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Use the retailer's return label, repack the item in a sturdy box with the old shipping labels removed, drop it at the right carrier, and keep the drop-off receipt. That receipt plus the tracking number is your proof the return is on its way, which is what settles refund disputes.
Some sellers, especially marketplace sellers and smaller stores, tell you to return the item at your own expense. In that case you buy the shipping yourself: address the parcel to the return address the seller gave you, buy a label online or at the counter, and send it tracked. Never send a return untracked. Without tracking, a seller can simply say it never arrived, and you have no answer.
One non-obvious point: check whether the retailer deducts return shipping from your refund. Many do. If the prepaid label costs them money, it comes out of your refund, which sometimes makes it cheaper to keep a low-value item than to return it.
| Situation | Who pays for return shipping | Your move |
|---|---|---|
| Retailer sent the wrong item or it is defective | Usually the retailer | Request a prepaid label; do not pay yourself |
| You changed your mind | Usually you | Use their label (deducted from refund) or buy your own tracked label |
| Marketplace seller, no label offered | You | Buy tracked shipping yourself; keep every receipt |
| Return window closing soon | Varies | Drop off today; the drop-off scan usually counts as the return date |
This is the detail that saves refunds. Most retailers count the return from the drop-off scan, not from when the item reaches their warehouse. That means mailing it on the last day of the window is fine, as long as the carrier scans it that day. This is also why the counter drop-off beats the blue collection box for deadline returns: the counter gives you an acceptance scan immediately, while a box gives you the next pickup's scan.
Watch the tracking until the refund appears. If the tracking shows delivered and no refund follows within the retailer's stated window, contact them with the tracking number and your drop-off receipt. That combination resolves almost every dispute in the customer's favour.
Old labels are the number-one avoidable failure. If the box still shows the original delivery barcode, automated sorters can read it and route your return right back to your own door. Peel labels off or cover them completely with a blank sheet taped down. Second: fragile items need fresh padding, not the flattened paper from the original shipment. Third: do not seal the box until you have slipped any required return form or RMA number inside. Plenty of returns stall in a warehouse because the paperwork is missing, and the store cannot match the item to your order.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
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