The Amazon Renewed program: selling refurbished products with Amazon's guarantee

Amazon Renewed is Amazon's store for pre-owned and refurbished products. Amazon's seller page describes it as a program that lets you repair or refurbish pre-owned electronics, phones, computers and other products, then sell them to Amazon customers worldwide. Renewed products have their own listings, separate from new ones, and customers see them with a Renewed condition grade.

What sets it apart from selling used goods is the quality promise. Amazon says Renewed products are professionally inspected and tested by qualified suppliers, and every one is backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. In return, Amazon sets an application bar, pricing rules and ongoing quality checks, including test buys.

Amazon says products must contain electrical or mechanical components that can be replaced or upgraded and checked for quality assurance. Its program policies list the permitted product types, and you contact Renewed Selling Partner Support to request approval for a product not on the list.

Amazon says you must have experience selling repaired or refurbished products and be able to show you meet its quality requirements. It names six types of Renewed seller: distributors or resellers, manufacturers or brand owners, brand-authorized refurbishers, refurbishers, repairers, and IT asset disposition providers. Existing sellers must keep an order defect rate of 0.8% or less over the trailing 60 days.

Manufacturers and brand owners apply with trademark documentation or proof of Brand Registry. Resellers and distributors apply with paid invoices showing minimum refurbished purchases in a set period before the application. Products selling for $15.00 or less do not count toward the minimum.

Renewed products are sold in one of four conditions. Amazon's customer help page describes them, and its program policies explain how each appears in your inventory. Good and Acceptable are only for the Wireless and PC categories in select stores; Premium is in select stores too.

Amazon's policy says customers expect Renewed products to cost less than new ones, so Renewed products must be priced at least 5% below both the current new condition price for the same product and the price of the next higher Renewed condition. A Good offer, for example, must be at least 5% below Excellent.

Offers that break the rule can lose Featured Offer eligibility, be removed from the Renewed catalog, and in the end lose selling privileges for those ASINs, after one or more warnings. Amazon's optional Renewed repricing rule, in Automate Pricing, adjusts your prices automatically when the new version's price moves.

Every Renewed product is covered by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee, and Amazon's policy is explicit that the seller is responsible for any claims under it. For customers, Amazon's help page says most Renewed items have a 90 day return period, while Renewed Premium and Renewed Automotive items have 365 days. Select items also come with a free 11 month limited warranty serviced by Asurion after a 30 day return period.

Approval is not permanent. Amazon says it frequently assesses product quality through test buys and customer feedback, and you monitor performance on the Renewed Seller Dashboard. Test buy units come back through the normal returns process and do not affect your metrics.

Falling short of the quality requirements can lead to deactivation of Renewed selling privileges, and Amazon may ask for a plan of action to reinstate them. Keep the order defect rate at 0.8% or less, the pricing rule met, and returns reasons under review.