Refunds for Amazon Ebook Sales, Should You Be Worried?
| Posted in Amazon Kindle Sales | Posted on 01-08-2011
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When I first started selling ebooks on Amazon, I don’t remember noticing a “refunds” column. Then, as I started selling more books, a number appeared there. What? Someone returned one of my ebooks? How could they?
Actually, I just shrugged it off, but I’ve seen forum posts by indie authors asking what it means and if they should be worried.
The quick answer is probably not, but I’ll add a caveat at the end, so keep reading.
First off, speaking as someone who owns a Kindle, it’s very easy to buy ebooks (one-click) straight from your device. The Kindle also promptly asks you if it was a mistake and you want to return the ebook. My guess, based on the fact that my returns usually pop up simultaneously with corresponding new sales, is this is what happens most of the time.
It’s also possible for someone to write to Amazon and request a no-questions-asked refund (I believe you have 7 days). I did this once when the story took a steep downhill turn after the sample chapters and was much shorter than the product description implied (novella when I’d expected a novel). If it hadn’t been on the pricier side, I wouldn’t have bothered, but I felt a little betrayed. (In case you’re curious, this was a smell press ebook, not one published by an independent author.)
Given how easy it is to return ebooks at Amazon, I’m surprised I don’t get more returns. It’s a lot less hassle than sending back a physical book.
So, to answer the original question (should you be worried about returns?), probably not. It’ll happen. If you have a high return rate, though, it may mean there’s something worth addressing.
Here are a few things to check:
- If your ebook is not novel length, is that clear upfront? For short stories and novellas, it’s worth mentioning the word count and the corresponding paperback page count (assume about 250 words per page) because word count won’t necessarily mean anything to someone who’s not a writer.
- Does the product description match up well with the story people get? If it’s described as an action-packed adventure, is there plenty of action throughout? If there are lots of explicit sex scenes, is it clear from the blurb that things will get hot and heavy?
- Did you have a professional proofread for you? If you couldn’t afford it in the beginning, consider investing in this once you’re selling enough copies to cover the expense.
- Is the formatting a nightmare? If you uploaded a Word file and let Amazon handle the conversion automatically, it might very well be.
If you’ve returned ebooks for other reasons, please let us know in the comments.
Interesting. I was unaware ebooks, etc … could be returned. Not that I spent much on ebooks. If the price is too high, I’ll just go ahead and order a print copy [as I have yet to get an ereader ... soon, soon].
I suppose Amazon has something in place for people who abuse the return policy?
I see Smashwords is working on a deal with Amazon, which would mean uploading in only one place for an author.
I tend to purchase my books onsite, instead of through my Kindle (faster searching), so haven’t see the ‘was this a mistake’ pop up. Think that’s an excellent idea, though.
Seven days for the return period is correct.
I’ve read that Amazon only allows so many returns of ebooks before a customer can’t return them anymore. Not sure what the limit was said to be (I’ve slept since then, and am on my 1st cup of coffee).
My returns tend to stay under 2%, so I’ve never worried much about them. About 50% of them seem to have been ‘mistake’ purchases (see a sale and refund show up at the same time).
“If you couldn’t afford it in the beginning, consider investing in this once you’re selling enough copies to cover the expense.”
F that. If you can’t take your work professionally, you’ve got no business asking people to pay to read it. Get a copyeditor, or GTFO.
Ridley, if you can’t stay civil, then G.T.F.O. yourself. As for proofreading: paying for the service is not a requirement. Any writer can do it himself if he’s good enough. It just is often easier for a new set of eyes to see any mistakes. And doing it himself does NOT make that person unprofessional, but speaking as you do, Ridley, in a public forum, does.
The only reason I’ve ever returned on my kindle is when I bought it on accident. I didn’t even know that you could email in for a refund.
Great informative post Lindsay! I actually think every ebook should have the word count and number of pages listed. Sometimes there’s only a file size
If I’m on the fence about the book, I won’t buy it if I can’t figure out if it’s a full length or not!
And I see there’s a reply button on the comments now! Sweet! I thought the theme on one of my sites was poorly designed, but no, it was just a wordpress setting. Huzzah!
I’m nesting! Sorry for the spam, but I had to see it in action.
I also wish that they did this. I only remember seeing one that had this (but it might have been the only one I looked hard at) and it was what made me buy the book.
I even do this with print at the book store because if I’m iffy about a book I’ll look to see the page number to try to figure out what time investment I’m looking at.
Yeah, I had no idea! Thanks for mentioning it on Twitter.
Hm, maybe I should add the word count to my novel descriptions too. They’re all over 100,000 words, so I doubt anyone will feel short-changed, but, hey, curious minds like to know, right?
Ahhh, live and learn. I was so excited when I figured it out, I had to share it with you, of course!
And I totally think you should add the word count in. I personally don’t go by page count because it never seems right to me. It says full length novel but it’s 200 pages…huh? Really. Okay, maybe some are that short. Or did someone calculate wrong. Me no trust page count! I want the word count, dangit!
I like the idea of giving the reader a novel length estimate, but I am worried a word count might be meaningless to most readers. 100k words might translate to 400-500 pages to a writer, but a page estimate may serve most people better.
I never knew you could return ebooks. That seems weird to me, but your reasons listed make sense.
I’m guessing the new changes to remove the Buy Now feature from Kindles will reduce this reason for returning.
A paperback page count is sufficient to me, but even on my kindle I’ll check the length of it and make sure I feel the time invested is worth the money spent.
I think the refunds are just part of the flow. Just concentrate on delivering the best possible product and it will take care of itself.
I had a couple of refunds, but I didn’t know why. My biggest seller is a diet book, and I have ads for my other books at the end.
I thought some of those books might be too controversial for the typical diet book reader, so I removed them. I’ll see how that affects my returns.
By the way, I accidentally bought a book on my kindle. When I searched the book, the cursor landed at “buy.” I tried to toggle up, but actually pressed “buy.” I imagine this has to happen with some frequency.
[...] to Amazon’s policy, But I wondered why anyone would return an e-book. Fantasy author Lindsay Buroker speculates that customers simply order the wrong book. “It’s very easy to buy ebooks (one-click) straight from your device,” she writes. [...]