CNBC reports that “ Walmart is trying to make it easier for its online shoppers to return products to third-party sellers as the battle with Amazon intensifies.
“Starting this fall, customers buying items from third parties on Walmart.com will be able to print shipping labels directly from the website and clearly see the return policies for individual items online.” These third parties will have the ability “to set returns windows and shipping fees,” the story says.
The story notes that the move by Walmart “comes nearly a year after Amazon's changes to its returns and refunds processes sparked outrage from third-party sellers,” because Amazon made it easier for customers to return items but set it up so it would be “at the merchant's expense,” which some sellers objected to vociferously.
“Starting this fall, customers buying items from third parties on Walmart.com will be able to print shipping labels directly from the website and clearly see the return policies for individual items online.” These third parties will have the ability “to set returns windows and shipping fees,” the story says.
The story notes that the move by Walmart “comes nearly a year after Amazon's changes to its returns and refunds processes sparked outrage from third-party sellers,” because Amazon made it easier for customers to return items but set it up so it would be “at the merchant's expense,” which some sellers objected to vociferously.
- KC's View:
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If Walmart is going to catch up with Amazon in terms of its third party-centric offerings, then one of the ways to do so is to be more friendly in how it deals with those third parties. Less arrogance, and more accommodation is what is called for.
