Overseas spending: Guide to returns, exchanges & refunds

We’ve spent quite a bit of time telling you about how you can score sweet deals on some of the most popular products around, simply by buying them from overseas online stores with a multi-currency account like YouTrip to skip on credit card fees from overseas spending.

You may have already seen our numerous guides on getting cheaper outfits , subscription boxes, premium household equipment, overseas snacks, and even Apple products like iPad Pros and AirPods. 

If you haven’t, check out all our guides here, as there’s surely something that’ll catch your eye.

As with all things, sometimes things just end up going wrong when you order something online. You may get a spoilt or defective item, or worse – the wrong product entirely!

If that happens to you, you need to know exactly what to do next. If you don’t, keep reading!

I’ve received a defective / wrong item. What should I do?

The first thing you’ll want to consider is if the online store has an established process for returns and refunds.

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Prominent online brands, like Amazon and ASOS, will have return and refund processes in place.

You can easily access their policies online and the entire process is likely to be pretty quick and easy.

So we’re not going to delve into these scenarios too much.

If you’ve purchased from a smaller online retailer or a third-party vendor, here’s where you might face some challenges.

When in such sticky situations, here’s what you can do:

Engage the merchant directly

If there isn’t any process in place for such issues, we would recommend corresponding with the merchant directly. It may not be as easy to call the merchant directly over the phone. But this doesn’t mean that you’re out of options to get in touch with them.

If there’s a webchat function, try that! Otherwise, drop them a message on social or email their support team directly. You’ll definitely have at least one of the options to work with.

When lodging a report with the merchant, keep on hand the information you’ll need to provide. This makes the process as seamless as possible. Some possible information you’ll need:

• Your name
• Your order number and date
• The issue you’re facing with the order (include pictures where possible!)
• How you’ll like for this to be resolved: Exchange or refund

Make sure your information is clearly conveyed to avoid any unnecessary back and forth. From here on, it’s down to the reseller to include you in their customer service recovery process.

Assuming you’re dealing with legitimate businesses, you should receive help for any true lapses on their part.

What if I don’t receive a response?

It’s annoying when you’re dealing with unresponsive or downright unhelpful merchants, which can be an issue with overseas merchants.

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So if you’re dealing with a website that hosts multiple merchants, such as Amazon, eBay or Etsy, your next step will be to get in touch with their support team instead.

This is because your transaction may still be “pending”, and there’s still a possibility to cancel the transaction if the merchant’s legitimacy is in doubt.

These platforms may also take further action on the merchant, depending on the severity of the incident.

What can I do to prevent such cases from happening to me?

Luckily, there are precautions to take to ensure you’re dealing with a reliable seller. For example, look for a website and merchant reviews from websites such as TrustPilot.com. 

This will give you a good idea on the quality of items as well as the retailer’s reliability.

Otherwise, you could also do a quick online search online for the merchant to see if they have a history of “interesting’ incidents with previous customers.

With overseas spending, it may be worth taking more time to review your purchase before paying.

Should I be worried about shopping online?

The short answer is – no, of course not. Shopping online provides convenience, affordability, and also accessibility to items that you may not be able to find on our local shores.

But it’s never a bad idea to be an informed shopper, especially if a deal seems too good to be true.

On our part, we do our best to ensure that all our online shopping tips and recommendations are safe and reliable through both research and test purchases.