returning items by post

[michellebartley]

What is the correct protocol to return an item. Mark it return to sender at post office or rewrap it and then pay for postage yourself. Dont some sellers have a return permit which they issue to you?

[rkwm888]

rewrap the parcel and make sure you pay for signature on delivery and then you have tracking and the seller has to sign for it

[amber-eyed-girl]

You should ask the seller what their policy is on returns, they may pay you back for return shipping, they might not.

If the item is faulty or not as described, I hope they pay the return shipping, but they don't have to.

If you are returning it as part of a Paypal claim, you will be out of pocket the return shipping, as only the original payment is refunded by Paypal under buyer protection.

[bsal6160]

DO NOT return an item until instructed by paypal. under no circumstance return an item simply because the seller may ask you too.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@michellebartley wrote:
What is the correct protocol to return an item. Mark it return to sender at post office or rewrap it and then pay for postage yourself. Dont some sellers have a return permit which they issue to you?

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'Return to sender' . . . . continuing to crack me up  

edit: just to make it clear, my advice is DO NOT mark it 'Return to sender'

[lyndal1838]

You cannot mark a previously opened parcel "Return to Sender"....the PO will not accept it.

If the return is part of a paypal claim  you have to return it by trackable post to the address given to you by paypal or you will not get your refund.

[phorum_junkie*]

You cannot mark a previously opened parcel "Return to Sender"....the PO will not accept it.

I seem to remember reading an announcement a year or two ago that you can in fact return an opened parcel return to sender and the recipient has to pay the postage at their end. Of course it would be completely unsuitable for a Paypal funded return as you would have no tracking.

[thecatspjs]

There is no fee for return to sender of unopened articles - including parcels.

A fee applies (cost of ordinary post) that the person returning a parcel pays to return an opened parcel to the original sender. 

There are some AP post services such as e-parcel that do provide a choice for the sender to offer a return service to their customers,  including nominating whether the original sender or the addressee will pay the return costs.

Sources: AP website & Postal Industry Ombudsman

[jensmanchester-australia]

thecatspj - I think some of that information has recently changed and that AP now reserve the right to charge a fee for unopened parcels which are returned to sender.

[thecatspjs]

Australia Post can reserve the right to do a lot of things, but they must abide by their own terms and conditions.

If an article is unclaimed, undeliverable or refused and there is a return address and the article is unopened they are bound to return it to that address at no cost - unless the AP product has terms and conditions that clearly state otherwise and outline relevant costs involved such as e-parcel etc.

It is also against the law for a consumer to incur "hidden" costs such as costs for a parcel marked "return to sender."  Charges for the service, and in the event of AP being unable to provide that service the costs must be clearly stated up-front.  This at least gives the sender a choice to opt out of such a charge, by not putting their return address details on the article - OR including in the delivery instructions what to do if it can not be delivererd.