How long does a buyer have to return something after authorisation?
A buyer requested an exchange of a christmas jumper from XL to L, on the 29th of December (14 days after purchase), which I approved that day.
Nothing happened for a while, but the jumper turned up today, having been posted on saturday. It is clean with tags on, so no problem for me to exchange.
This had me wondering what the normal returns window for change of mind was on amazon? Would amazon force me to accept the return at this point if it had been a problematic return?
8 replies
Seller_A5tvj9oaXbKrt
From memory it’s 30 days from the date of the request for them to post it back to you
Seller_72Sy9T6sEfmjl
I believe that from a legal point of view that have 30 days in order to inform you of wanting a return and then another 30 days to return the item after notifying of wanting to return.
But this is Amazon and they can offer better returns policy than required by law so anything could happen. Returns are fluid with Amazon and very much depends on who deals with it.
Seller_2BrPSydGy6oyq
Consumer law allows buyers to cancel within 14 days from receipt of the order and return within a further 14 days, Amazon extend this to 30 days, they state return within 30 days, but that would translate to postmarked within 30 days so I believe Amazon advise buyers on return requests something like 45 days in total.
If it was returned with tags missing and appeared used, then the return period would be irrelevant, the issue would be about it’s returned condition.
Seller_x1xMSBwZsJrTE
Return policy is never a straightforward issue.
Amazon always extend the normal 30 days returns window over the Christmas period. Any orders placed between 1st Nov and 31st Dec are eligible for return up to 31st Jan the following year. Having said that anecdotal evidence on this board suggests that Amazon reps are unaware of this and refunds are often handed out months after the official deadline.
For faulty goods EU law allows up to 2 years for return, although there are specific conditions which must be met.
Assuming the situation you have described is a simple change of mind exchange then under consumer law the buyer has to request return within 14 days. They then have a further 14 days to return the item. So in your case you have no legal obligation to accept return, it’s down to your discretion.
However, you have to provide certain key information to the buyer no later than when the buyer receives their goods. If you fail to provide the necssary information then the buyers rights can extend up to a year.
It’s all a bit of a minefield, but here’s is a summary of consumer rights…
(https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations)
Seller_mQzM8i0mkBUO3
amazon allow 45 days for a return to be filed and returned
