The return process on Rivly was designed to be as efficient and fair as possible for both the customer and the seller. For this reason, we have automated many of the processes and provided extra settings for sellers to customize their experience.
Return Types
There are three types of returns on Rivly which can be customized to varying degrees by the seller:
- Returnable - customers can use the self-service return system to print a mailing label for themselves and ship the item back to the seller while the refund will be automatically processed once the carrier receives/scans the return package
- Returnless - customer does not need to ship the item back to the seller and the refund will be processed immediately
- Unreturnable - customer are not able to use the self-service return system for these items (also known as "non-returnable") due to the nature of the product. However, sellers are still responsible for providing customer service for these items and that includes provided a full refund if the return reason is out of the shopper's control (e.g. defective, wrong item shipped, etc.) A seller cannot set their items as unreturnable as it is a setting controlled by Rivly. Unreturnable items on Rivly are food & beverage (any ingestible products), certain personal products, health supplements, personalized or customized products, and more. If you feel that your listing should be unreturnable but for some reason it is not by default for your selected category, please contact us.
Sellers are also provided the option to set what address they would like their returnable items to be mailed and if they would like to set some return reasons as becoming returnless refunds for which they can avoid the cost of return shipping (e.g. damaged or defective items, etc.)
Return Window
Products on the platform may be returned within 30 calendar days after the actual delivery or estimated delivery of the product. Returns are not eligible starting on the 31st day after delivery and beyond.
The exception to this rule is for the holiday season at the end of the year. For all purchases that are delivered in November and December, they can be returned through January 31st. The actual procedure for obtaining your refund is dependent on the type of return as defined by the seller (see below).
Return Authorization & Restocking Fees
Please note that all returns on Rivly are automatically authorized for any reason provided by the shopper. This type of policy and customer expectation has become the norm to effectively compete in today's market.
Additionally, to create a uniform shopping experience for our shoppers, sellers do not have the ability to charge a restocking fee when shoppers return an item in the return window.
However, in exchange for this generous return policy, it is mandatory for the customer to:
- Always provide an honest return reason and brief explanation that details the reason for the return (including photos/video as needed). Rather than customers picking inaccurate return reasons solely to avoid return shipping costs, this will give actionable information to the sellers where they can to improve their customer experience.
- Refrain from abusing this return policy (more information below).
Enabling Returns for Items That Normally Can't Be Returned
For products that cannot be returned because they are unreturnable or outside of the return window, sellers at their discretion can enable a 7 day return window for shoppers to mail back their item.
In your Orders page, for orders that have been marked shipped or delivered, you will see an action dropdown option to "Enable Shopper Returns". In selecting this option, you are able to activate a 7 day window where the shopper will be able to go through the normal return process and generate a shipping label to mail the item back to your designated return address.
Return Abuse
In addition to tracking metrics for our sellers to make sure that we hold them to the highest standards, we also track metrics for our shoppers. Rivly is built with features to promote honesty and integrity for both sellers and shoppers.
Shoppers that are found to be repeatedly abusing our generous return policies outside the norms of our community will risk being permanently banned from our marketplace.
As a seller, if you feel that you are a victim of return abuse, please reach out and let us know as it is important for Rivly to have a system of fairness and mutual respect.