What the Tech? What to Know about Returning Items after Amazon Prime Days
To no one’s surprise, the Amazon Prime Days event was another success, becoming the biggest online shopping event in history. Amazon said that during the 48-hour sales event, shoppers purchased over 300 million items.
What we’ll never know is how many of those items will be returned.
Many Prime Day shoppers know they’re going to return something they ordered before they even open the box. While Amazon makes most returns easy, there are some things you should know that cost you.
Returns of Prime member purchases sold and shipped by Amazon are free with some exceptions. All you need to do is click on your orders and choose the item you want to return.
You’ll be asked for a reason. None of which are “I changed my mind”. Amazon asks if the product is defective, if it didn’t arrive in time, or if you found it at a better price somewhere else.
You’ll then print out a shipping label, box up the item and ship it back yourself. Or you can take it to a UPS shipping location or Kohl’s department store. Read the return instructions closely, do not put it in a box if you return it to the store, just take it inside and let them scan a QR or barcode Amazon will email you.
Tip: When you receive the QR Code from Amazon, capture a screenshot on your phone in case you can’t get a good internet signal once you get to the store.
Tip 2: Save the return receipt to prove you returned the item in the event it gets lost. You should receive an email soon after dropping it off that it was received and that your refund has been returned.
If you purchased the item from a third-party seller who shipped the item, you may have 30 days to return it for a refund, but each third-party seller has its own return policy. You may be able to get a refund but you’ll likely have to pay for shipping. On a $10 item, you might have to pay a $5.99 minimum to return it.
There are items that cannot be returned. Computers after 30 days, items missing UPC code, software programs, some jewelry, health and grocery items, and live insects. Yes, Amazon sells live crickets, worms, and cockroaches. You’ve got to keep those.
Amazon keeps track of how many items you return and for what reasons. If you return 5-10 items per month or more than 10% of what you order for no reason other than, you changed your mind, you may receive a warning from Amazon that if you continue returning items, your account will be suspended or you’ll even be banned from Amazon.
So be careful with impulse buying.
