Returning Books On Audible (6 Things To Know)

The chances are that, on occasion, you’ve made a purchase mistake. When that happens, the next step is to return the item and get a refund.

If you’ve been purchasing content on Audible and found that you need to make a return, then you will want to know the ins and outs of how that process works.

In this article, we’ve got you covered with all the details to do with returning books on Audible.

Can You Return Books On Audible?

The process of returning books on Audible can be conducted from a user’s account via the Audible website.

• Content must be returned within 365 days.
• Refunds will be issued in the same form as the original payment.
• The right to return is based on customers not abusing Audible’s return policy.

How Do You Return A Book On Audible?

Audible has a vast array of audiobooks for every mood; whether you’re looking for something that sends a chill up your spine or a self-help guide that sets you free, Audible really has it all.

However, not every audiobook will live up to your expectations. Sometimes, despite all the research, you may make a mistake.

So whether you’ve clicked to buy a book accidentally or it turns out that you cannot stand the narrator’s voice, sometimes you’ll need to make a return on a purchase.

Thankfully, Audible has made returning a book a quick and simple process.

If you need to return a book and want an easy to follow step-by-step guide, then look no further.

Returning An Audible Book Via A Desktop Computer

You can return an Audible book with a few clicks on your computer, but make sure you know your login details for your Audible account.

1. Sign in using your login details for your Audible account.
2. Navigate to ‘Purchase History‘.
   • Here you’ll find a list of every book you’ve bought on Audible.
3. Search for the content that you wish to return.
4. Now select ‘Return this Title‘ and then click ‘Confirm‘.
5. Once you’ve completed the above steps a confirmation message will appear on screen to inform you that the content has been successfully returned.

Returning An Audible Book Via Your Mobile Device

Follow these steps if you’re using a mobile device and wish to make a return through Audible.

1. Open up the Audible home page (www.audible.com) with your internet browser.
2. Sign into your Audible account.
   • Remember, this may be the same information as your Amazon account depending on how you signed up for Audible.
3. Open the menu bar by tapping the ‘menu icon‘.
4. Now select your name.
5. Next, find your ‘Purchase History‘ and open it up.
6. Search the list for the book you wish to return and then choose to ‘Return this Title‘.
7. You’ll be asked to select ‘Confirm‘ to make the return.

It’s really as simple as that to return books on Audible, no matter what device you’re using. However, if there are any issues, Audible states that:

“If you run into difficulties making a return or have questions about the return policy, Contact Us”

Just click here if you need to get in touch with Audible directly and they’ll troubleshoot any problems with your returns.

Do You Get Your Credits Back When Returning A Book?

Credits may not have an actual monetary value, but they can be used to purchase premium content on Audible. 

Credits are included on Audible membership plans and give members the opportunity to own content forever.

As such, using credits to purchase content is very appealing.

However, if you’ve made a mistake using your credits to purchase a book that you didn’t want, then you may be wondering if you’ll get that credit back.

Don’t worry, once your book has been returned you’ll be refunded in whatever form of currency you used to purchase it. 

• If a credit was used to make a purchase, the credit will be refunded once the book has been returned.
• Credits are refunded instantaneously, whereas credit card payments can take up to 10 days.
• Remember, a refunded credit will expire after 12 months.

Can You Just Keep Returning Books On Audible?

It can be easy for Audible customers to misinterpret the returns policy with Audible.

Yes, it is true that customers have the right to return a book on Audible if the purchase was made by mistake or there is something dissatisfying about the title itself.

This could give users the sense that you can keep returning books on Audible with no complications as long as you are an active member.

However, you cannot purchase an audiobook, listen to it in its entirety and then return it for a full refund, because this would be seen by Audible as an abuse of their returns policy.

Audible is not an online library where customers can simply return and exchange one audiobook for another.

It is for this reason that Audible has had to impose limits on the number of returns each customer can make in a year.

The exact numbers and that specific limit are covered in more detail further on in this article.

How Long Do You Have To Return A Book?

Just as it is with any product you buy, there is a limit on the amount of time you have to return content on Audible.

As such, it’s important to know how long you can take before the option of being granted a refund becomes unavailable.

• Customers using Audible have 365 days from the original purchase date to return a book on Audible.

Audible has made it very clear that only audiobooks that are purchased by accident can be returned, or if the audiobook is not as advertised and the purchaser is dissatisfied in some way.

As Audible states:

“Our return policy allows active Audible Premium Plus members to take a chance on a new narrator or story without losing a credit, or return titles purchased in error… Our ability to offer this policy is dependent on our members using it only for these purposes.”

How Many Books Can You Return On Audible?

Returning books with Audible is a very easy process for users, which means they have the ability to take more of a risk and download audiobooks they wouldn’t naturally be inclined to download.

This freedom is fantastic, but there is a limit to how many times you can return a book with Audible.

However, this limit to the exact number of books you can return on Audible is not publicly known.

This is because Audible reserves the right to have sole discretion on whether you are returning too many books and abusing their return service.

On average, customers have found they can return 2-4 books a year with no issues. Any more than this and you may run into some problems.

Audible has had to introduce quite a strict returns policy to avoid customers completing audiobooks and then going on to return them for a full refund.

Let’s face it, if they didn’t have this policy, people would simply use 1 credit to listen to multiple books, simply returning them for a full refund every time they finish.

It’s worth noting you have to have an active membership with Audible to return an audiobook.

Those who have canceled their memberships will lose the right to return any purchased titles.

Are There Any Downsides To Returning A Book On Audible?

Returning audiobooks on Audible should be a painless process with very few downsides.

If, however, customers return too many books, then Audible may believe that this customer is abusing their returns policy.

Audible has taken the time to explain the exact terms of this by stating:

“We reserve the right to monitor returns for any abuse, such as excessive returns, frequent return of titles after prolonged listening, or returns of multiple titles at a time.”

If Audible decides that the return privileges are being misused by a certain customer, Audible reserves the right to remove some, or all, of these privileges from the customer.

This means they could either limit the number of returns you can make, or take away your ability to return books entirely.

This can be a massive blow to any user, especially if they are genuinely returning audiobooks that were purchased in error.

To avoid any unnecessary complications when returning your books with Audible, always return them as soon as possible after the original purchase.

Returning books in this timely manner will help ensure that Audible recognizes that the return is genuine.

All this aside, it would be rare for your privileges to be taken away unless you are actually abusing the returns policy, so if your intentions are honest there is no real need to worry.

The obvious major downside to returning a book on Audible is the fact that you will no longer own the book.

If you return an audiobook then don’t expect to see it in your library of owned books. You’d have to purchase it again if you change your mind.

There is, however, one downside of returning a book that may not have crossed your mind.

How Does Returning A Book Affect The Author

All of the books that are available on Audible have creators behind them. That extensive catalog of content has been written, produced, and recorded by an individual or a small team of people.

The money they make on royalties is crucial to their livelihood and their ability to continue to create more of the content that we all enjoy. 

Due to Audible being such a massive company, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Audible themselves would take the loss for any returns and not put that on the creator.

However, this has not been the case, and as a result, creators were losing out in a massive way when returns were made.

Additionally, Audible has also promoted the fact that books can be easily exchanged on their website. Now, this was great news to the customer, but it really began to put a strain on the creators.

In fact, once this story broke it caused quite a stir and has been coined ‘Audiblegate’.

Thankfully, there have been some changes made in Audible’s policy since this controversy surfaced.

Creators will now still be paid royalties on their work so long as the return is made after 7 days of purchase.

This will really help ensure that the creators we love, no matter whether they’re big publishers such as Random House, or small, independent authors, are not squeezed out of the profits that they deserve.

Remember, returning books on Audible may be simple, but there is a knock-on effect in doing so which could impact the creator of that work financially. 

Sources

• Audible: Can I Return My Book?
• Audible: Audible Return Policy
• Lovely Audiobooks: What You Need to Know Before You Return a Book on Audible