Returns and refunds on Amazon and eBay

The short version

• Amazon: start in Your Orders. For many items you get a QR code and hand the item over at a store such as The UPS Store, Whole Foods, Kohl's, Staples or FedEx Office, with no box, tape or label.
• eBay: start in Purchases in My eBay. The seller has 3 business days to respond, then you ship the item back with tracking.
• Keep the return confirmation emails until the refund arrives.

Returning on Amazon

1. Go to Your Orders, find the order, and choose "Return or replace items".
2. Choose the item and the reason. Listen carefully to the reasons: the one you pick can decide whether return shipping is free, and any fee is shown before you confirm.
3. Choose how to send it back. A drop-off with a QR code is the easiest without a printer or a box.
4. Confirm. Amazon shows the QR code (or label) in Your Orders and sends it by email.

Most items, including many from other sellers, can be returned within 30 days of delivery. Items that were sold and shipped by another seller go back to that seller; see who you are buying from on Amazon. Sources: Amazon help: Return items you ordered and Amazon: returns with no box, tape or label.

At the drop-off

• Bring the item unpackaged, as it came out of its box or bag, and the QR code on your phone. At Whole Foods go to the Pickup & Return desk; at Kohl's, the Amazon Returns desk.
• Say "I have an Amazon return" and hand over your phone with the QR code open. The staff scan it and pack the item for you.
• You receive a drop-off receipt by email. That is your proof the item was returned.

Returning on eBay

1. Go to My eBay, Purchases, find the item, and choose to return it. Explain what happened.
2. The seller has 3 business days to accept, refund, or reply.
3. When the return is accepted, eBay emails you the return instructions and the date to ship by. Ship with tracking and add the tracking number to the return request if it is not added for you.
4. The seller refunds you after the item arrives back.

If the item did not match the listing or arrived broken, you can return it under the eBay Money Back Guarantee even when the seller does not accept returns. Source: eBay help: Return an item for a refund.

No printer?

Look in the return email for a way to show the label on your phone at the post office or shipping store. If there is none, a public library, a shipping store or a friend can print it for you.

How long refunds take

• Amazon: once your return is processed, a refund to an Amazon gift card balance takes about 2 to 3 hours, and to a debit card up to 10 business days. From start to finish it can take up to 30 days, depending on how the item travels back. Source: Amazon help: Refund timelines.
• eBay: the seller should refund within 2 business days after tracking shows the item was delivered back to them, and eBay may refund you automatically if they do not. The money then usually shows up within 3 to 5 business days.
• A refund goes back to the way you paid. If that card no longer works, Amazon puts the refund in your Amazon balance.

Tips for screen reader users

• Find the right order fast: in Your Orders or Purchases, use your screen reader's find command to search for a word from the product name.
• Check what is inside before sending: an app such as Seeing AI or Be My Eyes can read the product label, so you return the right item.
• Keep proof: the drop-off receipt or tracking number is all you need if a refund is late. Some people also record a short video while packing.
• Check the status in your account, not by phone: Your Orders on Amazon and the return request on eBay show every step.

When a return goes wrong

• A seller on Amazon does not answer or refund: use the A-to-z Guarantee from Your Orders; see how to file an A-to-z claim.
• An eBay seller does not respond within 3 business days or does not refund: ask eBay to step in from the return request.
• The refund is late: check the status in your account first, then contact the store with your order number and tracking number ready. Amazon's accessibility support team is listed in our account guide.
• Nobody legitimate will ask for your password or a gift card to "process a refund". That is a scam.