Get Started

Learn more about Credit Cards, Travel Programs, Deals, and more.

Some Amazon Returns Will Start Costing You

This post may contain affiliate links - Advertiser Disclosure. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

a logo of a company

Amazon Starts Charging Return Fee

For years Amazon has touted the simplicity and worry-free buying experience on its platform. If you buy something, and it turn out you don’t like it, or just changed your mind, then return it. No questions asked.

But those returns are piling up and are becoming an expensive problem for the company. Now in its latest move to deter returns, Amazon has started charging customers a $1 fee if they return items to a UPS store when there is a Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh grocery store or Kohl’s closer to their delivery address.

Amazon owns Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh store, and has a partnership deal with Kohl’s.

Recently Amazon also started flagging “frequently returned” products on its website. Amazon is adding the badge to product listings on items with “significantly higher return rates for their product category”.

Returns are a big problem for the whole retail industry. Customers sent back around 17% of the total merchandise they purchased in 2022, totaling $816 billion, according to data from the National Retail Federation. On top of that, retailers have to cover costly shipping fees and then have to mark down returned goods to sell them.

HT: The Information

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

 Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the old king of travel rewards cards. Right now bonus_miles_full

Learn more about this card and its features!


Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
DDG
DDGhttp://dannydealguru.com
Based in NYC. Points/miles enthusiast for years and actively writing about it for the last 6+ years at Danny the Deal Guru. I'm always looking out for deals. Making a few bucks is always nice, but the traveling is by far the best part of this business.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

4 COMMENTS

  1. I wish they gave me the option to return to a Whole Foods or Kohl’s. We moved a year ago – apparently just far enough away from the Kohl’s to be eligible for returns there. Now my only option is UPS returns. Both Whole Foods & Kohl’s are within a reasonable range for me to run weekly errands – but Amazon doesn’t think so. 🙁

  2. I rarely take Amazon’s side on anything (former FBA seller here). However, I don’t mind what they’re doing to keep return costs down. Even their amazingly cheap shipping contracts have no doubt taken a hit in the last couple of years. As for the “frequently returned” warning, I’d find that helpful. I wouldn’t immediately bypass the item, but I’d pay more attention to the description and reviews. My sister has a hilarious habit of buying holiday decor like a dozen small flags or pinwheels or gravestones that have turned out to be 1 inch instead of 12 inches. It’s too easy to miss product details when shopping in the app v. on a big ol’ browser.

    @Beachmouse – that is SUPER annoying.

  3. That is highly annoying. While Whole Foods is closer to my home than a UPS store, it also involves $6 in toll bridge charges to get there and back.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related

7,703FansLike
9,903FollowersFollow
16,444FollowersFollow