🇺🇸 USReturnsHigh ImpactOctober 19, 2026
Amazon Will Require Prepaid Return Labels on US Seller-Fulfilled Returns from December 18, 2026 — Address-Only Labels Stop Qualifying, With a 7-Day Deadline Before Automatic Returnless Refunds
Effective: December 18, 2026
US sellers who fulfill their own orders (FBM), particularly those whose return settings currently send address-only labels for some SKUs. FBA orders are not covered by the notice.
Amazon has notified sellers that starting December 18, 2026, all US returns for seller-fulfilled orders will require a prepaid return shipping label. Address-only labels, which leave the customer to arrange and pay for return postage, will no longer meet the requirement, with a temporary exception for heavy and bulky items. Sellers will have seven calendar days from a return request to either upload a prepaid label in the Manage Returns workflow or issue a full refund without requiring the item back; otherwise Amazon may issue a returnless refund automatically and deduct the balance from the seller's account. Amazon says the change creates a consistent process for US and international returns.
Key Points
- From December 18, 2026, all US returns on seller-fulfilled orders will require a prepaid return shipping label
- Address-only labels, where the customer pays return postage, will no longer satisfy the requirement
- Heavy and bulky items are temporarily excluded; Amazon has not defined the category or said when the exception ends
- Sellers have seven calendar days from the return request to upload a prepaid label in the Manage seller-fulfilled returns workflow or issue a full refund without requiring the item back
- Labels sent through Buyer-Seller Messaging or any channel outside the Manage Returns workflow do not count
- If neither action is taken in time, Amazon may automatically issue a returnless refund and deduct the balance from the seller's account
What You Should Do Now
- 1Review your return settings and identify any SKUs that currently generate address-only (unpaid) return labels
- 2Budget for seller-paid return postage on those SKUs from December 18, 2026, which falls in the middle of holiday returns
- 3Make sure the team handling returns works every request inside Manage seller-fulfilled returns, not Buyer-Seller Messaging, and clears requests well within seven calendar days
- 4Check whether your heavy and bulky products are treated as excluded, since Amazon has not published the criteria or an end date
Official Source
PPC Land →This summary is written in our own words based on the official source linked above. Policies may be updated after publication. Always check the official Amazon source for the latest details.