Returning smartphones, computers and other electronic products purchased from Snapdeal
will be difficult, say sellers on the online marketplace, as to return
an item, customers will have to furnish a document within seven days
from the brand's authorised service centre declaring it defective.
While Snapdeal said the policy is old, several sellers spoke to said they weren't aware of it until they received an email on July 11.
"Electronic items: We require a document from the brand/OEM's service centre confirming that the delivered item was defective. We will carry out a quality check to validate the complaint before processing any request for refund/replacement. Returns/replacements will be accepted for only those items which are found to be faulty/defective," the company told its sellers in the email.
While this may address the concerns of sellers and help Snapdeal attract more of them to its platform, industry experts said the policy may dissuade buyers from purchasing top-selling electronic items from it and divert them to rivals such as Flipkart and Amazon.
With consumers having tasted the online experience and companies having spent a hefty amount to acquire customers, more and more ecommerce players will feel the need to cut costs or pass on the liability to the customers, the experts said.
"On an average, nearly 10-15 per cent of what they sell online comes back as return or for exchange which increases their delivery costs. This measure will reduce such cases to some extent and might also bring down the fraudulent cases," said Harminder Sahni, founder of Wazir Advisors.
The move has been welcomed by sellers. "The biggest change is removal of the 'no questions asked' policy and fixing seven days for returns. This will reduce irrational returns and frauds by buyers," said Sanjay Thakur of e-Seller Suraksha Forum, a group of online sellers across platforms.
"The only negative point is charging sellers for products not delivered to customers and those not accepted by customers."
While Snapdeal said the policy is old, several sellers spoke to said they weren't aware of it until they received an email on July 11.
"Electronic items: We require a document from the brand/OEM's service centre confirming that the delivered item was defective. We will carry out a quality check to validate the complaint before processing any request for refund/replacement. Returns/replacements will be accepted for only those items which are found to be faulty/defective," the company told its sellers in the email.
While this may address the concerns of sellers and help Snapdeal attract more of them to its platform, industry experts said the policy may dissuade buyers from purchasing top-selling electronic items from it and divert them to rivals such as Flipkart and Amazon.
With consumers having tasted the online experience and companies having spent a hefty amount to acquire customers, more and more ecommerce players will feel the need to cut costs or pass on the liability to the customers, the experts said.
"On an average, nearly 10-15 per cent of what they sell online comes back as return or for exchange which increases their delivery costs. This measure will reduce such cases to some extent and might also bring down the fraudulent cases," said Harminder Sahni, founder of Wazir Advisors.
The move has been welcomed by sellers. "The biggest change is removal of the 'no questions asked' policy and fixing seven days for returns. This will reduce irrational returns and frauds by buyers," said Sanjay Thakur of e-Seller Suraksha Forum, a group of online sellers across platforms.
"The only negative point is charging sellers for products not delivered to customers and those not accepted by customers."
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