System and method for international merchandise return service

Abstract

A system and method for generating a return label for merchandise being returned from a buyer or consumer in a first country to a merchant in a second country. A name and address of a consumer in the first country desiring to return merchandise and merchant or seller information including a merchant identifier is received. An address for receiving returns for the merchant or seller in the second country is accessed based on the merchant information. One or more machine readable identifiers for use by a first country carrier and for use by a second country carrier based at least on the consumer information, and information for routing the return merchandise are generated. A return label for merchandise being returned from the consumer to the merchant is generated. The return label can include the machine readable identifiers and a customs declaration for the merchandise.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for processing return merchandise being returned from a user in a first country to a merchant of the merchandise in a second country, the system comprising:
 a network interconnecting a plurality of user computing devices, the plurality of user computing devices being in data communication with the network;   a server including one or more processors and a data connection to a database, the server being interconnected to the network;   wherein the one or more processors are configured to:   receive identifying information of a user in a first country desiring to return merchandise associated with a merchant;   access address information for a merchandise return location in a second country based on information associated with the merchant;   generate a machine readable identifier in accordance with requirements of at least one of the first country or a first country carrier and one of the second country or a second country carrier for use in tracking delivery in returning the merchandise based at least on the user information;   determine if the second country carrier is a same carrier for both an origination shipment in the second country of the merchandise from the merchant and a return shipment to the merchandise return location in the second country;   determine if a return shipping fee is required for merchandise being returned from the user in the first country to the merchandise return location in the second country and an amount of the return shipping fee if the return shipping fee is required, wherein the determination whether the return shipping fee is required is based at least in part on whether the second country carrier is the same carrier for both the origination shipment of the merchandise and the return shipment for the merchandise return;   generate a return label for merchandise being returned from the user in the first country to the merchandise return location in the second country, the return label including the machine readable identifier, a customs declaration for the merchandise, and return shipment payment information, wherein the return shipment payment information comprises merchant information encoded to facilitate payment of the return shipping fee if any return shipment payment information is applicable;   store information from the return label in the database;   compensate the first country carrier for service rendered by the first country carrier,   query the database storing information from the return label; and   determine that a customs service location for the second country received the package with the return label affixed thereupon and did not assess customs fees based on the query that the customs declaration portion of the return label indicates a return shipment and one or more tariff codes indicative of returned merchandise.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first country carrier and the second country carrier are different return carriers. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are additionally configured to obtain prepayment of the return shipping fee if the fee is required for the merchandise return. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein an amount of the prepaid return shipping fee is a flat rate amount or a reduced amount from a regular rate for a particular class of shipping service. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein, if the return shipping fee is required and has not been prepaid, the one or more processors are additionally configured to:
 receive return label information of the received package from the database; 
 compute an amount of return shipping charges due for the received package based on the received return label information; and 
 deduct the return shipping charges due from an account of the merchant or charging a credit card of the merchant. 
 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors being configured to generate the machine readable identifier for use in tracking delivery further comprises the one or more processors being configured to:
 receive, in response to a real-time web service call, information from the first country carrier or a third-party shared database for use in tracking the return merchandise; and   produce a tracking code based on the information obtained from the first country carrier or the third-party shared database.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server is part of a postal service computer system. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors facilitate a merchant website utilizing an application programming interface. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the machine readable identifier is based on one of a S10 international barcode or an intelligent mail package barcode (IMpB). 
     
     
         10 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors associated with a server interconnected to a network and a database, causes the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:
 receiving identifying information of a user in a first country desiring to return merchandise associated with a merchant;   accessing address information for a merchandise returns location in a second country based on information associated with the merchant;   performing a real-time web service call via the network to the database or a third-party shared database to obtain information for use to track the return merchandise;   receiving, in response to the web service call via the network, the information from the database or the third-party shared database for use to track the return merchandise;   producing a tracking code based on the information obtained from the database or the third-party shared database;   generating a machine readable identifier in accordance with requirements of at least one of the first country or a first country carrier and the second country or a second country carrier, for use in tracking delivery in returning merchandise based at least on the user information and the tracking code;   accessing merchant and user information in the database and determining if the second country carrier is a same carrier for both an origination shipment of the merchandise from the merchant and for a return shipment to the merchandise returns location in the second country;   determining if a return shipping fee is required for merchandise being returned from the user in the first country to the merchandise returns location in the second country and an amount of the return shipping fee if the return shipping fee is required, wherein the determining includes determining that the merchant is not to be charged for the merchandise return based on utilizing the same second country carrier for both the origination shipment of the merchandise and the return shipment of the merchandise return based at least on the accessed merchant and user information in the database;   generating a return label for merchandise being returned from the user in the first country to the merchandise returns location in the second country, the return label including the machine readable identifier, a customs declaration for the merchandise, and return shipment payment information, if any return shipment information is applicable;   storing information from the return label in the database;   querying the database storing the information from the return label;   determining that a customs service location for the second country received a package with the return label affixed thereupon and did not assess customs fees, wherein a determination whether to assess custom fees is based on the query of the database having the return label information;   deducting the return shipping fee due from an account of the merchant or charging a credit card of the merchant if the second country carrier is not the same carrier for both the origination shipment of the merchandise and the return shipment of the merchandise based at least on the accessed merchant and user information in the database; and   compensating a first country carrier for service rendered by the first country carrier.   
     
     
         11 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the first country carrier and the second country carrier are different return carriers. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein determining that the merchant is not to be charged for the merchandise return is additionally based on the merchant accepting a returns coverage fee for the origination shipment of the merchandise. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the return shipment payment information comprises merchant information encoded to facilitate payment of the return shipping fee. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors perform at least portions of the method at a merchant website utilizing an application programming interface. 
     
     
         15 . A system for processing return merchandise being returned from a user in a first country to a merchant of the merchandise in a second country, the system comprising:
 a network interconnecting a plurality of user computing devices, the plurality of user computing devices being in data communication with the network;   a server including one or more processors and a data connection to a database, the server being interconnected to the network;   wherein the one or more processors are configured to:   receive identifying information of a user in a first country desiring to return merchandise associated with a merchant;   access address information for a merchandise return location in a second country based on information associated with the merchant;   generate a first machine readable identifier in accordance with requirements of at least the first country or a first country carrier for use in tracking delivery in returning merchandise based at least on the user information;   generate a second machine readable identifier in accordance with requirements of the second country or a second country carrier for use by the second country carrier based at least on information to route the return merchandise;   determine if the second country carrier is a same carrier for both an origination shipment of the merchandise from the merchant and a return shipment to the merchandise return location in the second country;   determine if a return shipping fee is required for merchandise being returned from the user in the first country to the merchandise return location in the second country and an amount of the return shipping fee if the return shipping fee is required, wherein the determination of whether the return shipping fee is required is based at least in part on whether the second country carrier is the same carrier for both the origination shipment of the merchandise and the return shipment for the merchandise return;   generate a return label for merchandise being returned from the user in the first country to the merchandise return location in the second country, the return label including the first machine readable identifier, the second machine readable identifier, a customs declaration for the merchandise, and return shipment payment information;   store information from the return label in the database;   query the database storing information from the return label; and   determine that a customs service location for the second country received the package with the return label affixed thereupon and did not assess customs fees based on the query that the customs declaration portion of the return label indicates a return and one or more tariff codes indicative of returned merchandise.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors facilitate a merchant website utilizing an application programming interface. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the server is part of a postal service computer system. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the first machine readable identifier and/or the second machine readable identifier are based on one of a S10 international barcode or an intelligent mail package barcode (IMpB). 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the server includes a web application. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the return shipment payment information comprises merchant information encoded to facilitate payment of the return shipping fee if any return shipment payment information is applicable.