Think before you shop online, as Mother Earth pays the hidden price each time you return an item bought on an e-commerce site; Experts give a lowdown
The moment a shopper clicks “BUY NOW,” another promise quietly seals the deal: FREE RETURNS. It is the safety net of online shopping, especially for fashion, electronics, and lifestyle products. Unsure about the size? Order two. Didn’t like the colour? Send it back. Changed your mind? No problem. For consumers, free returns feel like freedom. However, for the planet and the people powering e-commerce, they come at a steep, largely invisible cost. Over the last decade, India’s e-commerce boom has reshaped how people shop. Convenience, speed, and generous return policies have turned online platforms into default marketplaces. “No-questions-asked” returns are increasingly common.
What happens after a product goes back rarely enters the consumer’s imagination.
Packaging Problem
Sustainability experts point out that ‘returns’ significantly inflate the carbon footprint of e-commerce. Every return means packaging twice. First, the original shipment: cardboard boxes, plastic mailers, bubble wraps, tapes, labels. Then, the return trip, often made using fresh packaging. Not to forget, the fuel consumption of delivery vehicles that bring the goods to your doorstep. “Transportation emissions can double or even triple for returned items,” says Nidhi Shah, a sustainability consultant. “Add to that the waste generated from extra packaging, and the environmental cost becomes enormous.”
Sustainability vs Convenience
As climate concerns grow, some global brands have begun rethinking return policies. A few charge a small return fee or offer store credit instead of refunds. Others use data analytics to flag habitual returners or limit free returns for certain categories. In India, such measures are still sensitive. Consumers are quick to voice dissatisfaction. “Consumers don’t realise that ordering five sizes and returning four has a real environmental impact,” says the sustainability consultant. “Trans-parency is key. If platforms clearly communicate this cost, behaviour can change.”
Invisible Return Fee
When a customer schedules a return, the process looks deceptively simple. A delivery executive arrives, scans a barcode, and takes the package away. But that package often travels hundreds of kilometres before reaching a warehouse or seller. From there, it is unpacked, inspected, sorted, repackaged, and either resold, discounted, repaired, or discarded. “People think returns just go back to the shelf,” says a warehouse supervisor at a large fulfilment centre on the outskirts of Mumbai. “But in reality, many returned items cannot be resold as new. Even a torn seal or damaged box reduces its value.”
In the online fashion industry, returns are particularly problematic. A dress worn once, a shirt missing tags, or shoes with visible creases may be deemed unsellable. These items often end up in clearance sales, liquidation channels, or, in most cases, overflowing landfills.
The Human Cost
India already struggles with plastic waste management. Light-weight courier bags and protective packaging are rarely recycled. While some platforms have experimented with reusable packaging or paper-based alternatives, these initiatives remain limited and negligible compared to the scale of the returns.
Free returns are not free for the people handling them. “A return pickup takes as much time as a delivery, sometimes more,” says Ramesh Jethwa, a delivery worker in Mumbai. “Customers are sometimes not ready, or they argue about return reasons. But it still counts against our targets.”
Warehouse workers face their own pressures. Returned items must be processed quickly to minimise losses. This means long hours of manual inspection, sorting, and repackaging. During sale seasons, return volumes surge, leading to extended shifts and physically demanding work. “There is more scrutiny on returned goods,” says a former quality check worker at an e-commerce warehouse. “You have to decide fast whether it can be resold."
Free Return Facade
Despite the costs, retailers continue to offer free returns because consumers expect them. In a highly competitive market, strict return policies can drive customers away. “Free returns reduce hesitation at the point of purchase,” explains Rahul Chauhan a retail analyst. “They increase conversion rates and build trust, especially for first-time buyers.” For large platforms, the losses from returns are often absorbed as part of customer acquisition costs. Smaller sellers, how-ever, suffer disproportionately.
“A single return can wipe out the profit on multiple orders,” says a garment seller based in Nagpur.
Responsible Shopping
There is a growing conversation around responsibility. Should the cost of returns be shared? Should frequent returners pay more? Should brands design products and packaging with circularity in mind? Logistics companies, too, are experimenting with route optimisation and electric vehicles to cut emissions. But experts agree that efficiency alone cannot offset the sheer volume of returns.
For the consumer, free returns feel like a win. There is no immediate cost, no visible trade-off. But the true price is paid elsewhere: in overflowing landfills, in rising emissions, and in the labour of workers racing against algorithms and deadlines. As online shopping continues to grow, the question is not whether free returns are convenient, but whether they are sustainable. The next time a return is scheduled for a minor reason, it may be worth pausing to consider the long journey that package will take and the people and resources it will consume along the way.
Sensible Shopping
• Technology offers partial solutions. Better size guides, virtual try-ons, and more accurate product descriptions can reduce unnecessary returns.
• Some brands invest in quality control at the manufacturing stage to prevent defects that lead to returns.
