Yes, Amazon is refunding some people who bought potentially unsafe solar eclipse glasses

People in 15 U.S. states from Texas to Maine are gearing up for the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.

The only safe way to look directly at the sun during a total solar eclipse is through special-purpose solar filters, like eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers.

Some people have purchased their glasses from Amazon ahead of the eclipse. But several VERIFY readers say the online retailer sent them notices that their eclipse glasses may not be safe and issued refunds for their purchases. 

THE QUESTION

Is Amazon giving refunds to some customers who purchased solar eclipse glasses?

THE SOURCES

• Amazon spokesperson
• Amazon notice sent to a VERIFY team member
• The American Astronomical Society

THE ANSWER

Yes, Amazon is giving refunds to some customers who purchased solar eclipse glasses.

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WHAT WE FOUND

Amazon is sending notices and providing refunds to some customers who purchased solar eclipse glasses that may not be sourced from a supplier on the American Astronomical Society’s approved list, a spokesperson for the company told VERIFY.

This does not necessarily mean the eclipse glasses are unsafe, but Amazon is still recommending that people do not use them to view the upcoming eclipse on April 8, according to an emailed notice sent to a VERIFY team member.

The emailed notice said the product “was not included in the American Astronomical Society’s list of safe suppliers of solar eclipse viewers and therefore may not be safe for viewing a solar eclipse.”

Amazon’s spokesperson said the company is “not aware of any particular products that are unsafe,” and took action to notify and refund customers who purchased the solar eclipse glasses in question “out of an abundance of caution.” 

The company also confirmed that it has removed the products in question from its website. 

“We continuously monitor our store for non-compliant products, and when we discover a product was undetected by our proactive checks, we address the issue immediately and refine our controls,” the spokesperson said.

Amazon acknowledged that at least some of the products may have come from an approved supplier, but the company wasn’t able to verify the source. 

The American Astronomical Society (AAS) also notes on its website that eclipse glasses from a supplier that’s not on their list are not inherently unsafe, but the AAS has not vetted them.

Refunds for Amazon customers will be issued to the original payment method or through gift cards to their accounts. Customers do not need to return the products to receive a refund, the emailed notice says. 

Anyone who has questions about an item they purchased can also contact Amazon Customer Service.

The best way to ensure that your solar eclipse glasses are safe is to buy them only from websites on the AAS approved vendors list, or from a seller whose identity you can verify and whose name appears on the list. You should not buy your eclipse glasses from “random sellers in online marketplaces,” the AAS says. 

The AAS also has tips for spotting counterfeit and fake solar eclipse glasses here.