My supplier will only accept returns if there is damage or a fault?

Some suppliers don't accept returns unless there is damage or a fault. They don't have to accept a return as they will be the b2b supplier for the order. This is because there are different legal requirements for returns for b2b suppliers compared to b2c sellers.

As we are a selling directly to the end consumer, we must offer a 14-day return if the customer changes their mind. Therefore we cannot mirror the supplier's policy directly.

For suppliers with this policy, we would just need to accept a return to a freight forwarding service and then sell it to the next customer who purchases the item. If you want to recoup your costs quickly, you could just sell the item at cost price on your site as "ex-display" or even selling them on eBay or Gumtree.

Therefore, it's up to us whether we think the sales we will generate by working with this brand will outweigh the hassle of having to accept any change of mind returns.

If they are a popular brand the returns are so rare that it makes sense to work with these suppliers and have a process to deal with the occasional return!