As every year, Amazon is once again extending the return period for Christmas sales in all European stores this year. Items purchased between November 1, 2025 and December 25, 2025 can be returned until January 31, 2026. In Spain, an extended period applies until February 6, 2026, while in Germany and Italy certain product categories have shorter deadlines until January 15, 2026.
What do sellers and vendors need to keep in mind?
Analyze return data from 2024: Use last year’s Christmas sales data to identify reasons for returns and product patterns. A targeted analysis helps identify weaknesses in product detail pages, packaging, or shipping processes and enables timely actions to reduce the return rate before the 2025 holiday season. Calculate margins realistically: Since return costs will only be final by February 2026, calculation tools and planning should take this delay into account. Plan your margins with sufficient buffer and monitor subsequent charges closely. Actively reduce the return rate: Optimize product descriptions, size information and delivery times to actively reduce returns. A decreasing return rate not only improves profitability but also protects you from the “Frequently Returned” badge, which can have a lasting negative impact on the conversion rate.
