FindTape has sold online for more than 20 years, on our own site, Amazon, Walmart, eBay and others. We’ve been on Newegg Marketplace since 2017. Newegg was never a big channel for us, but it was steady and our return rate was in line with everywhere else. On Amazon our return rate is under half of one percent.
Then came the Paze promotion.
The promotion
From June 15 through September 10, 2026, Paze (the digital wallet from the company behind Zelle, heavily promoted to Chase cardholders) offered $10 back on any purchase of $10 or more, up to 10 times per card. Newegg was one of the few major retailers that accepted Paze.
Deal sites did the math right away. When Newegg shut off the gift card route, the attention shifted to cheap physical products just over $10. Shoppers were told that splitting purchases into separate orders meant more $10 credits. One guide even listed Scotch mounting tape as an example. That’s our category.
What it looked like from our side
Our Newegg order volume jumped overnight. Same buyer, same item, same address, up to 10 separate orders at a time.
We did the sensible thing and shipped them together in one mailer. That’s when the problems started.
Problem 1: Newegg’s system couldn’t handle combined shipments
Newegg’s system rejects a tracking number that’s already been used on another order. So one package with six orders could only be confirmed on one of them. To mark the rest shipped, we added A, B, C to the end of the tracking number. Those orders then landed on the Abnormal Tracking list.
It took a support case, a spreadsheet of 15 orders and their tracking numbers, and two months of back and forth to get those cleared. Support’s conclusion: don’t modify tracking numbers. Fair enough, but there was no other way to close a combined shipment.
Now a second batch is stuck. Without the suffix, the system says the tracking number was used on an order shipped more than five business days ago. With the suffix, it’s abnormal tracking. There’s no valid option.
Problem 2: The returns arrived right on schedule
Right around the 30-day mark, the returns started. In bulk. Unopened retail packs, with reasons like “product dissatisfaction,” “incompatible” and “arrived late.” One “arrived late” order was delivered on time to a parcel locker more than a month earlier.
You can’t be dissatisfied with a product you never opened.
Every one of those separate orders gets its own UPS return label, charged to us. We shipped these lightweight orders via USPS Ground Advantage for under $5, but Newegg charged us full UPS Ground rates for each return. Ten orders from one buyer means ten return label charges, plus lost margin and handling time.
Problem 3: There’s no real way to dispute it
On Amazon, this is what a SAFE-T claim is for. On Newegg, the appeal reasons don’t cover “item returned unopened, stated reason is false.” RMAs have to be handled within two business days of receipt or the system refunds the buyer automatically. One RMA auto-refunded while we were still waiting on support.
When we asked for an investigation into the buyer accounts, reimbursement on clearly abusive returns, and the correct dispute process going forward, the answer was that the return label fee is the standard UPS charge and that we should appeal on time.
Where we landed
We asked Newegg to close our account. They’ve deactivated it, but won’t finish the closure until every open RMA, abnormal tracking flag and buyer message is resolved, and the remaining balance is released about 30 days after that.
Lessons for other marketplace sellers
- Watch the deal sites. When a payment promo goes live on a marketplace you sell on, check Slickdeals, Doctor of Credit and FrequentMiler. If your products show up on a “$10 items” list, you’ll know before the orders hit.
- Know your combined-shipment process before you need it. If the platform can’t accept one tracking number across multiple orders, ask support how they want it handled in writing, before the flags start.
- Price your floor. Low-ticket items just above a promo threshold are exactly what promo hunters target. Raising a minimum or pausing a listing for the promo window may be cheaper than the returns.
- Know your appeal tools. If a marketplace has no equivalent of SAFE-T, you are carrying the full cost of return abuse. Factor that into whether the channel is worth it.
- Track the 30-day window. Promo-driven returns cluster right before the window closes. Staff for it, and process RMAs fast so nothing auto-refunds.
Promotions that bring in new shoppers are good for everyone. Promotions where the platform and the payment provider get the traffic and the seller gets the returns are not. We’d welcome hearing from other sellers who saw the same thing.