News: Amazon FBM and 3 days to respond on returns
From 11 August 2025, Amazon is introducing a new returns policy for FBM sellers. If you ship orders to Germany or the UK and a customer returns a product with a value of more than €25 (or £20), you only have three calendar days to respond. Failure to respond means one thing: Amazon will give the customer the money back from your balance itself.
It’s a change you can’t ignore, as it involves real money and your reputation as a seller. In this article, you will find out exactly what is changing, who is affected and how you can protect yourself against it.
Publication date:
New Amazon rules from 11 August 2025
From 11 August 2025, Amazon is introducing a new policy for handling returns under the FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) model.
If you send orders to Germany 🇩🇪 or the UK 🇬🇧, you will only have 3 calendar days to respond to a return from your customer.
During this time you must choose one of three options:
Issue a return label
Granta return without receiving the goods(returnless refund)
Allow Amazon to send an automatic label via APRL – only works if you have a local return address in the customer’s country.
If you don’t perform any of these three actions, Amazon will refund the customer itself by taking the money from your account, and the product will stay with them without being able to recover the cost.
Source: Amazon Seller Central
As Global24, we give you both key elements to avoid losses:
local return addresses in Germany and the UK, compliant with Amazon’s requirements,
the launch of APRL on your behalf so that labels are sent automatically and on time.
This way, you handle every return within the required timeframe – even on weekends or holidays, and you don’t risk losing money or goods.
Who is affected by the changes on Amazon?
The change applies to vendors who:
- operate under the FBM model,
- ship to Germany (Amazon.de) or the UK (Amazon.co.uk),
- offer products above EUR 25 or GBP 20,
- they ship orders from outside Germany or the UK (e.g. from Poland).
Until now, Amazon has given more time to respond. From August 2025 – no response in 3 days means an automatic refund to the customer, a debit to your account and leaving the goods with the buyer.
What is the penalty for not responding?
Amazon will not wait. If you do not respond within 72 hours of reporting the return:
- the customer gets a refund,
- the product will remain with him/her,
- the funds disappear from your account,
- you will not be able to recover the costs (SAFE-T does not work),
- your statistics as a retailer may deteriorate.
Not acting is the easiest way to expose yourself to pure financial loss.
Case study: what the lack of a local address means for returns
Imagine you are selling washbasins to Germany and the average order value is €800.
Scenario 1 – No response in 3 days
The washbasin stays with the customer (loss of EUR 800 worth of goods).
Amazon refunds the customer (loss of another EUR 800 from the balance).
You lose the cost of shipping from Poland to Germany – an average of EUR 60.
Total loss: EUR 1,660 per order.
Scenario 2 – No local address
You need to issue an international label to Germany to complete the return.
Average cost of an international label for such a product: €55-70.
Plus the cost of returning the goods from Germany to Poland and possibly re-selling them.
Scenario 3 – returnless refund
You let the customer keep the product.
You lose EUR 800 of the value of the goods and EUR 800 cash from your account.
Total loss: EUR 1,600 + first-way shipping cost.
In each of the above scenarios, not having a local address or not responding in 3 days ends in a pure financial loss.
APRL and local address - a must-have duo
APRL and local address are a system of communicating vessels. For APRL to work, Amazon must see that you have a physical return address in the customer’s country. Otherwise:
- it will not issue a label,
- the return will not be processed correctly,
- Amazon will refund the customer itself.
Sound familiar? This is the classic situation where the so-called returnless refund is triggered. If you want to understand how this mechanism works, read: What is Returnless Refund and when does Amazon give money back without returning the goods?
With Global24 you can quickly add local return addresses in Germany and the UK, fully compliant with Amazon and APRL requirements.
FBM returns can mean loss or security – it all depends on APRL and the local address. See the differences:
How Global24 secures your business
As Global24, we provide both elements needed to meet Amazon’s new requirements:
A local address in Germany and the UK – compliant with Amazon regulations and accepted by APRL.
Full APRL set-up and support – labels sent automatically, without your manual intervention.
In addition, we receive and handle returns on behalf of your shop, ensuring that no case exceeds the required time.
Summary and next steps
If you sell on Amazon FBM and your products cost more than EUR 25, you cannot ignore the new returns policy.
Make a checklist:
- Do you have a local return address in DE and UK?
- Do you have an active APRL?
- Are you able to respond in 3 days to any return request?
If not – act now. Because from 11 August, Amazon won’t wait. And every missed message could cost you the entire profit on your transaction.
Apply to Global24 and set up your local return address before Amazon’s system bills itself for you.
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