Free labels or refund without return

Amazon recently updated their returns policy. From October 31, 2022, all German retailers must offer their customers either pre-paid return labels or a refund without returning the goods. But what customers should be happy about is a thorn in the side of many retailers.

Online mail order company Amazon recently announced new rules for returns. From October 31, 2022, all retailers with a German return address must either provide their customers with prepaid labels or refund the price without receiving the goods back.

In the so-called Amazon Seller Forum, the company therefore shared the dealer a few days ago news With:

Effective October 31, 2022, all selling partners with a standard return address in Germany selling on Amazon.de must offer either prepaid return labels for a tracked shipping method or non-return refunds for all customer return requests that fall within the scope of Amazon’s return policy.

Amazon returns even easier for customers

With its new conditions, Amazon wants to make the return process easier. In the future, customers will therefore be able to easily obtain a return label or receive a refund without having to send the goods back.

Amazon also wants to automatically activate the corresponding program for all retailers in Germany to ensure that all marketplace customers have access to pre-paid labels. This should also reduce the manual effort for retailers when returning goods.

The shops can store a parcel service provider in their accounts – for example DPD Retoure Germany or Amazon Retourenservice delivered by DHL. Other providers are also likely to follow. Dealers with existing DHL contracts and tariffs could integrate these into their accounts.

Amazon returns: retailers fear abuse

The new return policy should be of particular benefit to Amazon customers. However, there are some exceptions. According to the company, certain products and retailers are exempt from the processes. This applies, among other things, to items that cost more than 500 euros and certain product categories.

In these cases, the return is still done via manual requests. But despite the restrictions, some retailers are said to fear abuse with returns. Because customers have to give a reason for a free return label.

However, the shop operators fear that many could take advantage of this by simply giving a reason that they can blame the retailer. In order not to have any problems with Amazon, the shops would then have to pay for the return label in addition to a full refund.

New return conditions: is Amazon even allowed to do this?

The shop operators can take action against customers in the event of potential abuse, but hardly anyone will do so with small order values. The result could be that some providers increase their prices – especially for inexpensive items.

Ultimately, however, the question remains: is Amazon even allowed to do this? However, there does not seem to be a clear answer to this. On the one hand, Amazon can of course make use of its house rules, guidelines and business relationships. On the other hand, there is antitrust law.

In principle, the company may not abuse its market power against others. In addition, Amazon has been in the sights of the EU for years. From next year, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will come into force again and ensure fair conditions. However, it remains to be seen whether the new return rules are contestable.

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