# Would you return a product you had used? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2024, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341 "2024-09-16T12:10:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/21 "2024-09-16T15:58:54Z")
I am terrible about returning things, so I probably would not have. My wife is more liberal in this regard and she’ll buy a bunch of stuff, try it on, and, if she doesn’t like it, return it. I don’t have that kind of energy of shopping-and-returning. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/22 "2024-09-16T16:03:28Z")
I missed the edit, but the OP sounds like they were conscientious and did nothing wrong. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/23 "2024-09-16T16:10:13Z")
That’s kind of how clothes shopping works these days, though. If you want to sell clothing online, you’ll get MUCH more sales if you have a good return policy - especially free returns. It’s not uncommon at all to buy the same piece in 2-3 sizes because you just don’t know how they will fit. Heck, Zappos (shoes) encourages this, I believe. Clothing stores do a lot to do what they can to make sales “stick” - such as free shipping to stores only, and free returns at stores only (so you go in to the store and maybe buy something else while you’re there), and no returns on clearance items. At online-only places like catalog stores (Roaman’s, etc) and Amazon, buying a bunch of clothing to try on and return is really the only way to shop. Places like Temu and Shein seem to make it not worth anyone’s while to return clothing, by selling it ridiculously cheap. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/24 "2024-09-16T16:16:12Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’m a little surprised at the folk commenting on how expensive LL Bean stuff is. We tend to buy a lot of stuff from Bean, REI, Eddie Bauer… (My wife does a lot of our shopping, or directs me to one or the other. I’m pretty sure she has an opinion as to whether one or the other’s quality has slid, but I’m ignorant of that, and do not distinguish between such brands.) Didn’t think one was more/less expensive than the other. I believe they are much cheaper than brands like Arcteryx or even Orvis But they’re a lot more expensive than big box store knockoffs. You’re comparing midrange to high end. Those of us calling Bean etc. expensive are comparing Bean to low end. Some of the difference is quality. But some of it is the return policies. (I was going to say that some of it is service, but the one time I tried a brick-and-mortar Bean outlet the service was terrible.) > [@Balthisar](#): > > UCC warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, right? If something isn’t working for you in the way you intended, then it’s not suitable for the purpose you intended Not if “the way you intended” is unreasonable for the product. It isn’t really “the way the purchaser intended”, it’s more like “functional for the purpose it was advertised for.” If it’s sold as slip-resistant shoes and the soles are actually slippery as hell, it’s not fit for the purpose. If you bought the shoes to impress your date and they weren’t impressed, that’s got nothing to do with their fitness for their purpose. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > If you want to sell clothing online, you’ll get MUCH more sales if you have a good return policy - especially free returns. It’s not uncommon at all to buy the same piece in 2-3 sizes because you just don’t know how they will fit. Heck, Zappos (shoes) encourages this, I believe. Yeah; and a whole lot of that stuff gets thrown out, doing environmental damage both as waste and in the wasted energy used in creating it and in the wasted energy used to ship it to the consumer, back to the store, and out to where it gets thrown away. We really ought to stop doing that crap. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/25 "2024-09-16T16:16:55Z")
My gf orders lots of clothing online. Reputable sellers as well as Facebook. When she gets her package, if she isn’t happy with it she donates it to a local shop. If the reason for her displeasure is poor quality, she will not order from the seller ever again. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/26 "2024-09-16T16:19:48Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Yeah; and a whole lot of that stuff gets thrown out, doing environmental damage both as waste and in the wasted energy used in creating it and in the wasted energy used to ship it to the consumer, back to the store, and out to where it gets thrown away. We really ought to stop doing that crap. Yes it’s insane and very wasteful but who’s going to stop doing it first? If Old Navy went offline and you had to buy all of their clothing in person, while every other clothier still sells online…well, Old Navy will quickly go out of business. Even if you make it hard (expensive) to do returns, unwanted clothing will remain unwanted and find it’s way to the dump. Fast fashion is a tough case to crack. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/27 "2024-09-16T16:21:50Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Yes it’s insane and very wasteful but who’s going to stop doing it first? Probably the people who wind up literally underwater or dead of heat stroke first. I’m afraid the line I quoted may be what they put on this society’s tombstone. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/28 "2024-09-16T16:36:06Z")
I’d only return a used item if it was faulty in some way or otherwise not fit for purpose (so the limit on the amount of use would be that which was necessary to test it, establish that it was faulty, or until it failed in an unreasonably short time. A dear friend of mine once tried to return a pair of shoes when the sole came loose after only a day of wearing them - this (that is, returning them) seems completely reasonable to me as shoes are supposed to last more than a day - the person in the shop disagreed though, apparently, and argued “Ahh, but you’ve been _walking_ in these shoes - you can’t return them now!” - needless to say they did back down from this stance and provide a refund as soon as he invoked the Sale of Goods Act. I would return an item in new condition if I changed my mind, if it was no longer in new condition, but not faulty, I would not return it even if the store policy permitted it. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/29 "2024-09-16T16:56:23Z")
_I would only return it after use if I found it to be defective in some way or literally unsuited for my needs (wrong model/size/etc)._ I’ve returned things occasionally, but rarely. I once returned a router to Netgear because I couldn’t get it to work and their tech services were no help. Many retailers will take anything back just for public relations purposes but there are some that are real pricks. Target, for example. I bought a set of Sony computer speakers. They were not set up to try out and it was the last box on the shelf, so I took a chance a bought them. Got them home, plugged them in, and didn’t like the sound quality. I didn’t even unravel the wires. I put them back in the box and returned to the store, intending to buy a more expensive pair of Bose speakers. They refused to take them back because I had opened the box. I explained that they were good as new and could be put back on the shelf. The department manager said that they wouldn’t take them back “just because you don’t like how they sound.” I was furious, and I did something I never do unless pushed to be edge by stupidity: I made a scene. To no avail. It was about 6 years before I ever set foot in Target again, because they had something no one else had, and wouldn’t you know, that was the time they got hacked and people’s debit and credit card numbers got compromised. After that, I decided to never shop there unless it was unavoidable and I could pay cash. I figured I spent about $5,000 a year at Target, which they were willing to kiss off over a 99-dollar set of computer speakers. That’s not good public relations. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/30 "2024-09-16T23:46:51Z")
That’s how I feel as well. Just because it turns out to not meet my needs doesn’t imply that the vendor should eat the cost of changing. That’s my mistake, not theirs, so I should bear that cost. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/31 "2024-09-16T23:55:38Z")
A big box retailer I used to work for had a “zero returns” policy for big screen TVs sold within 30 days previous of the Super Bowl. It was a preventative measure to stop the Super Bowl party TV renters. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/32 "2024-09-17T00:48:28Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Personally? I would only return it after use if I found it to be defective in some way or literally unsuited for my needs (wrong model/size/etc). Just not preferring it wouldn’t be enough for me to bring it back. I concur. But in those cases (defective) I would return even if it could not be resold. I get some clothes sometimes from Amazon, and sometimes the Chinese sizes are so far off from reality, it is ridiculous. > [@Shalmanese](#): > > LL Bean wants to encourage exactly your sort of buyer’s regret to be reversed without penalty. You thought duffel bags would work for you, you tried them, you didn’t like them. If you know there’s hassle free returns, the next time you’re on the fence about an expensive LL Bean purchase, you’re more likely to pull the trigger first. At the end of the day, the belief is that the increase in impulse buys outweighs the cost of processing returns. Yep, they are good with that. I had an old LL Bean watch that had just stopped working, and they exchanged it, with hardly a grumble. Orvis does the same. > [@kayaker](#): > > He went to a Montgomery Wards and bought the best paint spraying device they had, took it home, and painted his house. That, imho is being a jerk and stealing. > [@Spiderman](#): > > REI’s used to be forever for members but they chopped it back to one year a number of years ago (because some people were abusing it). Yep, this was common on the pacific coast trail, etc- buy a pair of REI boots, wear them out on the trail, and return them. I think that is kinda bogus. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’m a little surprised at the folk commenting on how expensive LL Bean stuff is. We tend to buy a lot of stuff from Bean, REI, Eddie Bauer… Yep. LL Bean, Orvis, Carhartt more expensive than cheap crap but their products are worth it. They wear like iron, and the fit RIGHT. I can buy a pair of Orvis shorts or pants in my normal waist size and i know they will fit. What is funny- I can wear a Carhartt T Shirt in XL, but when I see “made in China” I ordinarily get it in 3XL. They fit about the same. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > If you want to sell clothing online, you’ll get MUCH more sales if you have a good return policy - especially free returns. It’s not uncommon at all to buy the same piece in 2-3 sizes because you just don’t know how they will fit. And see, they know the problem, and you have to solve it by ordering 3 of the same shirt to make sure one fits. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > But they’re a lot more expensive than big box store knockoffs. But they are worth it. I have some pairs of Orvis shorts that are 20 years old. And not just shorts. > [@XOldiesJock](#): > > I figured I spent about $5,000 a year at Target, which they were willing to kiss off over a 99-dollar set of computer speakers. That’s not good public relations. We both gave up on Target, it used to be one of my wife’s favorite stores, but their quality went to shit, along with their customer service. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/33 "2024-09-17T01:07:53Z")
I’m too lazy to return stuff even if it’s clothes that don’t fit or something obviously defective. I guess if something is expensive enough i may try. So no, i wouldn’t have returned those duffle bags. But i agree that it’s LL Bean’s policy to make returns painless to encourage impulse purchases, and i see nothing wrong with returning them if you bought them in good faith, and decided they didn’t with for you. Especially if they still look new. The company may be able to resell that. Buy even if not, that’s their policy, and there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of what they offer. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/34 "2024-09-17T12:11:46Z")
Nope. Never. I would donate them. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/35 "2024-09-17T12:44:56Z")
Normally, no I wouldn’t return things I used. This does remind me of my days at Radio Shack, our two biggest fake rental items were detectors - Radar and Metal. Kids would buy a nice radar detector to drive down to Florida, then return it when they got home. Radar detectors were bought to find something specific then returned once the thing was found. I vividly recall my manager saying he asked a lady why she was returning the metal detector and she said “It didn’t find the ring I was looking for.” and he desperately wanted to ask if she would have kept the detector if the ring was found. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/36 "2024-09-17T13:50:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t have that kind of energy of shopping-and-returning. I find it takes more of my energy to go to multiple stores where I’m still trying a bunch of stuff on to see how it looks on me. There are certain basic items of clothing that I can buy and never have to return - jeans or T shirts. But aside from those, I can’t just buy size X pants or a size Y shirt because size X in this style fits differently than size X in a different style from the same company. If the item is really inexpensive, I won’t bother returning it even if it doesn’t fit - but not everything I buy online is that inexpensive. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/37 "2024-09-17T13:53:32Z")
I admit, I’m a guy so it’s easier for me with sizing and I only shop for clothes maybe once a year. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/38 "2024-09-17T14:19:10Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Personally? I would only return it after use if I found it to be defective in some way or literally unsuited for my needs (wrong model/size/etc). Just not preferring it wouldn’t be enough for me to bring it back. > > That’s not to imply you did anything wrong but just how I operate. I feel the same way. And in addition if I try to return the item I’ll find that they just changed that policy yesterday and won’t accept the returned item today. Probably even if it wasn’t used. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/39 "2024-09-17T14:21:35Z")
I can buy men’s shirts (and t shirts) by the numbers and be reasonably comfortable they’ll fit. But any pants, and shoes, and women’s blouses i need to try on. (Many women’s blouses have absurdly narrow sleeves. I have literally ripped a sleeve by lifting a weight, like a cartoon character.) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341/40 "2024-09-17T14:43:11Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > (Many women’s blouses have absurdly narrow sleeves. I have literally ripped a sleeve by lifting a weight, like a cartoon character.) True sometimes even for long-sleeved tees – and even in extra-large sizes. Why do they think that fat and large women have skinny arms? And those sleeves can’t fit anyone with muscles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-a-product-you-had-used/1007341.md?page=3)