Return shipping

I agree with this suggested solution 100%!

I know this might stir up dissenting views, so be it, but I have always used the analogy of someone driving to Kohl's, Walmart, TJMaxx, or whatever store, making a purchase that carries a guaranteed refund and then returning that item to the store and asking the store to also reimburse them for their mileage.

Do you know of "any" store that reimburses for a customer's mileage to and from buying and returning an item for a refund?

I think you can have a look at competitors who sell similar products and see if they offer it. If they do offer free return shipping, than it would seriously affect sales conversion. If not, maybe you can consider it. At the same time, you can reduce the effect by good webdesign, to give your customer a trustworthy appearance.

Hi ADE,

I was wondering who was going to bring up Zappos. LOL

Hey, you're absolutely right, however this really comes down to the niche and the products that are being offered, among many other things.

Zappos really has no alternative but to offer free return shipping because they're selling shoes. I can try on three different pair of size 9 shoes in a store and have them all fit differently. Many people have the same experience with clothing items.

Also, Zappos is selling a LOT of shoes, are importing a LOT of shoes and have preferred corporate shipping rates that won't apply to most small businesses. That gives them a huge advantage in their market.

In addition, the fact that shoes are mostly very lightweight means that the cost of return shipping has to be a drop in the bucket for Zappos to do.

That being said, do other sites online sell shoes without a free return shipping policy? Yep. Just because one company has a great policy in place doesn't mean that they're going to put all of the others out of business.

It's simply not realistic for all businesses to offer free return shipping because some items are heavier than others. I could go on and on, but I don't have time right now.

My advice is that if he thinks it's giving him a definite advantage and he has PROOF that it's increasing his bottom line, then by all means do so. But unless he has data that proves that, I wouldn't do it.

You'd be amazed how many returns can be avoided by simply getting on the phone with the customer and asking them what the problem is. I've done this many, many times and my return rate is almost zero! Simply find out what the problem is and fix it.

Give them a discount to get them to keep it. Knock of 10, 20, 30%. If you're at least breaking even then you came out ahead, right? The customer will be happy, you won't lose any money on the sale AND you'll save the return shipping costs.

It works. :-)