Courier drivers may find it of interest to read that a number of retailers are charging customers who have purchased items online a fee for returning them. Apparently, a number of retailers are charging between £1.95 to £2.50 when a customer decides that they do not want to keep the item that he or she has just purchased on the Internet.

Why is this happening? Well, apparently, a significant percentage of people return items and obviously this is an expense that the retailer can do without – especially in the current economic climate. It is also believed that when someone looking to buy say an item of clothing but is unsure which size or colour he or she is ordering a variety of sizes and colours and then, once he or she has made up their mind which one to purchase, they return the unwanted items.

When the retailer receives these items back they will presumably check to see that they are re-usable and if so “place them back on the shelf” to be sent out to another customer. There is a significant cost involved in these processes.

Apparently, it is being forecast that an increasing number of retailers will start charging customers for returning unwanted items. This probably will nor surprise many people.

So, what has this got to do with couriers? Well, if you think about it, if online shoppers are going to have to pay a fee for returning items then it is quite possible that they will not buy as many things meaning that couriers will have fewer items to deliver as a result of which their income may be impacted in a negative way. If this were to happen then let us hope that it is not a long-term thing.

Whilst writing, if your courier insurance is shortly coming up for renewal then why not make contact with us with a view to getting a no-obligation quotation for courier cover from an extensive panel of insurers.