I returned one minutes after ordering it. Assumed there was a time limit and maybe there should be one.

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Those suggesting the read-and-return practice think they're "sticking it to Amazon," but in reality are only harming the authors, said Eva Creel, a fantasy writer who publishes under the name E. G. Creel.

This! I think creators (including authors, musicians etc.) are becoming increasingly invisible or otherwise disregard-able...

Separate from that, policies regarding digital transactions, esp. Amazon's policies, seem far too arbitrary... So, you can return an ebook within seven days of purchase (something I didn't know until now). But if you purchase (rent) a movie to watch through Amazon Prime, usually you have to finish watching it within 48 hours or else you have to purchase it again. But I like to watch movies while I'm on my treadmill, so I'll pick a film and watch over a 3 or 4 day period. What Amazon doesn't know is that this policy is partially responsible for us subscribing to Netflix, and now Amazon is losing money from me because of this silly policy (and to a lesser extent, whoever gets royalties from movies on Amazon Prime).

This issue is far less pressing than the probably of returning ebooks, but I feel like it's within the same fabric of problems that make up the e-commerce quilt....

I haven't read the article, because I'm already pretty familiar with the problem, so forgive me if this was covered, but Amazon's Audible arm also makes it easy to listen to and then return audiobooks. They have no incentive to crack down on this practice, because they make their money on subscriptions and it's in their interest to keep their subscribers happy. And the thing that makes them happy is to get their entertainment for free. (Well, they paid for a subscription, but it has limits. They want unlimited entertainment for less than the actual cost to have it.)

I don't see information on returns for my traditionally published books, but I do have a few self-published ebooks and one self-published audiobook. I see those reports. I can tell you that this is a real thing.

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Amazon's Audible arm also makes it easy to listen to and then return audiobooks.

I'm sorry you have to deal with all of this!

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Originally posted by CHAS:
I returned one minutes after ordering it. Assumed there was a time limit and maybe there should be one.

I've returned (physical) items minutes after ordering owing to an error - and indeed I think that's entirely kosher.

If I'm not mistaken, Amazon is beginning to impose restrictions on returns. Guess they know they've got us over a barrel.

Successful cancellation (not return) of an order that contains a physical product is dependent upon how quickly you act. They start the picking and shipping process pretty quickly, so you have to move quickly.

Like Chas, I canceled an e-book that I ordered accidentally, but it was like two minutes after the purchase and I'm sure they could tell I hadn't even downloaded it yet. I wasn't surprised they accommodated me. The article says there's a seven day limit on e-book returns, which seems like way more time than is appropriate. And I would think there would have to be a limit on the number of e-book returns per person....

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The article says there's a seven day limit on e-book returns, which seems like way more time than is appropriate.

Yep, I think this is a big part of the problem!

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And I would think there would have to be a limit on the number of e-book returns per person....

This as well, because it should be a red flag if someone is *always* doing that.

Immediate return isn't a problem at all. The problem is with readers who think they should be able to consume a product and then get a full refund.

Amazon can see how many pages you've read or minutes you've listened to. They actually pay self-published author by the number of pages read in the Kindle Unlimited program, which allows Amazon Prime readers to read a certain number of books on a selected list for free every month. This is great! Authors are compensated. Readers are not on the hook for a book that they can tell they won't like from the get-go.

This technology allows Amazon to say to customers, "Sorry, but you consumed more than 25% (or whatever percent) of this product, and that is enough of a sample to know whether it was worth the money, so it is no longer returnable." But they refuse to do so, because they don't have to and their current business model makes money for them.

I currently don't have my self-published books in the Amazon Unlimited program, because it requires me to sell them on Amazon only. These books make me very little money, so this is not a do-or-die decision for me, and I'd rather strike a tiny blow against Amazon's near-monopoly.

The Amazon-only requirement means that Amazon Unlimited books are almost exclusively self-published or published by Amazon (and I'm not even sure that they limit their own books in this way.) I'm not sure that readers understand this, although I imagine they're very bitter when they can't get the latest bestsellers because publishers with marketplace clout do not agree to limit their options.