doesn’t matter. Most of you will NOT challenge Amazon on their shady policies and shadier drivers. I have documented proof Amazon drivers have lied about where they left packages. I have video taped drivers refusing to deliver packages directly to the resident. I have complained ad nauseum to Amazon logistics who promised they would reach out to the local hub. Still, packages end up where they end up.
All I know is if more disgruntled customers would do more in the way of demanding refunds for legitimately mis-delivered items or stopped shopping at Amazon all together, Amazon might actually do something about rogue delivery drivers. Just saying.
Jess says
I fortunately haven’t had too much trouble with Amazon delivery, but there was one time a package was marked as “delivered to a resident”… and no one in the house had received a package in the past week, let alone that day. My partner’s son found it after he almost ran it over (fortunately he checks his mirrors!); it’d been thrown in the driveway *on the side of our house*, behind the cars! I guess now it’s not only corporations but cars too that count as people.
Gina says
I swear you sound like me! I had a driver, take a picture, which I thought had been my home. And upon closer inspection, it wasn’t. Considering I have identifiable hooks, plants ect.This was AFTER I canceled my PRIME.I went Apes**t! I knew it wasn’t my driver, I get so many boxes, I can’t open my door. I understand that tactic, send the thief so not only will I crawl back, and get a Ring Doorbell too. They take months to send my orders sometimes. I neverminded that. But there are too few of us to do anything, or who won’t. I mean no one complains about gouging and increased fees on subscription for lesser service. They poke their noses up glad they can afford it, and you don’t have it. Everything has changed and larger population has bowed. Its going to get worse. Rules, expectations, have degraded.
corinne says
I’d love to file some kind of class action against them. I just don’t know where to start. and I don’t have the finances to fight with them.
peter snyferman says
can you open an account if your banned…say at friend’s address w different card, or do they track name?
D naly says
Amazon is a crock company, i have received expired items and broken and used from them, on top they play with prices, when i buy $ 50 item and withing the return period its drops to $12 why should I keep it ????? Why don’t I buy the $12 and return the $50 , why should i lose while amazon vaccumes my money and all customers?
I
Ch says
Amazon is too big. Even if they close a few thousand accounts they still have billions of customers. I will keep returning shitty items, because that’s what they sell, until they close my account. Everything comes from overseas and it is either broken, low quality, not as described, or only works for a month. Amazon is the biggest scam in in the online retail history.
mdeo says
Why do you order from them?
Gabriel Chiararia says
Same thing here.
I returned a lot of computer parts recently because I wanted to try them to see which one was best. I mistakenly return one item wrong (right box, but different product inside – same brand, layout, color and everything, just the power was different), and I believe that was the trigger to close my account.
I have a return of $120 that is still pending, $13 gift card, and the $60 item that I wrongly return that they won’t send me back. So yeah, I’m losing almost $200 because I returned too many items…
I guess I’ll start using eBay, and I’ll only orders things that are only available on amazon if I get my account back (or I might create another account with my wife’s name, different credit card and only use it on my phone not connected to the wi-fi so they don’t track my IP and ban this other account as well).
Secret says
Did you ever get your account back? I’m scared of returning items for fear of getting my account banned
Bash says
You see this is the part that I find unacceptable.
A customer shouldn’t be scared of returning something they don’t want! But this is how Amazon intimidates you and scare you, so you won’t return items. I’m still returning things for valid reasons, but I won’t lie; I won’t be surprised if they decide to close my account. I’ve received several emails from CIS, so if they decide to close my account, it might be for the best, and I’ll spend my money elsewhere. Try Currys PC world for electronics, they are much better and flexible when it comes to returning items.
Robert says
What about failure to pickup from Amazon locker. I mostly pickup and make a lot of orders, however, once and a while I miss them and today I missed picking up and wonder if they’ll warn me or close the account.
paul says
It doesn’t matter how much the item costs, they go buy the return ratio of how many items you ordered, for example if you ordered 50 items they expect you to return 5% of that 50 items, it does not matter if you order a $10,000 item and return it if your return rate is in sensible order then your account wont be banned and your name wont be affected, it’s done by computers who judge who they think its abusing the system, but sadly Amazon doesn’t properly explain it on terms and conditions
Linda says
Is there a way to see what your return rate is or do you have to go down the orders and do your own math?
steve johnson says
It doesn’t state the return rate on terms and condition’s my advice keep it below %10 of your orders, otherwise you could end up with a gentle warning from amazing by email first, and that’s when to stop otherwise life time Ban, America has a problem with account Bans they don’t properly explain that’s why it become a terrible stink up in 2018 on the News
Linda Brann says
I’m glad I found this – I went over my 2020 orders and I’ve returned 25 things (out of 188 orders, many with multiple items). I’m on a dangerous slope right now.
Sara says
Me too! Any suggestions on what to reply to cts@email?
Simon says
If Amazon approves the return should be ok different counties different rules
Holly H says
I just tried to return 8 unread kindle books and was forbade!! I am SO upset!!
jude jardine says
I have been ordering from Amazon for 10 years. The most recent order I attempted to make made it through the payment method page, then the next page showed tems on my order marked with notes: the first one said the item could not be shipped to my chosen address, and also had a note that I should increase the quantity.
The remaining 7 items were marked with the note, ‘……..increase quantity’.
I contacted Amazon, and was told that regulations that prohibited shipment of an item was the probable reason for the notes. (Only one item had the message which suggested a possible regulatory reason.) The person I spoke to contacted his manager and her response was about the same. There was no explanation for the instruction to increase the quantity on 7 items.
I recently started using a vpn, and asked if that was causing the problem. They said ‘no’. Since I have several pcs, one of which has never had a vpn on it, I tried the order on that pc and got the same notices on the 8 items I had on my order. I have also tried ordering the items from different pcs, and get the same notices. I then tried ordering the items on eBay, and got all 8 with no problem. No notices of any kind.
Has anyone else had this kind of problem? I’m wondering if Amazon has decided that I am a problem customer and this is their way of getting me out of their hair. Since I live in a rural area, this could be a problem, especially during the pandemic. Thanks for any insights.
jkjardine
KB says
If they ban your account, who cares? Make another. There is no possible way for them to know if you use a different email, and push come to shove, use an Amazon locker for deliveries. Use a different card, or even a prepaid gift card.
Paul says
Wanna bet? They are a lot smarter than you think
m shultz says
I learned a lot reading this web site. I have ordered some more expensive items and was disappointed in the quality. Now I see that you can have too many returns even tho’ the merchandise is substandard. I will limit my ordering to color books, pencils, medical supplies and proven (to ME) items I already use. I am 80 yrs. old and because of Covid 19 have had to learn to order on-line. I enjoy your delivery service and don’t expect to shop in stores anytime soon. Thank you.
Jock says
I ordered an Apple Watch from Amazon, but had to return it as it did not fit. Amazon refunded after I had deposited parcel at UPS drop off point, and I have a receipt. Now Amazon have claimed I sent back a packet of cookies and that they still want the watch back, otherwise I will be charged for it using the original payment method. They don’t listen when I tell them I sent the watch back and have now refused to reply to emails.
What can I do about this? I have 10 days left before they charge my card. Not impressed with them at all.
WBG says
I have the same issue but not for Apple watch. I returned Logitech mouse but they refused to refund me by saying that I returned incorrect items. I called Logitech and they confirmed that I returned collect item. I provided Amazon evidence from Logitech including video and photos at UPS store when I packed it there. Amazon didn’t read my evidence at all. Amazon still replied with robot email that I returned incorrect item. When I disputed my charges with the bank, Amazon banned my account. I have all evidences and UPS staff can be my witness.
Omar says
File a small claims lawsuit
elizabeth hammonds says
so there was a thief living down the road from my house and all my neighbors have had packages come up missing when they have said delivered on their amazon account. nothing would be at their doorstep. so i have contacted amazon a couple of times asking for a refund for the products about 7 times this has happened to me, not knowing that someone was actually stealing my packages =, i just thought it may have been missing in the mail or there was a glitch when it said delivered yesterday and nothing would be there.if i have asked multiple times for a refund for the items will I get in trouble for too many refunds? there is no proof that the person has stole them although i have seen someone lurking around my house a couple times. will i get in trouble for too many refunds even though the missing packages wasnt my fault but i did ask for multiple refunds?
Checkmate says
I’ve never had problems like you’ve described with Amazon. When you return something you have a tracking number to prove you sent “something” back. I don’t do many returns, and I do a lot of business with Amazon. When they see that my return is in the custody of the courier, they immediately credit my account. That may vary based on Amazon’s rating of the customer’s overall behavior. I’m not sure how extensively they track or rate their customers, but I’d bet they know quite a bit about us.
Sarah says
I have just had my account banned for ‘consistently’ requesting refunds. I must have requested about 10 in the last 4 months and have purchased WAY more than that.
Amazon will not give me any details. My account was recently hacked and they have not discussed that. I can no longer access my digital content. Surely that isn’t right?
Cameron says
This is rather stupid because amazon has a thing called wardrobe you can try and send back what ever you want. unlimited returns, and amazon said you can return anything back even with electronic goods , the News media ripped them up in 2018 because of this madness, it never made any sense anyway
James says
I sympathize with you as I experienced the same issue recently. Amazon drivers regularly dump parcels in the lounge without handing the item direct to customer or returning the item as undelivered and rearranging a new delivery. Often, I had not received my items and yet, my my online account stated items had been hand delivered to me.
When I queried and challenged the ban, they were dismissive, copying and pasting the same message over and over again. Amazon does not admit faults, errors, and incompetence. And Covid chaos has made things worse. It has given both amazon and drivers further excuse to act irresponsibly, creating inconvenience whilst wasting customers’ valuable time, energy and money.
And what is the point of being an Amazon Prime member when it regularly takes several days, sometimes more than 5 days, to get your parcels and that is if one is lucky enough to actually receive one’s purchased items.
Scott Thomas says
Amazon needs to be broken up as it has gotten too powerful.
They’ve gone way beyond putting many local retailers out of business. They are using their knowledge of product sales rates to identify candidates for their Amazon Basics product lines, thus stealing sales from the very companies selling through their website. Now, with their Prime delivery trucks, they are taking business away from UPS, the Postal Service and other delivery services. What’s next?
On the plus side, I’m pleased to notice that many local retailers are much more price-competitive now, and I’m directing more and more of my purchases their way. (Especially now that Amazon has gotten more difficult with returns and their Prime delivery is trending longer and longer.)
In addition, I’m hoping that Walmart, Target and other major retailers finally start taking online sales seriously and put more resources into online sales.
But I doubt the Federal Government will ever break up Amazon. The company will prevent that by their huge campaign contributions.
corinne says
I had no idea that there was a limit on returns. I return all the time because I am not satisfied with the purchase (cheap, or wrong color, etc) and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. It’s what they advertise–unlimited free returns for whatever reason. so the fact that Amazon is doing this to their customers is unethical and disgusting. I just had an issue with being charged for “not sending back the right item” and no matter how much I asserted that I returned exactly what was sent to me I was ignored. what a terrible business. the government needs to break them up!!
Colise says
My account was banned for too many returns. I had been an Amazon customer for ten years, and ordered everything from them! Of course I made returns if something didn’t meet my satisfaction, or the item was wrong, used, damaged, or arrived too late. I cannot tell you how many cases of redbud I received that were clearly just thrown into a box way too big for the case and they were broken open when I received them, of course I am going to ask for a refund. I’ve returned underwear that was the wrong item and contacted Amazon immediately with the issue and showed pictures, they said they would get back to me and five months later I am still waiting for them to get back to me! Amazon has the worst customer service I have ever dealt with, they really seem as though they don’t care! They need to have a relaxed retune policy since they do make several mistakes and times are damaged upon arrival. I can go to Target and buy 100 items and retune 100 items and not be banned. Is there a way to open a new account with Amazon once you’re banned? I would like to be able to use the ten Alexa devices, and the fire sticks that I have.
Paul says
Why would you be returning 34-36 purchased items per month? I have no returned 30 items in alifetime. What is wrong with you?
Bill says
For me, personally, the problem is all the “cheap, Chinese crap” that is flooding the Amazon site. Lots of unscrupulous sellers, mostly in China, are pawning off counterfeit merchandise as legitimate. They do this with impunity, because they know that Amazon will never throw them off the site (Amazon make too much money from selling of “counterfeit goods”.
Savithri says
Actually when I received my product, open pack only received,so delivery boy was cancelled and send return my product, after that hold on my account,from Amazon,what can I do,now,what about my Amazon pay balance,plz helme and re open my account
Savithri's Teacher says
First, you need some English lessons.
Second, This blog can’t re-open your open, so stop begging here. Use a little sense and contact Amazon.
Clare S Baxter says
This is crap! When you buy something in a store, you know what you are getting. I buy a lot of clothing online and I certainly don’t buy anything without trying things on, there is no way that you can tell if something fits you properly or if the quality is what it should be. They need to be sued for allowing their vendors to sell products that need to be tried before acceptance. It isn’t like buying a package of toilet paper! Big corporations take advantage of the consumers and Amazon is the wealthiest company in the world! So far I have not had any problems with Amazon but I do have a big return today because I bought a lot of items that needed to be tried on, now this article is making me skittish. I started using Amazon after the fake pandemic, the friggin government which is in bed with big corporations and Wall Street are squeezing us into absolute compliance and a loss of freedom, it was impossible to go to a store and shop for a while there. I will definitely go back to shopping and trying things on if Amazon and eBay become a problem as well as to complain to the Federal Consumer Protection Bureau (unfortunately government but they have stepped in and solved problems for me in the past). Ebay’s returns are horrible, that is why I turned to Amazon, they carry the same things and Amazon has an excellent return procedure with their website as well as being able to drop off at UPS, Kohls, etc. I hope that you guys are wrong about Amazon but we will see and I will keep you updated.
vitalsweb says
An Amazon PRIME Business member purchased a defective item on Amazon withe total amount of more than $500. The customer filed the return on Amazon and got the return label printed from Amazon. Defective item was placed in the box it came in and got USPS carrier picked up the package with tracking.
Sounds like very simple and quite painless process right? Wrong !
The customer received emails from third party Amazon seller regarding “restocking fees” for returning the item after 30 days passed since the purchase ( it was 31 day unfortunately ). Even though the item was defective, and the return was processed on Amazon website with no issues and return label was issued, the seller would not agree to issue full refund, threatening the customer with “restocking fees” and “additional fees for item returned used”. Of course the defective item returned is used, otherwise, how you can tell if it is defective without using it.
After the package with defective item was delivered to the seller, Amazon reimbursed 50% of the refund amount and explained that the content of the package was not complete and the content was not in the original manufacturer box. The customer disagreed stating that everything that came in the box was sent back, and pictures of the item on Amazon store do not list any additional accessories and/or manufacturer box. Amazon for some reason denied the customer’s claim, stating that the customer returned package with missing accessories and damaged item… and more… the customer should contact the USPS carrier and claim damaged content with missing accessories. However, if you read above, the return label was provided by Amazon and customer had nothing to do with purchasing shipping insurance or carrier options. It was all explained to Amazon representative, who wrote a note in half English and half Chinese language and it was sent to the customer and the seller.
A-to-Z claim was denied, appeal to A-to-Z claim decision was declined.
Appeal denied. Ignorant idiots cannot even read that the return label was purchased by Amazon or the seller and the customer has nothing to do with insurance and insured value.
If return label was purchased and provided to the customer by Amazon or the seller, who is responsible to file a claim for the insured value of the package ??? If customer reported that the content of the package was sent the way it was received, how ignorant Amazon representatives are ???
Refund was still not issued. Next step of the seller was statement that since it was not returned in original manufacturer box, it does not qualify for full refund because it was “considered junk”. What else you can consider return of DEFECTIVE item? Question to Amazon. Amazon representative again wrote the note in very bad English language and the claim was denied. Amazon kept protecting the seller. The Amazon third party seller company is located in Texas, they work with two names. Amazon name: Nationwide Tech Biz (Serial number recorded) and Legal Name: JENS LITTLE TECH BUSINESS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY… director/officer: Yan Li
It appears that Amazon customer representatives and claims specialists for some reason covering this seller with their shady unfair practices. Would that be because Yan Li Chinese and some Amazon claim specialists are from China? That is the question for Amazon. Why they cover sellers and treating customers like those have no rights? If they have only sellers, who is going to buy? Customer agreed to contact Amazon owner Jeff Bezos directly, since his employees cannot get this straight and get to the bottom of this.
Withholding 50% of the original price paid, for multiple different fake reasons made up just as the Amazon kept refusing full refund, is absolutely unacceptable, and should be heard by, if not every, then as many Amazon members as possible. Please share this article if you agree!
Given the risks associated with buying and returning online, some customers are resorting to filming the process of unboxing gear in order to create proof in the event that an order has not been correctly fulfilled, and boxing damaged/defective gear in order to create proof in the event that sellers would create a story that the box was missing content.
[email protected] says
There’s little consistency in their services and they make a ton of mistakes. Though they’ve been mostly good with me, I shouldn’t be spending so much time wasted with customer service/support.
All the time, packages get delivered who knows where. People are always home at my apartment- and my phone alerts me right as the amazon driver would be running back to his/her van. I first realized it was not any chance package theft by a neighbor when cleaning part of my kitchen, with a wide view of my coldesack- I get a delivery notification when no vehicles had even passed by.
Sometimes, I get packages (Not) delivered with a proof photo showing an apartment door that is on the opposite hand side as mine. So nevermind switching a door matt, its entirely the wrong building/apt…. I can’t find where it is as they ask me to go looking around. Never seen that door matt.
I’ve gotten packages empty. I’ve got cheap alternatives to very expensive ($50+) pencils- the wrong item.
What’s obnoxious is when they see as with their own photo proof of misdelivery, agree to reship me, then send an email saying I need to send back the other one in 30 days or be charged. What other one… it wasn’t delivered.
I find they are generally understanding- but the other half of the time they are a hassle to deal with and it sure gets annoying.
Need to return to UPS? Be prepared to keep calling and wait a month for a refund. Then probably an email later after that asking you to return it or be charged, after you already provided the tracking number and were told its ok (and thus throw the receipt away- sometimes the website will go from showing return in transit-recieved back to awaiting return?).
Waiting for trucks.. robotic delivery with less mistakes. They’ve given amazon drivers accesss to our actual maill box lockers it seems now too, sketchy considering how little workers care about the job.
I’ve made a lot of returns mainly because of BS. But they’ve been mostly good to me. However I do worry the bad luck will catch up to me- maybe I should not order to my door (or at all). what really annoyed me is my girlfriend had a package not delivered and was given a love letter email after calling htme sdeveral times for a refund, warning about their refund policy and asking her to fill out forms…. on her first issue.
It is very much customer by customer.
Brendan says
So does that mean keep the number of returns under 10% or does that mean keep the *value* of returns under 10%?
For instance, if I made 50 returns out of 300 but they were all cheap items and the items I kept were expensive, would that matter?
Peter says
I got the same email from amazon, from [email protected], I find a bit insulting, I ordered so much stuff over the last 10 years on amazon and then this.
John says
I believe the most “obvious” trend is being overlooked with the estimations here. The article states “consistent behavior for 6 months”, likely trends are evaluated for consistent behavior over a long duration as those offending users are of higher risk to the company. I personally have returned upwards of 50%+ in shorter intervals such as a month or two without any warnings or issues. This has also been in the excess if $500+ on each month worth of returns which was likely more than the value kept.
This is similar to how ISP’s used to monitor usage until things became unlimited, 3 consecutive months was required before they would even send you a notice about money owed.
Art says
Twice in the past day Amazon has refused to post my reviews and disabled the ability for me to post revised reviews. One review was 1 star because the product, a laptop battery, did not charge. I did however have a couple positive remarks regardless. The other review was 3 stars for the battery charge port. That worked fine but was manufactured backwards requiring me to twist the wires 180 degrees so it could snap in. In fact other reviews that did get posted said they had the same issue but they still rated 4 or 5 stars. I took a chance on it anyway because the port was for several laptop models and one review said it fit perfectly for my model. But, Amazon rejected these reviews even though nothing about them violated the terms they claim were violated. Seems they just don’t want any less than average reviews and this is deceptive business practices. The point is, looking at reviews before purchasing isn’t going to give you valid information if the reviews are rigged to only be 4 or 5 stars.
Rose Stocks says
they said i missused when i didnt. i didnt receive items and asked for refund!!!! its over 20 times they took my money and i did not receive anything and i took pics of everything. they sent dog food with hole is bag. ummmm no not using it. they sent gummy bears and was slit open and ya no dont trust it threw it out. and they ban me for what theu did wrong!!!!!
Paul says
Sad to hear they reopened your account, a 17% return rate is ridiculous and you are indeed a bad customer. There is no reason to be returning 17% of item and then a return after you were wanred? You have serious issues. People like you need to go!
Kiddo says
STOP BUYING FROM AMAZON IF YOU CAN GET IT FROM A LOCAL STORE!!!! I work for Amazon but as a Whole Foods team member. What we are trained to understand is that 5% or less is the NORMAL rate of return. More than that is indeed someone who is abusing a generous policy.
Whole Foods used to have one of the most generous, but when it got to the point that people were making videos about how to use our generosity to rip us off through returns, we changed the policy.
My personal suggestion and practice is, even though I am employed by Amazon through WFM, STOP BUYING EVERYTHING FROM AMAZON. ESPECIALLY GROCERIES! If you care about the environment at all, you are the biggest hypcrit in the world if you are choosing to have all your groceries delivered from Whole Foods via Amazon now that we know COVID is 99%+ survivable. The insane amount of extra bags and packaging that goes into every grocery delivery makes me want to puke. It’s unbelievable.
Bezos mission is to sell everything to everyone everywhere. That’s it. Seriously. That is his goal. Not to help the communities of the world, not prosperity for all, not a healthy environment. Just domination.
They have so many customers, they can easily cut you off and piss all over your needs and treat you like crap. You are a faceless and insignificant number. Why reward them for this?
ANYTHING I can buy from a physical store nearby, especially books and clothes, I prefer to go to my LOCAL store location and buy in person. I will get way better service, they remember me and know me, and I will have total peace of mind of the condition, fit, I won’t have to worry about it getting snatched off my porch or delivered to the wrong address or never delivered but still expected to pay for it, and MOST IMPORTANTLY I will keep the local stores open and in business for when I really need them and have to have something immediately.
Amazon does not deserve our business anymore. They have become more like a virus, greedily driving down prices, erasing all competition, tearing up our roads with their neverending deliveries, filling our landfills with endless boxes and shipping packaging while forests are wiped out to make the bags and boxes, and putting local stores–mom and pop and big box stores alike–out of business.
Please, only get your digital products from them, or what you can only get from them online and you will do your part to make the world a better place.
Corinne Noelle Colwell says
you are absolutely right!! After learning about this “return rate” thing and being banned for utilizing the very service Amazon advertises I am disgusted with this company and will now start limiting how much I buy from them, if anything at all.
Will says
The last few months they have many times, ‘Lost’ my item, before ever deliverying it.
After waiting often a week+ past when last showing any movement & expected delivery, I click their, “Your Item Appears Lost, You Can Request A Refund”, button.
The thing is they seem to have a habit of making the original Lost tracking DISAPPEAR and change it to Customer Cancelled, Customer Refused Delivery, etc.
No, THEY NEVER DELIVERED the item. THEY LOST the item. THEY do not allow sending a second in place of what THEY NEVER delivered.
THEY force you to request a refund and then if you want you can roll the dice and order the item again.
That’s if they deliver themselves. If they hand it to someone else like UPS to finish the delivery leg, then you have to file a claim through UPS and then contact AMAZON later after UPS says they contacted the original sender, to get Amazon to cough up your money for the item you never got.
I’ve sold on FBA and had many items returned due to a customer found it cheaper elsewhere a month after they received it, customer damaged, etc. Amazon always charged me a return fee of about $5, plus took multiple months for me to get the item back to inspect, charged shipping back of $0.50 and if the item is tore up, switched with garbage, etc I’m just sol. Even if it’s still sellable as new, I have to send back in with other items to offset the shipping of that item back to Amazon to sell and the customer and Amazon just wasted 3-4 months of the item being available for a customer that actually wanted it and would keep it, even if THEY tore it up or saw it cheaper somewhere else at some future date.
It’s easy for a platform like AMAZON, eBay, Facebook, etc to make all these promises to buyers of refunds and things when they are charging the actual Sellers and the actual sellers are the ones who eat the loss when a scam happens. Also when the platforms are cooking the books like appears may be the case with the Lost Packages Amazon keeps doing, they can come back later and play dumb that no I just see it showing you Cancelling and wanting Refunds, there’s nothing here I see of any LOST packages.
Amazon has also Lost items I’ve sent into FBA, they then lowball the value. You send in 7, they lose one or break one, now you have to sell the other 6 at top profit & without issue just to break even & get your $200 investment back because of the 1 loss by them. They’ve broken several items and lowballed like it was selling for $28 and they refunded $2.88 each type thing for the few they broke. Yet don’t let them lose money, no sir.
As far as returns, I’ve been a customer with them for 20 years & could probably count on 1 hand any returns. For me it’s they keep losing items in the mail and never even attempting delivery, I’ve had 10k deliveries in the 20 years, so it’s something going on with them in recent years, but the other thing is they sometimes send items that are missing parts. A 4-pack that has 3 in it or they’ll have a 4-pack sticker on a 2-pack package, but mostly it’s recent Lost in Transit issues then hiding the tracking that showed the truth and changing it right before they refund. Of course anything you sell on their platform that performs well, they’ll turn into a Amazon Basics and compete against you. They also are of course a certain political leaning that is damaging the U.S. I’m not a fan of their practices for long term benefit of the people here.
VAR says
I am sick and tired of their lies and their games. Returning items has become a nightmare. The nature of this beast is that all we really have to go by are web site photos, item descriptions and reviews. I have received more crap in the last year than ever before, even an item that was obviously used! They had to go back and if Amazon doesn’t like this, BFD! I don’t have to accept and be happy with the crap that WE pay for just because it bothers them. And the problems I have been having with UPS and “lost” packages is increasing steadily and I am sick of it. I have actually stepped out and begun ordering from other web sites such as Target, Walmart and Kohls and so far I am very happy with them. Walmart has sent me a thing or two that wasn’t what it should have been but the took immediate care of it with no problem. I ordered a coffee maker from Amazon and was sent a pair of men’s galoshes! Amazon made me jump through hoops to prove it by submitting pictures of not only the shoes but the packaging before they would even consider a refund. I have put my prime membership on hold and kicking them to the curb as soon as it expires.