Can you have all your returns automatically sent back to you?

A common discussion among Amazon FBA sellers is repackaging services by Amazon.

I would never let Amazon repackage my unfulfillable returns! I have all my returns automatically sent back to me.

Repackaging is when Amazon repackages items in which the packaging is damaged but the item is otherwise sellable. They do this for your eligible customer returns so that they can be sold as new.

Until recently, we had the option to turn off the repackaging setting. There was a widespread misconception that disabling the repackaging setting would cause all returns to be marked as unfulfillable, rather than just those that might have qualified for repackaging. Sellers therefore thought that if they disabled repackaging, and enabled the option to have unfulfillable inventory automatically removed, all their returns would come straight home.

False. This only applied to items that were unfulfillable but could have been made fulfillable by the repackaging service. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if items were returned in sellable condition, there was (and is) no easy way to have those returns removed from inventory.

If you didn’t think Amazon’s repackaging service, it just got worse. Now, you can’t disable it. Like it or not, repackaging is a fixed part of Amazon’s process for receiving customer returns. Discussion over.

Actually, the discussion isn’t quite over. You still have choices. Your new choice is whether to enable Amazon’s Refurbishment Setting. Or rather, whether to disable it. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re probably using it because that’s the default setting.

What is refurbishment? Depending on the item, FBA can re-tape, re-glue, and re-staple boxes; remove excessive tape, non-product labels, and stickers; and re-box branded and unbranded corrugated boxes. Shoes and apparel refurbishment can include steaming and removing stains and odors.

If you were uncomfortable with repackaging, you’ll probably want to head to Seller Central: Settings: Fulfillment by Amazon and toggle off the Refurbishing Settings.