I hit the same roadblock recently with Amazon when I tried to initiate the return BEFORE I wiped the device and removed it from “My Devices”. I did not think anything of it until I read your article.

I’ve encountered the “This device is already associated with an Apple ID” flag when transferring a device to friend or family member. It does not say WHOSE account or provide any traceable info. My suspicion is that Amazon has some kind of software that lets them type in the serial number and let them know if the device is registered without sharing any info.

The Amazon chat employee probably had no idea how this worked….so I don’t think he was hiding anything nefarious but probably does not know and is instructed not to answer questions.

I hope…..🤞🏻