IamA Amazon warehouse returns associate. I process the things you were not satisfied with. Ask away!

Ever got anything back and thought, "i'm not touching that"? If so, why?

All the time. Anything that's leaking or has a strong scent gets an "exception" sticker slapped on it.

Knives out of box, tasers, leaky batteries, etc. These are hazmat and must be processed by someone wearing proper protective equipment (PPE)

Any biohazard type stories?

hmm, you'd have to ask someone in exceptions. I haven't heard of anyone being injured following guidelines. People who don't usually get hurt due to their own stupidity and are terminated. We really do consider safety paramount.

From what I've heard it's always something dumb like a twisted ankle from a pallet, or not pushing a cart properly and having the stuff come tumbling down.

Sorry for my dull answer!

edit: some worker in some department felt a need to make a print that we were Velicoraptor free for 1,204 days, my GM spotted it, and announced it before stretch time. It's little things like this that make me enjoy my job and the people I work with.

Not at all. Thanks!

You're a swell person.

We really do consider safety paramount.

How do you square that with the bad conditions some warehouse workers say they had to endure? Dangerously high heat, long hours, pressure to work through injuries, fighting employees on unemployment, etc.

Links: BBC 2013 investigation, Morning Call 2011 investigation

How do you square that with the bad conditions some warehouse workers say they had to endure? Dangerously high heat, long hours, pressure to work through injuries, fighting employees on unemployment, etc.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but where I work there are excellent conditions. I can't speak for anywhere else, sorry!

We work 10 hour shifts. Your feet will hurt. This is clearly explained when you apply. We all have fans at our stations and enough water for a small army. We have "Amcare" which is basically an E.R for workers. Working through injuries? Honestly the first I've heard of it. I'm just one processor in one FC and I cannot speak for FC's everywhere. Hopefully the management that was responsible for such conditions has been weeded out.

Ok, let's cut to the chase here. We are talking about "personal massagers". Right?

Yes. For your neck.

What's the most commonly returned item?

Absolutely phone cases. I have nightmares where I'm buried in Samsung Galaxy S5 cases.

Why do you think that is?

I've honestly come to the conclusion that some people simply don't read descriptions. I'll get an S5 case and the person complains that it didn't fit their S4 or whatever.

Credit to mod /u/lula2488 for holding my hand through a second posting. Any questions I had were cleared immediately.

What's the worst condition item you've received for return? How bad of a condition can something be In and still have to accept?

I got a DVD one time, still wrapped and I said to myself:

"Damn, looks like it got run over."

So I go to process it, and when I get to the customer comments the person says:

"Fucking thing looks ran over! Can you replace it or refund me please?"

Made me chuckle, showed the processor next to me and we had a good laugh. It's not funny that he didn't get his item in good shape, just his comment. You know I tend to believe people in situations like these. The package was obviously put under hundreds of pounds of weight in shipping.

What was the weirdest things that was returned, and you had to process it?

Hmm. I get a lot of "odd" items.

We get a lot of vibrators, etc. But as far as weird things go, I'd have to say, honestly, that nothing surprises me. What would be odd to others, I'm already desensitized to. I get a lot of single, half eaten items.

A co worker got a little over an ounce of cocaine (by the way he described it) and a book filled with $1,400 of cash.

The cash is returned to the cutstomer.

The coke is handed over to authorities.

These were separate occurrences.

Did you get permission to do this AMA, or are you at risk of being fired for answering these questions?

I'm doing this AMA on my own accord. I don't believe I'm portraying the company in a bad light. It's a great company to work for with great policies. I'm not giving away any mega "secrets". There really are no secrets. We're an open book.

Hello! Fellow Amazonian here!

I'm pretty sure we're supposed to put in a disclaimer that we are not official Amazon spokespeople, and that our opinions do not reflect the opinions of the company. :)

Thanks, I'll add that to my title. Good call.

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That looks like either pick or stow department. I take issue with this and let me tell you why:

When you apply at amazon this is made crystal clear, your productivity will be tracked and you're expected to maintain a certain number. That "countdown" is moot, as long as you maintain a certain number per hour. What took me over 14 seconds on the last item may only take me less than 5 on the next one. But again they only take your total. This was also in the UK, and I'm not sure how things work over there. Furthermore, I've never heard of this "countdown". That's not how it works in the U.S. Amazon was founded here, in the U.S, in Washington.

Not long ago I ordered a shoulder brace. I no longer have the product box it came in. Can I still return it?

Of course, just go about how you would return it normally. Something like that could be shipped in a padded manilla envelope.

Awesome thanks! That item cost me an arm!

ha

Do you ever have bring your daughter to work day?

Now I'm sad.

What is the worst/wierdest excuse for a return, and did you accept it?

As a processor I really don't make judgment calls. One time someone returned a PS VITA with a busted screen and said in all caps

"IT CAME BROKEN! MONEY BACK PLEASE!"

The serial numbers didn't match what we shipped him. Meh. C for effort..

In this case I escalate the return to a "problem solver", so he can look into it a bit more.

Again, I don't make the calls.

The serial numbers didn't match what we shipped him.

Can you elaborate? You guys have a serial data base of all the PS VITA shipped out? That must be a lot of work...

Can you elaborate? You guys have a serial data base of all the PS VITA shipped out? That must be a lot of work...

We log serials on items that are returned. The brand new box he returned the VITA in didn't match the serial on the actual VITA.

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In a sense, but I'd say more of a detective. They are really good at what they do. They figure out where the heck something came from. I wouldn't mind this position. I feel I would be well suited for it.

I returned a book recently and when I submitted the request I was told that I'd be refunded even without sending the book back. Why would this happen? I'm a relatively frequent customer (and I have Prime) so was it some sort of thank you for customer loyalty?

To be honest, the book may automatically be destroyed, even if you did send it back. It could be outdated, or returned one too many times. I don't know the exact answer, but probably one of those.

Huh. It was a recent paperback in relatively good shape so I thought it was either customer loyalty or maybe the cost of paying for return shipping made it not worth it.

Huh. It was a recent paperback in relatively good shape so I thought it was either customer loyalty or maybe the cost of paying for return shipping made it not worth it.

I'm going to have to look into that!

I've had brand new books that I've had to send to the destroy bin. I'd like to find out why that is. I'm just as curious as you.

Do these books really get destroyed? Why wouldn't they donate them to a school or library?

Do these books really get destroyed? Why wouldn't they donate them to a school or library?

It's only a destroy bin. I don't think they really get destroyed. I'm pretty positive we have something in place to get these items new homes.

Whether they are recycled, donated, or sent back to the publisher, I don't think they are actually destroyed.

Processing costs out weigh profits.

Processing costs out weigh profits.

I honestly don't think this is the case. I've processed books that are in terrible condition, but they were marked as used and ultimately resold. If we can resell it, it would certainly bring in way more profit than processing costs.

Edit: I sounded like a dick.

Edit: I sounded like a dick.

No it's cool. What I'm saying is that we'll avoid a loss wherever possible :)

What happens to items that get returned in excellent condition? Do they get sold as new?

If the manufacturer seal is broken, no. If there is an issue with the item it'll be graded and sold reduced. If it is new and in excellent condition like you said, then I believe the manufacturer takes it back and repackages it, but I'm not totally sure.

Do you only get things back from the US? Or do you process the items returned from abroad?

I'm just in one fullfilment center. I've never seen an international return. Possibly elsewhere, though.

It was kind of a stupid question, but thanks for still answering it!

It was kind of a stupid question,

No such thing! I'm here to clear up anything that I can.

No such thing!

Challenge accepted!

What type of laundry detergent is best used as a replacement for jet fuel in a 1972 Colecovision gaming console?

yes

Do you get to restock items with a drone?

ha. Not yet. I'll put in a request with management. Stow would love that.

Classic Stow.

I agree /u/CUNTBAG_THUNDERCOCK

Why is it that when it comes to shipping products overseas (I am in Okinawa atm) it takes a long time to get here or a product I want to be delivered here is not allowed?

I'm not totally sure, but I know certain things are simply not allowed. Possibly due to certain companies lobbying for it, etc. As for time, I think that can simply be answered by the sheer distance and when packages have to hop on trucks from here to there, etc. We'd like o have your package immediately on a flight, but there are probably trucks in the mix as well.

I don't work in logistics, sorry!

What type of education/degree did you obtain to get to the career where you are now?

My position is honestly an entry one. Simply a high school diploma and computer literacy will get you in. Amazon uses linux.

Ubuntu? Mint? SUSE? Come on man, these are the important questions!

Ubuntu? Mint? SUSE? Come on man, these are the important questions!

Ubuntu. Very user friendly. In any case, we are all trained to use it. As someone who was brought up with Windows, I gotta say linux is pretty sweet.

I'm kinda ticked off at the programmers, though. It's like they didn't even test the New user interface. It's absolutely riddled with errors. I joke that they should have employed someone from reddit's popular tech subs.

Do you get first pick of discounted second-hand items?

ha, absolutely not. We do however get a 10% discount if we choose to shop within the company.

nice one mate.. is there an are within amazon where we can find these discounted products?

warehouse deals

quick search "liquidation Amazon"

Once something has been returned, how easy is it to be put back into distribution?

I had an electrical item I purchased as new, that was obviously used & abused. It didn't work at all. The screws on it were stripped, with gouges in the chassis from someone digging at the screws. The manufacturer container was torn-up (not to be confused with the shipping container).

Are the returns and distribution centers in two different places? When I got to thinking how something so badly pre-damaged got to me, I could only guess that somebody at Amazon grabbed a brand new one from inventory and kept it, and sent me the busted one from returns.

Once something has been returned, how easy is it to be put back into distribution?

Usually very simple, provided the processor his doing his job and inspecting everything thoroughly.

Are the returns and distribution centers in two different places?

Where I work, no. Everything is done in the same warehouse.

When I got to thinking how something so badly pre-damaged got to me, I could only guess that somebody at Amazon grabbed a brand new one from inventory and kept it, and sent me the busted one from returns.

It seems to me whomever processed the return previously did a half assed job, to be totally honest. We're supposed to inspect mounting points specifically on items, and anything like a stripped screw should have been damaged out, or at the very least sent to warehouse deals. I'm sorry you received something in that condition from us.

I once returned something that said "RECEIVED BY CAVE" after being received back by Amazon; what does that mean? What is the cave?

The "cave" is actually a secret place where Amazonians gather and perform blood sacrifice to appease the book gods.

I'm just playing with you. I have no idea what that is. I'm going to have to ask a problem solver. They would most definitely know.

I will get back to you with the answer.

Nice, thanks for the answer. Ive always wonder what the heck the cave was. Ive returned things before and they've never said that when I tracked them except for that one instance. Looking forward to seeing what your coworker has to say about it.

Ive always wonder what the heck the cave was.

Honestly this is the first I've heard of it. I'm curious as well.

Recently, we had a lot of problems getting the wrong books shipped to us. Amazon was great about it and facilitated refunds, shipping discounts, etc. We are trying to collect a set of reference books which all look the same but have many different volumes & subsets, so I think that's why the sellers keep mixing them up. I was wondering, does amazon get alerted to our high number of returns and begin to view us with suspicion? I was so worried about it that I've completely stopped trying to order those books because we get the wrong ones more often than not. Do you know of a good strategy to ensure I get the seller to send the correct books in the first place?

If the processor was correctly doing their job, they should look at the book closely and see if it matches the description. Your comments help, believe it or not. I don't believe you'd be flagged. I'd suggest calling a rep, and trying again.

I'm sorry you didn't get the proper book to add to your reference collection. Right now, we are getting tons of books and making sure it's the proper one is stressed during start of shift announcements.

Ok, so here's a weird scenario that I'm surprised worked out, and I'm wondering if you could shed some light on it.

Both my wife and my brother ended up getting me the same Blu-ray for Xmas. My wife said she'd return mine and get me something else. What she ended up doing was looking up the returns address, stuck the blu-ray in an envelope, and shipped it back. The next day she said she did that, and I ask how she printed the return slip (we don't have a printer at home, usually I print the 1 page per year we need printed at work). Then a bunch of "oh shit" ensued because she didn't include anything. She literally wrote Amazon's address on an envelope, threw in a blu-ray with no paperwork, and sent it off. She doesn't even remember putting a proper return address on it.

This time I walk her through the returns process on the website, hoping we get this in before Amazon gets the envelope. Surprisingly enough, a couple weeks later, we see the credit from Amazon on our credit card, so clearly it got returned successfully.

So, seriously, how in the hell did you guys succeed at this? You get a blu-ray in the mail with no paperwork or return address, and manage to figure out we actually returned something and give us our money back? Explain this wizardry!

So, seriously, how in the hell did you guys succeed at this? You get a blu-ray in the mail with no paperwork or return address, and manage to figure out we actually returned something and give us our money back? Explain this wizardry!

Mind freak!

With the time frame, UPC and the postal stamp, I can do a reverse logistics look up. Most I'll get would usually be <5 results. From there I'll enter your shipment ID and get you your money back. It's a bit more work and the RMA is more convenient, but we can get it done. I highly prefer an RMA, though :)

I returned two things in one box last week - have I pissed someone in returns off by doing that or is that ok?

I encourage you to do this. just make sure they are obviously separate. For example, try to avoid putting two items in one product box, not to be confused with the shipping container. I could take a quick peek and not realize there is another item within. You'd only be refunded for one immediately, and processing quality could be hurt.

How much easier is your life made by lazy people like myself who are too lazy to return items?

How much easier is your life made by lazy people like myself who are too lazy to return items?

You give me job security. Please, keep returning crap.

edit: sorry, I misread your question, get off your lazy ass and start returning stuff!

What are your thoughts about articles like these?

*Worse than Wal-Mart

*Abusive Work Conditions

*Amazon was a prison

You paint a very different picture than these types of articles.

I'm not a shill, if that's what you're asking. I can only speak about where I work, and quite frankly, it's a nice place to work.

Has Lasership ever actually completed a delivery? Because anytime Amazon uses Lasership I don't get my items. Amazon always hooks up the refunds though.

Again, sorry, but I can't really answer that. I have not the slightest inkling. I can't even begin to give you an answer on that. I'm sorry. I'll ask tomorrow when I go back in.

If a person were to order items with the intention of sending some of them back in pristine condition, does it make them an a-hole or does nobody mind? Like if I were interested in a shirt, and I wasn't sure which size was going to be the best fit on my body, so I ordered a large and an extra large and when they arrived I tried them both on and decided to keep the large and return the extra large. Or I liked two shower curtains but wasn't sure which one would be the closest match to my bathroom paint and wanted to see them both in person, so I ordered them both and held them up to my painted wall and sent the one I liked least immediately back? I've kind of wanted to do this a few times, when there were things I wanted, but wanted to see or feel or try on or compare live instead of just online. A friend of mine suggested just going ahead and ordering and returning the unwanted items and said Amazon kind of plans for that to happen and it's totally no big deal, that you'd rather have the sale from the one I keep and deal with the hassle of the return on the one I don't than let that sale get away entirely. But I didn't want to be a Scumbag Stacy for doing it if she's wrong about that.

It's usually cool. The shower curtain, unfortunately if opened would be sent to liquidation. it's just kind of a hygienic thing, you know? Clothes and such are usually washed by people in general so it's not a huge deal, besides undergarments.But what you said is common. I'll see a large and Extra large on packing lists, and will get one or the other shipped back.

If you can, for that shower curtain situation, try to hold it up to your wall in the package sealed. I understand if you need to take it out, but if you could leave something sealed we wouldn't lose money and it would make my job so much easier as a processor! Again, your call.

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I requested a return for an item that arrived from a marketplace seller that arrived DOA. I got busy and didn't get a chance to mail it in within the time frame, but it looks like the label is still available. What are the chances of still mailing it in for a refund?

I do not know much about this, specifically, but if everything looks ok on paper, I see no issue with returning the item. If you couldn't, the return interface would probably tell you so. again, I really don't know too much on that end, so I apologize for the open ended response.

I suggest you call a rep and see what they say.

Hello, my name is Paul, What kind of Amazon products do you have?

Hello, Paul. We carry anything you can imagine.