Big Sales Big Returns

Yep, we’ve had about 8 returns the last last months that was much more than usual. Several were over $100. We definitely sell more than get returned, but those returns are painful.

AtomicStar, I’m just curious how you show/list measurements? I try not to sell clothing-although I do have a death pile of clothing to be listed-just to get rid of it. When I do/did list clothing, I try to show measurements in a flat lay using 4-5 tape measures at once. As an example:
If I am selling a blouse, I grab 6 tape measures (showing the front of the blouse). Tape measures can be purchased for .99 at Joann, so they are cheap.
-I show one on the sleeve length, one across the chest (from arm hole to armhole),
-one from shoulder at the neckline to the hem,
-one across the hip/hem area
-one across the waist area
-one across the upper arm/muscle area
-maybe one at the wrist (depending on the style of the blouse)
Then I do the same to the back of the blouse
I do this using/showing all 6 tape measures at once to give the buyer a good idea if the garment will fit them (hopefully, lessening the chances of a return).
It. Is. Time. Consuming. Which is why I don’t care for listing/selling clothing, and why I’m dreading said death pile.
I’d be interested to hear how you show your clothes. Do you use a mannequin/dress form? Flat lay? Hanger? While I’m always of the school of thought that more photos are best, there is always going to be some customers you just. cannot. please!

I know exactly how you feel. I figure returns are the price I pay for listing things that are easy to find, store and ship.

I almost always list the measurements when I list clothing and I still get 1. questions about whether something will fit someone, and 2. returns. I don’t think many people know their own measurements.

My “favorite” clothing returns are the messages that say “I have 3 other dresses by this same designer in this size that fit, but this one doesn’t. There must be something wrong with it.” Suuuure there is lady – or maybe you aren’t that size anymore? Of course I don’t say that, I just roll my eyes and accept the return.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Julie B.

I am a minimalist measurement person. A shirt gets underarm and length measurement. Pants get waist rise and inseam. That’s it and I don’t usually respond to any other requests. Hip measurements are almost impossible unless you say measure five inches down from the waistband and spell it out in the listing and it just seems like most people don’t read it anyway. Usually the ones that ask for a sleeve opening are super picky and aren’t going to purchase unless it is exactly right and you have just wasted your time. Seems to work pretty well.

I completely understand AtomicStar! I just listed a few clothing items that I had listed 2 years ago. I used the same photos I took 2 years ago and while I prefer to show the measurements, to minimize returns (wishful thinking), I did not do that in these listings. I may go back and do that, but not sure. I have a lot going on right now.
That is what I do not like about selling clothing. Returns. Ugh.

I just checked my clothing returns. In the last 18 months I’ve had 13 returns on clothing.
1 was because there was a stain I missed.
1 was a false INAD that I fought and got refunded the shipping on.

The other 11 were standard returns due to fit. The buyers all happily paid return shipping and I don’t refund original shipping.

I don’t have a great way to easily identify all clothing items in Godaddy bookeeping for that time frame, but just using keywords I see 315 clothing sales in the last 18 months. So I have just over 4% return rate for clothes. That sounds worse than it is though. I’ll gladly take 13 returns in order to sell over 300 items.