Thanks to an agreement with Western Union, Amazon has recently implemented its payment methods with the option to pay cash for purchases made on the marketplace. Thus, it is now possibile for customers who don’t have a bank account or who simply don’t want to furnish their credit card credentials when shopping online, to effect small-amount purchases on Amazon.
But how exactly does it work?
How to pay cash on Amazon
Paying cash on Amazon through Western Union is very simple. All the buyer has to do is:
- buy a selected product among the tens of millions present on the marketplace;
- at checkout select the payment option “Pay with cash at a location near you“. The buyer will then receive a PayCode to use at the nearest participating Western Union agency;
- go to any one of the WU agencies and use the code to pay cash for the item;
- upon receipt of the payment, Amazon will ship the order.
What are the advantages if customers pay cash on Amazon?
As we said earlier in this article, the opportunity to pay cash for purchases on Amazon could open the door to a whole new segment of customers. Even if it is small compared to the total audience of Amazon clients, it does give you a good opportunity to win over clients and increase your sales. Paying cash on Amazon eliminates worrying about credit card transactions and possible hidden bank fees.
Furthermore, the presence of Western Union’s dense network of agencies on many national territories should make this type of operation accessible throughout Europe without any particular difficulty. You can check out the Internet site WesternUnion.com to find the list and locations of all the participating agencies. Naturally, the main benefit for vendors is the possibility to reach out to a whole new set of customers. For example, customers who do not want to furnish their payment credentials online. Or more so, customers who do not hold a bank account and, therefore, do not have a credit card or a debit card.
Cash purchase returns
What happens when a product paid cash is returned?
The return procedure is actually not very different from what is normally done for most types of returns. But, there is one very important point that must be specified. That is, the buyer will not receive a cash refund but always and only its value in coupons. If you want to return a product previously bought on Amazon and paid cash, you have to indicate that you want to return the item in the My orders section on Amazon.
At this point, you have to specify the reason for the return and select the Amazon gift coupon as the refund method. Next, you have to return the item following the instructions given. Upon receipt of the item at its premises, Amazon will add a coupon of the same value as the item returned to the balance of your account.