Don't buy it casually, don't forget this detail when it comes to "618" wool harvesting! Even if there is no reason for return and shipping insurance, weight | method | details

Another year on June 18th, the peak of online shopping has arrived as scheduled. However, after-sales service under impulsive consumption is always frustrating.

"A photo frame weighs less than 1 kilogram and is packed less than 2 kilograms, but the shipping cost is calculated at 9 kilograms. It costs more than 50 yuan from Shanghai to Dongguan, which is outrageous!" Consumer Ms. Chen complained that she bought a photo frame during the "618" promotion, which was priced less than 100 yuan. The merchant promised to "return it without reason within seven days.". After receiving the physical item, Ms. Chen didn't like it very much, but encountered a "high price shipping fee" when returning the item. "The shipping fee from Shanghai to Dongguan is less than 20 yuan for 2 kilograms, why is it more than 50 yuan to return the item?"

Originally, online "no reason return" is not "no cost return", and the return cost of some products is even very high.

"Light dumping" can easily lead to "high shipping costs"

The investigation by the reporter found that the courier who provided express delivery services to Ms. Chen did not overcharge, but rather the packaging of the photo frame she wanted to return was quite special - after layers of shatterproof packaging, the final outer packaging size of the package was about 50 centimeters * 50 centimeters * 30 centimeters, which had to be converted into weight by volume, about 9 kilograms.

"We call this type of express delivery 'light cargo'. Although it is not heavy, its volume takes up a lot of space, so it needs to be converted into weight based on volume." A delivery guy gave an example, "Empty luggage is a typical light cargo. Many luggage are less than 1 kilogram, but the volume is so large that when customers express, the weight is converted based on volume."

After checking the billing methods of different courier companies, the reporter found that there is indeed a saying of "light dumping". Different companies have clear conversion formulas, although there may be slight differences, they are generally similar. The express delivery price of "light delivery" is indeed several times the price of small items of the same weight.

Introduction of a certain express delivery company to "light dumping" and billing methods

How to calculate if the product is large and heavy? At this point, the courier company will convert the volume into weight, and then compare it with the actual weight of the goods, taking their weight to calculate the actual shipping cost. Multiple couriers have said that this is industry practice. So, if consumers want to express large items, they can choose a courier company that specializes in transporting large items, and the price will be cheaper than commonly used small item courier companies.

"No reason for return" is not "no cost return"

However, the pricing method of "light dumping" does not mean that there are no flaws in Ms. Chen's consumption process - the merchant is not unfamiliar with the billing method of "light dumping" express delivery, but has not informed consumers of the high shipping costs that may arise from returns. The survey found that many consumers are unaware that there are costs associated with "no reason to return".

On major e-commerce platforms, "no reason return" has become an important means for e-commerce to attract consumers. Merchants who provide such services will label their stores and product pages with "7-day/15 day no reason return" and so on. From the perspective of consumer experience, it is clearly a good thing for merchants to support "no reason return", providing consumers with the right to withdraw. But many consumers are not aware that there are specific terms for "no reason to return".

The specific terms of "no reason return" for the vast majority of merchants are folded in the service tag, and consumers can only discover them by clicking to view the details. According to these terms, consumers bear the logistics cost of returning the goods to the merchant.

"No reason to return" also incurs costs

So, when consumers return low priced "light selling goods," they may find that the cost of returning goods almost matches the price of the goods.

It should be noted that for products with large volume, weight, and susceptibility to damage, the return cost may be higher.

For example, many consumers will purchase building materials and furniture such as tiles, sofas, bedding, etc. on e-commerce platforms, and most merchants promise "no reason to return". But if such products need to be returned, even if you choose a logistics company that specializes in delivering large items, the cost is not low. Moreover, if the items are damaged during the delivery process, consumers will be held responsible. Although consumers can hold express delivery companies accountable, it will involve a lot of energy.

It can be seen that in order to avoid freight disputes, merchants should clearly remind on the product page that "no reason return" is not "no cost return", and clearly state the relevant terms of "no reason return".

"Return shipping insurance" is not "full insurance" either

Consumers have also found that some merchants not only support "no reason return", but also offer "return shipping insurance" to consumers - if a return is made, the insurance company will compensate the consumer for the shipping cost. Does this mean that returns are more secure?

Not necessarily. Because "return shipping insurance" often cannot cover the return cost for consumers.

The investigation found that many stores offer "return shipping insurance" with a phenomenon of "missing package" - there are no specific insurance terms, and the customer service of the store does not know how much compensation consumers can receive after returning the goods. Multiple customer service representatives have stated that consumers will only know the refund amount after returning the product.

The introduction of "return shipping insurance" presented on the merchant page is very simple

The reporter collected some consumer cases that have enjoyed the compensation service of "return shipping insurance" and found that the compensation amount of most "return shipping insurance" is the "first weight express delivery fee" of the goods. Taking Ms. Chen's photo frame as an example, if there is "return shipping insurance", the insurance company can compensate for the express delivery fee of 1 kilogram of goods from Shanghai to Dongguan, which is about 12 yuan, less than 1/4 of the actual express delivery fee paid by Ms. Chen.

For large items such as household appliances, building materials, furniture, etc., some stores also provide "large item shipping insurance". However, neither the product page nor the customer service introduction can clearly determine the compensation amount or refund insurance calculation method that consumers can receive. But some customer service representatives explicitly stated that they are unable to fully pay for the express delivery fee.

Many customer service representatives express that they do not know the compensation ratio for return shipping insurance

It can be seen that even with "return shipping insurance", "no cost return" cannot be achieved. This result also indicates that both merchants and consumers need to objectively view the service of "no reason return":

On the one hand, businesses should inform consumers of the potential costs associated with returns, and should not mislead consumers into "cost free returns" using "no reason returns" and "return shipping insurance.".

On the other hand, consumers should be more cautious when choosing products, especially those that may incur high shipping costs, to avoid paying for "sky high express delivery fees".