(2) Activity | Vanessa Hung | LinkedIn
By Vanessa Hung · January 20, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Amazon just announced a significant change to returns for US seller-fulfilled orders.
Effective February 8, 2026, all US sellers will be required to use the Amazon Prepaid Return Label (APRL) program for customer returns, regardless of item value. The previous exemption for high-value items is being removed.
According to Amazon, the goal is a more consistent return experience:
• Prepaid labels are automatically generated through Buy Shipping
• Refund timelines are reduced from 14 days to 7 days
• Buyer-seller messaging during returns is no longer required
Category exemptions will still apply (Handmade, certified pre-owned watches, non-physical items, dangerous goods, and extra-large or heavy items), and items that can’t use prepaid labels remain exempt.
For disputes, Amazon points sellers to SAFE-T claims for reimbursement.
That’s the policy.
Now, the reaction from sellers has been… strong. What I’m seeing across conversations is concern based on lived experience:
• Who absorbs the risk when prepaid labels include limited insurance?
• How do you prevent damage to high-value returns without guiding packaging or handling?
• Why remove one of the few tools that reduced “borrow and return” behavior?
• How effective is SAFE-T when carrier claims are already difficult on Amazon labels?
• Why eliminate seller-buyer communication when sellers are the product experts?
For many sellers, prepaid labels were never just about convenience. They were a way to manage risk, set expectations, and protect margins in categories with high returns.
Here’s how I’m thinking about it.
Amazon is optimizing for a faster, more uniform post-purchase flow:
fewer messages, quicker refunds, fewer support interactions.
Instead of managing returns before they happen through communication and discretion, sellers are pushed to manage outcomes after the fact through reimbursements, claims, and loss tolerance.
Some sellers will respond by:
• Raising prices
• Disabling higher-risk SKUs
• Reducing selection
• Or pulling certain categories off Amazon entirely
Those are operational reactions.
This update doesn’t mean sellers can’t succeed on Amazon. But it does reinforce something important:
Amazon designs for scale first.
Seeing that clearly enables operators to adapt intentionally, whether by adjusting processes, pricing differently, or choosing where Amazon still makes sense.
Repost to help other sellers see the full picture before February.
#AmazonSellers #SellerFulfilled #AmazonReturns #Ecommerce #Marketplace #AmazonPolicy