Direct Return to Merchant Policy
DIRECT RETURN TO MERCHANT POLICY
Objective of Policy
The Direct Return to Merchant policy ensures that a seller maintains a high level of service standard when dealing with a buyer’s request to return a product.
Unresolved Buyer Disputes
This applies to all return requests made directly to the seller under the Direct Return to Merchant (DRTM) process.
Requirements in Managing Buyer Disputes
All sellers are required to respond to buyers within the agreed time frame as part of all sellers’ commitment to be trustworthy and reliable. They are also expected to provide valid reasons to the buyer in the event of them rejecting the DRTM request, and to take all reasonable steps to resolve any disputes meaningfully.
Please refer to What actions do I need to take upon receiving a DRTM request?
Should a seller fail to comply with the above requirements, a DRTM request may be deemed as a Seller Fault Dispute.
Enforcement
If a seller has been reported and verified to be willfully response to a buyer’s return and/or does not display any effort to resolve the dispute meaningfully, this will be deemed a Seller Fault dispute. The seller may be issued up to 2 non-compliance points.
If a seller has been reported and verified to have rejected a buyer’s return request despite valid return reasons, this will also be deemed a Seller Fault dispute. The seller may be issued up to 2 non-compliance points.
Repeated violation of the two aforementioned points may result in the seller having their return requests be automatically approved (or Auto Return Approval) for a period of up to 3 weeks.
OFFENSE |
ENFORCEMENT ACTION |
Failure to respond to a DRTM return within the agreed timeframe OR |
2 non-compliance points |
High volume and high rate of seller fault dispute
|
Auto Return Approval of up to [1] week |
Second offense of high volume and high rate of seller fault Dispute within 365 days |
Auto Return Approval of up to [2] weeks |
Third offense of high volume and high rate of seller fault Dispute within 365 days |
Auto Return Approval of up to [4] weeks |
To ensure compliance with the Policy, you may wish to track your return requests closely via the Daily Task List in the homepage of Seller Center or via Return Orders found under Orders tab to view your DRTM Return in detail, including your order details and status of your DRTM Return, among others.
If you have received a notification that you had violated our policy and you would like to file appeal request, you may do so in the Policy Compliance Page.
Charging of Return Shipping Fees
Beginning April 11, 2023, sellers will bear the cost of the Return Shipping Fee if the “Return and Refund” request is assessed as Seller Fault. The return shipping fee covers the cost of delivering the item/s from the buyer back to the seller.
The return shipping fee will be deducted from the Seller's statement after the outcome of the return and refund request. No return shipping fee will be charged to sellers in the following scenarios:
· If seller makes an outright “Refund” decision (as opposed to “Return and Refund”, foregoing the need for the buyer to return the item)
· If buyer submits a “Refund Only” request
· If submitted “Return and Refund” request is determined as non-seller fault.
If there is any dispute over the resolution or the return shipping fee, sellers may file a claim via the Help Center on Lazada Seller Center.
For FAQs click here.
