Returns Processing Delaware — Amazon & Ecommerce Returns Management
QuickShipment handles Amazon FBA and ecommerce returns at our Claymont, Delaware warehouse. Inspect, grade, relabel, and restock returned units within 48 hours. $5/unit.
Our Returns Processing Service
Returns are inevitable in e-commerce — the average US return rate is 20-30%. QuickShipment's returns processing service ensures every returned unit is evaluated, documented, and actioned quickly. Our process: receive the returned unit at our Claymont, Delaware dock; photograph the unit and its packaging; inspect for damage, defects, and completeness; grade as sellable, refurbishable, or unsellable; relabel with new FNSKU (if applicable); restock to your sellable inventory or hold per your instructions. You receive a photo inspection report for every return batch.
Pricing
Returns processing: $5.00 per unit. This includes receipt, inspection, photography, grading, and reporting. Relabeling is included if needed. Additional services (repackaging, component replacement) quoted separately.
Amazon Removals and Unfulfillable Inventory
We also accept Amazon removal orders — inventory that Amazon has flagged as unfulfillable or that you've chosen to remove from FBA. We receive, inspect, and either restock or dispose per your instructions.
What Actually Arrives in a Returns Batch
Sellers picture returns as damaged goods. In practice most returned inventory is fine, and the value you recover depends entirely on sorting it accurately rather than assuming.
A typical batch splits roughly like this — the exact mix varies by category, and yours will differ:
| Condition | What we do |
|---|---|
| Unopened, packaging intact | Relabel and restock as new |
| Opened, product unused | Repackage, then restock |
| Cosmetic damage to packaging only | Repackage or list as open-box |
| Functional fault | Refurbishment assessment or parts recovery |
| Unsellable | Documented disposal |
The two middle rows are where money is made or lost. A unit that is perfectly good but arrived in a crushed box is worth full price with a $0.75 repackage — or nothing if it goes into the disposal pile because nobody looked.
Our Process, Step by Step
- Receive and log. Every unit is counted and recorded against your account within 24 hours of arrival.
- Photograph. Box condition, product condition, missing components. Date-stamped.
- Inspect. Physical check, and functional testing where the category calls for it.
- Grade. Sellable, repackageable, refurbishable or unsellable.
- Act. Restock, repackage, hold for your instruction, or dispose with certificate.
- Report. You get the photos and the grade for every unit.
Turnaround is 48 hours from arrival. That matters more than it sounds: a unit sitting in a returns queue is capital you have already paid for and cannot sell.
Why the Photo Report Is the Important Part
In any dispute, the party with evidence wins. Marketplace claims, supplier arguments about damage in transit, buyer claims that an item was returned in perfect condition — all of them turn on what you can show.
Every unit is photographed on receipt. That record is what lets you push back on a chargeback instead of absorbing it, and it costs nothing extra.
Returns Are Different on Every Channel
- Amazon — returned units go to your removal address, not back into FBA. They need inspection and relabeling before they can be sent back in.
- eBay — the platform is far more tolerant of used and open-box listings than Amazon. A unit you would dispose of for FBA can often be resold here. See our eBay returns guide.
- Shopify and DTC — return rates are lower but the customer relationship is worth more, so refund speed matters more than recovery rate.
- Selling into the US from abroad — this is the extreme case. International return freight routinely exceeds the item's value, so sellers refund without recovery. A US return address converts a total loss into a resellable unit.
What It Costs
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Returns processing | $5.00 / unit — receipt, inspection, grading, photo report |
| Repackaging | From $0.75 / unit |
| Refurbishment labour | $60 / hour, quoted against the work |
| Disposal — per unit | $1.25 / unit |
| Disposal — per pallet | $125 / pallet |
| Certificate of destruction | Free |
The break-even on disposal is roughly 100 units per pallet: below that the per-unit rate is cheaper, above it the pallet rate is.
When Returns Processing Pays for Itself
The arithmetic is simple enough to do on the back of an envelope. Take a $30 product with a 10% return rate at 500 orders a month — that is 50 returns.
Processing all 50 costs $250. If two thirds of them come back sellable, you have recovered roughly $1,000 of inventory that would otherwise have been written off or left sitting.
It stops paying when the product is cheap enough that inspection costs more than the unit is worth. Below about $12–15 a unit, disposal is often the rational answer and we will tell you so rather than bill you for sorting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does returns processing cost?
$5.00 per unit, including receipt, inspection, grading and a photo report. Repackaging from $0.75, refurbishment at $60/hour, disposal at $1.25 per unit or $125 per pallet.
How long does it take?
48 hours from arrival. Every unit is logged within 24 hours of receipt.
Can returned units go back into Amazon FBA?
Yes, if they grade as sellable. They need inspection and usually relabeling first — Amazon does not do this for you.
What happens to unsellable units?
Documented disposal at $1.25 per unit or $125 per pallet, with a free certificate of destruction showing date, unit count and method.
Is returns processing worth it for low-value products?
Often not. Below roughly $12–15 a unit, inspection can cost more than the recovery is worth. We will say so rather than bill you for sorting.
If the stock is coming out of Amazon, start with our guide to FBA removal orders — it covers what to choose and what to expect on arrival.