Overview

Amazon Australia has tightened its return handling rules for sellers that ship from outside the country. Effective immediately, international merchants must answer every return request within five business days or Amazon will issue a refund on the seller’s behalf. The change adds a strict deadline and new cost‑recovery mechanisms that directly affect cross‑border sellers’ bottom line.

Key Points

• Five‑day response window — Sellers located abroad have only five business days to acknowledge a return request, otherwise Amazon automatically refunds the buyer.
• Three acceptable responses — The seller must either provide an Australian return address, send a prepaid return label, or issue a full refund without requiring the item back.
• Automatic refund penalty — If the deadline is missed, Amazon credits the buyer’s account and debits the seller’s balance for the full order amount.
• No product reclamation — When Amazon triggers an automatic refund, the customer retains the merchandise, leaving the seller without the item and without revenue.
• FBA exemption – Sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon for Australian inventory are not subject to the new rule because Amazon manages returns internally for those orders.

How the Returns Process Works

1. Return request received — A buyer initiates a return on Amazon.com.au; the request appears in the seller’s Amazon Seller Central dashboard. Example: A U.S. seller sees a “Return Requested” notification for a smartwatch shipped to Sydney on March 3.
2. Five‑day decision deadline — The seller must choose one of the three permitted actions within five business days of the request date. Example: By March 8, the seller must either share a local Australian address, upload a prepaid label, or approve a refund without return.
3. Execution of chosen action —
   • Local address: The seller provides an Australian address where the buyer can send the item.