The Great Big Amazon/eBay Return Postage Charges Scam

MikhailCompo

As you all know, you can sometimes return purchases bought over the internet for a variety of reasons, which is covered under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

If you change you mind or you ordered something by mistake, or just don't want it any longer (within the timescales), you need to pay the returns costs yourself. This is fair.

If the item is faulty or not as it was described etc., then the retailer must pay for the return costs. Again, this seems fair.

However, I believe both Amazon and eBay (and I am sure there are other online retailers) are trying to profit from returns, by only allowing customers to use their designated returns method and charges, which I believe they are profiting from.

The example today, I have ordered some Velcro from eBay, but when it arrived i realised I had not ordered self-adhesive type. OMG, first Brexit, now this!!! My life is over!! Not really of course its a minor issue and easily resolved. But I actually order 15m of Velcro in two separate orders (10 fingers + 5 toes, that's 15 meters I declare!). So when i try to return the items I am only offered two options per order; either Royal Mail (£3.05) or CollectPlus (£4.60). Now the total of my order was less than the up to £9.20 return postage, and the postage used to send to me in the first place was a lot less that the options I am being given. Why does it cost more to return than to send in the first place??? There are no other options, no way to change the postage costs, no way to return your own method and the price you want to pay, without contacting customer services which we all know is like pulling teeth.

I have returned a number of items to Amazon over the last couple of years and with the exact same experience as above, that I am forced to choose Amazon's preferred (expensive) return postage. However, I find this very interesting - Every single time I have contacted Amazon support and challenged the inability to choose my own method, they have simply waved a wand and emailed me a pre-paid postage label to return the item AT NO COST TO MYSELF!! A cynical person might think they are trying to hush me up!!. I recommend you try this and save yourself money!!

I have no proof, but I am in no doubt that the above postage options are generating yet more revenue for [insert tax evading global corp here] - at a cost to the consumer. The legislation says they cannot charge fees to a customer for return items, and I feel that this is in effect a fee to the consumer. This is especially the case with eBay as the postage overcharge is by them, and not the eBay seller. This is NOT in the rules and I am convinced that this is actually bending or potentially in breach of them, and I am hoping the community plus MSE can rally around, start a campaign and get this stopped.

Please post below with your experiences and if you have seen similar with Amazon/eBay or list any other company that is doing the same.

bris

Actually you are wrong, well at least with Ebay. With Ebay they offer you the label, if you use it you pay, if you don't use it and do your own return you don't pay.
The label only gets charged to your account when used.

I have never paid to return anything to Amazon either although admittedly I have never had a change of mind return with Amazon, only faulty goods.



Nice rant, but you might want to check your facts next time..

BoGoF

Have always been given a pre-paid returns label with Amazon. In fact they have just told me not to bother sending stuff back on occasion and refunded me. It seems for small value items it is not worth their while processing a return so total opposite of what you are implying.

ps....no neex for the bold, capitals, italics and underlines. It just makes you look a ranter.

JJ_Egan

Unlike new poster above never ever had a problem with returns .
In fact Amazon offer me to many options for free return .
Ebay no idea as everything i have bought has been correct .


Suggest OP stops using Amazon and Ebay as a real form of protest .

Prinzessilein

I have never had to pay for an Amazon return..usually I get a pre-paid label to print off.

DoaM

bris wrote: »

Nice rant, but you might want to check your facts next time..

And also find the correct board in which to post it.

hollydays

I suppose I'd view it that the seller may have subsidised the postage in the first place, and if I changed my mind because of my own error, then that was my loss.
I'd have just given it to a charity shop for that amount personally.
What bugs me more is that eBay take 10% of the fees on postage not just the sale which I think is outrageous.

Aylesbury_Duck

If you don’t like the way these companies operate, don’t use them. Find other online retailers or support your local shops instead.

George_Michael

Just one more thing to add.

MikhailCompo wrote: »

However, I believe both Amazon and eBay (and I am sure there are other online retailers)

eBay are not an online retailer as they don't sell anything themselves. They are simply an online marketplace where sellers can advertise their goods.

My experiences with faulty goods from Amazon is exactly the same as those above.
They either tell me to keep or dispose of the item or if it's something that must be returned, I simply print out a postage paid label and drop it off at a Hermes or Collect+ point.

shaun_from_Africa

8 replies all defending one company.

At least one of you must be working for Amazon customer services.

Forwandert

Amazon are really good with returns. Think I've only ever been charged for one change of mind return (expected to pay and had no issues paying) and their collect+ service is really quick for refunding orders. Some returns have had refunds within hours of dropping them off.

With anything Amazon have made an error in the product description they've always refunded, keep and replaced if it's been a quantity issue (4x quantity was an error and should have been 1x pack) usually the second one will be the exact same quantity error but never felt the need to complain a second time if they've already refunded anyway. Or refund and keep with other issues.

Cant see there being much profiteering in the returns if I'm honest if they seem to be doing the same with everyone else in the thread too.