Announcement reposted from Amazon Europe:
Effective October 30, 2024, we are updating the process for seller-fulfilled returns policy for heavy and bulky items (items that weigh 31.5 kg or more, or whose longest side when packed exceeds 175 cm) for Germany, France, Italy, and Spain stores. This change is in line with the UK store which has been using the updated policy since August 2024.
You’re now required to offer a prepaid return label along with home collection for seller-fulfilled heavy and bulky item returns, with a refund to the customer. The return policy in regard to who bears the cost of the return shipping does not change. The refund amount will depend on the return reason and timeline, in line with our existing returns policy. For more information on refunds, go to Return Reason codes for prepaid returns.
Home collection for heavy and bulky item returns creates a consistent returns experience for customers across our store, as this option is already available for FBA and Seller Flex returns. We recommend that you check with your carrier partner to make sure that home collection is part of your current contract and make any updates as needed.
You can continue to offer customers a partial refund or part replacement instead of home collection as agreed with the customer. You’ll be required to share the tracking ID for the replaced part with the customer, and complete the return request using the reason code “Return request canceled.”
To provide customers visibility into your return arrangements and avoid unnecessary A-to-z Guarantee claims or impacts to your order defect rate, you must:
- Authorize or deny a return request within 48 hours where the request is not auto-authorized.
- Within 48 hours of the return request authorization, use Buyer-Seller Messages to let customers know that the collection process has started. Make sure to provide the estimated collection time and upload the prepaid return label and tracking ID. For more information, go to Upload a prepaid return label.
- Arrange for the collection from a customer’s address.
- Ensure that the collection is successful within three attempts based on the scheduled time you provide to the customer.
For more information on the requirements for heavy and bulky item returns, go to Prevent an A-to-z Guarantee claim and About A-to-z Guarantee claims.
For questions specific to heavy and bulky returns, go to Seller-fulfilled Heavy Bulky Returns FAQ.
For more information about the seller-fulfilled returns process, go to Manage Returns.