If you buy your clothes online, how much of it do you send back?

[AtoB]

I just ordered four things from Next - a denim bag from Accessorise, a black jumper from Phase Eight, a Friends Like These skirt and a fluffy jacket from Joe Browns and I don’t like any of it!

The bag is huge, the jumper is not nice enough for £79, the skirt is too tight on the waist and the jacket is not my style. Add to that the too small boots I took back last week and the too big trousers, I am going to give up!

I can’t see me going round the shops and actually trying on clothes (not done that for years) so I’ll make do with what I’ve got until the spring I think.

How much of what you order do you actually keep?

Loads. They know me well in local M&S. it either doesn't fit, or doesn't look great in real life or DH points out it's similar to something (7 things) I already own...keep about 10%.

Me too. Maybe 85% goes back. It's like having a p/t job at the post office.

Quite alot. Also have the Next pass and it’s so easy to order stuff. Shame they don’t go free collections for returns now.

About half. I buy a lot from Vinted and reckon I have about 1 in 4 which is no good. I could sell on but tend to just donate to the charity shop as it's still overall much cheaper than new even when I take into account the losses.

Probably about 90%. But that’s because I’m a size 22 and nowhere stocks my size in store, apart from Yours Clothing, which I’m not that keen on, so I can’t try on in the shops.

I suspect my Next account will probably be closed soon because of my return level. But, even the stuff I do order is often crap. Finding anything at my size that fits well is nigh on impossible.

I send back about 95%, and I order a lot. Expensive stuff too.

I return about 1 in 4. I play it safe though - I buy mainly tops as I'm pretty standard on top and most will fit, or dresses with plenty of hip room that flare out.

Consequently I've ended up with tons of tops and dresses and hardly any trousers, as I know I would be returning about 90% of those as I'm more difficult shapewise and leg length. Also dresses with no length given are a a no-no as I'm short. I'm always happy to see a length given - Seasalt , Boden and M&S are generally good at doing that

At least 50% as i usually order in 2 sizes. Probably more like 75% as there'll then be things I don't like/ don't suit me.

About 10-20%. I find as long as the fabric has a little stretch in it almost always fits. Maybe I'm just 'standard' size in terms of measurements too. Trousers would be more tricky but I know the Levi size that fits me. I rarely buy stuff that I decide doesn't suit me when I try it on

I often wonder what happens to the stuff we return? Is it repackaged and sent to someone else? Or binned?!

Depends on the retailer , the price point and the amount of stock the brand carries. I'm certain the few items I've returned went back into stock. One was sold out after I bought it and then was back in stock when my return was processed. Another brand had put me on the waiting list for a particular dress in my size and e- mailed me when they got a return.

For posters like the poster who said
"I tend to shop in categories. If I want a coat for example, I will order a selection of styles and sizes and keep the one I like best"

Are you very well off that you can pay for a selection of coats and take the chance the refunds will be processed back on your credit card before you have to settle up?

Far too much and it’s destroying the planet. Am trying to shop in real shops now

Hardly anything, hate the hassle. I returned some shoes recently because they were tiny for an alleged size 6 and too expensive not to return. Think that's the only thing this year I've returned. If it's cheapish I sometimes just donate to the charity shop instead of returning, like the jeans I got from Uniqlo that looked fab on the model but made me look like a breezeblock. They were like 20 quid or something, so charity shop got them. But that doesn't happen often. I'm careful with buying jeans and trousers online because my bum and hip shape is hard-ish to fit. Tops are fine.

I mostly wear comfortable clothes rather than anything form-fitting, so pretty easy to buy online. And I'm fussy about fabric, so I spend more and check fabric comp before buying, so am rarely disappointed in that regard.

If something is beautiful but a bit too small, my daughter gets it. She's done quite well 😀

I try to keep to brands I know fit ok and probably return about half of it, I am particularly careful with footwear as it can be hard to get right so only buy from John Lewis, Next or M&S, these shops sell many brands and have free returns to store so I can try on a few pairs. Many shoe shops do not have free returns

The various cashiers in my local Next do seem to know me though, embarrassingly for my returns rather than purchases, I have a delivery pass but it's very easy for me to return free to store.

*I don't understand buying in bulk. I really don't. I don't need to compare items. I read the sizes thoroughly and am honest with myself about what size I need.
*

@IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle

You can read the sizes as thoroughly as you like, but a 'size 10' coat from somewhere like M&S will not be the same size in different styles. Sometimes it will be miles too big, other times it might be too tight.

M&S clothes often have overly long, or not long enough sleeves, or are too big on the shoulders etc. You can't tell any of this stuff from reading the size chart!

Unless you don't care about fit, I don't see how you just buy one size. To me, fit is the most important thing when buying clothes.

Ha ha - just noticed that others have also referenced M&S in relation to inconsistent sizing!

I return loads. Maybe 50%? I also have a stash of stuff that I meant to return and didn’t that will sit here until I give it to a friend or to charity.

I think Next are quite forgiving and are more like to punish you by not giving you a VIP sale invite. You have to be careful with Amazon as they close accounts if you return to much

I'm the same I always order two sizes and send back about half what I order.

I don't order much but probably about 75%, mostly down to sizing. Ordered jeans this week in two consecutive sizes based on the sizes on the website and the smaller is still massive.

Non internet shopping I probably buy less than 1 in 5 items I try on, and that's with seeing sizes/shape etc. in person.

Would it not be easier to just shop the old fashioned way? Genuine question, I only do real shops (am old) for this reason.

Hardly anything.

I rarely buy anything anywhere these days, because I find myself returning 85% of what I buy online because it doesn't fit or the photo/ description wasn't accurate. The last thing I bought online and kept was in the summer, and that was one dress out of 4 in one order- I liked the others but despite being the same size as the one I kept they were cut completely differently and didn't fit my body. I would prefer to shop in person but I don't have much variety in the town centre near where I live. I find I have to drive an hour to the nearest city to find more than just basic tshirts that fit, and even then there isn't that much choice in my size and style.

Not all brands have real shops. I buy a lot from Palava. They have one shop near King's Cross. If I've got time when I'm in London I pop in but the shop doesn't carry the full stock and I don't usually have time.

I discovered them as an online brand and had bought loads before I first visited the shop. The only thing I've ever had to return was a dress where I took an ill advised gamble it would fit. It really isn't difficult to judge what will fit.

Palava

You can tell most of that by building up knowledge about clothes.