Amazon Return Policy Video Games (All You Need to Know!)

Do you know what Amazon’s return policy for video game like Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, PS4 or Nintendo Switch is? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.

We all buy a huge amount of our products online these days, and the biggest marketplace of them all is Amazon. If you’re looking to buy video games, they might be the first website you go to, but what is their return policy?

Most Amazon Video games are eligible for returns within 30 days. However, it’s not always easy to make returns, though, and there are some important exceptions to know about.

This article will tell you everything you need to know about Amazon’s returns policy and, in particular, how it relates to video games.

Table of Contents

What is Amazon?

Before we get into the details of the Amazon returns policy, we should take a look at the company and how it works.

Amazon is a massive technology company that mainly focuses on e-commerce, consumer electronics, and entertainment. It is the world’s largest online retailer and marketplace, despite having only been founded in 1994.

Through their website, Amazon sells a colossal number of products, a large percentage of which they are directly responsible for packaging and distributing. They also allow third-party sellers to trade on the platform as well.

What Video Games Products Does Amazon Sell?

If you can imagine it, you can probably find it on Amazon. But what do they actually sell in terms of video games? At Amazon you can buy:

Xbox, Nintendo, PlayStation, and PC Games
Video Games Consoles
Console Accessories
PC Hardware and Accessories
Virtual Reality Gaming Equipment
Video Games Gift Cards
Digital Downloads
And much more…

It is definitely a great place to find anything that you might be looking for.

Because it is a competitive marketplace, you will also find different sellers offering alternative prices for many of the same products. How does all of this affect your options when it comes to making returns?

What is the Standard Amazon Returns Policy?

With so many different sellers on the platform, you might think that Amazon’s returns policy must be pretty complicated. In general, though, it’s actually quite straightforward – if a bit limited.

You have 30 days from the delivery date to return any product that was shipped from Amazon.com, including Amazon Warehouse. Some items have a slightly different time frame for returns, and you are not guaranteed a 100% refund. You can find the exceptions on their Returns Policy page.

One good way to tell whether an item is going to be covered by Amazon’s standard returns is to see if it is eligible for Prime delivery. All Amazon Prime products are subject to the 30-day returns policy, no matter who the seller might be.

Are Video Games Covered by The Standard Amazon Returns Policy?

When it comes to video games, there is a slight caveat for returns.

You still have 30 days to get the products back to Amazon, but you might not get a full refund. If the game has been activated, used, or is missing any parts, then you can incur up to a 100% restocking fee.

This means that you are unlikely to get a full refund on an opened game, and you can end up with no refund at all if they decide it can be resold.

What About Third-Party Sellers?

The other complication to returns at Amazon is that there are a lot of different sellers on the platform, and they won’t all have the same policy.

Amazon claims that most sellers will have a returns policy that is equivalent to their own, but that isn’t a guarantee of great customer service. It’s probably safest to check the individual seller’s profile page, where their Returns and Refunds Policy will be listed.

There are some rules that Amazon has for their sellers which do give you a bit of coverage, and some options if you’re unhappy. Sellers at Amazon must either provide a return address within the US (and a prepaid return label) or offer a full refund if they don’t request a return.

If you’re not given either of those options, you can file an A-to-Z Guarantee claim with Amazon.

Can You Return Digital Downloads and Prepaid Cards?

A lot of video games are purchased as digital downloads these days, with no physical copy that you can return. Unfortunately, downloadable software products cannot be returned to Amazon.

Prepaid game cards (like those for World of Warcraft, Xbox Live, Wii Points, etc.) are also not eligible for any form of return.

How Do You Return Products to Amazon?

For most Amazon products, you will follow a pretty standard returns procedure. It’s not as simple as taking your video games back to the store with your receipt in hand, but it’s still pretty straightforward.

To return your item through Amazon you need to:

Open the Your Orders page on your account
Go to the correct order and select Return or Replace Items
Select the item you want to return and a Reason for Return from the menu
Choose how you want to process the return
Select a return method
Print a return label and a return authorization
Package, label, and send off your items

There are other methods available for returning your items, including label-free and box-free returns that can be delivered to a drop-off location using a QR code.

If the item that you want to return was bought for you as a gift, you can follow the instructions on their Return a Gift page.

What You Need to Know: Amazon Return Policy Video Games

What you need to know about returns at Amazon, when it comes to video games, is that it is probably less complicated than you think.

All Amazon.com purchases are covered by a standard 30-day return policy, and most sellers offer an equivalent.

Video games are eligible for returns for 30 days, as long as they have not been opened, used, or activated. If your video game has been opened, used, or activated, then you may incur up to a 100% restocking fee.

Any return that you want to make can be handled through your account, via the Your Orders page.

If you feel like you’re not getting the support that you deserve, particularly from a third-party seller, then you can file an A-to-Z guarantee claim which Amazon will look into.

References

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html