PrettyLittleThing became the latest outlet to cause outrage last week announcing a new charge of £1.99 for any returned items and even banning customers who have 'unusual high returns.'
Free returns for online shopping could become a thing of the past as more brands look to charge their customers 'ruthless' fees for sending back unwanted items.
Experts told MailOnline that while online shopping boomed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, retailers are now grappling with 'spiralling costs' and a competitive market that makes 'standing out from the crowd difficult'. Retail expert Jonathan De Mello said: 'Given low margins online and the cost of processing returns, it is no surprise that – given rising cost of sales – even online pure plays have started to charge for returns.
But online shopping still has perks for many shoppers. They like being able to browse many items, compare prices, and shop from home. Even with return fees, some will stick to online shopping but be pickier about what they buy.' Online fashion site BooHoo was one of the first to start start charging its customers to return clothes in a bid to hold back the massive cost of handling items rejected by shoppers
A number of brands under Mike Ashley's retail empire, such as Sports Direct, House of Fraser and Matches, have also brought in return fees between £4.99 and £10, with experts warning the brand 'will cease to exist' if the levies continue. 'ASOS will have to start charging for returns as almost six per cent of its customers return almost all goods and created huge losses for ASOS in 2023' Ms Arrowsmith added.
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