Amazon vs. Walmart Return Policy: Which Online Marketplace Has a Better Policy for Sellers?

As an ecommerce seller, you must contemplate and research before making crucial business decisions. Whether choosing a supplier or an online marketplace to set up your products, you need to know all your options and their pros and cons. Doing this will help you minimize your losses and achieve your business goals faster.

This process is especially essential if you are still deciding between selling on Amazon or Walmart. Despite being two of the biggest online marketplaces globally, they have distinct features, services, and policies that can affect your decision—especially return policies.

This article contains the essential elements of Walmart and Amazon return policies and their pros and cons. Read on to know which return policy best suits your needs as a seller!

Walmart’s Return Policy

Since the 1960s, Walmart has been a household name in the US because of its multiple branches, low prices, and trustworthy services. If you want to start selling your products through the Walmart Marketplace, here are some notable return policies you need to know.

Return/Refund Durations

Other Policies Regarding Returns and Refunds

Guarantees

Amazon’s Return Policy

As Amazon fulfills its vision to be the most customer-centric company in the world, they ensure that its customers get the best services by creating comprehensive and reasonable marketplace policies. Below are the returns policies that you must take note of as an Amazon seller.

Return/Refund Durations

Other Policies Regarding Returns and Refunds

Guarantees

Because several return policies are not included in this section, it would be best for you to consult an Amazon expert if you still have questions about refunds, returns, or reimbursements.

The Pros and Cons of Each Policy

It is evident in the points given above that Walmart and Amazon have distinct return policies, which reflect their identities and objectives as businesses. However, as a seller, you must accept that there's no perfect set of policies that favors everyone. Therefore, at some point, you have to compromise to keep your business going.

But regardless of this sad reality and the differences between the two online marketplace giants, sellers like you must still weigh their pros and cons before deciding. This way, you can have a clearer picture of what you can expect from the company and how you can work around its policies.

The table below shows the pros and cons of Walmart and Amazon return policies for sellers like you.

ProsConsWalmartThey have the right to deny return requests that seem fraudulent.Some items can only be exchanged, which prevents buyers from abusing the return policies.Complete information and guidelines about returns are not provided on their website. You still need to consult the customer service desk if you need clarification, which is inconvenient.It has limited options for returned products.AmazonIt has more specific return guidelines for all categories.Its Amazon FBA Grade and Resell program allows sellers to resell their returned items labeled as used.It allows returnless refunds, encouraging others to take advantage of the system.Amazon's Prime Wardrobe can be a hassle for sellers offering products eligible for this program.

Which One Should You Choose?

Based on the information above, the return policy of Amazon is more comprehensive, with customer satisfaction as its priority. On the other hand, Walmart is more flexible by allowing third-party sellers to modify their return policies as long as they follow the minimum requirements.

Furthermore, Amazon sellers can offer returnless refunds on selected items, which is not available at Walmart. Of course, having this feature means you might encounter pretentious customers, but it could also be your way to gain customer loyalty.

Lastly, Amazon has several seller programs that can give you options for handling your returns, which Walmart does not offer. These include Amazon FBA Grade and Resell and Amazon Renewed. 

Regardless of your choice, returns and refunds are a huge part of any business model, and they can make or break it. But because product returns are inevitable in ecommerce, you must be prepared to accept returns and handle possible losses or find ways to reduce or prevent them from occurring in the first place. 

As always, weigh the benefits and the risks through the help of marketplace experts.

Bottom Line

Both Walmart and Amazon became trustworthy online marketplaces for people worldwide because of their reliable services and reasonable return policies. Additionally, because returns are essential to customer satisfaction, they continue to improve their policies and introduce new ones.

However, some sellers might have difficulty catching up with the continuous revisions on these marketplaces' return policies. So, look for a credible account management agency, like Seller Interactive, to guide you on Amazon or Walmart policies—whether they are related to returns or not. 

In addition, we have experienced sellers and consultants on board to help you with returns or account management.
Is this something you'd want to know for your business? Contact us today to get started on your journey to growth and success!