The average ecommerce return rate is about 19.3% of online sales heading into 2026
Going into 2026, the most-cited benchmark for the average ecommerce return rate is 19.3% of online sales, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns 2025 Retail Returns Landscape. That is the share of online orders shoppers send back, and it sits well above the all-channel retail figure of 15.8%, which covered $849.9 billion in returned merchandise in 2025.
The headline number hides the real story: online return rates are climbing while store returns hold steady. NRF clocked online returns at 17.6% in 2024 and 19.3% in 2025. The all-retail average looks calm because brick-and-mortar pulls it down. For anyone running an online channel, the rate that matters is the online one, and it keeps rising.
- 19.3% of online sales were returned in 2025, versus 15.8% across all retail channels. (NRF / Happy Returns, 2025)
- $849.9 billion of merchandise was returned in 2025, down slightly from $890 billion in 2024. (NRF / Happy Returns)
- Online returns are trending up: 17.6% in 2024 to 19.3% in 2025. (NRF)
- Apparel and fashion lead every category at roughly 24% to 30% or higher; shoes sit near 27%. (industry trackers)
- Processing a single return costs an estimated $20 to $30 per item, within a $10 to $40 range. (reverse-logistics estimates)
- 9% of returns are fraudulent by NRF's count; Appriss Retail puts the figure far higher at 15.14%, or $103 billion in 2024. (NRF; Appriss Retail)
- 82% of consumers say free returns shape where they shop, up from 76% a year earlier. (NRF, 2025)
- Gen Z shoppers made 7.7 online returns in the past 12 months, more than any other generation. (NRF, 2025)
If you need a single figure for the average ecommerce return rate, use 19.3% of online sales (NRF / Happy Returns, 2025). Reserve the lower 15.8% number for all-retail context, since it blends in lower-returning store purchases.
How NRF and Appriss count returns differently
Return-rate figures bounce around because researchers measure different things. The NRF and Happy Returns number is built from surveys of consumers and ecommerce professionals at large merchants, and it separates the online channel from total retail. Appriss Retail, by contrast, models transaction-level data across its retail client base and reports returns as a share of all retail sales. Those are not the same metric, so the spread between them is a feature of the methodology, not an error.
| Source | What it measures | Headline figure | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRF and Happy Returns (2025) | Return rate as a share of sales, online split out from total retail | 15.8% all retail, 19.3% online, 9% of returns fraudulent | Surveys of 2,006 consumers and 358 ecommerce pros at $500M-plus merchants |
| Appriss Retail (2024) | Total returns and fraud as a share of all retail sales | 13.21% returns ($685B), 15.14% of returns fraudulent ($103B) | Transaction-level modeling across retail clients |
NRF reports an online-only rate (19.3%); Appriss reports an all-retail rate (13.21%). The fraud gap is wider still, 9% versus 15.14%, because the two use different definitions and detection methods. When you cite a return rate, name the source and say whether it is online or all-channel.
Return rates by product category
The average masks enormous variation by category. Apparel and footwear drive the bulk of ecommerce returns, fueled by fit and sizing problems and by bracketing, where shoppers buy several sizes intending to send most back. Lower-touch categories like health and beauty return at a fraction of the apparel rate, partly because hygiene rules block many returns outright. Figures vary by source and year, so treat these as typical ranges rather than precise constants.
| Category | Typical online return rate | Primary driver |
|---|---|---|
| Apparel and fashion | ~24% to 30%+ | Fit and sizing, bracketing |
| Shoes | ~27% | Fit and comfort |
| Consumer electronics | ~10% to 15% | Buyer's remorse, defects |
| Home and furniture | ~8% to 12% | Transit damage, expectation gap |
| Health and beauty | ~4% to 8% | Lowest, hygiene and no-return rules |
Source: composite of industry returns trackers, including Statista's most-returned online categories. Category rates vary widely by retailer and reporting year.
What sending one item back actually costs
A return is not just a refund. By the time an item ships back, gets inspected, and either restocks or gets marked down, retailers spend an estimated $20 to $30 per item, and the figure can reach $40 once markdowns on unsellable goods are counted. No single body publishes an authoritative average, so the number below is a modeled build-up from the cost components reverse-logistics analysts track.
| Cost component | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Return shipping | $8 to $12 |
| Receiving and inspection labor | $4 to $6 |
| Restocking and inventory | $2 to $3 |
| Customer service | $3 to $5 |
| Payment processing | $2 to $3 |
| Markdown on unsellable items | $8 to $15 on roughly 20% of returns |
There is no official average cost per return. The $20 to $30 range is a composite from reverse-logistics analyses and trade press, shown here as a component build-up so the figure is defensible. Your real number depends on category, item value, and how much returned stock you can resell at full price.
Why January is the returns avalanche
Returns are not spread evenly across the year. Retailers expect about 17% of holiday-season sales to come back, and the volume lands in a tight window. Return requests spike roughly 25% to 45% above baseline in the days right after Christmas, turning early January into the single hardest stretch for reverse-logistics operations. NRF found retailers plan to absorb that wave by leaning harder on third-party logistics providers (49%), hiring seasonal returns staff (43%), and extending return windows (37%).
Bracketing, free returns, and the Gen Z effect
Shopper habits keep the rate high. Most consumers admit to at least one costly returns behavior, from bracketing to wardrobing. Bracketing alone, ordering multiple sizes with the intent to return most, is now standard practice in apparel. Free returns have hardened into an expectation: 82% of consumers say they factor it into where they buy, and 76% prefer options that grant an instant refund or exchange. Gen Z amplifies all of it, averaging 7.7 online returns over 12 months, more than any older group. The catch for retailers is that these same high-returners are often high-frequency, high-spend customers, which is why few brands simply ban them.
Common questions about ecommerce return rates
What is the average ecommerce return rate in 2026?
The most-cited benchmark is about 19.3% of online sales, based on the NRF and Happy Returns 2025 Retail Returns Landscape. The all-retail average, blending online and in-store, is lower at 15.8%.
Why are online return rates higher than in-store?
Shoppers cannot touch, try on, or test online purchases before buying, so fit, sizing, and expectation gaps drive more returns. Bracketing, ordering several sizes to keep one, is far more common online.
Which product category has the highest return rate?
Apparel and footwear. Online apparel commonly returns at 24% to 30% or higher, and shoes sit near 27%, both driven by fit. Health and beauty return at the lowest rates, often under 8%.
How much does it cost to process a return?
An estimated $20 to $30 per item once shipping, inspection, restocking, customer service, and markdowns are counted. The figure can hit $40 for items that cannot be resold at full price.
What percentage of returns are fraudulent?
It depends on the source. NRF reports 9% of returns are fraudulent, while Appriss Retail estimates 15.14%, or $103 billion in losses for 2024. The two use different definitions and detection methods.
What is bracketing?
Bracketing is buying multiple sizes or colors of the same item with the intent to keep one and return the rest. It is a leading driver of apparel returns and is most common among younger shoppers.
When do most ecommerce returns happen?
The heaviest volume hits right after the winter holidays. Retailers expect about 17% of holiday sales to be returned, and return requests jump 25% to 45% above normal in the days after Christmas.
What the return rate actually tells you
The number worth citing for the average ecommerce return rate is roughly 19.3% of online sales, not the softer 15.8% all-retail figure that gets quoted out of context. Online returns are rising, the cost of each one runs $20 to $30 or more, and the fraud share could be anywhere from 9% to 15% depending on whose methodology you trust. Any reporter or operator using a single return-rate stat should say which source it came from and whether it covers online or all retail.
For operators, the takeaway is that returns are now a core cost center, not an afterthought. The brands handling it best treat reverse logistics as a designed system: clearer sizing and product detail to cut returns at the source, faster processing to recover resale value, and fraud screening to plug the 9% to 15% leak. Returns will not shrink on their own, especially with Gen Z and bracketing pushing the other way, so the rate you should care about is not the industry average but your own, measured by category and trended over time.
How we built this
This page leads with the NRF and Happy Returns 2025 Retail Returns Landscape, the most widely cited US returns study, which surveyed 2,006 consumers and 358 ecommerce professionals at large merchants in summer 2025. We pair it with Appriss Retail's 2024 returns and fraud research to surface where methodologies diverge. Category rates are a composite of industry trackers and should be read as ranges, not fixed values. The per-return cost is a modeled build-up from reverse-logistics cost components, not an official statistic. Dollar and percentage figures are attributed to their source year inline.
- NRF and Happy Returns: Consumers Expected to Return Nearly $850 Billion in Merchandise in 2025
- NRF: 2025 Retail Returns Landscape
- NRF and Happy Returns: 2024 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry
- Appriss Retail: Fraudulent Returns and Claims Cost Retailers $103B in 2024
- Statista: Most-returned product categories purchased online
- McKinsey: Modernizing reverse logistics