>These days I shop Amazon because they have a robust return policy.

You might think that... until they ship you the wrong item, you ship it back, they then tell you they never received the item (because they can't match up the right order with the wrong item) and you get duped. I was a customer since the late 90s - but not any longer. Canceled Prime, done. I also refuse to shop at Walmart for a whole lot of reasons, including their labor practices (one more reason to also not shop at Amazon).

On a flip note, my experience couldn't have been more different, and amazon refunded me even in cases when it was clearly not their fault.

I once bought a roomba on Amazon a year or so ago, because they had a solid discount, and it was delivered to my apt building. The box was left against the wall across from the mail lockers and right in the view of a security camera. I already had 3 boxes in my hands that I just pulled from the locker on my way to the apt, and saw the sealed box with the roomba. It was just an amazon carbdoard box with the actual roomba box inside, no markings saying what item it was (i pushed it slightly to gauge the weight, and it was indeed roomba, pretty heavy). I thought "hm, that's fine, i will just pick it up in the morning on my way to work". Done that plenty of times before, and the area is behind a secure keyfob entry+camera.

I go to pick it up next morning, the amazon cardboard box is unsealed, gaping open, and is empty. Asked the leasing office to check the camera records, they told me "no can do without a police report, and we will show it to them, not you". Given the current police situation in Seattle, it was a dead route. They were willing to take the report, but said that realistically they wont get to looking into it anytime soon if ever, too much backlog. Which sorta checks out, given how they don't even look into burglaries or car break-ins half the time.

Being mentally prepared to just eat the losses at that point, I contacted amazon and honestly explained the entire situation. The only thing I requested from them is to not use that shipping carrier for my deliveries anymore, because they tend to be lazy and not put deliveries actually inside the lockers (like they are supposed to). While they agreed it wasn't their fault, they ended up offering me a choice between a refund or sending me another roomba at no extra charge with another shipping carrier. I was neither asking for this nor expecting that (even if i were to ask).

It depends on the item. Recently I purchased a drill bit from Amazon. By the time I realized I would not need it for my project, the return window had passed. If I had just purchased it from a big box store, I still could have returned it.

Return it to REI.

I lost 2.5K USD because of a botched return, so YMV…

Ouch. Details?

I bought a Amazon warehouse Titan V, got an empty box. Amazon asked me to return the empty box after I called their customer support, so I did. Then they denied the return saying I only returned the accessories… They kept claiming they would look into it and refund me each time I called, but then would reply 48 hours later saying they never received my return. I opened a chargeback case, and they actually lied to my credit card company that I had never returned anything at all and that my return was rejected. When I called amazon, they then told me they had processed my return and that I should have been refunded. I also filed a complaint with the AG my state, and they lied to them as well claiming no return was ever requested (this was perjury).

Sometime when I have more energy I’ll find a lawyer.

Not parent, but I've had issues with returns from accidental 3rd party seller orders. I can easily imagine a niche, high priced item coming from a 3rd party seller and the whole return going sideways.