Check before you click: warning over overseas returns costs
Online shoppers in Oxfordshire are being urged to check where they would need to send unwanted purchases back before buying, following complaints about unexpected overseas return postage costs.
Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team issued the warning after receiving numerous complaints from shoppers who bought from websites that appeared to target UK customers. They later discovered they had to return goods overseas, sometimes at their own expense.
Some online retailers use a business model known as ‘dropshipping’. This means they take the order but a separate supplier, which may be based overseas, sends the goods directly to the customer.
Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “Finding out that you have to pay to return an unwanted purchase overseas can come as an unwelcome surprise. Postage costs can be particularly high for bulky items, or make returning a lower-priced purchase poor value for money.
“Before you click ‘buy’, take a moment to check who you are buying from, where returns need to go and who pays the postage. Prices in pounds or a .co.uk website address do not necessarily mean the business is based in the UK.
“Dropshipping is not necessarily a problem, but it is worth checking how delivery and returns work and what it could cost to send an item back.”
Before placing an order, shoppers should:
- Read the website’s returns and cancellation policy before paying.
- Check where goods would need to be returned.
- Check whether the customer or retailer is responsible for return postage costs.
- Find the business’s name and physical address, not just an email address or contact form.
- Do not assume a business is UK-based because its website uses pounds, has a .co.uk address or advertises to UK shoppers.
- Consider the cost of returning an item overseas, particularly for bulky or lower-priced products.
- Save a copy or screenshot of the returns terms when placing the order.
- Be cautious if it is difficult to find information about the business behind the website.
- Check a business’s reviews before making a purchase to get an idea of any issues
Shoppers generally have the right to cancel many online purchases. In some circumstances, they may have to pay the direct cost of returning goods, but they must have been told about this before buying.
Different rights apply if goods are faulty, not as described or do not meet the terms of the purchase. Shoppers should not assume a retailer can make them pay overseas return costs in every situation.
Davina Walkin, operations manager for Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team, said: “Online retailers must give shoppers clear information before they buy. Websites should explain who runs the business, how customers can cancel an order and any return costs they may have to pay.
“The message to shoppers is: check before you click. Find out who you are buying from, where returns have to go and who will have to pay for them.”
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