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SAY GOOD-BYE TO FREE ONLINE RETURNS
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Jul 25, 2025
With the boom in online shopping comes a boom in returns. But retailers say those returns are costing them big bucks and now many want you to pay for the returns. I tell you how do to navigate the online return jungle and figure out how much you might have to pay and ways to make those returns more hassle free.
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[Music]
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Online shopping, it is booming. This
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year alone, Americans will spend $1.3
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trillion on e-commerce sites with 80% of
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us shopping online.
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You know, people will purchase stuff on
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sale and then maybe decide they don't
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want it.
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In fact, 39% of purchases made online
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are returned, according to a survey by
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Navar. They're a company which helps
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retailers deal with the return process.
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It's estimated the average return costs
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online retailers between 20 and $45. And
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that's one reason why some ecommerce
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sites are now charging for returns.
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Basically, you return the item and then
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they charge you a fee that isn't usually
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like the cost of the item to pay for
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restocking the item. All of which makes
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it more and more important for you to
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know how a site's return policies work.
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Especially if you're purchasing
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something and spending your money, you
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really want to take the time to read a
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return policy. Read fine print. Um to
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make sure that you know what you're
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getting yourself into with purchasing
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that item, especially if you think you
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might need to return it or there might
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be something wrong with that item. Just
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double triple check. Remember, just
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because you found it on Walmart, Amazon,
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or some other nationally known site,
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don't think that their return policy
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applies to everything you see because
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there may be third-party retailers
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piggybacking on that site.
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Sometimes those sellers have different
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policies and also their reviews can vary
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widely based on who the seller is.
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So, what if you have to send something
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back? How do you keep those returns
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hassle-free? Well, the first thing is
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make sure that you keep the original
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packaging that everything was shipped
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in. You'll also need this. It is the
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receipt that came with the items that
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were shipped. In addition, make sure
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that you have a confirmation number and
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keep any emails that might have been
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sent to you regarding your purchase.
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That way, when you talk to customer
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service and they ask for, you know, the
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receipt or the confirmation number, you
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have it readily available. Another way
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to avoid returns, know the quality of
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what you're buying.
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How important is it to read customer
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reviews before you buy?
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We definitely recommend reading customer
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reviews um because that can give you an
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insight into how the business has
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treated customers before you um before
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you have to experience it yourself. So,
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if you're looking into a seller online
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or a business online and they have tons
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of negative reviews, that can be a red
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flag. Um, you definitely should think
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more critically perhaps and do a little
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more research before choosing to
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purchase from that company.
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If you see an ad on Facebook, Instagram,
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or other social media, do not assume
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that seller is trustworthy. Also, when
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you look at a site, make sure it has
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real contact information and never ever
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buy anything via an internet ad. Go and
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find the real site online because
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internet ads can be easily faked and
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they can take you to a bad place.
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Working for you, I'm the consumer guy,
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Steve Spraer.
#Consumer Resources
#Customer Services