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?

I send about quite a bit back, probably 75%, it’s a pain so I’m buying less new clothes in general now as its a pain to send it back and just recently have got caught out with having to pay to return, I don’t mind a couple of quid but £8, to return a pair of Hoff trainers to a UK address, they were too small! I quite like buying on vinted, had some really great clothes but also had a fair amount that’s gone straight into a charity bag, so I am very picky now.

Probably about 25-30% returned. I don't buy much and I'm quite picky about the kind of things I buy because I hate the hassle of returning things.

I would never buy say trousers online though, because I know I have to try loads to find a pair that fits, even in store. I have an hourglass figure, so I'm generally stuck between a size that's too tight on the thighs or one that's so baggy on the waist it ruins the fit. Very frustrating.

That is precisely why I go into real shops and try before I buy.

I can't be bothered with schlepping to and from the post office to return stuff all the time. I also prefer the instant gratification of buying something that fits.

Try going shopping for a change.

Time, firstly. My nearest clothes shops are at least half an hour away (except a solitary branch of New Look) and I work full time. I also like to try things on at home with the rest of the outfit I think they’ll go with.
Some brands are online only, as another poster said. And many stock a wider range online than in their stores.
Shoes probably would be easier to shop for in-person but due to various foot issues I need a women’s 8.5 which is almost never available to try in store. Shoes are the only thing I find a hassle to return because they’re bulky.

I order a fair amount online and normally return very little, but this autumn I've had a bad run.

I've been trying to buy a dress for a works xmas bash, not the sort of thing I would usually go to, and have returned four dresses so far. They have all been huge despite ordering my normal size. They're more like maternity wear.

I've had to return two ski jackets for ds, and I've given up ordering shoes online, due to poor quality.

I send back or take in person (about 50/50 as I'm ALWAYS at the shops) what must be 70% of what I order. Very occasionally I go shopping with or buy clothes for my DH. With him, you can buy him a Medium in any jumper or shirt and it will fit. That just isn't the case for me as it depends what the item is made from (stretch), and in particularly how it plays with my bust.

On top of that sizes just aren't consistent so I can wear a 10 jeans in some shops but need a 12 in others. Many online retailers just don't seem to care about helping you assess, in the worst cases they don't even tell you what the item is made of or give proper measurements - 'the model is 5"9' is all you get with some.

And I would love to only shop in person but the stock levels are all over the place and there are now plenty of items which are 'online exclusives'.

The only option is to shop less, which is really not a bad thing but I thought we lived in a consumerist society where we were being incentivised to buy.

I would say I send back at least half, possibly more. It's a real pain, but I live in a small town and can't find most of what I want here. We do have clothing shops, but most of the stock is not to my liking. I've spent ages trying to find the perfect pair of jeans recently, and lost track of how many I returned - but I finally struck gold and bought two pair. I'm not in the UK and do occasionally buy from overseas, but need to be pretty sure I'm going to keep what I buy.

Oh for the days of my youth, when I could shop in person and there was a lot of choice!

I bought 4 dresses and 2 pairs of shoes. I wasn't sure if I'd need a 5 or a 6 shoes so I ordered both as in sale. 1 dress and 1 pair of shoes will be going back.

I only ever order one of something. I know exactly what I want and search until I find it and then order my usual size. If it's not right then I return it and look further. Other than some oversize sweatshirts all the clothes I own are the same size.

One thing I really wish onlines suppliers would do is give the length measurements for skirts and jeans. Telling me the model is 5ft 10 doesn't really help, nor does telling me the length for just one size.

I probably send 80% back. It’s like trying stuff on in store- you wouldn’t buy it all.

Pretty much everything goes back (and I have hardly any clothes left).
Either the fabric is horrible or it doesn't ever fit. I gave up.

Clothes - more than 50%, probably around 70%

Other stuff - a small proportion of what I buy.

Yes I do this too.

Interesting to read other people’s experience. I’m 5’3 or thereabouts; an optimistic size 10 with wide shoulders and hips and relatively long limbs for my height. I quite like an element of volume and weightiness in clothes so I’ve never bought anything from a petite range. In truth I don’t consciously think much about my own body when choosing clothes - I just go by instinct and … compulsion. Though sometimes wait months to commit to an item. For comparison, these are the levels of guidance I expect on sizing.

I’ve bought a few things from this brand but am only using this dress as an example. I might consider it if it reaches the sales. Click the size chart.

https://t-o-o-g-o-o-d.com/products/the-scuba-diver-dress-in-textured-canvas-moss

Ditto with this brand; you have to scroll right down the page (past all sorts of bumf) but the sizing guidance for this dress is there:

https://www.studionicholson.com/products/mor-dress-in-black#size-guide-module

With this brand I must admit things are a bit more hit and miss. Luckily it’s one of the very few shops I still actually enjoy visiting in person, so I do try to go in once or twice a year to get an idea of proportions, then go home and order online. (The size guide table should appear but click if it doesn’t)

https://www.margarethowell.co.uk/products/women-swing-shirt-light-cotton-silk-dusty-blue

Here, there’s a bit less guidance but it’s possible to contact the seller, so I might do that for something I’m really interested in. Example:

https://www.vestiairecollective.com/women-clothing/jackets/isabel-marant/black-cotton-isabel-marant-jacket-49150609.shtml

Obviously for any item from any brand, size isn’t the only factor. I did once return a long anticipated sales purchase because the colour turned out to be disappointingly dull, despite countless photos and a video. I rarely make a mistake with fabrics viewed online - though occasionally I’ve had to take out my contact lenses so I can get a proper close up look at stitching and seams. (I’m obsessively fussy about those things.)

Here, I just take my chances - almost always going up at least one size. I’ve done their online size checking but can’t locate size guidance on this page. Frustrating - but I haven’t had to return anything yet:

https://www.zara.com/uk/en/striped-halter-tie-top-x-stefano-pilati-p09038701.html?v1=396573962&v2=2475356

I honestly cannot imagine the bulk buying and returning model of online shopping - I would find it screamingly overwhelming and couldn’t stand the responsibility for all those clothes, nor the staggering tedium of multiple returns. (And even if I were a zillionaire living in hotel suites with a flotilla of PAs - I’d expect stores to make clothes to fit me or have seamstresses on retainer. I cannot bear excess …)

The majority of what I order for myself goes back. If I'm buying for a specific event, I usually order 3-4 dresses in one or two sizes and keep one. For casual clothes, I still usually order in two sizes. I'm losing weight at the moment so don't know my actual size and I find most shops quite inconsistent anyway. Especially when ordering from somewhere like Next that stocks a lot of brands.

I usually end up about 50:50 or better over all purchases though, as most of my son's clothes and our home purchases come from the same shops (Next, M&S) and I rarely send those back.

I buy from different brands. I'm 5''2", size 14 , occasionally a 16 but otherwise agree with you. I don't think I could cope with dealing with returns - and it just hasn't been necessary.

If I'm buying for a specific event, I usually order 3-4 dresses in one or two sizes and keep one.

For the poster who said this and the poster who orders a selection of styles and sizes of coat and keep the one I like best and anyone else* buying multiples.*

Are you loaded? Or is it all quite cheap? I couldn't imagine being out of pocket for 4x's the price of a dress to get 1 dress- even using a credit card are you not worried you might have to clear it before the returns are processed?

I can’t help thinking of the woman who accidentally damaged a wedding dress she’d ordered, tried on and had intended to return …

Most of it. I only keep a minimal amount.

Very little. As someone who runs a small online business I'm acutely aware that someone has paid in time and money to send those goods to you.

Unfortunately us tall folks have always had to shop online for most of our clothes, no choice of in store for us.

For the poster who said this and the poster who orders a selection of styles and sizes of coat and keep the one I like best and anyone else buying multiples.*
Are you loaded? Or is it all quite cheap? I couldn't imagine being out of pocket for 4x's the price of a dress to get 1 dress- even using a credit card are you not worried you might have to clear it before the returns are processed?

This is quite easy to do if you have a Next directory account especially if you buy a long while before the statement is due, as long as you get the returns back pretty quickly you won't need to pay for them

I send most back. I suspect it's much easier to have clothes fit you if you're a fairly small size and in proportion. The bigger you get, the more lumps and out of proportion bits your clothes have to accommodate.

I've been trying to find some jeans and wide leg trousers recently. I've probably ordered 20 pairs, and they've all gone back.

Also I'm fussy about fabric - I hate cheap feeling, low quality fabric, and sometimes you can't tell online.

I would love to shop in real shops again, but places rarely carry size 20 and they also rarely seem to have the things I see online.

Exactly this. I'd prefer to shop in person but shops don't stock my size. Most of what I order goes back.

Hardly anything. But I am very boring and my style hasn't changed much over the years. I did send some culottes back in the spring as they were possibly the most shapeless garment I have ever seen. Shame as the fabric was gorgeous.

About 80% goes back. Luckily I live near a Next and M&S. quality and fit is normally the issue for me.