If you are selling cosmetics, hygienic and topical products by Fulfillment by Amazon, there is a new nightmare policy which will keep you busy starting April 2021.
As you know, Amazon has never had a problem authorizing returns for items such as cosmetics, sex toys, which normally come to contact with human skin and may pose health risk if being used by someone else.
Despite Amazon’s own policy clearly states that these items are exempt from their return policies, customers can still request to return them, even months or years after purchase and get a full refund.
And apparently, since this practice is becoming more and more popular, sellers will now be required to place protective seals on each unit before shipping it to FBA, so any returns missing them can be made unsellable.
Here is a copy of the e-mail sent to sellers by Amazon:
Full announcement in English:
Dear seller,
Thank you for selling on Amazon and using FBA.
To provide an improved customer experience, Amazon will evaluate condition of customer returned hygienic and topical FBA products for presence of an intact factory seal starting April 5, 2021. The seal will provide undisputable evidence that a product was neither opened nor used by a customer who returns it. Returned products will be made unsellable if they do not have an intact factory seal.
Hygienic products are those that are used on human body, including sensitive areas (e.g. mouth, eyes, genital areas), and could be returned with residual customer substances on them (e.g. saliva, hair). Examples include shavers, oral care products like toothbrushes, skin & nail care sets, massaging devices and sex toys.
Topical products are those that are applied to human body, e.g. creams, foams, gels, lotions, and ointments intended to use on body surfaces such as skin, scalp or mouth.
Amazon’s new requirement for sealing and packaging of hygienic/topical items is intended to protect customer experience and brand experience as it prevents the risk to resell as new a returned product that was opened by a prior customer.
FBA sellers are requested to (1) incorporate a factory seal based on Amazon’s standards (below) for all hygienic/topical products and (2) ensuring that topical and hygienic products have only one single ingress point, requiring the factory seal to be broken to access it. We request the changes to be made by end of March 2021.
All products identified as hygienic or topical returned by customers will be made unsellable if they do not have an intact factory seal ensuring they are brand new and unopened or used by a prior customer. Absence of a compliant factory seal will increase the amount of unsellable returned products requiring further removal or disposal option by the sellers. However, Amazon will continue to evaluate damage ownership during customer returns and reimburse FBA sellers if item is returned for a damage caused by Amazon, irrespective whether the seal is absent or broken from the item.
What are the requirements of a safe factory seal to be used on topical/Hygiene products?
(1) They are opaque either with the company logo/any logo that cannot be replicated by customer.
(2) The seal leaves a sign of tampering on product when broken.
(3) They should be of different color and should not blend in with the surface of the product.
(4) The seal should be sturdy, the only way to break it is with clear intent (no accidental breaking e.g. during transportation or usual packaging handling). The seal cannot be manipulated or copied.
For more information, please view the https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/GQFZBRVVEEG3ZE9C
Regards,
Amazon Services Europe
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