As sellers on Amazon Marketplace, many of us are facing an alarming pattern of refund abuse. Customers are placing orders, keeping the products for up to two weeks—likely using them—and then initiating return or refund requests. Sellers are losing money, inventory is coming back damaged or not returned at all, and there's no proper verification process in place to protect us.

Here's the core issue:

Who is verifying the condition of returned products?

And who ensures the right product is being returned at all?

There should be mandatory checks to confirm:

The exact item delivered matches what was ordered (size, model, etc.).

The return is genuine, and the item is in original condition, unused and undamaged.

Why is there no verification at:

• The time of delivery – to ensure the buyer receives the correct size/item and acknowledges it.
• The time of return – to check that the exact product is being sent back, and in the condition it was delivered.
• If the return doesn’t meet these standards, refunds should not be processed automatically.

We’re not against genuine returns. But Amazon must:

1. Add a verification mechanism to protect sellers.
2. Track and flag customers with suspicious return behavior.
3. Let sellers report abuse without being penalized.

We sellers are being held accountable for losses we didn’t cause. If a buyer can misuse the system without consequences, the entire trust-based model falls apart.

Let’s start a conversation. Are you seeing the same issues?