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Additionally if you have an issue, they often want you to ship the item back. Personally, I do not own a printer. If the 20 dollar Amazon Basics backpack I buy

Additionally if you have an issue, they often want you to ship the item back. Personally, I do not own a printer. If the 20 dollar Amazon Basics backpack I buy requires me to metro to a library, print a shipping label, find or buy a box to send it back in, then walk to a post office, that can be 1-2 hours of lost productivity - often more opportunity cost than the item itself cost. Now if something isn't urgent, I'm more likely to just go to a CVS or Walgreens - at least if the item fails I can return it.

eknkc 10y ago
Is this the way it works in US? Won't the shipping company / post office provide a box and print the label?
- 24gttghh 10y ago
  "UPS pickup: We contact UPS and arrange for them to pick up your package from the address it was originally shipped to. This is ideal for large or heavy items that are hard to carry, and if you select this option before 9:00 p.m. Pacific time, UPS will attempt pickup on the next business day. This option allows you to track your package on its way back to us."[0] [0]https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200572810 https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=...
  - jamiesonbecker 10y ago
    That's an additional cost.
ghufran_syed 10y ago
I used to have to print a label, but the last time I returned something (about a month ago, in california), the ups / fed-ex guy brought the label with them.
- cmdrfred 10y ago
  Then you have to wait around all day for the FedEx guy, who will pull up, not see a labeled package and speed away. He is a victim of metrics driven management as well.
sushid 10y ago
To be fair, they do allow you to get a label mailed to you for just a dollar. They also allow you to get UPS pickup for free on returns due to their error (and a nominal fee for your error). Finding a box can be troublesome but I think this can be mitigated by saving whatever box you receive your item in until you're fairly certain you won't be returning said item. All in all, I can't think of a more ideal return system. If you've ever tried returning something to other online merchants (e.g. Newegg, TigerDirect), you'd know that Amazon has the best solution.

eknkc 10y ago

Is this the way it works in US? Won't the shipping company / post office provide a box and print the label?

24gttghh 10y ago
"UPS pickup: We contact UPS and arrange for them to pick up your package from the address it was originally shipped to. This is ideal for large or heavy items that are hard to carry, and if you select this option before 9:00 p.m. Pacific time, UPS will attempt pickup on the next business day. This option allows you to track your package on its way back to us."[0] [0]https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200572810 https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=...
- jamiesonbecker 10y ago
  That's an additional cost.

ghufran_syed 10y ago

I used to have to print a label, but the last time I returned something (about a month ago, in california), the ups / fed-ex guy brought the label with them.

cmdrfred 10y ago
Then you have to wait around all day for the FedEx guy, who will pull up, not see a labeled package and speed away. He is a victim of metrics driven management as well.

sushid 10y ago

To be fair, they do allow you to get a label mailed to you for just a dollar. They also allow you to get UPS pickup for free on returns due to their error (and a nominal fee for your error). Finding a box can be troublesome but I think this can be mitigated by saving whatever box you receive your item in until you're fairly certain you won't be returning said item. All in all, I can't think of a more ideal return system. If you've ever tried returning something to other online merchants (e.g. Newegg, TigerDirect), you'd know that Amazon has the best solution.