Christmas Selling Tip: Resolving Issues with Orders, Part III

In this last part of our Christmas selling tip on post-order problems, let's talk about handling returns.

Part III: The buyer has received the order but wants to return it.

Here are the basics of handling returns:

* You have to accept returns within the guidelines stated in the returns policy, even if the item was exactly as described and the buyer simply no longer wants it.  Learn more about the Marketplace Returns Policy.

* Returns of new items are different from returns of damaged, defective, or materially different items.

* Buyer returns should be postmarked within 30 days of the original shipment sent by the seller.

* Returns should be posted to the address included on the outside of each parcel. It's a good idea to include your return address inside the parcel and to confirm it with the buyer before a return is dispatched.

* In cases where there is nothing wrong with an item, buyers should cover the cost of return delivery.

* In cases where an item is damaged or defective, or when it is materially different from the item described on the product detail page, sellers should cover the costs of returning the item. You can do this by issuing a concession to the buyer in advance of the return.

* Sellers can charge restocking fees (up to 20%) for returned items that are not damaged, defective or materially different. These fees are meant to cover the extra handling costs incurred in taking the item back into inventory and relisting it for sale.

For additional information, please see our Handling Orders FAQ.

Christmas Selling Tip: Resolving Issues with Orders, Part II

In part 2 of this Christmas selling tip, let's look at another possible order problem: non-receipt of the order.

Part II:  The buyer hasn't received the item they ordered.

As you might expect, buyers will be  anxious to receive their Christmas orders and may contact you by e-mail to check on the shipment status.

* In many cases, the order isn't late but may not have arrived as early as the buyer hoped. It's possible that the parcel didn't arrive at the earliest estimated date.  In the case of "slow" deliveries, you will often need to explain the delivery timeframes when buyers ask, "Where's my order?" Here is the customer Help page on which we post information about delivery expectations: Marketplace Shipping Times.

* If the maximum delivery date has passed, the best solution is to refund the buyer. Compensating buyers for lost shipments is an unavoidable  cost of doing business.

* In the case of a "lost" item arriving in an empty box, you should contact the carrier to report the issue and ask about the options available to you. For a "late" item that may be lost, you may want to engage your carrier for assistance with locating the parcel and moving it along.

* For an item that never arrives and is truly lost, you may be still able to recover your costs if you purchased insurance cover. You will need to determine your own level of acceptable loss when deciding to insure parcels.

Christmas Selling Tip: Resolving Issues with Orders, Part I

The majority of Christmas transactions on Amazon.co.uk go smoothly, but occasionally you may encounter a problem.  In this three-part Christmas selling tip, we’ll look at some of the most common things that can go wrong with an order and effective ways of handling them.  

Part I:  The buyer has made a mistake with an order and wants to fix it.

Buyers do make mistakes with their orders.  Here are the most common things buyers may ask you to do to fix an order and suggestions for how you can respond:

Cancel the order.

* If you have not yet dispatched the order, you can cancel it.  Buyers only have a 30-minute window to cancel their own orders, but you can cancel them up until the time you dispatch them. If you use Charge When Ship, see these instructions. If you haven't enabled your account for Charge When Ship yet, please use these instructions.

* If you have already dispatched the order, you can ask the buyer to return it for a refund. It's advisable to wait until you have the item in hand again before you initiate a refund to the buyer.

Upgrade the shipping.

* If you have not yet dispatched the order, it is up to you to decide whether to upgrade the shipping method at the buyer’s request.  Sellers aren't obliged to provide a service that a buyer hasn't paid for, or to accept promises of future reimbursement from buyers (sellers can't invoice buyers for extra costs, including postage).

* If you have already dispatched the order, provide the buyer with information about the shipping method you used, give them a realistic timeframe for delivery, and ask them to be patient. Here's the information Amazon provides to buyers about delivery expectations:  Marketplace Shipping Times.

Send the order to a different address.

* If you have not yet dispatched the order, and the buyer says they cannot receive the order at the address they provided originally, you should cancel the order. The buyer can then return to Amazon.co.uk to place a new order using the correct address.  Amazon policy requires sellers to dispatch only to the address provided by the buyer in their seller account.

* If you have already dispatched the order, and the buyer states that they won't receive the parcel at the address they provided, it may still be possible for them to get the parcel re-routed if they know the recipient(s). Undeliverable parcels should be routed back to you and you can then refund the buyer. Since there will be extra routing steps, the best course here is to ask the buyer to be patient.

Coming soon: Resolving Issues with Orders , Part II!

Festive Selling Tip: Packing with Care

Many of the orders placed in the run-up to Christmas are intended as presents. Buyers not only expect to receive them on time, but also in excellent condition. Having to return items that have been damaged in transit is never a good buying experience – and even less so at this time of year, as it might mean that the buyer won’t have the item in time for Christmas. 

Make sure your buyers have an entirely positive experience by following a few good packaging practices:

• When sending fragile items through the post, pack them carefully using bubble wrap or polystyrene chips (both of which are available from any Post Office).
• If the product is fragile we recommend using a ‘Fragile’ sticker (also available from any Post Office) or marking the package clearly as needing to be handled with care.
• Place your item in its original box (if you still have it), then put it in a slightly larger box and fill the space with paper, polystyrene or cardboard. If the contents still have space to move around, add more packaging.

Learn more about our  packaging guidelines.

Christmas Selling Tip: Resolving Feedback Issues

When you sell on Amazon.co.uk, it’s your responsibility to work with the buyer to resolve any differences. Communication is usually the key--simply explaining a delay or reassuring a buyer puts most issues to rest. But sometimes an order results in the seller receiving negative feedback from the buyer.

If you receive a feedback comment that you are not happy with, we encourage you to contact your buyer and work with the buyer to resolve any issues with the transaction. Your buyer could then remove the feedback if they feel it would be appropriate.

Amazon will remove feedback only in the following cases:

• The feedback includes obscene language.
• The feedback includes personally identifiable information.
• The entire feedback comment is a product review.
• The entire feedback comment is regarding fulfilment or customer service for an order fulfilled by Amazon.

Remember that providing good customer service is the best way to avoid receiving negative feedback.