Overview

Processing refunds is an unavoidable part of selling on Amazon, and understanding how to handle them correctly is essential for maintaining strong account health and customer satisfaction. This guide covers the key aspects of issuing refunds through Seller Central, including full refunds, partial refunds, and the payment method requirements sellers must follow.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Full refunds are issued through Order Details — Sellers can process a complete refund by navigating to the specific order in the Manage Orders tool within Seller Central and selecting the refund option from the order details page.
• Refunds must match the original payment method — Amazon requires that refunds be returned to the same payment method the buyer used at checkout. This is not optional and applies to all transaction types.
• Prepaid card purchases require card-specific refunds — When a buyer pays with a prepaid card, the seller is obligated to refund the amount back to that same prepaid card. Refunding to a different method is not permitted.
• Partial refunds are available — Sellers are not limited to all-or-nothing refund decisions. Partial refunds can be issued when appropriate, such as when an item arrives damaged but is still usable, or when a seller and buyer agree on a reduced refund amount.
• Seller-fulfilled orders have specific refund procedures — The refund and concession process for orders you ship yourself differs from FBA orders, which Amazon handles directly.

How to Issue a Refund in Seller Central

To process a refund, sellers should start by opening Seller Central and navigating to the Manage Orders page. From there, locate the specific order that requires a refund and click into the order details. Within the order details view, you will find the option to issue either a full or partial refund. For a full refund, Amazon will calculate the total amount including the item price, shipping, and any applicable taxes. For partial refunds, sellers can specify the exact amount to return to the buyer. Once submitted, the refund is processed and the buyer is notified automatically. It is important to add a reason for the refund, as this information is tracked and can affect your account metrics.