What's changing
Until now a US seller who ships their own orders could give buyers a return address, and the buyer arranged and paid for the return. From December 18, 2026, most of these returns need a prepaid label. Within seven calendar days of the return request the seller must either upload a prepaid label in the Manage seller-fulfilled returns workflow or issue a full refund without requiring the item back. Labels sent through Buyer-Seller Messaging or outside that workflow do not count. If the seller does neither, Amazon may automatically issue a returnless refund and deduct it from the seller's account, and the buyer keeps the item. Heavy and bulky items are excluded for now, but Amazon has not defined that group or said how long the exclusion lasts. Reports differ on who pays the return postage under the new rule, so check the terms in Seller Central. As of October 19 the Seller Central help page had not yet been updated with the change. The notice follows a February 2026 change, reported by seller-news sites, that removed the high-value item exemption from prepaid return labels.
Who's affected: US sellers who fulfil their own orders. Sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon are not covered. Sellers of heavy and bulky items are excluded for now.
What to do about it
- Set up prepaid return labels in the Manage seller-fulfilled returns workflow, using Buy Shipping or your own carrier account if Amazon accepts it.
- Assign someone to action every return request within seven calendar days, so no return ends in an automatic returnless refund.
- Decide which products you would refund without a return, and check which of your items Amazon treats as heavy and bulky.
