(Walmart) For inexpensive products, like a $20 T-shirt that might cost $30 to ship back, or single-use items such as plastic straws, it’s simply not worth the hassle for retailers.
While this policy is generally limited to cheaper items with low resale value, some lucky shoppers have even scored refunds on more expensive products.
Dalya Harel, 48, received a return-free refund recently after ordering a desk from Amazon that cost $300.
When the desk arrived, she noticed it was missing some key pieces and would be impossible to put together.
Unable to get a replacement on time, Harel reached out to Amazon and was told she’d receive a refund – no return needed.
She even reused the parts to create makeshift shelves in the offices of her New York lice detection removal, calling the policy ‘one less headache.’
Retailers are staying tight-lipped on how often they let customers keep items, fearing fraud and return abuse.
Even if brands don’t provide details about such policies on their websites, returnless refunds are expanding in at least some retail corners.
Amazon, however, recently expanded this policy to include third-party sellers, allowing them to offer refunds on items under $75 without requiring returns.
This option is especially attractive for goods shipped directly from overseas, as seen in a new Amazon section featuring products from China.
And it’s not just Amazon. Walmart offers this choice to third-party sellers, while other big names like Shein, Target, Wayfair and Chewy also allow returnless refunds on select orders.
Companies even encourage customers to donate items they don’t want – especially helpful for pet products from Chewy, often sent to animal shelters.
Many retailers are using algorithms to decide who qualifies for returnless refunds, looking at factors like purchase history, return patterns, and the overall demand for the product.
In other cases, it’s an unofficial loyalty perk for valued customers. according to Amena Ali, CEO of Optoro, a company that helps streamline returns for Best Buy, Staples and Gap.
Such customers could be seen as ‘good returners’ if they purchase – and keep – many more items than they send back, Ali said.
‘Oftentimes, your most profitable customers tend to be high returners,’ she said.
But retailers are getting stricter elsewhere. H&M, Zara and J. Crew started charging customers return fees in the past year. Others have shortened their return windows.
Some shopping sites, such as the Canadian retailer Ssense, have threatened to ban frequent returners.
Even Amazon is tightening its return policy – and one customer, Tatianna Diaz, is warning that it is ‘bananas.’
Tatianna Diaz took to TikTok to issue the words of caution – explaining how her account hit her with a list of precautions before making it to the return process page.
Shoppers hold bags after shopping in Bradenton, Fla., Feb. 9, 2024
People return items purchased online at an Amazon counter inside a Kohl’s department store in Clifton, New Jersey, in 2021
