To give up and order everything on Amazon?

[Pineapplesonpizza]

Ordered sports shoes direct from shoe manufacturer's website. Had to pay £9 shipping, which I accepted. Shoes didn't fit so I returned them, but I did not get a refund for the shipping. If I had ordered from Amazon (where they were available at same price) there would have been free shipping and free returns. I'd MUCH rather support businesses and order direct from them, but I'm now out £9 (having purchased no shoes). So, in the future I will order from Amazon (unless free returns are specified). AIBU?

I gave up on a few online catalogues because you had to pay for returns.

I only order from places that do free returns.

Your sports shoes were probably made by nine year old Chinese or Vietnamese kids. You're kidding yourself that not buying from Amazon is the ethical choice.

This. I understand your point of supporting businesses, but sports direct is not a business to try to support.

She isn't saying they came from Sports Direct, she's saying she bought sports shoes direct from the manufacturer rather than through Amazon!

I didn't order from Sports Direct or similar, I ordered from the manufacturer's website eg from a business like Altra or Hoka or Ryka. Fully understand none of these are made by artisans in cobblers shops, but would still have preferred to support the business that created them rather than Amazon......

The return was free, it’s the original shipping that didn’t get refunded. A lot of online retailers do that, it’s sneaky but it means they can still advertise free returns.

Personally I don’t like to order clothes or shoes online for that reason unless I’m familiar with the brand and can be sure they’ll fit.

OP, maybe next time you can order from Amazon to check the fit, then return it and buy it from the proper website instead?

Your sports shoes were probably made by nine year old Chinese or Vietnamese kids. You're kidding yourself that not buying from Amazon is the ethical choice.
Op wasn't talking about ethical choices but financial ones.

By law the retailer has to refund the cost of standard shipping if you return the full order. They can't offer 'free' returns but keep your shipping cost. Contact them and ask them to return your shipping.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/changed-your-mind/changing-your-mind-about-something-youve-bought/

Just use Amazon in future, these brands are large corporations that have zero loyalty to you, if sold direct from the manufacturer they still get paid directly and if distributed by Amazon, they've already been paid. Focus on your own convenience and buy at the cheapest price you can. If they were that bothered they'd offer free delivery.

Amazon’s customer service is horrible and they no longer refund money easily. They did not deliver my shipment but make me wait 2 weeks for their internal investigation and it was after a lot of chasing. I have a few more such incidents with them. This company is making billions, responsible for our high streets changing, and no longer offers the convenience it built its business on. I avoid buying from Amazon now.

I’ve never had any issues with Amazon returns.

I’ve bought as much as possible on Amazon since joining prime in 2014. Their delivery times are second to none.

Amazon is a brilliant service...which is why Bezos is loaded.

I got a refund for something i didnt even return...headphones.
I didnt get refunded for a foid item which is fair enoough as it xould be unsafe.

Yes, I have to agree with this following a recent shopping experience with the behamoth that is now Amazon, I recently returned something but made the mistake of clicking refund to my Amazon account instead of refund to my bank account. I received an email confirmation that the refund would be credited to my Amazon account with 14 days of the goods being returned and another confirming the goods had been received back. But trying to track the refund on the site was virtually impossible (due to ordering other items around the same time) that I basically gave up and just hoped it was in fact refunded. I never received any confirmation that the refund had been made made. Lesson to myself - always click refund to my bank account!

I'm also guilty of buying (in my case a selection of swimwear to try on) from Amazon because refunds are free and easy because I'm frustrated about paying for delivery and sometimes returns too especially when I end up not buying anything because none of it fit, looked like the picture, was rubbish quality etc. Plus the lack of choice/availability in shops because they expect you to buy online.

But we need to remember that delivery/returns have a cost, even if we're not overtly charged for it, and we'll end up paying for it somewhere, we can't expect to have endless goods delivered to our doors for free with no charge to send back the often large percentage we don't buy. Also, a lot of small businesses sell on Amazon, and it's not really a fair arrangement - Amazon make them pay for delivery and returns if the customer doesn't so they have a lot of costs to trade on there.

Where possible I buy from places that do free delivery and/or returns to a shop if it's not free to home and it's somewhere I can get to easily/cheaply. I'll then go and pick up the item, try it on if necessary and if I'm not keeping it, return it straight away. But that's not an option available to everyone, it can be time consuming and may have a cost attached so the alternative of paying a few pounds to simply try things on may be the most efficient/cheapest option - often the cost isn't as high as £9 - was this express delivery? I wouldn't pay that if I wasn't sure I was going to keep the item.

This! Amazon have got their claws into nearly every UK household now and the service has started going downhill fast.
I bought a mascara a couple of weeks ago that was clearly a fake! I have placed orders that are immediately cancelled and have had 'prime' next day delivery orders show up days later.
I find I am using Amazon less and less, it is no better than Shein or Temu now.

I see bearing the expense of returns as one of the costs of doing business, if you are an online retailer. After all, they don't have the expenses of maintaining a brick and mortar location, paying retail staff working in the fitting rooms, on the till, etc.

I only sell my products from my side business on Amazon as a very small business because they actually store the stock for me and handle shipping/returns themselves (fulfilled by Amazon) and reliably pay me with very detailed sales reporting that makes accounting a dream, so I get unreasonably annoyed at people who avoid Amazon. They are absolutely not screwing me over I get an unparalleled service from them as a seller and would never see the same ROI on a high street store paying council rates just to exist.

Pretty much all major stores have a front on Amazon so you are buying from them direct. For example - LEGO and Disney. They’re not knock off coz they’re on Amazon, those brands just use Amazon as a platform

Wow, this is interesting - I will argue the toss with them and see what happens but am not optimistic.

I do if it's available at the same or a better price, shoes often cost a fortune to send back from shoe shops so footwear always comes from a free delivery and returns shop so usually Amazon, M&S, JL or Next

Thanks for this info - again, I had no idea! Learning a lot on this thread.

I’ve just returned some stuff so we’ll see what happens.

i had a horrible experience with them during the pandemic. I ordered some refills for liquid soap bottles. The soap was in bags. When it arrived, all the bags were empty and tbe box was soaked in soap. Amazon insisted I returned the damaged goods. I said it was too difficult because the box was soaking wet. They insisted I had to return it it to get a refund. I got passed to a manager who said the same and then their manager who grudgingly agreed that returning a soggy box wasn’t that practical.

I won't shop at sports direct anymore due to having to pay delivery and returns on some school trainers so effectively paid 10 quid for nothing ( no online returns in-store!)

If they are being like this with you then it means you have returned lots of stuff. They are making sure you are being legit. I have never had any problems with the service. By far the best out there.