Amazon Now Allowing Instant Replacements for Customers on Merchant-Fulfilled Return Requests

Merchant-fulfilled Amazon sellers may have noticed $0.00 orders getting placed recently. This is because on February 12, 2024 – Amazon announced that they started allowing customers to opt for a replacement instead of getting a refund for returns marked as damaged, defective, or incorrect.  

Why Amazon's New Replacement Option Benefits Merchant-Fulfilled Sellers:

In the past, replacement orders on Amazon were somewhat of a gray area when it came to seller fulfilled orders, and it was generally understood that it was up to the seller whether they wanted to offer replacements. It was also somewhat of a risk, because there wasn’t a way for Amazon to recognize the replacement order.  

Customers often try to take advantage of this by requesting a replacement order via buyer-seller messages, and then ultimately, complaining to Amazon to receive a refund on top of the replacement order. This update allows sellers to safely offer replacement orders on items that are part of the Prepaid Return Label program, and it allows more flexibility for customers without having to contact the seller directly.

Identifying Merchant-Fulfilled Replacement Orders in Amazon Seller Central:

To identify a replacement order in your Amazon Seller Central account, use the menu to navigate to Orders > Manage Orders. Any replacement orders will have a “Replacement” badge under the Order ID:

Best Practices When Fulfilling Replacement Orders on Amazon:

It’s a good idea to have your fulfillment team keep a close eye on replacement orders that come through and double-check that the item being shipped matches the product detail page.  

This will help prevent customers from experiencing the same issue twice, resulting in the customer ultimately returning the replacement and getting a refund (wasting the time/money of both customer and seller).

If you're a client looking for more information, contact your Blue Wheel account team! If you’re interested in learning more about how Blue Wheel can aid in your brand efforts in online marketplaces, schedule a consultation with our team, we would love to hear from you.