Returns to Amazon

[DawnM]

Ok, a friend called me to task for returning items saying sanctimoniously that she only orders items she wants.  Um, yeah, so do I, but sometimes it isn't what works out due to size or condition, or whatever.

Have you returned things to Amazon?  I have read that some have had Prime removed for too many returns.  How many is too many?

I ran a 2 year report after the conversation I had to kind of get an idea.  I have ordered almost 400 items and I have returned 7 items.  3 were clothing items that didn't fit correctly.  2 of them were college book rentals that were in horrible shape, and 2 more items that just weren't  what I expected.

Is that excessive?   Roughly 2% of my orders?  I personally don't think it is.  What do you think?

[TechWife]

No, it doesn’t seem excessive to me. I have returned items to Amazon when they didn’t meet my needs. That’s why they have a return policy, after all. 

Did your friend say why she thinks it’s wrong to return items? 

[PrincessMommy]

I return things more than you.  I don't think I've been flagged.  I do take into account the cost of the item.  If it's cheap I just give it away.

I'm  a little worried now because I have two items of clothing that didn't fit me and I'm returning.  I want to re-order the next size though, so hopefully, that will help.  

I've never heard of anyone taking a sanctimonious attitude about returns to online stores.  I think it goes with the territory.  We're basically buying items sight unseen so of course some things will not turn out. 

[mumto2]

We return to Amazon all the time.  They have the return possibility so people feel comfortable ordering online I think. We almost always order extra sizes when shopping for clothing and returning the extras, sometimes all.

[DawnM]

19 minutes ago, TechWife said:

No, it doesn’t seem excessive to me. I have returned items to Amazon when they didn’t meet my needs. That’s why they have a return policy, after all. 

Did your friend say why she thinks it’s wrong to return items? 

 

It was a very, "I only buy items I have researched and know I want" kind of thing.  (Implying I must not have researched or something.) Which, honestly, I don't believe her, I know she returns things.  This is just one of the things she seems to want to feel superior about.  And many times, she has already told me a different story in the past, so I know it isn't true.  Sigh. 

[vonfirmath]

5 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

It was a very, "I only buy items I have researched and know I want" kind of thing.  (Implying I must not have researched or something.) Which, honestly, I don't believe her, I know she returns things.  This is just one of the things she seems to want to feel superior about.  And many times, she has already told me a different story in the past, so I know it isn't true.  Sigh. 

 

Then I'd ignore her. Don't let her feeling superior for doing nothing praiseworthy get to you (You can't really affect how she feels. She's in charge of that)

 

Edited August 1, 2019 by vonfirmath

[Rockhopper]

I return things *all the time*. 

Of course I also order things all the time, but I return a pretty decent percentage of the things I order. Sometimes it's because they were just flat out wrong or not up to par.

Sometimes it's clothing, and we don't know if it will fit or not.

We moved a couple of months ago, and sold or got rid of a lot of our stuff before the move in anticipation of much smaller space. But I still ended up needing a lot of new purchases, smaller items, throw pillows to go with new rugs etc. And at one point I returned 8 or 10 items in a single day. I tried throw pillows out, and they just didn't work. The colors weren't right or whatever. Things you can't tell from a computer monitor, things you have to see and touch in person.

I don't feel like I've ever been flagged or had any kind of interaction that would make me think that I'm at risk of that happening.

My huge Amazon return annoyance right now is that I moved from a big sprawling city, to an even bigger, more densely populated city.

At my old house, I had a UPS guy come by pretty much every day and I could always drop off my returns with him.

Here, my Amazon items rarely come by UPS, and I often don't even have a UPS option for returns. When I do, my nearest UPS store is a headache to get to.

But worst of all, most of the time, Amazon will only give me the option (free, at least)  to return to an actual storefront Amazon store. Which sounds novel and cool and all that, but it is mind-blowingly yucky downtown traffic to get to it, and then there's never anywhere to park anywhere near, and even if there's parking, I have to pay, and then I have to lug my returns into the store... I need to be able to block out at least an hour to return anything there. So that, more than anything else, has made me much more cautious about my Amazon purchases.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Rockhopper

[TheReader]

2 minutes ago, Rockhopper said:

I return things *all the time*. 

Of course I also order things all the time, but I return a pretty decent percentage of the things I order. Sometimes it's because they were just flat out wrong or not up to par.

Sometimes it's clothing, and we don't know if it will fit or not.

We moved a couple of months ago, and sold or got rid of a lot of our stuff before the move in anticipation of much smaller space. But I still ended up needing a lot of new purchases, smaller items, throw pillows to go with new rugs etc. And at one point I returned 8 or 10 items in a single day. I tried throw pillows out, and they just didn't work. The colors weren't right or whatever. Things you can't tell from a computer monitor, things you have to see and touch in person.

I don't feel like I've ever been flagged or had any kind of interaction that would make me think that I'm at risk of that happening.

My huge Amazon return annoyance right now is that I moved from a big sprawling city, to an even bigger, more densely populated city.

At my old house, I had a UPS guy come by pretty much every day and I could always drop off my returns with him.

Here, my Amazon items rarely come by UPS, and I often don't even have a UPS option for returns. When I do, my nearest UPS store is a headache to get to.

But worst of all, most of the time, Amazon will give me the option (free, at least)  to return to an actual storefront Amazon store. Which sounds novel and cool and all that, but it is mind-blowingly yucky downtown traffic to get to it, and then there's never anywhere to park anywhere near, and even if there's parking, I have to pay, and then I have to lug my returns into the store... I need to be able to block out at least an hour to return anything there. So that, more than anything else, has made me much more cautious about my Amazon purchases.

re: the returns, Kohl's now offers Amazon return service. I'm not sure how it works, haven't done it, but they say you can drop off your Amazon returns there and they'll take care of it. Might be an option for you. 

[TheReader]

We order a lot, and return some. We've not been flagged. Your rate seems normal to me, and on the low side. 

[MeaganS]

We return a lot to Amazon. We've never had a problem, and I think it is because we use our account in a lot of other ways. We stream, use various Kindle services, order a lot that we don't return, have the credit card, etc, so our returning doesn't set off red flags. 

[gardenmom5]

bless her heart.

 

I've returned things to prime.  heck, I've even had times when prime said "you can keep the item, and we'll give you back the money".  I spend a lot of money on prime every month - and most of what is purchased I keep.  (I'm thrilled to have a place I can physically return items, for those odd items I would otherwise have to pay postage.)

I would imagine if someone returned more than they kept (in $$$), a merchant (any merchant) would get rather ticked off.   and I've heard b&m stores cut people off because of too many returns.    but again, I'd imagine it would have to be in the "returns more than they keep" category.

[gardenmom5]

14 minutes ago, TheReader said:

re: the returns, Kohl's now offers Amazon return service. I'm not sure how it works, haven't done it, but they say you can drop off your Amazon returns there and they'll take care of it. Might be an option for you. 

depends on the item, and shipping.  

you can always check.  at least here, there are choices of location.

I have an amazon B&M - they send you a qr code.  go to store, they will scan it, ,scan the item.  you're done.

[Rockhopper]

Oh my goodness. I just figured out how to run the reports on what you've ordered/returned/etc.

We spend a LOT of $ at Amazon. Wowsa. But we've bought entire rooms of furniture, appliances, tools, computers, textbooks, curriculum -- as well as regular monthly orders of paper goods, pantry staples, personal care items.

I ran a two-year report, and it showed 684 orders, with 67 returns, representing under 10% of the total. A decent chunk of them (close to 20) happened in the last two months because of our move, and one single defective appliance in that time frame accounted for a big chunk of our total return $$. That, plus new work boots for dh -- it took 3 tries to get the right fit, and each pair was $$. But those were listed up front as Free Returns, and it just doesn't seem right that they'd hold things like that against you, when they're set up deliberately to be a "try and return as needed" system.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Rockhopper

[SKL]

Could it be that your friend was trying to say "I know, returns are such a hassle, I try to avoid the hassle for myself by doing xyz"?

I hate returns.  Somehow that extra trip to the UPS store feels like such a trial.  And the deadlines.  And the worry that they aren't going to like something about it and you aren't going to get your money back after all.  (Maybe I have issues, LOL.)

That said, I do return some things if I absolutely cannot use them.  I would say it's probably about 1% or less of what I buy from Amazon.  Some examples:  furniture that arrived broken; a bike seat cushion that was way too big for the bike seat; clothes that were the wrong size (different from what I ordered / reasonably expected); a DVD that I realized I already had.  Yes, some of those could have been avoided by more careful research on my part, but no, I have not lost any sleep over them. 🙂

[alisoncooks]

Gosh, I return things all the time. Seriously. I probably tried 10 bathing suits this year before settling on one. Returned the rest. Same for tennis shoes pre-Disney vacation. 

If my friend called me out on that, I'd be hard-pressed to not roll my eyes right in her face (cause I'm immature like that).

[Katy]

Your returns are not excessive.  Your friend should find something better to do.

[PrincessMommy]

Another thought about sanctimonious friend... if she's happy wasting her hard-earned money then well... Bless her heart.  😉

 

[TechWife]

7 hours ago, Rockhopper said:

Oh my goodness. I just figured out how to run the reports on what you've ordered/returned/etc.

We spend a LOT of $ at Amazon. Wowsa. But we've bought entire rooms of furniture, appliances, tools, computers, textbooks, curriculum -- as well as regular monthly orders of paper goods, pantry staples, personal care items.

I ran a two-year report, and it showed 684 orders, with 67 returns, representing under 10% of the total. A decent chunk of them (close to 20) happened in the last two months because of our move, and one single defective appliance in that time frame accounted for a big chunk of our total return $$. That, plus new work boots for dh -- it took 3 tries to get the right fit, and each pair was $$. But those were listed up front as Free Returns, and it just doesn't seem right that they'd hold things like that against you, when they're set up deliberately to be a "try and return as needed" system.

 

I didn't know I could do this! Thank you - I just ran mine for the past two years. I have returned 1/2 of 1 percent of the items I ordered. The reasons for returns included damaged item, wrong size, and no longer needed. I don't think that's unreasonable at all

Total # orders = 167

Total # items ordered 198

Total # orders w/returns = 5

Total # items returned = 10

I'm thinking about trying out the no charge return at Kohls - I have something I ordered for my kitty that I no longer need. I haven't even opened the box. It wouldn't be worth returning if I have to pay shipping, but if it's free to return through Kohls I think I might do it.

 

 

 

[marbel]

I've returned lots of shoes.  Maybe one or two other articles of clothing.  Some returns are wrong, some are not.  I wouldn't return a book after I'd read it, or clothing after I wore it.  Seems like they would expect a fair number of returns on clothing items.  Prime wardrobe is set up to return stuff that doesn't work. 

[DawnM]

8 hours ago, PrincessMommy said:

Another thought about sanctimonious friend... if she's happy wasting her hard-earned money then well... Bless her heart.  😉

 

 

She is kind of independently wealthy (her parents are and they share) so she can afford to be.  

[DawnM]

9 hours ago, SKL said:

Could it be that your friend was trying to say "I know, returns are such a hassle, I try to avoid the hassle for myself by doing xyz"?

I hate returns.  Somehow that extra trip to the UPS store feels like such a trial.  And the deadlines.  And the worry that they aren't going to like something about it and you aren't going to get your money back after all.  (Maybe I have issues, LOL.)

That said, I do return some things if I absolutely cannot use them.  I would say it's probably about 1% or less of what I buy from Amazon.  Some examples:  furniture that arrived broken; a bike seat cushion that was way too big for the bike seat; clothes that were the wrong size (different from what I ordered / reasonably expected); a DVD that I realized I already had.  Yes, some of those could have been avoided by more careful research on my part, but no, I have not lost any sleep over them. 🙂

 

No, I am positive that isn't what she was trying to say.  

[gardenmom5]

3 minutes ago, Patty Joanna said:

We return stuff for many reasons, but we are honest about it too.  If we ordered something and it didnt fit,  or it was not what we needed after all, back it goes.  But if the red was a little off on the notebook or we didn'tlike the book, that's on us.  

My sister told me about someone who orders audiobooks, listens to them and then returns them for a refund.  "The story wasn't that great.".  That's dishonest and cheats the author and publisher.  

There's a reason stores put giant tags in prominent locations on fancy dresses.. and stipulate they must be attached to be returned. 

[Forget-Me-Not]

12 hours ago, MeaganS said:

We return a lot to Amazon. We've never had a problem, and I think it is because we use our account in a lot of other ways. We stream, use various Kindle services, order a lot that we don't return, have the credit card, etc, so our returning doesn't set off red flags. 

Same

[crazyforlatin]

How do I run a report? When Amazon lists an item as free returns, I take them at their word and don't expect those returns to be held against me.

[TechWife]

8 hours ago, crazyforlatin said:

How do I run a report? When Amazon lists an item as free returns, I take them at their word and don't expect those returns to be held against me.

 

Look at the top, right hand corner of the screen after you have logged in. Under your name, where it says "Hi crazyforlatin"

click Accounts & lists ---> Your Account

Then, in the box titled "ordering and shopping preferences" click on "download order reports"

There will be drop down boxes for you to choose your parameters.

 

 

[guilfordlake]

I've used Kohl's to return items to Amazon 2 times now. Amazon sends a QR code to your email. Kohl's scans the code, gives you a receipt, and takes the return. It doesn't need to be boxed up or anything. Kohl's takes care of it all. The actual process takes less than 60 seconds.

And Kohl's give you a 25% off coupon for purchases in the store (ya know, since you're already there 🙂). That coupon is good for 7 days.

[AmandaVT]

That seems like a totally reasonable number of items returned to me. I just checked and I've ordered 802 items and returned 4. Like you, most were clothing. Also, I'd say about 1/4 of my orders are subscribe and save stuff that I wouldn't need to return (clorox wipes, garbage bags, etc), so my numbers are pretty close to yours. I haven't been put in Amazon "jail" yet either.