Before you click buy: a returns and fit checklist for online fashion
Apparel returns run at roughly a third of orders. Most of that is preventable in ninety seconds on the product page.
Industry estimates put apparel returns in India at roughly 30 to 40 per cent, with fit the most cited reason. Returns are free for you only in the narrow sense that the cost is already priced into what everybody pays.
Here is the checklist that removes most of it.
On the product page
- Open the size chart and check whether it gives body measurements or garment measurements. They mean opposite things.
- Compare against your own written measurements, or against a garment you own that fits well.
- Read the fabric composition. Stretch content, fibre and weight predict fit and comfort better than photographs do.
- Read the model note - their height and the size they are wearing calibrates every photo.
- Check the length measurement. Kurta and dress lengths vary far more than chest measurements do.
- Read the care label information. A dry-clean-only shirt is a running cost.
- Sort reviews by most recent and look for repeated comments on sizing, colour accuracy and fabric feel.
- Zoom into the fabric photo. Weave and texture are usually visible, and often more informative than the description.
Colour on screen is unreliable. Photographs are lit and edited, and every phone renders colour differently. For anything where exact shade matters - matching an existing outfit, a wedding set - reviews with customer photographs are worth more than the product images.
Reading a return policy properly
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Return window length | 7, 10, 15 or 30 days changes how much slack you have |
| Return or exchange only | Exchange-only leaves you holding store credit |
| Pickup availability at your pincode | Self-shipping a return is expensive and often unreimbursed |
| Return shipping charge | Some sellers deduct it from the refund |
| Condition requirements | Tags intact, unworn, original packaging - usually strict |
| Non-returnable categories | Innerwear, swimwear, jewellery and customised items commonly are |
| Refund timeline and method | Bank refund versus wallet credit is a real difference |
At delivery
- Record an unboxing video for anything expensive. Platforms frequently ask for one in a wrong-item or missing-item claim.
- Check the item against the order before removing tags. Tags off usually means return closed.
- Try it on the same day, while the window is at its longest.
- Photograph any defect immediately, with the tag and packaging visible.
- Do not wash it. A washed garment is not returnable anywhere.
Making a return that is accepted
Raise it within the window, choose an accurate reason, and repack with all tags, accessories and the original packaging. Keep the pickup receipt or courier tracking - most disputes come down to whether the seller acknowledges receiving the item.
If a return is rejected unfairly, escalate through the platform grievance channel first. Indian e-commerce rules require sellers and marketplaces to publish grievance officer details, and a written complaint through that route moves faster than repeated chat messages.
The habit that beats all of this
Once a brand fits you, write it down - the brand, the product type, the size, and the measurement that made it work. A short list of brands whose medium fits you is worth more than any recommendation engine.
Save the products you are considering, compare them properly rather than in three open tabs, and buy one size rather than two with the intention of returning one. The second habit is what makes the returns figure what it is.
Every score on Filtizy is shown working
The factors, weights and thresholds behind a product's number are published in full - including the ones we consider weak.
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