‘Scammers gonna have a field day’: Man says Walmart and Amazon have changed their entire refund policy. Then he reveals why
A man is going viral on TikTok after explaining why two of America’s biggest retailers are supposedly changing their return policies.
Oliver (@olliebubs09) says that Amazon and Walmart are implementing “returnless refunds.” In short, that means even if customers choose to return one of their products, they’ll get to keep the item and get a refund.
“Did you know Amazon & Walmart will have ‘returnless refunds’? You can keep the item you’re returning,” Oliver wrote in the text overlay of his clip. As of Sunday, his video explaining why these marketers were changing their return policies had amassed more than 889,600 views.
What does this mean?
A “returnless refund” is exactly what it sounds like: A customer who makes a return will receive their money back but is not required to return the unwanted item to the retailer.
Amazon and Walmart aren’t the only two places offering this, though. According to the Associated Press, Chewy, Shein, Target, and Temu also offer this on a certain amount of products.
These policies can benefit consumers and manufacturers
You may be thinking that it’s silly for retailers not to ask for their product back if customers request a refund. But these policies can benefit both customers and stores alike.
For customers, they no longer have to inconvenience themselves by packing and shipping products they don’t want. Retailers, meanwhile, don’t have to bear the brunt of handling return items.
As Oliver says, this can be a waste of time to marketers, especially if they’re taking back cheap items that are either damaged or hard to resell.
“Some items aren’t worth the trouble to take back,” Oliver says in his clip. “In some cases, shipping costs more than what the item is worth.”
That said, even companies that offer returnless refunds don’t always do it for every item they sell. The Associated Press reports that companies usually save this for “low-cost objects or ones with limited resale value.” Only in certain cases are online shoppers allowed to keep more expensive items.
How long has this been in place?
Companies might not always publicize the fact that they offer this due to the potential for return fraud. But it doesn’t seem like these policies are new.
The Associated Press story, for instance, which advertised Amazon, Chewy, and Walmart’s policies, was published in November 2024. Other articles that touch on Amazon’s policies, in particular, were written earlier this year. This suggests that some customers are just now starting to become aware of the fact that Amazon and other retailers offer returnless refunds.
“Your favorite two online retailers… are changing the way they do online returns,” Oliver says in his clip.
@olliebubs09 Farewell to refunds as you know them- Walmart and Amazon, among others, will give your money back without you having to return the product. #foryoupage #fyp ♬ original sound - Oliver
Viewers still express concerns about fraud
In the comments section of Oliver’s video, many viewers say they still worried that bad actors would take advantage of these policies.
“Scammers gonna have a field day wit dat,” one user wrote.
“That sounds like a recipe for disaster,” another added.
“Buying a TV today then,” a third user quipped.
Others, however, say they were already aware of these stores’ respective policies and claimed they were not new.
“Amazon been doing this for years for some items,” one commenter said.
“This isn’t new, though,” another commented. “I’ve had this happen a few times before.”
“This isn’t new,” a third user wrote. “It’s for cheap items where shipping the return back exceeds the cost of the item itself.”
And some viewers, who say they’re still boycotting Amazon and Walmart, were unfazed by the news.
“Sir, we’re boycotting,” one viewer informed Oliver.
“I don’t buy from Amazon or Walmart,” another said. “Supporting local businesses who deserve respect.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Oliver via TikTok comment, to Amazon through email, and to Walmart through its online press portal.
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