Saturday, March 30, 2013

eBOOK RETURNS


eBOOK RETURNS

The Newest Scam?

  



             I admit I tend to be a negative person. To use an old cliché, I always see the cup half empty and tend to read the worst interpretation into anything I perceive as a slight. When I look at my eBook sales and see returns, I immediately leap to the conclusion that people are using Amazon’s generous return policy to read my books without buying them.
I got used to seeing a few returns among the sales of my first book. It seemed to happen the most after I’d run a free KDP promo. Annoying, but understandable. People apparently thought the book was still free. I didn’t stop to think that even though they asked for and received their money back, they still had the book on their Kindle. How could they possibly return an eBook?
When my new book, which has not had a free promotion yet, began to have returns, the practice began to concern me. The book has not gotten a huge  number of sales yet, so returns are very obvious to an author who keeps an eye on daily sales. I decided to go right to the source for answers.
Here’s what I found out when I contacted KDP.
1.                    Amazon’s return policy on eBooks is seven days. If you purchase an eBook, you get your money back as long as seven days after the day you bought it.
2.                    Amazon has the ability to remove the book from your device once you’ve returned it.
3.                    After the second email, I was informed that was the last communication they would give me regarding the subject.
I understand it is important for Amazon to give the customer excellent service. But, to me, seven days is excessive. It is easy to read a book in seven days. And, Amazon gives the customer a significant amount of the book to read which should be all the reader needs to make the decision to buy.
I'd love your input on this subject!
Readers, do you feel the 7 days is necessary even thought you have the ability to read at least an entire chapter of a book? Do you believe the increase in returns are all innocent errors?
Fellow authors, are your eBooks being returned? How frequently?

Dear friends,
I had a hard time deciding whether to address this topic on my blog. Personally, I hate dwelling on things I cannot change. I respect Amazon for the many things it does for self-published authors. The 7-day eBook return policy, however, is one thing I wish they would change. I don’t think eBooks should be returnable unless a person hits a wrong button and immediately contacts Amazon. My real fear is a burgeoning practice of read-and-return.
Here’s wishing all of you a glorious Easter, and hoping to hear from you.
Thanks for joining me,
Marla


3-31-13

I've just been informed that there is a petition circling on trying to get AZ to change their eBook return policy. Go to Change.org. You will have to sign up in order to sign a petition there, but it is a simple process. Then do a search for "Amazon eBook return policy." I was surprised to see that there are more than one in the works! Let's hope they help.

  

33 comments:

  1. Hi Marla,
    I agree with you wholeheartedly!
    I've had two returns, and I've only sold 30 ebooks!
    7 day return policy is too much time.
    I think Amazon should change the policy to 1 day.
    This would allow for mistakes as you say!
    We have a hard enough time marketing our books without
    this loophole taking away sales!!!
    End of RANT!
    Writer Dave

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    Replies
    1. Hi Dave,
      Just found out that there is a petition going at Change.org for the purpose of influencing Amazon to change the eBook return policy. I haven't tried it yet, but plan on joining in.
      I agree. We authors don't need another way to lose sales!
      Appreciate your rant,
      Marla

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  2. On a loop I'm on a writer reported having Amazon solicit readers of her book to return it for a full refund more than a year later, once she'd signed a contract for the successful self-published book with a publisher, and the publishing company was going to reissue it! That meant almost complete negation of sales of the original book, for which she took huge risks, as all Indie publishers do. Who's going to purchase the book a second time from a different publisher? I was astonished Amazon would go to those lengths. It's as if they secretly want to destroy Indie ... I mean 'protect' traditional publishers.

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    1. Hi Claudie,
      Sure hope that isn't true. I like to believe AZ is on our side! But it is good to hear there is a cameraderie among us that is fighting this latest problem with returns. Go to Change.org where there is supposed to be a petition.
      Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
      Have a wonderful Easter,
      Marla

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  3. I also agree 7 days is too long, although I think 1 day would be too short. 2-3 I could relate to because I may download a book and not get to it immediately. The books that have the look inside, or try a sample feature should not be returnable. I use those features a lot to decide if a book is even worth the purchase. Amazon does have outstanding customer service and I don't think that closing that loop hole would hurt that if they do it sensibly.

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    1. Hi Jamie,
      I really love your suggestion that books with open chapters NOT be returnable. Great idea! I use them too, except when a book is free I go ahead and get it because if I don't like it I can delete it from my Kindle.
      I agree that Amazon has super customer service, and your suggestion would keep that alive.
      Thanks for your input,
      Happy Easter,
      Marla

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  4. Hi Marla

    I think 7 days is too long. I feel if they want to keep this policy then they should only allow a person to return a book only 2 times a year. This is what I think.

    Good article and subject to bring to the forefront. I will most definitely be signing the petition. You can count on it. Thanks for the info.

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    1. That is a great suggestion! I like it. It would certainly end repeated exploitation of the system.
      So happy that you stopped in and are getting on the bandwagon. I hope Amazon considers their
      author's feelings in this matter. I really hate to see people taking advantage like that and then
      bragging about it!
      Appreciate your comment, have a lovely week,
      Marla

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  5. I think with eBooks having a returns policy the way they do is wrong full stop. With the try inside option there is no reason for someone to buy a book by mistake and if they do they should have to jump through more hoops before they can return it.

    People are clearly abusing it and Amazon is doing nothing about it. What makes me suspicious is when I see a whole series of my books bought and then all returned, or all the books in the same genre bought and returned very quickly. If you want to try a writer you do not download all of their books and then return them all. You only do that if you want the books for free when they are not free. Let's face it, all they have to do is download the books off the device, rename the files and then Amazon can't touch them.

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    1. Hi Natasha,
      you have given us by far the worst example of this practice! Sorry to hear that happened to you. I agree. The time frame gives the reader plenty of time to either read the entire book or transfer it to their computer or other device. I was surprised they were very abrupt with me about it when I contacted them, but when I did this blog, and found out how many others were upset with it, I realized they must be getting deluged with complaints. This practice seems to be growing, doesn't it?
      I liked "advice's" idea above--any one person can only return 1 or 2 eBooks a year. That to me, sounds fair. Anyone can make a mistake, so that mistake would be accounted for.
      Thanks for stopping in and putting in your 2 cents worth!
      Marla

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    2. Yep, I think the 1 or 2 books rule would be a great idea. With a paper book it's more trouble than it's worth to scan is and it's obvious what you've done if you send it back in a state, but with eBooks copying leaves no trace. It's an obvious hole in the system and I believe it should be plugged.

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    3. Yeah, I like that idea, too. I do have a friend (writer) who disagrees. He thinks there are more "honest" mistakes that need to be addressed. Oddly, though, I haven't heard from anyone here who is defending the ability to endlessly do returns. I still think there has to be some restrictions on the practice. It wouldn't be difficult to limit them, I wouldn't think. And two or even three should be enough!

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  6. I'm in agreement with you that a week is far too long for a return, and that the sample should be more than sufficient for a reader. It's exactly how I determine what books I'm going to read, more so than the reviews. You can tell right away whether or not the author can write, if the book was edited, if the beginning is compelling, etc.
    I've not had many returns (need more sales, apparently), but I definitely noticed it. Especially, since I had the book priced at 99¢! SIGH. :)

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    1. I've notice my returns are definitely on the upswing, and much more than your percentage. I'm charging more for my book, though.
      It really galls me that people brag about all their returns. I think there needs to be a limit, for example people should be able to return maybe 3 a year. That would allow for a few mistakes.
      Sure enjoyed hearing form you, G.A.
      Have a great weekend,
      Marla

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  7. I think the thing is, you HAVE to allow sometime for people to look at the book. I don't read every ebook as soon as I get it. What if you get a lemon? What if it's a non-formatted MESS? You take away the consumers recourse for accidentally buying garbage they are going to be a lot less likely to take a chance of an unknown author. It's not going to be the big publishers that feel that pain.

    My friend recently returned an ebook to Amazon (I have never bothered) and he had to jump through hoops. It's not like you hit one button and you they take it back no questions asked and infinite amounts.

    And as an author, I have to say I have not seen a huge upswing in returns. I think my return rate is like .03%.

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    1. Hi Angela,
      I agree that there should be exceptions, but a few a year should be enough to prevent people from abusing the system. I'm glad to hear it isn't an easy process.
      Someone told me that AZ would allow 30 before doing anything about it. I think that is WAY too many, myself. And I did two email discussions with AZ about this subject and they never mentioned anything about having any kind of limit, so I'm rather doubting the "30" thing.
      Guess we just have to keep writing and support each other when we get discouraged!
      So nice to see you here, thanks for commenting,
      Marla

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  8. Look at the glass half full lady, if their are returns that means your book is selling. It also means your being read.

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    1. Hey,
      I really appreciate your blunt comment! I needed to hear it. Love that you put a positive spin on the practice. I was just feeling down, too, when my first sale of the month for She's Not There was just returned under the
      seven day deadline. Thanks, anonymous! Have a great weekend,
      Marla

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    2. It's always good to look on the best side, yes, but we must also remember that sometimes Amazon allows returns beyond the seven days and sometimes, a whole series of connected books are bought, read and returned even beyond the time allotted. This happens and we are the only industry that allows it. Amazon needs to remember that it must show its authors the respect they deserve. In one way, it's no better than a sweat shop.
      Are we getting read? Probably. Is it moral to read and return books that most often sell below the average going price? No, it's not.

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  9. I agree the return thing can be annoying especially when writing is your bread and butter. I have seen readers brag about the buy, read then return thing. This isn't a library and I fault Amazon for allowing it. No matter what people say, "oh your books are being read," that doesn't make having them stolen from you with Amazon's permission any easier to swallow.

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    1. I think most of us Indie authors look at profits as a reward. It is painful when you aren't selling many eBooks, yet a healthy percentage of those sales end in returns.
      Amazon is in the customer service business, so I'm afraid it won't change any time soon. I wish they would give their authors the same considerations.
      On the positive side, where would we be without AZ? It remains the best game in town. I've sold thousands of my novel on AZ and only about twenty on other sites.
      Thanks for your comment, A!
      Nice hearing from you.

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  10. It's a rather large assumption to think that people are immediately going to read every book they buy. I tend to buy things in spates, particularly if they're on sale. I bought two hardcovers the other day; I don't know when I'll read them, but they were on sale for the price of the paperbacks, and were on my wishlist. I have things I bought months ago that I still haven't started. Seven days therefore seems fairly reasonable to me.

    Also, I can't count the number of times I've read things that were not as described, or where the editing fell off two pages after the sample ended. Practically speaking, this means that -- as a reader -- I have been misled as to what I am purchasing. You better believe I'm going to return it if I can. Does that mean I return every book I don't like? No. Does it mean I return every book I don't finish? Again, no. But if an author deliberately tries to cheat me? Heck, yeah!

    Unfortunately, my personal experience is that lots of SPAs do this: polish the synopsis and the summary, and leave the rest. To my way of thinking, then, they're the ones running a scam, not the reader. Now you want to take away the only recourse we have? That's not very smart. If the petitions are successful, I think you'll find that far fewer readers will be willing to give SPAs a chance in the future. I'll certainly be more leery.

    Sell me something that's ready for publication and accurately described, that's fair. I'll eat the cost if I turn out to hate it. Mislead me and/or sell me something that's not ready for publication, though, and I'll be asking for my refund.

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    1. Hi, threears,
      You're right about the time consideration. I seldom read books right after I purchase them and have them on my Kindle sometimes for months. I'm appalled to hear writers are doing that--polishing only the part seen as a sample. When I put my first book on AZ, it had problems from start to finish! LOL No, it really did, and I spent a lot of time and money to correct it. My second novel went on only after I'd had it professionally edited and proofed. Had to learn that lesson the hard way.

      So I can't argue with your objection. After reading all these comments, it seems to me the most fair resolution would be some kind of limit on the number of returns allowed. Sure, there'd still be some people who would abuse it, but honest buyers like yourself would be able to return inferior products.
      I've personally never returned an eBook, but then I've fortunately never run across the kind of sneaky writers you have. In fact, it seems like nine times out of ten, when I take the time to read the sample before I buy, it only takes a few paragraphs to change my mind!

      I appreciate your comments, we need to always consider more than one side of any issue.
      Have a nice week,
      Marla

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  11. You can't really argue with the customer. The customer is always right. Amazon's policy is a win/win for everyone. In business it's called a "write down".

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    1. Hi Sophie,
      That's true. I've gotten feedback from a friend who pointed out that you can return merchandise in some stores for no reason and at any time.
      But then in electronics, you're lucky to get a two week return policy.
      I think one of the differences here, is that in the top examples, I think it is the store that takes the hit, not person who manufactured the item. Could be wrong on that!
      I think there needs to be some kind of limit, though, don't you? Or maybe it isn't possible to have good customer service without the risk of some people abusing the system.
      Thanks for commenting!
      Marla

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  12. Self-published authors are often looked down upon as lazy people who are taking the easy way out and cheating their readers with a sub par product. So I like that people have seven days to return the book at Amazon. That means that anyone that kept it probably felt it was worth what I charged for it.

    I'd say about 5% of my books get returned. Considering I give out thousands for free, that number is nominal. They aren't "gaming the system" when each time I do a promotion I give away WAY WAAAAAY more than anyone could get from reading and returning.

    So, I like the return policy, I think it keeps us as sellers honest. I'm not to worried about dishonest buyers because if I like a work, then I'm going to want to support the person that produced the work so they have the motivation to produce more. I'd like to think the majority of readers have a similar attitude. And until I see like a 50% return on sales I have no reason to believe otherwise.

    Plus, people would be able to borrow it for free if from a library if it wasn't a e-book, so think of returns like them borrowing it from the library (which is more affirming than they hated it so much they wanted their money back, lol).

    And one day is far too short. I rarely buy a single book. I buy 5-10 books at a time. Which means only one book gets read immediately. One day isn't even enough time to make sure the book doesn't have formatting issues let alone if you liked it or not.

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    1. Excellent point, Kayci! It's always helpful to get different perspectives. Since getting feedback from blog readers, I've changed my mind about it totally. I think if there were to be restrictions it would make more sense to limit how many people can return. What galls writers is people who return deliberately to get a free book and then brag about it!
      I never read books right away either, unless they are from the library. I'm still a library user, but also buy books for my Kindle.
      Really good point about the free promotions. I do them too as that seems to be the best way to get a book noticed.
      Thanks so much for your input,
      Marla

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    2. This is a significant problem with erotica. People buy it, do what they have to do, and return it before they're caught. It makes sense to limit returns to being 50% read (if you can't tell halfway through then you have bigger issues) or as others suggested, limiting people to a few returns. The other big retailers don't allow returns. It's amazing how many returns happen on books costing $1-$2.

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    3. I didn't know that about erotica. Not sure if it is possible to monitor how much of the book has been read. Interesting concept! That would be another good way to do it. That is amazing when people will return a book that only cost them $1-2. I'd never return a book in that category. The review process serves the purpose of telling an author what you thought of their book.

      Marla

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  13. I love change.org, the petitions I have signed made huge changes. I WILL be looking for this one! An exchange for an E book with ample information beforehand sounds like someone wearing a ball gown on Saturday with a tag tucked in the back and returning it Monday. :) I self-published and looking to do so again and all the hard work of writers, I just think people don't understand. They complain E-books are too high if they are over 2 dollars when they forget the information inside took years of learning and includes the author's blood, sweat and tears. It's all new to the publishing world and hopefully it will even out one day.

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  14. Hi Denise,
    I agree, it's an interesting site. Your comparison to returning ball gowns is a good one! There seems to be a lot of different opinions on the subject of returns. Maybe if liberal returns are allowed, AZ should share the hit for the cost!
    It is definitely a new world for us self-pubbed authors. One thing I'm having a hard time doing, is developing a thick skin!
    Good luck with your work and have a super week,
    Marla

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  15. I have very little sympathy for people who return books, period. I am an avid reader and have spent plenty of money on books in my day. I used to work at a bookstore and maybe had one return ever that was for a legitimate reason out of the hundreds of returns I had to process over the years. I don't think e-books need to be returnable at all, only exchanged if defective, just like CDs/DVDs were back in the day (when people bought CDs). ("Defective" would obviously include "if Amazon sent you the wrong book.") There is just no reason books need to be returnable. I hate the whiny mentality of "the customer-is-always-right" (what a load of crap!) Think before you purchase - it's not that difficult. No one is forcing you to buy these things. And if you can't see "enough" of books online, then go flip through some in a bookstore or library to satiate yourself.

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    1. Hi Linda,
      I'm with you. I think the only time I ever returned a book is when I bought one, then discovered I'd already read it. It wasn't an eBook! I think after reading everyone's input here, the simleits thing would be to limit returns to maybe five a year per purchaser. That would account for any legitimate errors.
      Good to hear from you. Have a nice Sunday,
      Marla

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