Returns for collectible items
The problem of continuous fraud of customers (order products, use it and return for a full refund) is not new, and so many sellers here are bleeding money because of over-generous Amazon return policies.
The issue I'd like to raise is high returns for specific product - trading cards game, Pokemon cards, One Piece etc. People buy them to look for certain expensive cards, and there's no guarantee those cards will be in the box. It's sort of a gamble. It's an expensive product as well (selling for 90$ and up). And there's an overwhelming amount of FBA returns of opened boxes, when customer received sealed box, opened all packs, took good cards and returned what's left, with full refund! I even put stickers on the boxes "No returns after opening", but scammers obviously don't care. You can see pictures of returns below - clearly buyers knew what they are doing, every pack is opened, and common cards are left - they took only the good ones.
I have a customer who placed 5 orders, 3 separate for the same item, and 2 for another item. He already refunded first 3, and I'm dreading to receive the refund notifications on other 2 orders. I'm out of 400$ just from one this person, and he's not the only one doing it. This person should be banned for violating Amazon policies.
The order numbers are 702-2170797-0853832, 702-2237880-8540240, 702-8099331-1594606 (refunded) and 702-7077324-1628238, 702-8103760-0247428 (not refunded yet).
I strongly believe Amazon should make an additional rule in return policies for this specific type of Collectible products (trading cards games), because of it's nature (it's a chance of getting high-value cards, and it cannot be resold after opening). It's ok to return them if you mistakenly ordered a wrong item. But returning clearly opened product should lead to chargeback from buyer. Please please please escalate this to relevant department - this is a desperate cry for help.
@Daryl_Amazon@Christine_Amazon @Josh_Amazon
Returns for collectible items
The problem of continuous fraud of customers (order products, use it and return for a full refund) is not new, and so many sellers here are bleeding money because of over-generous Amazon return policies.
The issue I'd like to raise is high returns for specific product - trading cards game, Pokemon cards, One Piece etc. People buy them to look for certain expensive cards, and there's no guarantee those cards will be in the box. It's sort of a gamble. It's an expensive product as well (selling for 90$ and up). And there's an overwhelming amount of FBA returns of opened boxes, when customer received sealed box, opened all packs, took good cards and returned what's left, with full refund! I even put stickers on the boxes "No returns after opening", but scammers obviously don't care. You can see pictures of returns below - clearly buyers knew what they are doing, every pack is opened, and common cards are left - they took only the good ones.
I have a customer who placed 5 orders, 3 separate for the same item, and 2 for another item. He already refunded first 3, and I'm dreading to receive the refund notifications on other 2 orders. I'm out of 400$ just from one this person, and he's not the only one doing it. This person should be banned for violating Amazon policies.
The order numbers are 702-2170797-0853832, 702-2237880-8540240, 702-8099331-1594606 (refunded) and 702-7077324-1628238, 702-8103760-0247428 (not refunded yet).
I strongly believe Amazon should make an additional rule in return policies for this specific type of Collectible products (trading cards games), because of it's nature (it's a chance of getting high-value cards, and it cannot be resold after opening). It's ok to return them if you mistakenly ordered a wrong item. But returning clearly opened product should lead to chargeback from buyer. Please please please escalate this to relevant department - this is a desperate cry for help.
@Daryl_Amazon@Christine_Amazon @Josh_Amazon
0 replies
JiAlex_Amazon
@Seller_RaWDns2xWqbNh
Following on your post. When you suspect from a buyer that may have wrong intentions, my advice will be for you to report it.
You can report this on the report abuse tool.
For investigations of this nature, it is standard protocol to maintain confidentiality regarding the final resolution and any actions taken. If actions are deemed necessary, the appropriate parties will be directly notified and necessary steps will be taken accordingly.
Any assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support channel.
Regards,
-JiAlex
Seller_uGV19xmGRVdnz
The worst part is, the policies on returns on these type of products are different per country.
If only, as a first step, Amazon North America would follow the Amazon Japan policy on trading cards, that would help tremendously.
But alas, customer is king and all the mumbo jumbo..
Seller_1idNlTUpfKbZW
Wow, that really sucks. You can report them, but you can't stop them.
I only had one customer since 2015 that I know that was banned from Amazon. 50% restocking fee, and if you see him order again, cancel the order.
Seller_xJx7vH6fvZFD9
Sadly, I think the items you are selling on Amazon are not suitable for this platform, in consideration of how poorly Amazon manages returns, whether it is FBM or FBA. The return policies are usually one of the worst aspect of selling on Amazon.
There are even reporters that made fun of Amazon ,1-2 years ago, while witnessing how bad are their return policies are.
They returned their old messed up shoes in the box of some new shoes, not even the same brand, and they still got refunded by FBA after keeping the new pair. So I can't imagine Pokemon cards which as you said, completely lose its value once opened. Is your offer FBM?
I don't think Amazon will take any action unless there is a specific policy for collectible products (cards) and I don't think there is one. Although yes, the customers are scamming you, Amazon might consider this as ''a regular 30 days return''. Not logical, but for Amazon robots, it is.
Your best bet might be to ask Amazon to flag your listings as ''non-returnable''. I am not sure if that is possible, but I heard you could ask Amazon for exceptions to the regular 30 days return policy. After all, some hazmat products are already non-returnable, so perhaps you could try that for cards as well. You could try opening a case ID, list the ASINS that are collectible losing their value once opened.
Make sure the focus of your message is not the order IDs listed and getting scammed, because they will misunderstand your request and think you asking for a reimbursement or something. They think like robot, so limit yourself to one main idea at the time.
-Open one log for the non-returnable ASIN request with clear justification. It might not work, but worth a shot. Also try writing to jeff@amazon.com
Sometimes, an executive agent will take a more complex case. They aren't always great but some are better than regular seller support.
-Open another log for customer scam and the customer returning the item in unsellable condition.
NOTE : For FBM orders returned ''damaged'', I believe you can keep as much as 20% in restocking fee. Make sure to message the customer with photos and an explanation for the refunde amount. 20% is not much but well, better than 100% loss.
Seller_z8LpAQ6cXxNS0
This is a HUGE problem for sellers on Amazon!! Even after continuously reporting a customer for over a year, who has been refunded thousands of dollars (they return empty packaging or they switch Pokémon. Cards for hockey cards/playing cards), Amazon still continues to allow them to purchase and return.
It’s theft right in front of everyone’s eyes at the expense of small business owners and Amazon does nothing to help us sellers unfortunately.
How they allow returns on trading cards is mind boggling to me!!
Seller_tYggsIdI0Ie18
You're not going to like this answer, but TCG sealed product is not suitable for sale on Amazon. Ebay is a much better platform for it, as their Buyer Protection polices are not as open/shut in favor of the buyer. Amazon will *never* do anything to police these kinds of scam returns, so either adjust your business model to sell these items elsewhere, or work the cost of the theft into your margins. Given the low margin in this category, that may be impossible.
