What to Do If Your Amazon Refund Wasn’t Received

Every now and then, you get something on Amazon you need to return. From broken hardware to shirts that are three sizes too small, items you ordered sight unseen might just need to go back to the warehouse.

Amazon refund not received yet? What should you do if you returned your package and still haven’t gotten your money back? Here’s what to do if your Amazon refund was not received. 

First Steps

First, it’s important to make sure you went through the right steps to return your order. Follow these instructions:

• Go to your orders: Click on Returns & Orders, or click Your Account and then Your Orders.

• Select the item: Click on the product you want to return, then click Return or Replace Items. If you’ve already done this, it should say that a return has already been started. If not, go to the next step.

• Choose a reason for return: You have to tell Amazon why you’re returning the item. They’ll present you with a dropdown menu where you can explain your reason for sending the product back. 

• Select your processing method: You can choose whether you want a refund or replacement. 

• Provide return information: To finish the transaction, you’ll provide your payment info and print a return label. 

If you’re sure you followed all of these steps and still didn’t receive your refund, check your refund or return status. Does it show that you already started a return or that the return was completed? Read on.

Processing Time 

It takes time to process Amazon returns. Once you ship an item back, drivers have to take it to the post office where it will be picked up again, and employees will either put it on a truck or a plane. Eventually, someone will drive it to a warehouse. 

At the warehouse, a computer system tells Amazon employees what to do with the item. Even if it’s in pristine condition, employees often have to destroy it, because it would cost more than the item is worth to ship it out again. Amazon destroys about one-third of their returned items. 

Until an Amazon employee gets the actual item in their hands, you have to wait for your refund. This can take up to two weeks if you’re shipping within the country. It can take up to 30 days if you’re shipping the item internationally. After that, you might have to wait another five days before the return shows up in your bank account.

Wait until the appropriate amount of time has elapsed before contacting customer service. It might just be taking longer to ship than you’d expect. 

Returns Policy

There are some items you simply can’t return to the warehouse. This includes things like live insects — which the Amazon employees are probably grateful not to receive — as well as used mattresses, medications ordered through Amazon Pharmacy and theme park tickets.

Amazon has an extensive list of what you can and can’t send back on their Returns Policy page. A lot of it is common sense. There are some items you can return unless you’ve opened or used them, at which point they’re yours to keep. 

You have to return most Amazon items within 30 days of receipt if you’re not satisfied with them. However, third-party sellers can set their own policies. Double check the date you ordered your item, when it arrived and when you started your return. Also check to see if it came from a third-party seller who doesn’t accept returns. 

Are you certain you’re still in the timeframe in which you can return the item? Did you start the return weeks ago and nothing has happened? If so, the next step is getting in touch with Amazon. 

Contacting Customer Service

It would be nice if Jeff Bezos lent customers his personal phone number, but you’ll have to go through someone else instead. Thankfully, Amazon customer service representatives tend to be very responsive and helpful. 

If you call the customer service line directly, you’ll probably end up going in circles as you’re redirected from one extension to another. A series of pre-recorded messages will give you the same information you can already find on Amazon.com. 

The easiest way to get in touch with a human being, it seems, is to download the Amazon app for your phone. Once there, the app gives you the option to chat with someone in real time. Then, customer service can call you directly if you want to speak with them. This usually doesn’t take long. Let them know that your Amazon refund was not received.

This goes without saying, but be polite to the person working the line. They’re probably just as frustrated as you are that you didn’t get your money back. Tell them that you already sent the item back, that Amazon shows you started your return a while ago and that the item may have gotten lost in transit. 

Explain why it’s important that you get a return or refund. Aside from it being the right thing to do, perhaps you ordered something you really need, like a car part. Or, maybe you spent $100 on some remodeling supplies that never arrived, and you need the money back so you can make home repairs. Be honest about your situation. 

If the customer service representative gives you a refund, double check your Amazon returns page to make sure it went through. The money won’t be in your bank account just yet, but it’s coming. Thank the representative for helping you and being patient. After all, you only have to have this conversation once — they have to do it all day.

Following Up

If five days have gone by and you still don’t have a refund in your bank account, contact customer service again. Explain that you’ve already contacted them and they tried to issue a refund, but it didn’t go through. 

You can also call your bank and make sure they aren’t making an error on their end. 

This is the best way to ensure you receive your Amazon refund. 

Getting Your Refund

Amazon refund not received still? The final step is to check your bank account to see if the refund is there. If so, congratulations! All the red tape was worth it. Technical difficulties or shipping errors are part of life, but it’s still possible to work things out by chatting with customer service. 

Or, you could always try your luck with the robotic answering machine.