Best/safest way to return a phone to Amazon

[PsychDoc]

I was going to use their prepaid UPS label and drop it off at a UPS store but if, it gets lost or stolen in transit I'd be worried that Amazon might tell me I have to fight with UPS.
I think, perhaps, a safer approach is to start the return in the Amazon app, specify that I'll bring it to Whole Foods (which is owned by Amazon and is one of the approved return options) which has an Amazon return section where they'll pack it for me and give me a receipt with a tracking number. I'm essentially returning it to Amazon itself at that point so there can no question that it was returned properly and in accordance with their own return options/policy. Seems like a safer way of going about this.

Does this make sense?

 

[steelernole]

I was going to use their prepaid UPS label and drop it off at a UPS store but if, it gets lost or stolen in transit I'd be worried that Amazon might tell me I have to fight with UPS.
I think, perhaps, a safer approach is to start the return in the Amazon app, specify that I'll bring it to Whole Foods (which is owned by Amazon and is one of the approved return options) which has an Amazon return section where they'll pack it for me and give me a receipt with a tracking number. I'm essentially returning it to Amazon itself at that point so there can no question that it was returned properly and in accordance with their own return options/policy. Seems like a safer way of going about this.

Does this make sense?

I don't know if you still can, but you use to be able to do returns through Kohl's as well. The last phone I purchased from Amazon in 2024 was returned through Kohl's.

 

[PsychDoc]

I don't know if you still can, but you use to be able to do returns through Kohl's as well. The last phone I purchased from Amazon in 2024 was returned through Kohl's.

Yeah, same idea with Whole Foods. It's basically like returning it directly to Amazon. Cuts out the risk of using a "middle man" (in this case, UPS) if anything goes sideways. It's like handing it to an Amazon employee rather than a UPS guy.

 

[B. Diddy]

I would definitely go through one of Amazon's return partners (namely Whole Foods or Kohl's, as you've already discussed). That way, your responsibility ends once you've handed it to that staff member, and you have the receipt showing you dropped it off. It may still be a good idea to get photo or video evidence that the phone has been factory reset prior to submitting it -- maybe even right there with the staff member. (Then again, it might be part of the return process for the staff member to check that the phone has been factory reset before accepting it anyway.)