Question: So when was the birthday?
Answer: June 13, 2023 but I live in a different time zone. I live in the far east and thought that, if I ordered really early on the 14th, we could get same day delivery on the 13th in the US.
Most of the clothes on Amazon are junk, I honestly donât know why I think this time itâs going to be different. Iâve been happy with almost all of the cotton sleepwear and leggings Iâve purchased but most clothes donât fit right or are a knockoff version of the image. Whatâs amazing is all the raving reviews of something that IMO wouldnât even be sold in the Walmart clothing section.. 
Over the years I have purchased quite a few awesome leather boots as well as other high-quality leather products that were priced well below what I wouldâve paid at a retail store.
I agree returns are super easy and convenient but something has changed with the way Amazon is refunding.
I have my refunds set as an Amz credit and not back to my debit/cc because I like getting it refunded quickly. Prime refunds have always been added to my Amz Account within 24 hours, now Prime returns/refunds are taking 30 days to process. Not sure if this is a new thing or if itâs because I switched my payment method to AmexâŠ
I wonder if Amazon is now taking the time to check all the returns before refunding them, and if they are actually refusing refunds that are returned damaged/worn by the customers and that is why refunds are now taking 30 days.
Has anyone else noticed a change in how Prime refunds are handled?
I never thought about this. You know we have never, ever had a return on Etsy. We have also never, ever had a return on our own websites.
We have had a very small amount of items damaged in shipping, under 5 units in 15 years. That happens, we replace them no questions asked.
They say, it will be refunded on arrival. Yet 100% are refunded on first scan. Though we do not do a lot of returns on (Prime) Amazon.
ETA, since it is relevant to your question, we are nearly 100% debit card for items we order. We do not use Amex.
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Since Amazon started RFS, 99% of all refunds were credited back to my Amz account within 12 hours.
(after dropping it off at UPS)
I have always used my debit card, but since Jan Iâve been using my Amex, (gathering points so I can fly business class on my next trip to Australia), worth it if you pay it off each month.
I donât do many returns only when I go through my sudden impulse to buy clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. Next time this happens I will use my debit card and see if it makes a difference in how quickly the refund is issued.
Itâs really not a big deal if itâs immediate or 30 days but I guess I got used to how it was and now Iâm more curious than anything if itâs a CC thing or if Amazon has made some changes and is actually inspecting returns first, which would be a good thing for sellers.
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I use the amazon Visa, and I get RFS when I make a return.
Yep, Amazon watches; of course, weâre not quite sure WHAT they are watching, but I suspect late returns and INR claims are near the top.
In about 5 years of FBM selling, weâve twice received notification from Amazon to not ship an order, as the buyer has âLost their Buying Privileges on Amazonâ. I would hazard to guess that for such a notice to be sent, the action would have to occur in the short time window between when the order was placed, and when it was shipped, which for us varies between 3 days (long weekend) and 5 minutes (the time it takes to pull from the shelf and pack). So Iâm guessing that itâs far more common that any of us could get data points for.
Thatâs why I tell people to insist that, if they bought shipping through Amazon, to INSIST that a customer file A-Z to get a refund for INR.
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Thats a BINGO right there!
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Iâve told the Handmade folks before how my local pack-and-ship store (where I buy all of my supplies) is an Amazon return spot and he has instructions written out telling people to select âNot as Describedâ to get âFreeâ shipping. I gave him a lecture the first time I saw it - informing him that nothing is âfree,â and sellers pay for that - people like ME. I think he hides it from me now.
And one of my workout friends completely furnished her out of state condo using amazon purchases. She ordered bedding, drapes, pillows, rugs, etc. in a variety of styles. Said sheâd get there and decide which style she liked best and return the rest. Arrrgggghhhhh.
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Amazon has handled each of my SFP Handmade refunds differently. The latest SFP purchaser was refunded within the hour and the money pulled immediately from my account.
Now I am wondering if the item is returned, am I supposed to click the Issue Refund button? Or has this customer already been refunded?
Marilyn
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If the money is pulled from your account already for a refund and then you get the return, there would be nothing to do unless it qualified for a Safe-T-Claim.
There is definitely a lack of consistency.
There was another seller who posted recently that a bunch of their items which have always been Refunded at First Scan (RFS) were coming through as a manual refund. They werenât checking them which resulted in upset customers and a few A-z claims.
Whenever we see a return come through I check under the Manage Returns page to see if it was auto-refunded or not (Prior refund Applied).
Usually, if the item is over $100 it is a manual refund but thatâs not always the case in the examples below.
The first one was RFS and the second one required a manual refund.
If itâs auto-refunded the âIssue Refundâ button is not highlighted.
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Your screenshot was helpful. This order was auto refunded and the Issue Refund button was not highlighted, so I will wait and see if is returned.
Marilyn
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And here we go again with the âdefective item returnâ
Item: Ripoffs Utility Combo Holster for Mini Flashlight, Knife, Plier, or Scissors BL7 (Belt Loop)
Quantity: 1
Return reason: Item defective or doesnât work
Customer comments: Doesnât have a clip
There are 2 variations, Belt loop and Side clip. Dumb â â â ordered a belt loop but itâs defective because it doesnât have a clip SMH
I got a lot of returns last year: 2022 election items. Reason? âNo longer needed.â
Do you per chance sell Toilet Paper?
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Iâm just dumb I guess, but how does buying a bunch of stuff he intends to return help him "clean up his yardâ?
We sell books and we are getting an inordinate amount of returns lately with âbought by mistakeâ and âno longer neededâ as reasons. I think people are just struggling financially. I just wish they would figure it out before placing the order.
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