I can’t say I didn’t see a refund coming . . . okay, it really didn’t cross my mind, but I shouldn’t be surprised. 35 ebooks sold and 1 refund in the 6 days that the book has been out isn’t bad. I think. Yet, I’m always curious about why a refund happens. Maybe it comes from working the refund desk at Home Depot for 3 months. Ever want to have a paint can swung at your head or your hand stuck in an opened glue trap that the customer forgot to mention? Then work at the Home Depot refund desk.
The refund reminds me of an old friend who had this trick with the local Barnes n Noble. This person would buy a book, read the book, and then return the book for store credit to buy another book. This person would repeat this and when we met, the person had been on a ‘not paid for a book’ for a few months. I found the practice disgusting because I had been a cashier a few times and refunds were never a good thing. Not to mention what it does to the author.
So, I’ve been wondering for a few months if this is even possible with Kindle. I can imagine that there are people out there who have been reading .99 cent ebooks on the same dollar for a while if it is possible. I know I can’t stop it, but it’s a thought that just occurred to me. Most likely this person either changed his/her mind about buying the book or didn’t like it, which is entirely possible. Fair enough. I’ve been well aware that my writing style and stories aren’t for everyone. That’s why I still get nervous when people review my book. Anyway, I wish this refunded person better luck in his/her next purchase.
Legends of Windemere 
I’m sorry. It’s got to be discouraging, no matter what the reason. But really, those are pretty good odds.
Here’s hoping for no more refunds.
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Thanks. I’ve sold at least one book per day since the Tuesday release, so I’m doing better than I expected. The refund is just a small bump that I shouldn’t be surprised about. I’m more scared about those people who go around getting cheap books and tear them to shreds. There are some Amazon reviewers who are most 1 or 2 star reviewers. Why would somebody continue reading books that they hate?
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I suspect you are right that sometimes that does happen. Amazon’s policy certainly does allow time for it. In 98,000 downloads of one of my books last year I had 171 refunds, I just let it roll off my back. For whatever reason it happens. Don’t let it bother you, we will never please everyone. If it makes you feel any better the worst review I’ve had so far said ” I read the first two sentences of this book and knew the whole thing would suck. Refund!”
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Wow. I’m amazed that people are like that. You’re really right that we can’t please everyone. I’m waiting on the 1 or 2 star reviews though. I doubt anybody ever gets away with avoiding those. I just have to remember to play nice and ignore them if they’re mean.
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Off topic- I answered your question on video games on Friday, but I didn’t know if you saw it yet. That was a tough question.
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I think it’s one thing to ask for a refund if the book you got was not what was advertised, or there was something horribly wrong with the formatting..but demanding a refund because you didn’t like it? That’s just snotty… and abusing the system by getting refunds for books you -did like- and just didn’t want to pay for.. that’s downright criminal and morally offensive to me. If I bought a book and didn’t like it, that’s my fault, not the author’s. But I’m also adult enough to recognize that not everyone has to cater to my likes, and if something turns out not as great as I’d hoped.. well that’s not the author’s fault. Sometimes you just don’t like stuff… but I’d never return a book for that reason. I’d just be more careful with my purchases the next time and make sure I read lots of reviews about it. I’m sorry that someone chose to do that to you
I guess the only thing you can do is suck it up and chalk it up to crappy people. The world is unfortunately full of them.
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I agree, but I can only guess why the refund happened. I’d like to think I make it clear that the book is a fun fantasy adventure, but I could always be wrong for some people. I like that mentality though. There sure are a lot of crappy people, especially on the internet. Again, I hope this person found a book that was more to his/her tastes with the .99 cents they got back. 🙂
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hahaha I don’t know why, but that whole last sentence made me laugh :3 Anyways, I wish you the best of luck with your book from here on out :3 I don’t always comment, but I do read all of your articles 😀
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Thanks. It’s nice to know people are reading. Otherwise, I’m talking to myself and that never leads to good things. 🙂
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I’m sure Stephen King and JK Rowling had some refunds. Just means you’re running with the big dogs now, right?
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Thanks. I actually just heard that line from a friend two minutes ago.
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I just want to chime in and say that it’s easy to accidentally buy a book when browsing on a Kindle. Perhaps that’s not the case with the newer versions, but mine’s older and slow to respond. When I look at a book in the store, Buy is selected by default on my Kindle so while I may tap commands that I think are a series of instructions, the Kindle gets confused and I sometimes end up with a book that I didn’t mean to buy.
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I was wondering about that too. Thanks for clearing that up.
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Maybe they bought two copies by accident? 😉
I don’t think I’ve ever returned a book.
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Good point. I’ve donated books to charities and second-hand stores that I don’t read any more, but I think that’s different. A few times, I’ve bought a book that I didn’t like and held onto it until I find someone who might want it. Every book deserves a home. 🙂
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Aw, it’s OK. It’ll happen. Always try to keep in mind that your writing won’t be for everybody. But even if a certain person doesn’t like it, it doesn’t mean that they won’t refer a friend or family member toward your book; they just may know someone else who does enjoy your type of genre & then that other person just may pick up a copy. Always try to think positive my friend. 🙂
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That’s been part of my marketing to friends and family. I tell them to spread the word even if they aren’t fans of fantasy writing. I’m holding onto the mentality that a recommendation is still useful even if the person never read the book.
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Don’t dwell on it – the more you speculate the more you’ll tie yourself in knots. As others have commented maybe a mistake, maybe bought for them and not their style, maybe they’re just a git. It’s their loss really, not yours.:)
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That’s what I’m thinking.
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Just to show you you’re in good company – just got my sales figures thro and i got a refund too. how about a T-shirt?
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Sure. What do we write on it? Or maybe just ‘Refunded’ on the front and let it stand for itself?
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Pingback: Self Checkouts Offend Me | The Ranting Papizilla
Nice article.I think there should be no refund without a valid reason.,One refund only.For a whole month to repeat over and over is wrong.Thank you for reading my post ( Knowledge….) have a great day.jalal
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I’m sure a lot of the people simply clicked on the download by accident. It’d be wrong to think everyone is a scammer because they’re typically a minority. Still, I think a person should have to give a reason if it shows that they’re constantly refunding books. That should set off a red flag like in a real bookstore.
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