Amazon

I had 2 returns in the last few weeks. First return cost 12.50 which was refunded by Amazon. The other was a pre paid label so didn't cost me anything either. I think you have to look and see who the seller is and if third party what their returns policy is.

Depends on circumstances

I never return for change of mind but I have heard they're getting stricter on these.

I will seek a replacement if item is cosmetically damaged. This is always caused by poor packaging - and in such instances, Amazon will supply a prepaid label or may even let you keep the damaged item.

If there's no replacement (item sold out), I'll ask for a partial refund which is usually forthcoming.

yeah that refund without return seems to have reduced a lot too for me. that was always good

This is just an example of a third party returns policy - look over to the right of the page and click on "returns".

Ah yes. This is misleading though. because although you might get a full refund on the item, but it is not clear whether postage is paid for. E.g. on https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VMXG354?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details it says the same but amazon tells me I need to pay the postage and I wouldn't be refunded it. Or I pay GBP 9 for the postage. so I get GBP 2 back.

I had the exact same issue with an order yesterday. It said all day that it would be delivered before 9PM. it was never down as out for delivery. I dont think it was even in the country. Any other orders i've had recently have come towards the end of the day as well

I don't get that to often maybe 1 in twenty deliveries but it happens. Annoying when I go out to see the postman and ask him where the Amazon parcel is get nothing and then come back in and see under the full delivery info that it was never out for delivery.

My package has just arrived, earlier than I expected it to. I didn't know it was on its way because there were no notifications on the app. I see it has been marked as delivered and my guess is that the driver is under a lot of pressure. I'm happy that I have my item but it's still a day late and with poor tracking.

This is where some Amazon lockers would be a godsend. There isn't always somebody at home here (there's just me and OH) and when there's nobody to take in a parcel, it can go anywhere. Random neighbours (and I mean random - they don't always say where the package has gone) or boxes being left on the doorstep. Neither of these are good. Prime, when it worked properly, was a godsend because you could order items on a certain day and make sure there'd be someone home to take them in. The Prime delivery service has definitely deteriorated, which makes me wish they had lockers as an option.

if you order from aliexpress you are charged vat and customs duty. aliexpress takes care of that automatically.

See https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121014573/#Comment_121014573

Fragile items packaged with little or no protection so they arrive cosmetically damaged.

how does the amazon return work when there is customs/duty involved? do we have to pay any customs again?

i got the amazon parcel via UPS

since its a huge box i wanted to send it back via courier and not anpost

(dont know if anpost accepts big box of amazon return)

amazon cs said i can use any parcel service and they will refund the fee

Ordered a pair of black shoes, but they sent navy. Fit too small too. The latter would be my mistake but the colour was their mistake. Went to do the online return and see that they only refund shipping cost up to €9. The package is about 800g and according to An Post site that will be parcel rate of €21 (based on parcel up to 2kg) so I would be out €12.

Is there an option to have Amazon generate a return label that covers postage?

Guessing 90% won't even realise they can do that. We're in trouble here because they have real monopoly power.

Depends on the items and who is fulfilling the orders. It supplied or fulfilled by Amazon all charges are visible at checkout. I'm never hit with extra charges.

“Evil” Amazon deduct UK VAT 20% and add Irish VAT 23%. That’s it. No more charges aside from shipping (may be free if you have Prime or order is over a certain amount). The packages don’t get held up in customs & you don’t pay anything else. This only applies to items sold by Amazon or fulfilled by Amazon.

The majority of UK sellers don’t do this so if you order from them you can end up

1) Paying UK VAT & Irish VAT

2) Paying an Admin fee to An Post or whoever is delivering.

3) Not getting your package due to “failed electronic customs clearance”

Has anyone worked out a way of buying tools with a sharp edge on them from Amazon. I wanted a cheap set of carving chisels but I get the stupid prove you are over 18 restriction and UK address only when I try to buy them.

I can understand this for a knife but carving tools is taking it to a bit of an extreme.

Its more complicated than I thought. These https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-FAIWCSET12-Carving-Chisels-Presentation/dp/B000C750L0/ they had been unavailable for ages then today for a gift I had a UK address set for delivery and they became available so tried to buy and hit the age issue now I've changed back to Irish address they aren't available again. Thats the same for most knives, just not available to Ireland.

I'm presuming I'm not the first person to ask this, but what's the story with searching for items on Amazon, seeing the item you want at the price you want, and then when you go to 'See All Buying Options' you see that there is no actual 'buying option' to purchase the item at the price initially listed?

Yeh, although only last night something similar to what you're describing happened me where I looked and found an item on Amazon UK and when I went to buying options the item in all its sizes was 'currently unavailable', so then I went to Amazon DE and bought it there instead.

Some items seem to have coincided with Brexit like food items (which I get given the regulation around such items) but others items I purchased before like camera batteries and power banks also disappeared around the same time but seem unlikely to be Brexit related (as Amazon.de won’t ship either).

Much of this may be down to heightened concerns about shipping lithium batteries but Amazon don’t seem interested in making any effort to work around these (presumably putting processes in place to ensure they don’t go by air). I can get camera batteries from an independent retailer in the Netherlands so it can be done if the will is there so seems to be down to indifference.

Some of these items could presumably be stocked in the Irish warehouse either but again they don’t seem to care enough to facilitate. Also not sure how much they are using the Irish warehouse, my own orders rarely seem to come from there.