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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Is This the Beginning of the End for Free Returns?

For much of the last two decades, online retailers have competed to offer cheaper, more convenient shopping experiences. What happens when one of the world’s biggest apparel sellers bucks the trend?
Zara return boxes.
Zara has begun charging UK customers £1.95 ($2.44) to return online purchases by mail. (Shutterstock)

This week, the BBC reported that Zara had earlier this month begun charging UK customers £1.95 ($2.44) to return online purchases by mail. The policy — already in place in 37 other countries — doesn’t apply to online orders returned in stores.

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