Free returns are going away

If you’re thinking of sending back a disappointing gift you just received over the holidays, the return may bring even more disappointment.

If you’re thinking of sending back a disappointing gift you just received over the holidays, the return may bring even more disappointment. Americans have grown accustomed to free returns, but a growing number of retailers are charging fees as returns squeeze retailers’ bottom lines. Macy’s, Abercrombie, J. Crew, H&M and other companies have all added shipping fees for mail-in returns. And it’s not just the big mall brands, either. Eighty-one precent of merchants are now charging a fee for at least some methods of returns, according to Happy Returns, a logistics company that specializes in returns. Amazon has started charging customers a $1 fee if they return items to a UPS store when there is a Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh grocery store or Kohl’s closer to their delivery address. (Amazon owns Whole Foods and Fresh, and has a partnership deal with Kohl’s.) Amazon also recently started flagging “frequently returned” products on its website. Amazon is adding the badge to product listings on items with “significantly higher return rates for their product category,” a spokesperson said.