[kevinsd]

This guy is ripping off Amazon. You are supposed to pay a cost when your return is not due to Amazon's fault or item's defect.

If a significant amount of people keep doing this, Amazon will have to raise the price for all of us.

[gav]

This isn't really true.

All the retailers I've worked with (both brick & mortar and internet-only) see returns as a small cost of doing business. An easy returns process makes customers happy and keeps down credit card chargebacks. If you are selling on the internet, handling a small percentage of returns is considerably cheaper than having a retail presence.

You can look at Zappos (now owned by Amazon) for having an amazing liberal return policy. you have 365 days to return things and they pay for the return shipping. It's all to give you a safe feeling and buy multiple items.

In most cases large retailers force their vendors to cover the costs of returned merchandise that they can't resell (due to opened packaging etc).

One of the main reasons I'll buy from Amazon is that the transaction carries zero risk for me. If there is any problem whatsoever I know it's going to be resolved to my benefit.

[caffeine5150]

> In most cases large retailers force their vendors to cover the costs of returned merchandise that they can't resell (due to opened packaging etc).

Yes, and this can increase costs to the consumer. Cost is cost. It has to be born by someone in the chain and it's pushed on to the consumer if possible (granted in the competitive retail space it's harder to make consumers absorb costs).

[baddox]

> If a significant amount of people keep doing this, Amazon will have to raise the price for all of us.

No, I suspect that Amazon's prices already account for the estimated number and cost of returns.

[primatology]

I assure you Amazon is well aware of this practice and current prices account for the small minority of customers who shop like this.

[camtarn]

In the UK, consumers have seven days after delivery to change their mind about an online purchase and have the full cost including delivery refunded:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Protection_%28Distance...

It's a pretty powerful consumer right - I'm guessing one reason it doesn't get abused is that the process of returning items has a small cost involved, even if that's just walking to the post office or waiting for a courier to pick a package up.