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I did a return on Amazon last week where not only was there no shipping charge, but I didn't have any additional expense...box, label, time, gas, etc. They sch

I did a return on Amazon last week where not only was there no shipping charge, but I didn't have any additional expense...box, label, time, gas, etc. They scheduled UPS for the pickup, and the UPS driver brought the label with them.

Domenic_S 9y ago
Return shipping is free the same way socialized healthcare is free.
- brokensegue 9y ago
  true but probably not in the way you meant
- 21 9y ago
  What tax do you pay Amazon? The only thing I can think is that they are building a monopoly which might be a problem in the future.
  - Domenic_S 9y ago
    All of us who shop there pay increased prices (The wal-mart effect is in full force on Amazon -- they're pretty rarely the cheapest).
    - dcotton 9y ago
      I still compare prices when I'm about to buy something from Amazon and they are almost always the cheapest still. That's even before considering the 5% rewards the amazon credit card gives me. Maybe you are seeing certain types of merchandise that went up there? Or my purchase habits just happen to line up with their pricing more than yours.
      - jjeaff 9y ago
        The laws of economics are unbreakable. You have to realize that someone is paying for the shipping and that someone is always the customers. Or at least temporarily, investors.
        21 9y ago
        But another very strong law of economics is that scale reduces costs.
        thaumasiotes 9y ago
        There are other economic principles that apply to shipping specifically. It's a pretty old field. A last-mile delivery truck goes out full and comes back empty. That's terrible logistics, but the fact that it happens anyway suggests that shipping from your home to a UPS center should be basically free - the marginal cost is nearly 0. Amazon returns have to go through UPS. If Amazon sends out a lot more stuff through UPS than it receives from UPS, returns might just genuinely be free, occupying what would otherwise be slack in the system.
- robotresearcher 9y ago
  Yes. It costs less than half as much, provides lower user friction and makes almost everyone happier, than if you paid for it at point of use.
kileywm 9y ago
Not all returns are free with Amazon. Generally speaking, there needs to be a defect or error on the part of the seller (ex: listing has incorrect info) in order for it to be free. If you classify your return as "No longer need this item.", then the shipping amount will be deducted from your return, in my experience. If you return a lot of items and it's repeatedly defective/incorrect info/<whatever makes return shipping free>, then you'll probably be flagged just like Home Depot is doing.
- cortic 9y ago
  In the UK we have the Distance Selling Act; https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesses https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesse... "You must tell the customer they can cancel their order up to 14 days after their order is delivered. They don’t need to give a reason for cancelling. If you don’t tell the customer about their right to cancel, they can cancel at any time in the next 12 months." So it would be illegal for Amazon to remove the right to return items bought online. The Tories (currently in government) seem to have added a lot of exemptions to this; like the dumb £42 limit (they really don't like poor people) but it still carries some protection, And if the government hadn't also knackered the legal aid system it could be enforced at the small claims court level too... oh well.
  - FireBeyond 9y ago
    That's not removing the right to return items, you're misunderstanding. They're saying you can return items, and if the reason is defect or problem, then they can (as they should) wear the cost of that. They're also saying that you can return an item, "because I don't like it/want it", and that's no fault of theirs, so you're free to return the item, but the cost of doing so is (and should be) yours.

Domenic_S 9y ago

Return shipping is free the same way socialized healthcare is free.

brokensegue 9y ago
true but probably not in the way you meant
21 9y ago
What tax do you pay Amazon? The only thing I can think is that they are building a monopoly which might be a problem in the future.
- Domenic_S 9y ago
  All of us who shop there pay increased prices (The wal-mart effect is in full force on Amazon -- they're pretty rarely the cheapest).
  - dcotton 9y ago
    I still compare prices when I'm about to buy something from Amazon and they are almost always the cheapest still. That's even before considering the 5% rewards the amazon credit card gives me. Maybe you are seeing certain types of merchandise that went up there? Or my purchase habits just happen to line up with their pricing more than yours.
    - jjeaff 9y ago
      The laws of economics are unbreakable. You have to realize that someone is paying for the shipping and that someone is always the customers. Or at least temporarily, investors.
      - 21 9y ago
        But another very strong law of economics is that scale reduces costs.
        thaumasiotes 9y ago
        There are other economic principles that apply to shipping specifically. It's a pretty old field. A last-mile delivery truck goes out full and comes back empty. That's terrible logistics, but the fact that it happens anyway suggests that shipping from your home to a UPS center should be basically free - the marginal cost is nearly 0. Amazon returns have to go through UPS. If Amazon sends out a lot more stuff through UPS than it receives from UPS, returns might just genuinely be free, occupying what would otherwise be slack in the system.
robotresearcher 9y ago
Yes. It costs less than half as much, provides lower user friction and makes almost everyone happier, than if you paid for it at point of use.

kileywm 9y ago

Not all returns are free with Amazon. Generally speaking, there needs to be a defect or error on the part of the seller (ex: listing has incorrect info) in order for it to be free. If you classify your return as "No longer need this item.", then the shipping amount will be deducted from your return, in my experience. If you return a lot of items and it's repeatedly defective/incorrect info/<whatever makes return shipping free>, then you'll probably be flagged just like Home Depot is doing.

cortic 9y ago
In the UK we have the Distance Selling Act; https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesses https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesse... "You must tell the customer they can cancel their order up to 14 days after their order is delivered. They don’t need to give a reason for cancelling. If you don’t tell the customer about their right to cancel, they can cancel at any time in the next 12 months." So it would be illegal for Amazon to remove the right to return items bought online. The Tories (currently in government) seem to have added a lot of exemptions to this; like the dumb £42 limit (they really don't like poor people) but it still carries some protection, And if the government hadn't also knackered the legal aid system it could be enforced at the small claims court level too... oh well.
- FireBeyond 9y ago
  That's not removing the right to return items, you're misunderstanding. They're saying you can return items, and if the reason is defect or problem, then they can (as they should) wear the cost of that. They're also saying that you can return an item, "because I don't like it/want it", and that's no fault of theirs, so you're free to return the item, but the cost of doing so is (and should be) yours.