A MAJOR fashion brand has begun charging for returns after previously offering them for free.
H&M has followed in the footsteps of the likes of Boohoo, Zara and New Look and will now charge £1.99 per return.
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The huge Swedish-owned retailer has updated its policy on its website.
Shoppers returning parcels both in store and via courier are now charged, with the cost coming out of their refund.
Those who are H&M members, which is free sign up to, still get to return their hauls for free though.
On the H&M website it says: “There is a £1.99 return fee per return parcel to store or online for non-members which will be deducted from your refund.”
It goes on to say that shoppers won’t be charged the fee if the item they’re bringing back is faulty or incorrect.
A spokesperson for H&M reportedly told the BBC that the new policy kicked in over the summer.
The Sun has reached out to the chain for comment.
You can sign up to be an H&M member on the retailer’s website.
The move follows other big name retailers who have brought in similar changes over the past few years since online shopping orders surged in the pandemic.
New Look began charging £1.99 to return online orders as part of a nationwide trial in February.
Before that Boohoo also began the practise in July last year, while continuing to offer free returns for its “premier” customers.
In May 2022, fashion chain Zara also brought a fee for those looking to bring back parcels, it now charges £1.95 for the service.
Next gives customers 14 days to return their orders, but still charges £2.50 to take them back.
A host of retailers including Mountain Warehouse, THG and Moss Bros have also added a charge for shoppers to return items bought online.
Online returns are an expensive business according to experts, and since the pandemic the number of shopping hauls returned for refunds have skyrocketed.
Jamie Cairns, chief strategy officer at ecommerce firm Fluent Commerce, said: “Following this latest announcement, I think we’ll see more online retailers charging for returns.
“Most retailers will be familiar with the challenges created by customers who both buy and return lots of products.
“Identifying these buy/return patterns is becoming an important step in effectively predicting the potential level of returns, which in turn, can help prevent excess stock replenishment.”
Other ways to save on your online shop
While it may not always be sale season, there are loads of ways to save on your clothes shopping.
Find secret sales – sometimes you’ll find there aren’t many sales going on when you enter your favourite retailer, but that’s because they’re probably shifted online.
You can also try price matching to make sure you’re getting a great deal, and sometimes that uncovers a hidden deal.
Always keep a look out for voucher codes and coupons too – they can also save you up to 25% off or even half price in certain stores.
You can find great sales and promotions with our checker.
You can also use cashback schemes which will, quite literally, pay you to shop.
The likes of Top Cashback and Quidco are great for that – if you want to buy something, rather than directly visiting the retailer’s website, you click the company via a cashback site, such as the two listed above, and you get paid for it.
And remember to never pay for postage and packaging if you can help it – a lot of retailers offer free shipping once you spend a specific amount.
Or if there’s going to be an extra shipping cost, decide whether you can go and pick your order up from a nearby store.
Meanwhile, we’ve rounded up the full list of retailers which charge for returns.
Plus, Depop is making a big change to payments within weeks and fans are really not impressed.
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