--- title: Kiss your free returns goodbye - The Hustle description: Companies are ditching free returns, much to their customers’ displeasure. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/88609367-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMay2011202023Returns.webp --- # Kiss your free returns goodbye ![Sara Friedman](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Sara Friedman](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/sara-friedman) [Sara Friedman Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/sarafriedmannn) Published: May 11, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 You know the drill: You find a great pair of shoes online but are between sizes, so you order two pairs and return whichever one doesn’t fit. ![shipping boxes](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/88609367-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMay2011202023Returns.webp?width=595&height=400&name=88609367-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMay2011202023Returns.webp) It was a foolproof, reliable system. It worked. That is until retailers said, “Pay up, losers.” OK, they might not have used that exact language, but the sentiment stands: Per [*The Atlantic*](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/05/free-online-shopping-returns-retailer-policy-changes/673975/), an estimated 41% of [retailers](https://footwearnews.com/2022/business/retail/stores-charging-for-returns-1203312152/) charged some kind of return shipping fee in 2022, up from 33% in 2021. - DSW charges $8.50 for returns - LL Bean takes $6.50 per returned package - Abercrombie & Fitch deducts $7 for online returns - Even Amazon started charging customers $1 for dropping packages at select UPS stores While most retailers won’t charge if you return your rejected items at a brick-and-mortar location, standing in line at a cash register really takes the joy out of online shopping. (We wanted to order our adult onesies and self-help books in *private* — that was the whole point!) #### **Why the change?** The average online purchase return rate is 15%-30%, and Americans returned [$800B+](https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/2022-retail-returns-rate-remains-flat-816-billion) worth of goods in 2022. That’s a lot of [boxes](https://www.marketplace.org/2023/01/26/inside-the-hectic-post-holiday-returns-season-at-a-costco-warehouse/). To make matters worse, a single return can cost a retailer $10-$20, not including transportation back to a warehouse, per *The Atlantic*. #### **Makes sense but…** … customers still aren’t pleased. More than [half](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/09/free-returns-holiday-shopping/) believe retailers should cover the cost of returns, and 62% said they’d shop elsewhere given a poor return experience with a brand. While returns are more expensive than ever, so is therapy — so we might just stick with online shopping as our coping mechanism for now. Topics: [Ecommerce And Retail](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/ecommerce-and-retail) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Excited about Bed Bath & Beyond’s return? You may feel pretty lonely](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1248390843-19-News-Brief_2023-08-20T225804.606Z.webp) ### Excited about Bed Bath & Beyond’s return? You may feel pretty lonely - ![What can be done about shoplifting — and how bad is it, actually?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1983757125-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-shoplifting-man_20230606222634.webp) ### What can be done about shoplifting — and how bad is it, actually? - ![People love stealing stuff from Target](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/921948562-19-News-Brief_2023-05-22T002028.532Z.webp) ### People love stealing stuff from Target - ![The company that turns rain into drinking water](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1783708216-19-News-Brief_2023-04-17T234232.437Z.webp) ### The company that turns rain into drinking water - ![Fadeaway: Nike’s latest pivot is bad for brick-and- mortar retail](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/139434517-News-Brief_2020-09-01T005347.846Z.webp) ### Fadeaway: Nike’s latest pivot is bad for brick-and- mortar retail - ![Resale’s popping off — for good and bad](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1219657425-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMarch2027202023Resale.webp) ### Resale’s popping off — for good and bad - ![7-Eleven in Japan dials convenience up to… well, eleven.](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1071715948-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-16T000302.590Z-scaled.webp) ### 7-Eleven in Japan dials convenience up to… well, eleven. - ![Sephora and TikTok team up](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1932755138-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-15T005056.304Z.webp) ### Sephora and TikTok team up - ![Kids can’t get enough of this influencer sports drink](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/903901278-HS-News-Brief_2023-02-28T004230.914Z.webp) ### Kids can’t get enough of this influencer sports drink - ![Fewer movie screens, more fun stuff](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/44882082-HS-News-Brief_2023-02-27T013417.152Z.webp) ### Fewer movie screens, more fun stuff Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. 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