Do you 'shop and return' online clothes?
By Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
Northampton, England
May 30, 2016 7:29am CST
One of the top articles on the news today has been about people who shop online for clothes and return them. (You can tell it's a bank holiday if this really is the best that they can come up with today).
Apparently retailers are complaining that too many customers who buy clothes online don't keep them all and the costs of mailing the items to the customer and then returning them to the supplier are driving up prices.
It's not really surprising that people DO return clothes as anybody - whether they shop online or in stores - will know that there's very little consistency in sizing between brands or even within brands. Consequently many people will order the same item in two or three sizes and send back the ones that don't fit.
Personally I think some of the moaning from companies is unjustified. Instead of paying the costs of running a store - staff, business rates, the cost of shop-lifting, turning on the lights and the heating - they are able to run a business 'virtually' and reduce costs (apart from postage) quite significantly.
I do order clothes from a few stores where I know and trust the sizing and most times I keep what I order - but if I'm honest, I probably do it out of laziness more than anything else.
Do you buy clothes online and if you don't, why not?
22 people like this
27 responses
@toniganzon (72285)
• Philippines
30 May 16
I don't because I don't like buying clothes that I couldn't try on. I need to see how it looks like when I'm wearing it and if it's a perfect fit for me.
4 people like this
@transcendent (709)
• Xian, China
30 May 16
But you can see a great many kinds of clothes in a very short time, which is impossible for you to experience in the physical stores. Maybe, you can surf online first and go to the physical stores later.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72285)
• Philippines
30 May 16
@transcendent Nope not my style. I like shopping and i like going through things. I never shop for shoes and clothes online. I buy makeup online that's not available in my country.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
30 May 16
it's hard to do that when you cant try it on. I do for a few things, hubbys boots, but we know EXACTLY which brand size and pair to get, so we just keep rebuying those
2 people like this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
30 May 16
I don't for the reason that I can't try it on and would hate to return something because it didn't look or feel right, or that I got the wrong size.
The one time I did purchase clothing online was a pair of steel toe boots and that was because I couldn't find any around here that looked good and didn't cost a lot.
I found the perfect pair (the picture I uploaded are the boots I got) and I can't remember if it was my fault or the store's, but when the boots came, they were not steel toed and that is what I needed for my Geology class. When I contacted them about it, they got the shipping info from me to ship out a pair of steel toe and when I asked about shipping the other boots back to them, they just said keep them. So this leads me to wonder, is it cheaper for the store to take a loss on a product rather than pay for shipping?
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
30 May 16
@boiboing Yeah, but if a company wants their product back, then depending on what service they use, it can be a real hassle. Like FedEx, I have to travel over the state line in order to mail something from there.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
30 May 16
@Carmelanirel2 That sounds like a real pain.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458212)
• Switzerland
30 May 16
I buy online, clothes and shoes. I order for two stores, where I know that the sizes are correct and I do not have to return them. Instead of complaining, they should ask to pay the postage for returns, people would think twice before ordering several items and then send back.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159058)
• Boise, Idaho
30 May 16
I have had to return things sometimes. Some of the sizing is way off on some sites. I hate to have to package items up and send them back. It is a lot easier now than it used to be however.
@celticeagle (159058)
• Boise, Idaho
30 May 16
@boiboing ....I don't go out and buy online for the most part. I try to shop from the places I know and have experience with their sizing so I don't have to send anything back.
@wittynet (4421)
• Philippines
31 May 16
In the province, people don't have etiquette especially the old ones. They ask whatever they want to ask and ask why you don't answer the question. I noticed right away that you had bad experiences that's why you were worried what the question will be. I can relate because I have met so many people who don't really care what others feel. They ask what they want and force people to answer as if they are God. 
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
31 May 16
That's a good point. A lot of clothes aren't perfect after they've been washed a few times. If it's near enough, I'm pretty happy.
@HazySue (39264)
• Gouverneur, New York
30 May 16
@boiboing I shop online at Zulily. I love their stuff. I have bought many items of clothing from them and have been pleased by every one. I have not sent anything back. I think the online stores make a good profit, but to tell the truth I wouldn't buy something in two or three sizes planning to send part of the order back.
@crystalvisions (440)
• United Kingdom
31 May 16
Typical UK Bank holiday online news, then! I have bought some clothes online but still prefer visiting a shop to see the article and try it on. A few companies literally "try it on" online with promises of 100% cotton etc, only for the actual products to be less than that percentage. Not just with sizes, no wonder people are returning the clothing.
@trivia79 (7828)
• El Segundo, California
31 May 16
i don't buy clothes online. their sizes varies. a small in this shop is medium in my size, etc.
@bwjsdems (496)
• New Zealand
31 May 16
I don't buy clothes online for myself as the size variation is too great. I used to buy baby/young children clothes online as the sizes were more consistent. i can't think of anything worse than online shopping for a nice dress or top and then finding that it doesn't fit.
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
30 May 16
I shop online just did yesterday and I do return also if the clothes does not fit properly.
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
30 May 16
I very rarely buy clothes online. I prefer to try them on in the shop rather than have the hassle of trying them on at home and having to go to the Post Office to return them. It's more convenient to go shopping than it is to buy online, for me, clothes-wise. I'll buy shoes online but only if I know they're going to fit me.
@miniam (9154)
• Bern, Switzerland
30 May 16
Ordered about 10 outfits for my vacation last year, took long to get here, they arrived on the day l was travelling.ALL were baby sizes,i did not order baby size, im a woman with womanly curves.
I could not return anything,l was flying out for 4 weeks.But then and there i made up my mind,
Internet clothes are not for real women with women curves.
