Amazon extended its “first-scan” refund policy to more sellers, providing for a more consistent experience no matter from whom a buyer has purchased an item they wish to return.
This week, Amazon said that beginning May 4th, it would introduce the Refund at First Scan (RFS) feature to all sellers who use the Prepaid Return Label program.
Products returned through Amazon’s Prepaid Return Label program will automatically be eligible for RFS, it said, and is already mandatory new for seller-fulfilled items and for sellers who use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
“With RFS, you will no longer need to rush to process a refund within the two business day SLA,” Amazon explained. “Customers will receive a refund after the first carrier scan when they drop-off or ship back their return using an Amazon prepaid return label. You will continue to be notified about refunds by Amazon notification emails for all refunds processed with RFS.”
While Amazon said refunds issued through RFS are be eligible for SAFE-T reimbursements in cases where buyers send back a damaged or materially different return, some sellers were concerned about the new policy.
One seller said scammers would get their money before sellers know what they actually send back.
Another said Amazon denied almost every Safe-T Claim they filed.
But another thanked the company and wrote, “It is important for Amazon’s customers to receive the same level of service from merchants fulfilling orders that they have come to expect from FBA merchants.”
