Should I Refund Money If An Item Is Damaged In Shipping

Key Points:

Choosing the correct-sized box is the most important thing to do to prevent damaged goods returns
Choosing a reliable courier tin go a long manner, so exist certain to exist cautious when choosing a courier to ship your goods domestically or internationally
Easyship offers up to $5,000 of shipping insurance so you lot tin take some peace of mind nigh your shipment

Any smart eCommerce retailer will exist proud to take a suite of high-quality products, astonishing customer back up, and summit-of-the-line fulfillment, all of which ensure a nifty customer experience. Unfortunately, there's one thing that can quickly trip upwards this happy status quo. Returns are a pitiful fact of any retail business organization and if not handled appropriately, tin can make huge dents in your profits. Information technology can be especially frustrating if you have to bargain with the return of damaged goods.

Compared to brick-and-mortar stores, online businesses have to bargain with a lot more returns. In fact, at least thirty% of all online orders are returned. While many of these are due to a customer irresolute their heed or finding that the production doesn't fit, a skillful percentage of online returns are often due to goods being faulty. The beginning footstep in combating this is, of grade, to ensure that your products are delivered to your customers in the best possible condition. Secondly, it'southward important to have a proficient return policy that volition protect you every bit well every bit your customers. Did you know that 95% of online buyers prefer to buy from a site that has a good return policy?

With this in mind, you tin run across that returns are a big part of an eCommerce business concern. To deal with this, you must take steps to minimize the chances of your goods existence spoiled in transit and ensure that you have a practiced damaged goods return policy. This will lower the need to bargain with aroused customers and minimize whatsoever potential hits to your lesser line or reputation.

01 How Practise Products Become Damaged in the First Place?

02 Why You Should Avoid Damaged Product Returns

03 10 Tips to Prevent Damaged Goods Returns

04 Things to Lookout man Out For

05 How Easyship Tin Help

06 Damaged Appurtenances FAQ

How Exercise Products Become Damaged in the First Place?

If your customers return their orders because they're receiving faulty or broken products, you need to identify why this happens. By preventing this to happen, you lot volition be able to lessen the number of returns y'all take to deal with. Here are a few reasons why you may be dealing with damaged goods received by your customers:

You're not packing your items properly: Sometimes, to cut costs, shippers use former boxes or fewer packing materials. While this may be cheaper for you, it can hateful that your appurtenances aren't well protected for their journeying and can be damaged hands.
Mishandling past your courier: Fifty-fifty if you're using a reputable visitor, couriers take a lot of packages to deal with every day - that means, they're not e'er as careful equally they should be. For example, your frail package could finish up under bigger, heavier parcels, which means your client receives broken appurtenances.
Bad warehouse weather: At that place are many ways in which your appurtenances may be negatively impacted while in storage in a warehouse - possibly the temperatures aren't right, or low security means lots of theft, or a bad location allows for natural disasters like floods and tornadoes. All of this means your goods won't be in skilful condition.
Adverse weather: Bad weather atmospheric condition can also impairment your packages earlier they make it to your customers. Humid conditions, snowfall, and pelting can all weaken boxes and leave your items susceptible to damage.
Bad route weather: The concluding mile of delivery is usually done by road, and bad road conditions can result in your goods beingness thrown effectually in trucks - and being damaged - earlier they get to your customers.
Human error: Unfortunately, humans aren't infallible, so we're decumbent to accidents. The shipping process involves hundreds of people handling and sorting your shipments, and at whatsoever time during the process, an accident tin occur, leaving your goods broken or otherwise ruined.

Why You lot Should Avoid Damaged Production Returns

Receiving faulty or broken items is never going to be a practiced scenario for your business organisation. Here are a few things to watch out for:

Wasted time: A lot of time is wasted in dealing with returns. Hours of client service fourth dimension is spent on dealing with complaints, while your business will besides accept to spend hours on administrative tasks relating to the render.
High costs: They can cost your business a lot of money. Y'all'll either have to refund or replace the item - or provide shop credit. Plus, you may incur costs in transporting the item back to your store.
Upset customers: At that place's no incertitude that your customer isn't going to be happy with receiving goods that aren't in good condition. And, even if y'all have slap-up customer service and become out of your fashion to recoup your client, this experience may terminate them from making more purchases from you lot in the future. At worst, they may even accept to social media and put a dent in your reputation.

But dealing with all of these issues can exist much easier if you accept a adept defective product render policy in place. When your customers complain that they've received a damaged product, you can simply follow the process outlined in your return policy. Of course, you'll need to make sure that your defective product return policy is effectively communicated to the customer at the fourth dimension of buy and so that there are no ambiguities.

10 Tips to Preclude Damaged Goods Returns

Of course, at that place are certain steps you can have to lower the number of damaged goods received past your customers. Hither are a few tips:

1. Packing Properly

This is the virtually important thing to do. The box is the right size for your particular, and information technology can protect it deeply. For case, you tin can get sturdy, insulated boxes for frail items. Don't forget to also use an acceptable amount of packing fabric - like packing peanuts - to protect your goods. And then, seal the box on all sides so nothing tin can go far.

2. Invest in Skillful Packing Materials

Fifty-fifty if you're choosing affordable options, you should exist certain that your packing materials are of skilful quality. This will decrease the chances of your items existence dilapidated while in transit. More importantly, get appropriate packing materials like bubble wrap for the protection of insulated cylinders for perfumes and bottles.

three. Run Some Tests

If y'all're able to do this, it might be worth doing an edge crush test on your packages. This will help you lot figure out how much weight the package can carry while being loaded and stacked during shipping. Once you take this, you tin can tell your courier so that they tin take extra intendance. This tin can exist especially relevant for international shipping since your products volition be going much further.

iv. A Reliable Courier Can Go a Long Way

There are hundreds of shipping services available and it can exist tricky to cull i. Yous'll need to pick one that is known to be reliable in dealing with appurtenances. The best couriers even offering special handling for products - this can exist useful if y'all're shipping perishable or fragile items. Don't forget that Easyship can help y'all compare the all-time courier services for your requirements - use our courier comparison tool or shipping rates figurer to get our recommended service.

5. Insurance can Lessen Your Losses

All good courier services will also offer insurance for your shipments. It may be a higher upfront cost, but it can exist a real blessing if things go wrong during the fulfillment process. Don't forget that we also offer insurance of up to $five,000 and are quick to deal with claims.

Dealing with Damaged Goods — Photo via Instagram @haroldhlin

6. An Airtight Return Policy for Damaged Products

A expert return policy is a must. That'southward why earlier yous start shipping, you demand to think about how yous will handle aircraft damage. The policy should be mutually benign for both you lot and your customers. Some companies take an overly strict stance on returns. For case, Amazon bans serial returners from the platform. But, a defective product return policy should carefully differentiate betwixt genuine returns and fraudulent claims.

7. Offer Exchange Instead of Returns

Offering credit or exchange instead of returns will help yous identify real claims from serial returners. This type of policy volition encourage sales and impulse buying without the need for you to deal with the headache of returns. You lot should also limit the number of times a customer can exchange an item and then that yous aren't stuck in an countless loop.

8. Good Communication and Client Service can be an Of import Preventive Mensurate

It's e'er crucial to stay in touch with your customers. Clear advice during the pre-purchase and buying processes can minimize any problems later on. That's why it'due south important to have detailed product descriptions and images and spell out your render and exchange policy.

9. Set an Appropriate Timeline For Returns

Setting a fourth dimension limit on returns can aid minimize the number of returns you take to bargain with and will help you filter 18-carat cases from fraudulent ones. For instance, your return policy tin country that returns take to be made within 1 calendar month of the purchase date.

10. Always Enquire for the Item and Packing

It is always of import that you get your customers to return lacking or broken products and the original packaging. You should mention this in your damaged goods return policy equally a mandatory condition for exchange or return. This tin can help y'all ensure that the claim is 18-carat and assist in finding out exactly where in the postal service-purchase procedure the impairment occurred.

Things to Sentry Out For

There are certain things y'all need to exist enlightened of when it comes to returns. Identifying these and learning how to avoid them can be a game-changer for your business. Hither are a few things to expect out for:

Fraudulent returns: These need to be identified and dealt with. To help with this, make sure your returns policy has sure conditions in place, like returning the particular and original packaging and a time limit on returns. Some retailers go as far as to crave video or picture proof of the damage at the time of opening the parcels to ensure that it wasn't the client that damaged the detail.
Omissions: There are so many things to bargain with when shipping parcels that information technology tin exist easy to forget things. Exist sure you don't omit important things like insurance or giving special treatment instructions to your couriers.

How Easyship Can Help

Damaged goods returns are inevitable in eCommerce, just they don't have to be a huge headache if you lot learn how to deal with them appropriately. By using the information in this article, you tin can minimize y'all're having to deal with your products being battered in transit, Easyship partners with top-notch couriers to offer reliable and secure shipping services. So sign upwardly for a complimentary account now!

Damaged Goods FAQ

What are my rights when I receive damaged goods?

The seller tin either initiate a total refund without requiring the production to be returned or offer a fractional refund. Alternatively, the seller can also send a replacement product.

Who is responsible if a package arrives damaged?

The seller is responsible if a packet arrives damaged to its recipient.

Are delivery companies liable for the damage?

No, the carrier is liable for damage if the shipper can prove the product was in good condition prior to aircraft.

Source: https://www.easyship.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-damaged-goods-returns

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