Flipkart Replacement Policy (How It Works, Coverage + More)

Do you know what is Flipkart’s replacement policy?

Flipkart got its start as a “break-off” company that involved two, former Amazon employees. It later grew to become the largest online retailer in India and operated in the mold of Amazon.

Prior to and after its acquisition by Walmart, Flipkart was never known for having a liberal replacement policy and not much has changed.

According to Flipkart, replacement options are entirely dependent on what exactly you purchased, as there are different policies for different categories of items. It’s actually a bit convoluted, so you will need something to refer to if you want to try and get an item replaced.

Walmart acquired Flipkart in 2018, probably as a tactical decision to become more (or at the very least, try and keep pace), competitive with the likes of Amazon, who to this day gives Walmart fits.

Since then, not much has changed in terms of replacement policies, but who is to say that won’t change down the road?

Table of Contents

Which Items Qualify for a Replacement and When?

The largest problem with Flipkart’s replacement policy is how spread out it is and fundamentally unorganized. There are more items than we can count that are eligible for replacement, however, they all have different time frames in which you can replace them.

So, what we will do, is go through and list each one, based on how many days you have to return your item for replacement.

Seven Days

All Home improvement tools, household items, home decor, and furniture can be replaced within 7 days of purchasing, however, you can also request a refund.

Seven Days Replacement Only

Sports: all sports equipment, exercise, and fitness equipment, automobile accessories, bike accessories.

Smartphones: All smartphones are eligible for a replacement within 7 days with the exception of Apple and Google Phones.

Electronics: All electronics are eligible for a replacement within 7 days with the exception of the following: Apple, Google, Beats, Realme, Samsung, JBL, Epson, HP, Dell, Canon, tablets, laptops, and smart watches. What that means is actually eligible in electronics is anyone’s guess.

Smart Home Appliances: All of them are eligible for replacement with the exception of chimneys, water purifiers, fans, and geysers.

Refurbished items: All refurbished items are replaceable.

Ten Days

Lifestyle: There are no listed exceptions for lifestyle category items and, not only can they be replaced, but you can also get a full refund on them, which includes: Jewelry, accessories for footwear, accessories for travel, and accessories for watches.

Flipkart leaves the remaining accessories that are eligible for refund or replacement within the 10-day window vague, so if one of your ‘accessories’ doesn’t fall under one of the categories listed, you will have to check with Flipkart.

Home: Home items include supplies for your pets but do have several items that are excluded from the party, including home decor, any tools that fall under the ‘home improvement’ category, furnishings, and household items.

As you can see, once again Flipkart is being kind of vague, using terms like ‘household items,’ which could be just about anything.

The ten days policy includes refunds if you would rather go with that instead of replacement, however, all “No Questions Asked” sales can be replaced within the 10-day window.

Ten Days Replacement Only

There are a lot of items and exceptions that fall under the ‘ten days replacement only’ umbrella, so you will want to pay close attention to what is refundable and what is for replacement only.

Toys: In general, all toys can be replaced within ten days.

Stationery: Stationery items are like the toys category and most can be replaced within the 10-day window unless otherwise specified.

Musical Instruments: All musical instruments can be replaced within the 10-day timeframe.

Furniture and Large Appliances: There are no exceptions listed for furniture and large appliances, so all of them look like they can be returned within the 10-day window.

Fourteen Days

Items that fall under the 14-day category can be returned for a refund, exchanged for an item of equal or lesser value, or replaced entirely.

LifeStyle: Almost all T-shirts, dresses, kids’ clothes, ethnic wear, swimsuits, and formals can be returned for a replacement within two weeks.

This also includes sunglasses and frames for your glasses or sunglasses.

Why is Flipkart All Over the Place on Replacements?

It’s hard to say why Flipkart decided that it would be necessary to jump all over the place on replacements and all of the exceptions listed for replacements.

That’s not where it ends either, because each item that is returned for a replacement has to go through an inspection before it is determined that you can replace it.

First and foremost, Flipkart will determine if your product has the correct IMEI, brand, serial number, article number, and barcode (they don’t mess around).

After that is done, the contents of the original packaging will all have to be present as well.

That means if you purchased something that came with accessories and one or more of the accessories is missing, you will not be allowed to replace the item. Not only that, but your item has to be completely unused, unwashed, and unsoiled.

All of the ‘quality check’ seals have to still be in place so you will need to bring your item back, basically unopened and entirely untampered with.

If you took a shirt out of the packaging and tried it on before deciding that you didn’t like it, you won’t be able to get it replaced.

The same holds true with electronic devices (the ones that you are even allowed to return, which is a pretty narrow window). They need to be unopened and all of the ports and buttons undamaged and the cords and other accessories still in place with the item.

All Things Considered

Basically, if you want to take advantage of Flipkart’s replacement policy, your item will have to be in perfect condition, unopened, and returned within a 7 to 14-day window (depending on the item), along with belonging to a very specific category.

It’s a pretty strict policy, to say the least. However, Walmart did buy Flipkart after all and Walmart has an altogether more forgiving return, replacement, and refund policy. Perhaps that means that Flipkart will be more open in the future.

References

https://www.returnpolicyguide.com/flipkart-return-policy/