Amazon Shortens Holiday Returns Window to Pre-pandemic Level

Amazon is reverting back to its old holiday-returns policy that starts November 1st. For 3 consecutive years, Amazon had required sellers to comply with an extremely generous policy that let buyers return items purchased in October until the end of January - giving them 4 months to hold on to their items.

As one seller had noted with dismay when Amazon extended the returns window from November 1st to October 1st in 2020, "So Halloween products have four months to be returned." 

It's a bit odd that Amazon waited until October 17th to inform sellers of the change. In its policy announcement on Tuesday, Amazon did not call specific attention to the fact it was the shortening the returns window:

"Similar to previous years, our standard returns window will be temporarily extended in anticipation of customers shopping early for the holidays.

"Our 2023 Extended Holiday Returns policy requires that items purchased between November 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, are returnable through January 31, 2024, except for Apple brand products, which can be returned through January 15, 2024.

"This policy applies to seller-fulfilled, FBA, and Amazon retail orders.

"Although the returns window for most orders will be extended, returns eligibility for all orders remains the same."

From a seller's point of view, October 1st can seem like a ridiculously long time for buyers to return an item (last year the holiday return window began October 7th). But for shoppers who like to make a dent in their Christmas shopping early, it may seem fair to be able to return an item after the recipient of their gifts have had a chance to receive and open the item and make sure it works (or fits).

One seller wrote in reaction to the policy, "Nov 1st through December 31st is both reasonable for gift giving reasons and limits the Halloween buyers who scum sellers."

In response to a seller's question about why Amazon instituted a holiday returns policy, a moderator wrote, "Happy to provide a little more context. This is an annual policy that's been implemented since before 2019 which helps sellers increase sales and gives customers the confidence to shop early for holidays."

Some sellers wondered why they too couldn't be granted the more favorable January 15 cutoff date that Amazon granted Apple.

And one seller pointed out that they sold items that would not be suitable for gift-giving ("Like a $900 printer I shipped to a government office in Hawaii") and wondered why they would have to abide by a policy designed for consumer goods.

Comments (3) | Permalink