A month after Amazon changed its product return policy on products like laptops, cameras, tablets, PCs, etc., Flipkart has revised the same from 30 days to 10 days. Not only has the Indian e-commerce behemoth changed its return policy, but Flipkart will now also charge a higher commission from sellers showcasing their products on the website.
The e-commerce giant has also allowed sellers to completely pass on the cost of shipping to the end customers.
According to a report published in The Economic Times, given the excess costs to sellers after the policy rejig, product prices might shoot up by 9 percent.
Flipkart’s biggest rival Amazon has also increased its seller commission.
The new 10-day return policy will only be effective on a few products like books, electronics and mobile phones and will include a no refund rule. If the products turn out to be defective, the customer will have to get it replaced.
The rest of its products like, clothing and jewellery will continue to have a 30-day return deadline.
The new sales policy of the e-commerce giant is likely to come into effect from July.
A Flipkart spokesperson said in an interview with ET, "The standardisation has been designed to encourage sellers who offer superior customer experience, and is thus a win-win for both our customers as well as our customer oriented sellers."
The report quoted a spokesperson for the All India Vendors' Association (AIOVA) said the new Flipkart policy will impact the prices of products sold on the platform. "Flipkart has made many products and categories unviable for a common seller. They are still not taking inputs on customer returns, and due to the new policy, the cost of doing business will rise as they will charge reverse shipping fees from sellers. Sellers will have to increase current prices by 9% approximately."