Amazon Now Charging a Fee For Some UPS Store Returns (businessinsider.com) 60
Amazon has started charging a fee for some returns made at UPS stores. Insider reports: While customers used to be able to drop off their returns at a UPS Store free of charge, Amazon will now charge a $1 fee if customers have another free-return option the same distance away or closer. Customers can still visit those other drop-off locations -- including Whole Foods, Kohl's, and Amazon stores -- and leave their packages for free. The company already charged customers to have UPS pick up returns from their homes or to drop off packages at UPS Access Points, which are located inside third-party businesses, The Information reported.
"We always offer a free option for customers to return their item," Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly told Insider by email. "If a customer would prefer to return their item at a UPS Store when there is a free option closer to their delivery address, a very small amount of customers may incur a $1 fee."
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Pretty sure MANY nerds use Amazon.
But you do you.
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Ali express is a lot cheaper for many things if you don't care when your purchase shows up.
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Sometimes it is the same speed. A lot of Ali Express vendors are present on the Amazon MarketPlace, with a different name to avoid getting flagged by Amazon for offering the same things for cheaper elsewhere. You'll be surprised how many items have a 2 month delivery window on Amazon nowadays.
I get low cost items direct from China for things were the delivery times do not matter to me: fishing gear such as hooks and fishing line, gardening items such as grow bags, fountain pens and other stationary items. M
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The Ali reviews I've seen are pretty much either blank or just say, "fast shipping! Product arrive as described!" whereas we know the much more detailed reviews at Amazon are often fakes.
Every Ali item I've bought has eventually shown up, although I watched one travel in circles a few times inside the Chinese delivery system for weeks until someone figured it out and sent it here :-) I had one item show up broken (wouldn't charge). The vendor asked for pics (uh, it won't charge, what will a pic tell you?)
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Ali express is a lot cheaper for many things if you don't care when your purchase shows up.
Walmart is a lot cheaper for most things. From my perspective, the only real reason to buy from Amazon is the ease of returns. Well, was. Maybe it still is. Not sure. At the very least, it is starting to unravel around the edges. On the plus side, if it gets bad enough, the Amazon near-monopoly will come apart at the seams faster than the audience for a hit show after they fire the lead, so it isn't necessarily a bad outcome unless you own stock (which I do, and am now reconsidering after this latest
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The problem is that its defined as "closer to the delivery address", but doesn't take into account actual convenience like daily routine, available transport routes etc.
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Except there used to be a convenient return method available for free, now there might only be an inconvenient return method and you have to pay for a convenient one.
Take the example where the non-free return store is not close to your residence, but is close to your workplace or some other location you visit regularly. The free return store is technically closer to your house, but you have to make a special trip to it causing added inconvenience.
In my case i live near a fairly large river, there are stores
Re: Not news for nerds. (Score:1)
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Yeah, it probably just chooses straight line distance because that's the simplest thing to program.
Taking into account what travel methods you have available to you, your existing daily routine etc would be a lot more complex to implement.
For someone who doesn't have access to a car for instance, physically closer but not easily walkable is less convenient than further away but on a direct bus/train route.
Having a delivery driver who's already visiting the area to drop off packages also pick a few up wouldn
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"So the answer to that question matters a great deal to me."
Does it though? How many packages a month at $1 a package does it take to become a "great deal"? Perhaps you should consider the behavior that results in that return frequency to be the problem.
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"So the answer to that question matters a great deal to me."
Does it though? How many packages a month at $1 a package does it take to become a "great deal"? Perhaps you should consider the behavior that results in that return frequency to be the problem.
I don't return a lot of stuff, but even one half-hour trip to Whole Foods and back would be too much. That much time is worth way more than $1 to me, so their "free" alternative might as well not exist. In effect, that means that they now charge money for returns.
If I can't do free returns through anymore, that eliminates the main reason to pay the Amazon tax (prices are almost always higher), so that policy change by itself would be enough to convince me to search at Walmart first, where returns by mail
Re:Not news for nerds. (Score:5, Interesting)
if you don't care when your purchase shows up.
You just described prime shipping. Used to be two days guaranteed. Now it's whenever they hell they feel like. Maybe next day, maybe next week. You can call up and get a $5 credit but it's honestly not worth it trying to talk with the Indian call center.
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It has certainly declined in quality. I've definitely noticed it. But my Amazon stuff still _mostly_ shows in 48 hours.
Everyone rare once in a while when they say, "if you order in the next $X hours it will arrive tomorrow", it actually does arrive tomorrow but that's the exception.
With the internet and search engines and such, if Amazon slips too far their buyers will go elsewhere. I used to just reflexively buy from them but now I often find cheaper prices or better shipping or whatever from other sell
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None of the last three things I ordered from amazon with prime shipping even showed up in two full working days, let alone 48 hours.
The fastest one showed up in four working days.
Prime shipping may still work for people near major shipping hubs, but it sure AF doesn't work for me. At all.
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Dude, that's horrible. Did they give you earlier dates and just drop the ball or did they say they'd be 4+ days when you ordered and hit that later date?
I'm ok if they tell me something will take a week and it arrives in a week. Expectations met and I knew what to expect at purchase time.
But when they say it'll be 3 days then shows up on day 8 that pisses me off and is the kind of thing that made me stop auto-buying from them.
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No communication, no awareness that it wasn't being provided in the window.
I get that it's hard to get it to me in that time out here on the coast, but it's still irritating.
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Yeah, no excuse for that. They have your location and should have a reasonably good idea how long it will take.
Speak with your dollars. I do. When enough others do, things will change or they'll die off.
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Yup. This really does not matter. Consoomers will keep consooming no matter what.
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Infrastructure matters somewhat (Score:3)
Yup. This really does not matter. Consoomers will keep consooming no matter what.
Why is Amazon such a retailing behemoth? Part of the reason is their shipping network combined with free Prime shipping and free, easy returns. Amazon prices are not necessarily the cheapest anymore. Amazon reviews tend to be relatively more complete than those from competitors, but just like with brick and mortar stores, one can read the Amazon reviews and then buy elsewhere. Amazon realized early on that they could leverage their easy, free shipping and returns into dominating the online market.
The qu
Re:Infrastructure matters somewhat (Score:4, Insightful)
The question is how much Amazon can pare back its easy, free shipping and returns and still maintain their dominance.
The question in my mind is why Amazon's senior management is so grossly inept that they think this is a sure path to increased profits, rather than a great first step towards a death spiral.
Amazon already has a delivery network making the rounds in pretty much every suburban neighborhood every day. It would cost them approximately *nothing* to make it possible to request an Amazon truck pickup for returns. Instead, they want you to drive for ten minutes *each* *way* to bring the product to a business that you probably don't frequent, all so they don't have to make one extra stop on your street when they drive by three times a day.
Even ignoring the negative impact on customers, even ignoring the likely resulting negative impact on sales, if I were a lawyer on their legal team, I would be raising my eyebrows right now, probably while swearing.
You see, Amazon is effectively a monopoly in some online sales sectors (e.g. books), and approaching it in other sectors. Antitrust regulators notice when companies the size of Amazon use their market power in one market to distort other markets. And wearing my cynic hat, this decision smells very much like Amazon is abusing its market position in online retail sales to coerce people into shopping at Whole Foods stores. That sort of monopoly abuse could very easily come back to bite Amazon in the backside if they aren't careful.
I'm not saying that what they're doing is necessarily illegal, but it is questionable enough to warrant additional scrutiny from federal regulators, which is something Amazon absolutely should not want right now [bloomberglaw.com]. And their currently active antitrust scrutiny in the U.S. involves Amazon pressuring merchants to use Amazon's logistics service, which is very closely related to what they're doing with this shipping cost change. Thus, I have a feeling that this could end VERY, VERY BADLY for Amazon.
If I'm still a shareholder at the next meeting (which I think should be some time in May), I will be paying a lot more attention to director reelections, shareholder proposals, etc., and I don't think Amazon's leadership will like how I vote. I hope others do likewise. It's time for Amazon's senior management to pull their heads out of their collective a**es, before federal regulators pull their heads out for them, and use record fines as the rope to hang them with.
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LOL, the more you talk the more your entitlement is clear.
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Entitlement? In what universe is anything I posted "entitlement"?
For me, it's a simple cost-benefit analysis.
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That's not entitlement. Thats basic mathematics.
That's basic mathematics.
Man, I'm starting to hate this keyboard.
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Why is Amazon such a retailing behemoth? Part of the reason is their shipping network combined with free Prime shipping and free, easy returns.
Free easy returns is one of the reasons I won't use them. I don't want stuff that is supposed to be new, but has been out and back to a buyer (or several buyers) who cannot make their mind up. I know of people on a technical forum I use who are quite open about using the Amazon return system effectively to hire stuff short term for free.
Others buy and return every different brand and model of a widget, using each for a few days before deciding which to order finally to keep. They do not even consider th
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Correct.
"As for myself, I do research and make sure the item is right for me before I buy it."
Like every human being who ever lived, until now. The people who act like this is an assault on their rights are the problem. I personally appreciate the easy returns the (less than) 1 time a year I take advantage of it. In the history of my Amazon purchasing, I've returned items less than 10 times, like normal human beings. I bet the complainers here, the "shareholders", have returned more packages in a single
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Free easy returns is one of the reasons I won't use them. I don't want stuff that is supposed to be new, but has been out and back to a buyer (or several buyers) who cannot make their mind up.
I'm not going to tell you that products never get put back out after being sent back, but most of them seem to just go on a pallet, get sold off to/through a liquidator, and wind up on eBay and/or Craigslist.
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"So, even a minimal $1 charge can cause a significant portion of current customers to evaluate other buying options."
It CAN, doesn't mean it WILL. And this isn't a charge on buying, it's a charge on returning. If it causes customers to evaluate other returning options, including buying only things you need and intend to keep, then good. Hard to believe, but positive if true.
A $1 charge creating a hardship that would cause customers to rethink the buying habits is an indicator of a far worse problem.
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Not stuff that matters.
What's with the lack of NEWS lately? It's all ads and spam now.
Amazon is a giant in hi tech. If their retail cash cow significantly decreases, the strategy for their entire operations, including AWS and other ventures, might be affected.
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It's funny that you think retail is a cash cow for Amazon when it is AWS.
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They can have more than one cash cow.
Amazon needs a better system (Score:2)
My wife buys a lot of clothing at Amazon because we have limited local shopping options. The number of returns is staggering, but what amazes me most is just how bad the process is for multiple returns. It can take 15 minutes at a UPS store to make 4 returns of ~8 items total. It should be as easy as a single return sticker for UPS and being able to scan the internal contents.
If Amazon can't simplify the process, maybe they should give up selling clothing.
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My wife buys a lot of clothing at Amazon because we have limited local shopping options. The number of returns is staggering, but what amazes me most is just how bad the process is for multiple returns. It can take 15 minutes at a UPS store to make 4 returns of ~8 items total. It should be as easy as a single return sticker for UPS and being able to scan the internal contents.
If Amazon can't simplify the process, maybe they should give up selling clothing.
It should be as simple as:
This shouldn't be hard. It really shouldn't.
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It should be as simple as:
This shouldn't be hard. It really shouldn't.
That would require expanding the fleet of trucks. Currently, trucks are loaded and routed to allow very little time for each drop-off. Drivers and the contract delivery companies have strict metrics used to determine package loads, and pickups would cause the metrics to worsen. Requiring drivers to pickup packages or wait for someone to answer the doorbell would mean less packages delivered per truck, and thus mean more trucks and drivers; increasing costs. Having a central drop-off point means returns c
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Right, as long as you aren't responsible for all the things that go wrong. Meanwhile, in the real world, things get stolen, packages don't get delivered and credits aren't given. Trust and verify.
I've returned less than ten items to Amazon in my lifetime. TWICE Amazon has reversed the credit claiming I never returned the item. I absolutely insist on proof of return since I will get jacked otherwise 1 time in 4. But sure, we should just "leave it out on your porch", especially apartment dwellers.
The wor
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Right, as long as you aren't responsible for all the things that go wrong.
That would be why you require that they take only products with a return label taped to the outside of the item. There isn't much that can go wrong with that approach, beyond what can go wrong with a delivery (unscrupulous drivers stealing other things in plain sight, property damage, etc.).
Meanwhile, in the real world, things get stolen, packages don't get delivered and credits aren't given.
Shrinkage is a problem for outgoing packages that don't get delivered, too, and probably for returns from UPS, etc. In terms of the cost to Amazon, that part should be roughly the same either way. The only difference
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If Amazon can't simplify the process, maybe they should give up selling clothing.
Maybe they want to discourage excessive returns.
I've bought clothes on Amazon and never returned any of them. I know my size and order appropriately.
You say your wife's returns are "staggering" so it is likely that Amazon is losing money on her and would be happy if she took her business elsewhere.
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I read that online clothes retailers have to have a very generous return policy to be competitive. Since people can't try the clothes on in the store, and because some of them started offering free returns, it's pretty much required now. Either the retailer accepts it, or they stop selling clothes.
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This is because the brick and mortar clothing stores decided to move all but a handful of sizes to online only. They forced themselves into needing to pay for the returns and I can't imagine how it's cheaper than even expensive real estate space.
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I read that online clothes retailers have to have a very generous return policy
Yes, and they then need to price their products to profit from the average customer.
That means they make plenty of profit from people like me who rarely return anything, a bit of profit from people who make the average number of returns, and lose money on people who make "staggering" returns.
If they shed the money losing customers while keeping the others, their overall profit will increase.
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Bingo
Amazon Returns Are Not Free (Score:4, Insightful)
Amazon charges sellers for the returns. Where possible - use Amazon for a search engine and try to buy local.
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When some sellers don't sell brand new, unboxed, unused and untouched products that don't 100% fit what they're supposed to be selling in their listings, I'm going to fucking return it.
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use Amazon for a search engine and try to buy local.
I tried but since I don't live in China nothing I find on Amazon is available locally.
I'm altering the deal (Score:2)
"If a customer would prefer to return their item at a UPS Store when there is a free option closer to their delivery address, a very small amount of customers (for now) may incur a $1 fee (for now)."
"I'm going to alter the deal. Pray I won't alter it any further." - Andy Jassy
Legal notice: not an actual quote, this is sarcasm that falls under protected free speech under the parody category.
I used it to return a broken computer case (Score:3)
Just repackage it, they give you a label and you stand in another line. I think not only is it to help case flow but to minimize chronic returners. It would be nice if Amazon provided return stats before you buy that nice Chinesium USB hub. "Has a 50% return rate." vs "4 stars:" may be a useful measure of quality and usefulness.
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I haven't seen that yet, but to me, that would help me decide on the quality and bargain pricing for returned items. I recently bought a Netgear Nighthawk router. I saved about $150 by getting one from Amazon that had been returned. It just had the router and the cord with nothing else. It's been great and Netgear honored the full warranty.
I suspect somebody got it, used it for a week, and then returned it.
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Return stats are irrelevant for decent quality products where the cost of too many returns makes it financially unfeasible to keep selling it. Only when it's junk sold for 30x markup is it cheap to have chronic returns.
the water's getting warmer (Score:2)
2. push/buy everyone else out and tada, monopoly
3. slowly creep up prices and make service worse with more ads and less quality and use monopoly abuse like Prime in places like Twitch
4. all the customers realize what's happening and leave.
We are at 4. I haven't bought anything on amazon in 3 years. I guarantee whatever it is, you'll find it cheaper on eBay. That wasn't true 10 years ago.
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LOL I thought you were describing eBay, even though it sounded more like Tesla. Amazon is highly profitable...with AWS. They do not even require their retail business to survive.
Also, no return returns (Score:2)
I recently bought a part for a Kwikset door handle. The Amazon description didn't say that it was for an interior door not an exterior one. I returned it as "Inaccurate description" and Amazon did a no-return return meaning they didn't want to be bothered taking the product back. Okay, then.
sucks (Score:2)
Right. Spend 5 minutes returning it at UPS, 30 minutes waiting in line at Kohl's.
(my) UPS Store tried to charge $30 for a box (Score:2)
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It's still too much, but they are charging you for putting the thing in the box with packaging materials, sealing it, and sending it. So it's not $26 too much, it's only $23 too much