Have never seen this. Amazon refunds more money to the buyer than the order was worth.

Selling on Amazon
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Yeah, not sure how $130 seems correct for a medium size package ever.

You must ship some huge stuff if you consider a 24 x 17 x 12 package medium. :laughing:

The FedEx online calculator quotes $97.86 as the ground price, using a zip code from Seattle for the quote, since that would be one of the furthest distances from Texas and I don’t know where you’re located.

UPS online quotes $86.63 for the same package.

I’m sure someone shipping through Pack N Ship would pay full retail rates plus a hefty convenience surcharge. :grimacing:

You must have some excellent negotiated rates to pay $27 on the outbound, as even Pirate Ship quoted me $43 by UPS Ground from OR to TX.

I’m a little confused about what actually happened here. The customer obviously ordered something (for $80) and if you say she returned an ‘extra’ that must have meant there was something else in the box in addition to the thing she ordered.

I’m guessing the shipping box was as big as it was to accomodate both items. The customer (again, guessing) likely could have returned the unwanted item in a smaller box, but most customers don’t have shipping supplies laying around and it’s not unexpected that she re-used the box she got her order in. Unfortunately, the size of it bit you, as the dimensional weight was so high.

And if we wish to get technical Amazon (at least the last time I read the rules) should have only been allowed to refund $100% +$20.00 concession for a total of $104.32.

@SawleMill, is this true, when the reimbursement issued by Amazon isn’t tied to the product they ordered? Looking at the order screen, the customer wasn’t refunded anything for the product, she did order and receive that.

She was only reimbursed for shipping charges related to returning the unsolicited thing, and that shouldn’t be capped at the amount of the order that was placed, right? It seems like it should be an entirely separate matter. Because what if someone randomly sent something to a person who hadn’t ordered anything?

You couldn’t cap the amount of their reimbursement at 0.00, the amount of what they’d ordered. You’d still have to cover their full expenses to send it back.

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22

I didn’t say this was reasonable…
I was channeling Captain Obvious.

Look a mistake was made, these things happen. Since we all know the customer is always right and Amazon is to big to be fallible we are left with Sellers being responsible for everything as usual. In this case to add injury to insult and then a pinch of salt, you have a customer who contrary to all reason and logic does the right thing and over your protests sends it back.

:man_facepalming:

With so many posts by Sellers on that other official forum about customers being cheats, thieves, liars, and scams… We discover that honest customers are actually the worst…

There is no line, we are those evil, greedy corporations who don’t pay our fair share, that everyone is always going on about each October.

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23

Why was an A-Z claim filed in the first place? If they were only charged for 1 and got 2, what is their reasoning?

How would Amazon know how much the return label cost? And why should that matter when there technically isn’t anything wrong?

This all seems too fishy.

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The dimensional weight trumped the actual weight in both cases, the dimensions are very close. So the real weight does not matter.

Did you use Amazon Buy Shipping to send it out?

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I have read this thread several times trying to make sense of it.

I understand the customer paid $129.12 to FedEx to have an FBM item returned to seller. Seller has shown us FedEx receipt in their possession.

So how did Amazon know $129.12 amount to refund for shipping buyer paid FedEx?

Marilyn

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A picture of the receipt was submitted to Amazon.

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Right, but why? There is no need from the buyer to open a return request OR to file an A-Z because in reality nothing was done to require either action to be taken.

Again, this makes zero sense and I bet it was a bot.

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So, it was said that an extra item was sent. My assumption is the buyer opened the A2Z to get the return shipping cost back from the seller. Submitted the receipt and won the A2Z.

I think this all could have been avoided with a prepaid return label to the customer before they could start an A2Z. Even though they were told to keep the item, customer’s are strange at times. If you sent a prepaid label for the return it would have cost much less, the customer may have been delighted and A2Z avoided.

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But where or when is that listed as an acceptable reason? If the buyer sent it back on their own, that’s on them period. Especially since they were told not to return it via messaging.

Bottom line to me is:While they never follow their own A-Z rules, Amazon went too far above and beyond this time.

ETA: If there was a return request as was alluded to upthread, then they should have been given a label anyway, correct? But the bottom line is that no action needed to be taken by Amazon because the customer didn’t get shorted anything.

30

This sounds like a potential solution for this unusual situation if it ever happens again. But I understand the seller was attempting to avoid any extra expense.

Marilyn

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31

It certainly seems ironic!

I wonder if they even got the message; we all know how reliable Buyer-Seller messaging is.
Note to self: include in the message [important] “no need to return, please keep the item, or if you don’t want it, please discard or donate.”

I’m surprised that the OP was not charged an adjustment fee from UPS for the outbound shipping; if an extra item was indeed shipped, wouldn’t the outbound package have been heavier than 5.9 lb seeing that an 11 lb item was returned?

This post has certainly given me some insight into FedEx and how they weigh and charge for shipments.

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32

A suggestion for items you don’t want returned in the future -

When I don’t want something sent back but it is in good condition, I ask the buyer would they mind disposing of it for me. They can keep it (after refunding), give it to a friend, donate it or throw it away.

I have had good responses the few times I’ve done that. Some are pleasantly surprised about the idea of gifting it. This puts their focus on choosing one of those options instead of fooling around with returning.

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33

Not everyone gets a prepaid return label, some sellers are able to opt out. Maybe this is the case.

While I agree with you, there are people who really hate getting extra’s with their orders. IDK why, but they do. This customer could have thrown it away, but maybe they didn’t get the message that they didn’t need to return it, or returned it out of spite. Unfortunately, we don’t really know the full story of communication or reason for A2Z.

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34

Return requests for the reason of extra item no refunded can be closed without any action. Since its on us if we want the item back or not.

Problem is that the item cost about $6. Return shipping even if we sent our own label would have been $30 as you see from the quote. Its simply nowhere near economical to get it back for any reason ever pretty much.

Honestly, the entire situation is a sticky s-covered one. The A-Z reason contradicts their return reason. “Customer issue: Different from what I ordered” Which is just false. They got exactly what the ordered, just received an extra one.

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My guess is this will be your reason for appeal. Hopefully, it gets past the bots and will be reversed. Good Luck. Please keep us posted.

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Unfortunately the buyers have to choose the best fit from a preset list and there are not good options for some returns.

was probably the only reason that remotely described the situation.

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37

Well sure, but the OP told the customer to just keep the item for free (it was an extra item anyway).

Free + zero effort would usually delight 99% of people. And 99.9% of people would not go to some corner shop shipping place and pay $129 to return something they’d be told to keep for free.

But yes, a prepaid label would have technically avoided an A2Z.

OP is there any chance this was a disgruntled former customer or competitor looking to stick you?

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38

Another possible scenario:

Scene: At home morning…

Wife: Honey, this needs to be returned. Can you mail it at the Post Office on your break?"
Husband: “Uhh-huh”
Wife: “They close at 5, you’ll need to do it over your lunch.”
Husband: “I’ve got this.”

Significant time passes…
Scene: car, evening, phone rings

Husband: “Hello…, Yes, I’m heading to pick you up now. I always love taking your parents out for dinner. I just wish your mother wouldn’t order half-lemonade and half ice-tea then complain that her tea tastes sweet and lemony…, Yes, of course I mailed that box for you two days ago”

Looks to right at passenger seat

Husband: “Look, I have another call coming in. I love you too.”

Hangs up phone, curses and pulls into nearest shipping center that is open at 8pm.

Just saying, it could have happened like that…

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After listening to several hours of Tibetan healing bowls on youtube I am an a calmer place and am choosing to believe the buyer was abducted and replaced by an alien - who obviously has no idea how money works or the value there of.

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Link? Please? Soon? For reasons?

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