What kind of online purchases are most commonly sent back?

Answer: Clothing

Questions: 

• What factors could contribute to these items’ high return rate?
• Do you think online retailers could reduce these return rates? Why or why not?
• What might be the larger social impacts of high consumer return rates?

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Statista):

"When asked about "Most returned online purchases by category", most U.S. respondents pick "Clothing" as an answer. 24 percent did so in our online survey in 2024."

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Returns are not really free as you will discover in this Planet Money podcast, No such thing as a free return. 

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.

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