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Amazon introduced new guidelines for returns approximately 2 months ago. They make it more difficult for merchants to sell their items internationally. These guidelines require sellers to provide their customers with a local return address or to offer their customers free shipment for returns.
What does that mean exactly?
If you are a British seller and you list items on Amazon Italy, then you are required to provide your customers with an Italian return address. You are required to provide this address regardless of where the item was originally shipped from. Alternatively, you have to pay for the international returns.
What are your options?
Of course, you could stop using Amazon for international sales altogether and concentrate on other markets and platforms instead. However, if you are already well established on this market, then it would be in your best interest to consider a few alternative solutions.
One possibility is to simply pay for all of the international returns. You could also analyze which items are returned most frequently and stop selling these items internationally. This would help minimize the return costs.
Another possibility is to use Fulfilment by Amazon for any items that you sell on Amazon. If you use this service, then you will not have to worry about providing a local return address.
A third option is to use a service provider who offers a local return address and receives the returns on your behalf. Our partner, InterCultural Elements, offers such a solution with its Global Returns service.
If you neither pay for international returns nor offer your customers a local return address, then you run the risk of being banned on Amazon. Luckily, you do not need to worry about legal action being taken against you, since you are not breaking any laws. However, being banned on Amazon can mean a major loss of income for your business.
What else should you consider?
Depending on what you decide to do, you may be required to edit your cancellation rights as well. If you decide to offer your customers free international returns, then include this information in your cancellation rights and list your British return address as usual. If you decide to offer a local return address, then tell customers that they are required to pay for returns. List the local return address along with your regular business address.
Be sure to contact a legal adviser if you are unsure about editing your cancellation rights or if you have further questions about the laws of international returns.
For further information, refer directly to Amazon.