Hello Amazon Moderators and Fellow Sellers,
I am looking for guidance regarding a very concerning return situation involving a high-value international order on Amazon.de.
Case ID: 12648201332
A customer opened a return request for a product worth €528.96.
Immediately after the return request was opened, we contacted the customer, requested additional information regarding the reported issue, and attempted to resolve the situation professionally.
The customer never responded.
The customer did not reply to any of our messages before or after the refund was issued.
According to Amazon's own investigations and escalation responses:
The item has not been returned.
No inbound return shipment exists.
No return tracking information exists.
The customer never provided tracking information.
The customer remains completely unresponsive.
The customer is no longer required to return the item.
SAFE-T reimbursement is unavailable.
No alternative reimbursement path is available.
Despite the item never being returned, a full refund of €528.96 was issued.
Seller Support and the Escalation Department explained that this occurred under the Out-of-Country Return Policy because our return address is located outside the destination country.
We understand the policy explanation.
However, our concern is the outcome.
Amazon has confirmed that:
The product was never returned.
No return shipment exists.
The customer is not responding.
The seller lost both the product and the payment.
No reimbursement mechanism is available.
For a low-cost item this would already be difficult, but for a product valued at €528.96 the impact is substantial for a small business.
We are not asking moderators to override policy.
We are asking whether any seller protection mechanism exists when:
The item is never returned.
The customer remains completely unresponsive.
The seller loses both the item and the payment.
SAFE-T is unavailable.
No reimbursement path exists.
We would greatly appreciate any guidance from moderators or experienced sellers.
If a moderator is willing to review the case history, the related support case is:
Case ID: 12648201332
Thank you for your time and assistance.