Amazon Restocking Fee: Grading a Return Before You Deduct

Amazon tells buyers one thing and sellers another. The buyer-facing return policy says a return that is "damaged, missing parts, not in original condition, has tags removed or have obvious signs of use" can cost the buyer "Up to 50% of the item price." The seller-facing page splits that same territory into rows: 25% for a used item with minor damage, 50% for severe damage, 50% for an opened DVD, 100% for opened software, nothing at all for a lot of returns that feel like they should cost something.

Sellers who work from the buyer page charge 50% on a scuffed lamp. Then the buyer writes in, and the seller discovers the cap for that lamp was half that.

This is about the seller page: which rows let you deduct, what you must record to deduct, and how fast. eBay and Etsy follow, because neither of them has a restocking table at all.

Policy as of 2026-10-09. Amazon's seller help pages cited here open without a Seller Central login at their /gp/help/external/ and /help/hub/reference/external/ addresses, and each was read on that date: Amazon Seller Central — "Guidelines for charging restocking fees" (G201725780), "Issue a partial refund" (G201650140), "Manage seller-fulfilled returns" (G200708210), and "Reimbursement for seller-fulfilled orders" (G202175000). Amazon changed the refund window on 26 January 2026, so re-check the Amazon parts in 90 days; the eBay and Etsy parts in 180.

Amazon's restocking table has thirteen rows, and four of them say no

The seller table lists thirteen specific situations plus a catch-all ("Any other reason not listed here," which points to the buyer-side Refunds page). Here they are in the page's order, compressed:

Nine rows allow a fee. Four forbid one.

Rows eleven and thirteen use nearly the same words for opposite events. "The buyer returns a materially different item than what was delivered" means the buyer sent you back something else: 100% possible. "The buyer returns an item they received that is materially different from what they ordered" means you shipped the wrong thing: zero. Skim the table for "materially different" and you can land on the wrong row in either direction.

"Change of mind" is defined, too, in a footnote. It covers three return reasons, and only three: "Accidental order," "Better price available," and "No longer needed or wanted." A buyer who picked "Defective" or "Not as described" is not in a change-of-mind row, whatever you think of the reason they picked. If the reason code is wrong, that is a separate fight. The reimbursement page lists "You believe the buyer used an inaccurate return reason code" as an exception that keeps a SAFE-T claim open for return shipping costs. It is not a ground for a restocking fee.

The footnote also redefines "original condition" for one group of products. For "new desktops, laptops, tablets, and other electronics (excluding televisions, Amazon Renewed products, and Apple brand products)," the page says the product "is returned in original condition when the box is unopened (seal intact)." Read with the change-of-mind row above it, an opened-but-unused laptop returned as no longer needed appears to fall outside "original condition" and into the up-to-50% row for items "not in original condition." The page does not walk through that case explicitly. If your catalog is electronics, it is the sentence worth reading twice at the source.

The buyer pages and the seller page disagree about collectibles

Amazon's customer-facing Return Policy page (nodeId GKM69DUUYKQWKWX7), read 2026-10-09, lists a restocking fee of "100% of the item price" for two product groups: software and video games "that are opened, activated, used, or missing parts," and "Opened collectible cards, board games/table top games, collectible/chase variant figurines."

Amazon's Refund Timelines page (nodeId 901926), read the same day, carries what is otherwise the same fee table, but its restocking row lists only the collectibles. Software is gone from it.

And the seller table, the one that governs what you may charge on a seller-fulfilled order, has a software row and no collectibles row at all.

So if a sealed trading-card box or board game you shipped comes back opened on a change of mind, the seller table gives you no 100% line. The closest rows are non-media change of mind (up to 50%) and minor or severe damage. The buyer pages mainly describe items Amazon itself sold; a deduction on your order is judged against the seller page. Charge from the seller table. Three Amazon pages currently give three different answers here, so re-read G201725780 before charging more on a collectible.

The grading screen is where the fee is won or lost

You cannot just type a number. From "Issue a partial refund," step three, the restocking path runs like this:

1. Orders, then Manage Seller Fulfilled returns, find the order, and click Issue Refund.
2. Click Charge restocking fee under the Amount to refund column.
3. In the Grade condition of returned item section, grade three separate things: the item, the accessories, and the packaging.
4. For an out-of-window return you accepted, select Item shipped outside of return window.
5. Upload a photo. The page's wording is "You're required to upload a photo of the damaged, defective, or materially different item."
6. Pick the "most accurate item condition" from the Description drop-down. Comments are optional unless you choose Other, in which case they become mandatory.

There is also a Note to yourself field that takes 255 characters and is visible only to you. Use it to record why you graded the return as you did, on the day you did it.

The seller page says the workflow "will help you calculate the appropriate fee according to these guidelines," and that fees "should be charged fairly" with "clear documentation." It never defines minor or severe damage: no threshold, no list, no example photo. The grade is your judgment, and the photo is the only evidence of it Amazon will see.

A single close-up proves a scratch exists, not how big it is, where it sits, or that the unit is the one you shipped. A set that holds up better:

• The whole item in one frame, so the reviewer sees the damage in proportion.
• The damage close, with something of known size next to it (a ruler, a coin).
• Any serial number, lot code, or your own inventory mark, matching what you shipped.
• The accessories laid out against the list of what shipped, because "missing parts" is one of the conditions in the 50% row, and a missing cable is only provable if you can show what should be there.
• The packaging, since you are grading it separately.

Amazon requires only "upload a photo." The rest is what that photo must do if the buyer contests the deduction and someone else decides which row applied. If you already photograph outbound orders, the matching pre-shipment pictures make the comparison close to automatic; the outbound photo routine is covered here.

Four calendar days, though one Amazon page still says two business days

The deadline for all of this is short. "Issue a partial refund" says: "You are required to issue a refund within four calendar days of receipt of a return. If you do not take action regarding the refund within four calendar days, Amazon may refund the customer on your behalf and charge the amount to your seller account."

The reimbursement page explains what that automated refund costs you: refunds issued "when you don't process refunds within four calendar days of receiving a returned item are not eligible for SAFE-T claims," apart from two exceptions (the return never arrived, or the buyer used an inaccurate return reason code, which only reopens return shipping). The same paragraph names the alternative: "you can use the Guided Refund Workflow (GRW) within the four-calendar-day assessment period to grade returned items, apply appropriate restocking fees, and upload evidence."

Miss the four days and Amazon refunds in full: the deduction is gone, and most of your SAFE-T route with it. The two SAFE-T clocks and where each starts are laid out separately.

"Manage seller-fulfilled returns," read on the same date, still lists "Issue refunds within two business days of receiving a return" among its important points, and its appeals section describes automatic refunds issued "because you didn't issue the refund within 48 hours of receiving the return." That is the old rule. Amazon's staff post "Two Major Changes to Seller-Fulfilled Returns & SAFE-T Claims" says the window "has extended from 2 business days to 4 calendar days," in effect from 26 January 2026. So the clock got longer, not shorter, and this page simply has not caught up. Still, work to the shortest figure on any Amazon page. Grade on the day the return scan posts, or the next morning.

The percentage comes off the item price, and return shipping is a different line

"A restocking fee is a percentage of the item's price. The item price does not include shipping costs and is based on the item's condition upon return." That sentence settles two common errors. You cannot add outbound shipping to the base and take 25% of the total. And you cannot use the restocking fee to recover what the return label cost.

The label has its own row on the refund form, under Additional Refunds/Charges, and the rules for it are narrower than many sellers assume. "Issue a partial refund" says the Charge option "is available only for buyer faulted returns made using Amazon's Prepaid return label," and that "For sellers who have opted into Free Returns, you will no longer be able to deduct the return shipping fee for in policy returns." Where you shipped "an incorrect or damaged product, you cannot deduct the original shipping or return shipping costs from the refund. You must provide a full refund to the buyer." Who pays the return label under each reason code covers that side in full.

What a 50% fee is worth after Amazon's own fees

The fee is not a clean half. Amazon's "Refund credits and administration fees" (G21531), read 2026-10-09, says that on a partial refund of a non-media product Amazon "retains 20% of the original order-related fees, up to a maximum of $5, for each line item," and "credits you a proportional amount of the referral fee originally charged for the order, based on the percentage of the item price you refunded to the buyer." The companion page, "Refund administration fee" (200387220), shows the administration fee computed on the referral fee across item price, shipping, and gift wrap, but not tax.

Take an $80 item, no shipping charge, in a category with a 15% referral fee. The referral fee charged at sale was $12.00. A severe-damage return at the full 50% means you refund the buyer $40.00. Amazon's page describes a proportional referral credit, which on a 50% refund is $6.00, and an administration fee of 20% of $12.00, which is $2.40 and under the $5 cap. Neither page gives a worked example of how those two lines net against each other on a partial refund, so treat the result as an estimate and check the actual line in your Payments report. On that reading, you end up with $80.00 received, less $12.00 in referral fees, less the $40.00 refund, plus a fee credit of around $3.60. Something like $31.60, plus a damaged unit you may or may not be able to sell.

For media products the arithmetic differs: on a partial refund of a book, CD, or DVD, the same page says Amazon "retains the variable closing fee" and credits a proportional amount of the referral fee. And for partial refunds on software and video games, Amazon "also retains the variable closing fee," though the page adds "(This fee is waived for Pro Merchants.)"

When the buyer sent back the wrong thing, there are four steps before the 100%

Rows eleven and twelve, the materially different item and the empty box, carry the highest cap. The first one also carries a precondition. The seller page says that before charging a restocking fee on a materially different return you must:

1. Contact the buyer.
2. Tell them they accidentally returned the wrong item.
3. Ask whether they want the incorrect item sent back to them.
4. Offer them the chance to return the correct item for a refund.

"If no resolution is reached after following these steps, only then may you charge a restocking fee of up to 100%." The "Manage seller-fulfilled returns" page repeats the same sequence and adds that if the buyer wants the wrong item back, "you aren't obligated to pay for shipping charges," recommending you agree on who pays before shipping it. Do the messaging inside Amazon's Buyer-Seller Messaging, so the four steps are on the record the reviewer can see.

The four days still apply while you wait for the buyer to answer. If they go quiet, that is the "no resolution" the page describes, and the grading screen is where you record it. What to do in the first hour with an empty box or a switched item goes through the escalation route beyond the fee.

If Amazon refunded the buyer before you could grade (refund at first scan, or a customer-service refund for sellers in programs such as Seller Fulfilled Prime), the reimbursement page ties SAFE-T payouts back to this same table. It says damaged-by-buyer returns are reimbursed "up to 50% of the order sales price of the product depending on the extent of damage as assessed by Amazon," materially different returns "up to 100%," and an original-condition return "more than 15 days past the return window" up to 20%, "The 15 days allow for return transportation from the buyer to the seller." The difference is who grades. In the refund workflow it is you. In SAFE-T it is Amazon, from your photos.

eBay dropped restocking fees and kept a 50% deduction instead

On eBay there is no restocking fee to charge. eBay's developer reference for return policies, ReturnPolicyInfo (read 2026-10-09), marks the restockingFeeValue field deprecated and states: "eBay no longer supports restocking fees for returned items." Text in your listing saying otherwise is not something eBay will enforce on your behalf.

What eBay offers in its place is a deduction for lost value. eBay's US Seller Center page on seller protections (read 2026-10-09) describes it as "deducting up to 50% of the refund to recover the decreased value of the item" when a return comes back used or damaged by the buyer.

Who gets it depends on which eBay page you read. The US Seller Center page frames it as a benefit for Top Rated Sellers "who reside in the US and list on eBay.com" and "offer 30-day-or-longer returns." eBay's English-language export edition, Seller protections (read 2026-10-09), says instead: "Sellers who are not Below Standard are eligible for this protection for listings that offer free returns," and eBay's export page How returns work says "Top Rated Sellers and sellers who offer free returns can now offer partial refunds, up to 50%." Those are two different eligibility tests. Before you rely on the deduction, confirm in your own return request that the option is offered on that order. If it is not there, you are not eligible on that listing, whatever a page says.

The conditions attached are firmer than the amount. From the export seller protections page:

• "Make sure you report the buyer and send the refund within 2 business days after receiving the item back. You can do this from the return request."
• "If eBay steps in to help with the return at any stage, you'll no longer be able to deduct an amount from the buyer's refund."

Two business days: a Thursday delivery means Monday. Ask eBay to step in first and the 50% option goes away.

There is a ceiling below 50%, too. The same page lists among the ways to lose seller protections "Unfairly deducting too much from the buyer's refund when an item is returned in a different condition. In these cases, the deduction should only be used to recoup the actual lost value of the item." The US Seller Center page puts it as "Withholding too high of a dollar amount for a partial refund. We monitor and investigate patterns that are not typical." So 50% is a cap, not a default. A deduction for a missing $8 charger on a $120 item should look like a missing $8 charger.

What counts as a changed condition is spelled out in eBay's Condition of returned items policy. The wording quoted here is from the UK edition of that policy. Its five general requirements ask for items "Unused, unaltered, with no damage or signs of use outside of the listed item condition," "All parts must be intact," original packaging including "boxes, UPCs, bags," everything originally included "such as cords, cables, remote controls, manuals, warranty and rebate cards, free gifts or bonus items," and "original tags, labels." It also covers the return trip: an item "damaged during return delivery because it wasn't packaged correctly" is one the seller "might deduct from the refund to cover the loss in the item's value." That list maps closely onto the photo set above: whole item, damage, accessories, packaging, tags.

eBay credits back part of its own fee when you deduct. The export page Refunding buyers says a partial refund triggers a prorated final value fee credit "based on the adjusted total amount of the sale," but the per-order fee ("$0.30 per order (for orders $10 and under) or $0.40 (for orders over $10)") is not refunded.

Etsy leaves the number to your shop policy

Etsy has no restocking table and no deduction cap. Its help article Refunds, Returns, and Exchanges for Sellers (read 2026-10-09) starts from the opposite end: "Each Etsy seller is responsible for their own policies regarding refunds, exchanges, and returns." You must set a return policy on every physical listing, "even if it's to let buyers know you do not accept returns or exchanges." If you agree to a return in Messages or through Etsy's case system, "we require you to fulfill that agreement."

The mechanics of a reduced refund are simple. How to Issue a Full or Partial Refund For an Order has you enter an "Amount to refund" next to the item, and says "You can issue any refund in accordance with your shop policies." Refund through Shop Manager and, per the same article, your transaction and processing fees "for the refunded transactions are automatically refunded" to your Payment account. Refunds through Etsy Payments are possible for 180 days after payment processes.

So your shop policy wording is the whole case. A policy saying items must come back unused with tags attached, and that used or incomplete returns are refunded less the lost value, gives you something to point to. A silent policy leaves you arguing from nothing. Etsy's article on the per-listing return policy builder would not load through a Cloudflare check on 2026-10-09, so which condition options the builder offers today is unconfirmed here; check what your own listings display in Shop Manager.

One limit applies regardless. Etsy's refunds article says transactions with buyers in the European Union or United Kingdom are subject to local consumer protection regulations, and its shop policies article notes that EU rules give buyers "the right to cancel or return their orders within 14 days of delivery." Those laws have their own rules on what a seller may withhold. If you ship to those buyers, your shop policy does not override them.

A grading sheet to keep next to the packing table

Before the next return lands, print or pin a single sheet with these lines on it, so the four Amazon days and the two eBay business days are spent grading rather than looking up rules:

• Return reason as the buyer chose it, and whether it is one of Amazon's three change-of-mind reasons.
• Window: inside or outside, and if outside, by how many days.
• Item, accessories, packaging: graded separately, as Amazon's form does.
• Row: the line of Amazon's thirteen that applies, with its cap.
• Photos: whole item, damage with scale, serial or inventory mark, accessories against the packing list, packaging.
• Wrong item only: the four messages sent, with dates.
• Deadline: Amazon four calendar days from receipt; eBay two business days, and report the buyer first.

Then write the date the return scanned in at the top of the sheet. Every rule on this page counts from it.