Amazon seller news · Fees
Amazon announced its 2025 extended Christmas returns window on 21 October 2025. It's an annual fixture — here's how to plan for the refunds it brings.
Last updated: 19 September 2026
In brief: most items bought on Amazon's European stores between 1 November and 25 December 2025 could be returned until 31 January 2026, or within 30 days of delivery if that was later. It applied to FBA and seller-fulfilled orders alike. Amazon runs a similar extension every year, so Christmas sales keep turning into refunds well into January.
| Stores | Bought between | Returnable until |
|---|---|---|
| UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland | 1 Nov – 25 Dec 2025 | 31 Jan 2026, or 30 days after delivery if later |
| Spain | 1 Nov 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | 6 Feb 2026, or 30 days after delivery if later |
| Germany and Italy — certain product categories | Holiday period | 15 Jan 2026, or 14 days after delivery if later |
The usual rules on which items can be returned didn't change — only the deadline moved.
Sales are booked in November and December, but a share of them come back in January. If you look at December profit on its own, it's overstated. Sellers who prepare monthly or year-end accounts around December often set aside a returns provision based on their usual return rate, then release it as the refunds arrive.
A refund on a UK sale reduces your output VAT in the VAT period when the refund is made, not the period of the original sale. A December sale refunded in January therefore lowers the VAT on the return covering January. Record refunds at the same rate as the original sale — see Amazon sales on your VAT return.
With post-Christmas sales usually slower, refunds can outweigh new sales in some January settlements. On a quiet marketplace that can even push a settlement below zero — see negative Amazon settlements.
When an order is refunded, Amazon returns most of the referral fee it charged and may charge a refund administration fee. Post both: the refunded commission reduces your selling costs, and the admin fee is a new cost.
TrueBooks posts refunds, refunded fees and refund admin fees from every settlement as separate lines with the right VAT, so January's returns show clearly in Xero and on your VAT return. See the Amazon Xero integration.
Source: Amazon Seller Central announcement, 21 October 2025. TrueBooks is independent and not affiliated with Amazon. General information, not tax advice.
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