Ecommerce Returns Statistics 2026: Return Rates, Totals and Fraud
US retailers expected 19.3% of online sales to be returned in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns. That is 22% higher than the 15.8% rate for all retail sales, calculated by StatisticsGlobal. Total US returns were projected at $849.9 billion. Applied to Census e-commerce sales, the online rate implies about $238 billion of online purchases sent back in 2025.
Key statistics
- US retailers expected 19.3% of online sales to be returned in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
- US retailers expected shoppers to return $849.9 billion of merchandise in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
- US shoppers returned an estimated $238 billion of online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from U.S. Census Bureau and National Retail Federation data.
- The US online return rate of 19.3% was 22% higher than the 15.8% overall rate in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
- Gen Z shoppers returned about 25.3% of their online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
Ecommerce return rate statistics
Online orders come back far more often than in-store purchases. About 1 in 5 online sales is returned in the US.
Large US retailers expected 19.3% of online sales to come back in 2025. The rate for all sales was 15.8%. So the online rate was 3.5 points, or 22%, higher. NRF's own October 2024 study found a similar gap of 21%.
No official body counts returns. To size online returns in dollars, we applied the 19.3% rate to US Census Bureau e-commerce sales of about $1.234 trillion in 2025. The result is roughly $238 billion of online purchases returned. That is about 28% of NRF's total for all returns, while e-commerce was 16.7% of retail sales in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The 2023 study, run with Appriss Retail on transaction data, gave a similar picture. Online purchases were returned at 17.6% and pure bricks-and-mortar purchases at 10.02%. For what shoppers leave behind before they buy, see our cart abandonment statistics.
Source: National Retail Federation and Happy Returns. Retailer estimates for 2025.
-
US retailers expected 19.3% of online sales to be returned in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
US retailers expected 15.8% of their total annual sales to be returned in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
The US online return rate of 19.3% was 22% higher than the 15.8% overall rate in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 19.3 / 15.8 = 1.2215, so 22.2% higher. The gap is 3.5 percentage points. NRF separately reported in October 2024 that online return rates were 21% higher than overall rates.
-
US e-commerce retail sales totalled about $1.234 trillion in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from U.S. Census Bureau data.
How we calculated it: Sum of the four not seasonally adjusted quarterly estimates for 2025 (millions of USD): 275,715 + 293,140 + 299,717 + 365,160 = 1,233,732. Q2 to Q4 match the Census release of 18 August 2026.
-
US shoppers returned an estimated $238 billion of online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from U.S. Census Bureau and National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: Census 2025 e-commerce sales of $1,233.7 billion x NRF online return rate of 19.3% = $238.1 billion. An estimate: NRF's rate comes from large retailers ($500 million+ revenue) and Census e-commerce covers all retailers.
-
US shoppers returned 17.6% of online purchases, worth $247 billion, in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail.
-
US shoppers returned 10.02% of purchases made in bricks-and-mortar stores in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail.
-
US retailers expected 17% of holiday sales to be returned in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
82% of US online returners said they would return unwanted holiday gifts within one month in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
| Measure | Year | Return rate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online sales returned | 2025 | 19.3% | NRF and Happy Returns |
| All retail sales returned | 2025 | 15.8% | NRF and Happy Returns |
| Holiday sales returned | 2025 | 17% | NRF and Happy Returns |
| Online sales returned | 2023 | 17.6% | NRF and Appriss Retail |
| All retail sales returned | 2023 | 14.5% | NRF and Appriss Retail |
| Bricks-and-mortar sales returned | 2023 | 10.02% | NRF and Appriss Retail |
Total retail returns by year
US returns grew fast during the pandemic and have levelled off at about 16% of sales. Two estimates for 2025 differ by $144 billion.
NRF's series shows returns rising 2.75 times in value, from $309 billion in 2019 to $849.9 billion in 2025. The jump came in 2021, when the return rate went from 10.6% to 16.6%. Since then the rate has stayed between 15.8% and 16.9%.
The 2025 projection is 4.5% below 2024's $890 billion. The return rate fell 1.1 points. That is a small change for a survey-based estimate, so treat it as flat rather than a clear fall.
Appriss Retail, which analyses returns for many large US retailers, put 2025 returns at $706 billion. NRF's figure is $143.9 billion, or 20%, higher. NRF scales up retailers' own estimates of their return rate. Appriss Retail starts from transaction data. Neither is an official count. For seasonal peaks, see our Black Friday statistics.
Source: National Retail Federation. 2023 left out because NRF says its method that year is not comparable.
-
US retailers expected shoppers to return $849.9 billion of merchandise in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
US retail returns totalled $890 billion in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
US retailers put their annual return rate at 16.9% of sales in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
US retail returns fell 4.5% in value from $890 billion in 2024 to $849.9 billion in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: (849.9 - 890) / 890 = -0.0451, so -4.5%. A fall of $40.1 billion. Both figures are retailer projections from NRF and Happy Returns surveys.
-
The US retail return rate fell 1.1 percentage points from 16.9% in 2024 to 15.8% in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 15.8% (2025) - 16.9% (2024) = -1.1 percentage points.
-
US retail returns totalled $816.8 billion at a 16.5% return rate in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
US retail returns totalled $760.8 billion at a 16.6% return rate in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
US retail returns totalled $428 billion at a 10.6% return rate in 2020, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
US retail returns totalled $309 billion at an 8.1% return rate in 2019, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
The value of US retail returns rose 2.75 times from $309 billion in 2019 to $849.9 billion in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 849.9 / 309 = 2.7505. The return rate rose from 8.1% to 15.8% (15.8 / 8.1 = 1.95 times). NRF did not publish a comparable 2023 figure.
-
US retail returns totalled $743 billion, 14.5% of sales, in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail.
-
US shoppers returned $706 billion of merchandise in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.
-
NRF put 2025 US returns $143.9 billion, or 20%, higher than Appriss Retail did, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail data.
How we calculated it: NRF and Happy Returns projection of $849.9 billion - Appriss Retail figure of $706 billion = $143.9 billion. 849.9 / 706 = 1.204, so 20.4% higher.
| Year | Total returns | Return rate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $309 billion | 8.1% | NRF |
| 2020 | $428 billion | 10.6% | NRF |
| 2021 | $760.8 billion | 16.6% | NRF |
| 2022 | $816.8 billion | 16.5% | NRF |
| 2023 | $743 billion | 14.5% | NRF and Appriss Retail (different method) |
| 2024 | $890 billion | 16.9% | NRF and Happy Returns |
| 2025 | $849.9 billion | 15.8% | NRF and Happy Returns |
| 2025 | $706 billion | Not reported | Appriss Retail |
Returns by generation
Younger shoppers return more online orders, and a larger share of what they buy.
Gen Z shoppers made 7.7 online returns in a year, against 4.8 for Baby Boomers. That is 60% more. Gen Z also made the fewest online purchases, 30.4 against 35.0 for Gen X. So the gap in return rates is wider than the gap in returns.
Dividing returns by purchases, Gen Z sent back about 25.3% of online orders and Baby Boomers 14.7%. These are self-reported averages from people who had made at least one return, so they run higher than return rates across all shoppers.
Gen Z also spends the most per order, at $208. And 66% of Gen Z returners said bending the truth on a return is sometimes fine, 21 points above all returners. For order size by sector, see our average order value benchmarks.
Source: calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation and Happy Returns data.
-
Gen Z shoppers made an average of 7.7 online returns in the past 12 months in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
Millennial shoppers made an average of 7.1 online returns in the past 12 months in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
Gen X shoppers made an average of 6.5 online returns in the past 12 months in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
Baby Boomer shoppers made an average of 4.8 online returns in the past 12 months in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
Gen Z shoppers returned about 25.3% of their online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 7.7 average online returns / 30.4 average online purchases in the past 12 months = 0.2533. Both figures are self-reported averages from the same survey.
-
Millennial shoppers returned about 21.2% of their online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 7.1 average online returns / 33.5 average online purchases in the past 12 months = 0.2119.
-
Gen X shoppers returned about 18.6% of their online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 6.5 average online returns / 35.0 average online purchases in the past 12 months = 0.1857.
-
Baby Boomer shoppers returned about 14.7% of their online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 4.8 average online returns / 32.6 average online purchases in the past 12 months = 0.1472.
-
Gen Z shoppers made 60% more online returns than Baby Boomers in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 7.7 average returns (Gen Z) / 4.8 (Baby Boomers) = 1.604, so 60% more.
-
Gen Z shoppers had the highest average online order value of any generation at $208 in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
66% of Gen Z online returners said bending the truth when making a return is sometimes acceptable in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
Gen Z online returners were 21 points more likely than all returners to accept bending the truth on returns in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 66% of Gen Z returners - 45% of all returners = 21 percentage points.
| Generation | Average online order value | Online purchases | Online returns | Share of purchases returned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen Z | $208 | 30.4 | 7.7 | 25.3% |
| Millennials | $203 | 33.5 | 7.1 | 21.2% |
| Gen X | $151 | 35.0 | 6.5 | 18.6% |
| Baby Boomers | $82 | 32.6 | 4.8 | 14.7% |
Free returns and shopper behaviour
Return policies now shape where people shop. Retailers are charging more for returns anyway.
Free returns matter to 82% of online returners, up 6 points in a year. 52% said they will not buy at all if they expect a difficult return. Appriss Retail's survey found 47% had held back from a purchase over return policy concerns.
Retailers are moving the other way. 72% of large merchants now charge for at least one return option, up from 66%. Fees work in part. 53% of merchants that charge saw lower return rates. But 47% saw more complaints and 37% lost customers. On the shopper side, 57% said they had stopped using a retailer after a return fee, up 17 points.
Most online returns still go back through a store. Appriss Retail found items bought online and returned in store were worth $208 billion, against $131 billion returned online. In all, about $339 billion, or 48%, of returns were items bought online.
Source: National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
82% of US online returners said free returns are an important consideration when shopping online in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
The share of US online returners calling free returns important rose 6 points from 76% in 2024 to 82% in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 82% (2025) - 76% (2024) = 6 percentage points. Both figures are in the 2025 report.
-
81% of US online returners said they check the return policy before shopping with a new online retailer in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
71% of US online returners said a poor returns experience makes them less likely to shop with a retailer again in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
52% of US online returners said they will not buy at all if they expect a difficult return in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
82% of US online returners said a return should take 10 minutes or less in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
76% of US online returners preferred a return option with an instant refund or exchange in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
57% of US online returners said they had stopped shopping with a retailer after being charged for a return in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
The share of US online returners who stopped using a retailer over a return fee rose 17 points from 40% in 2024 to 57% in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: 57% (2025) - 40% (2024) = 17 percentage points. Both figures are in the 2025 report.
-
47% of US shoppers said they had held back from a purchase because of return policy concerns in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.
-
72% of large US merchants charged for at least one return option in 2025, up from 66% in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
53% of large US merchants that charge for returns saw lower overall return rates in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
47% of large US merchants that charge for returns saw more customer complaints in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
37% of large US merchants that charge for returns said they lost customers over return fees in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
40% of large US merchants had to choose between shipping new orders and processing returns in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
64% of large US merchants said upgrading their returns capabilities within six months was a priority in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
In-store returns accounted for 81% of all US returns in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.
-
Items bought in store and returned in store made up 52% of US returns, $367 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.
-
Items bought online and returned in store made up 29% of US returns, $208 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.
-
Items bought online and returned online made up 19% of US returns, $131 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.
-
Items bought online accounted for about $339 billion, or 48%, of US returns in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Appriss Retail data.
How we calculated it: Bought online, returned in store ($208 billion) + bought online, returned online ($131 billion) = $339 billion. 339 / 706 = 0.480.
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Say free returns are important when shopping online | 76% | 82% |
| Check the return policy before buying from a new online retailer | 77% | 81% |
| Less likely to shop again after a poor returns experience | 67% | 71% |
| Stopped shopping with a retailer after a return fee | 40% | 57% |
| Large merchants charging for at least one return option | 66% | 72% |
Return fraud and abuse statistics
Retailers say about 1 in 10 returns is fraudulent. Much more is lost to abuse that stays within the rules.
Large merchants estimated that 9% of returns in 2025 were fraudulent, excluding bracketing and wardrobing. Applied to NRF's total, that is roughly $76.5 billion. The 9% comes only from merchants that track fraud, so this is a rough guide.
Appriss Retail splits the problem differently. It puts outright fraud at just 2% of returns, worth $14 billion, and abuse at 12%, worth $86 billion. Abuse cost about 6.1 times as much as fraud. The sources disagree mainly on where they draw the line between fraud and abuse.
Shoppers are open about it. 62% admitted at least one costly or abusive return behaviour, and 45% said bending the rules is acceptable. 85% of large merchants now use AI or machine learning against return fraud.
Source: National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
Fraudulent returns were worth an estimated $76.5 billion in the US in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.
How we calculated it: NRF total returns of $849.9 billion x 9% fraud share = $76.5 billion. A rough estimate: the 9% comes from large merchants that track fraud and excludes bracketing and wardrobing.
-
45% of US online returners said it is acceptable to bend the rules when returning items in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
62% of US online returners admitted at least one return behaviour that is costly to retailers or abuses return policies in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
36% of US online returners said they had bought items intending to return some of them in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
27% of US online returners admitted returning used items in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
85% of large US merchants used AI or machine learning in their returns process to fight fraud in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
-
Fraud and abuse caused $100 billion of preventable loss, 14.2% of US returns, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.
-
Returns abuse accounted for 12% of US returns, worth $86 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.
-
Returns fraud accounted for 2% of US returns, worth $14 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.
-
Returns abuse cost US retailers about 6.1 times as much as outright returns fraud in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Appriss Retail data.
How we calculated it: Returns abuse $86 billion / returns fraud $14 billion = 6.14.
-
Return fraud cost US retailers $101 billion in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail.
| Behaviour | All shoppers | Gen Z shoppers |
|---|---|---|
| Bracketing (buying with intent to return) | 36% | 53% |
| Wardrobing (returning used items) | 27% | 49% |
| Shipped fewer items back than claimed | 21% | 37% |
| Decoy return | 20% | 39% |
| Label tampering | 20% | 38% |
| Empty box return | 18% | 33% |
How the sources measure ecommerce returns
There are no official US statistics on returns. The National Retail Federation figures for 2024 and 2025 come from surveys run with Happy Returns, a UPS company that sells returns services. In 2025 they surveyed 358 ecommerce staff at US merchants with more than $500 million in revenue, and 2,006 consumers who had returned an online purchase, in August and September 2025. Return rates are the merchants' own estimates, and NRF scales them up to a national total.
NRF's 2023 figures were produced with Appriss Retail using a different method, and NRF says they cannot be compared with other years. Appriss Retail's 2026 benchmark uses transaction data from its retail clients and a December 2025 survey of 1,020 US adults who had made a return. It reports a lower total of $706 billion for 2025.
Our online returns estimate multiplies NRF's 19.3% rate by Census Bureau e-commerce sales. NRF's rate comes from large retailers, while Census e-commerce covers all US retailers, and their return rates may differ. Treat $238 billion as an order of magnitude, not a measurement.
Consumer shares in this page describe people who had made at least one online return, not all shoppers. That is why they run high. For related metrics, see our cart abandonment statistics.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average ecommerce return rate in 2026?
The latest figure is for 2025. US retailers expected 19.3% of online sales to be returned in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns. The rate for all retail sales was 15.8%.
How much merchandise is returned each year in the US?
US retailers expected shoppers to return $849.9 billion of merchandise in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns. Appriss Retail puts the 2025 total lower, at $706 billion.
Are returns going up or down compared with last year?
Slightly down. US retail returns fell 4.5% in value from $890 billion in 2024 to $849.9 billion in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data. The return rate fell from 16.9% to 15.8%.
Which generation returns the most online purchases?
Gen Z. Gen Z shoppers made an average of 7.7 online returns in the past 12 months in 2025, against 4.8 for Baby Boomers, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns. That is about 25.3% of their online purchases, calculated by StatisticsGlobal.
Why are online return rates higher than in-store rates?
Shoppers cannot see or try items before buying, and many buy several sizes to send some back. 36% of US online returners admitted bracketing in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.
How much return fraud is there?
Large US merchants estimated that 9% of all returns were fraudulent in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns. Appriss Retail puts outright fraud at 2% of returns and abuse at 12%.
Sources
- National Retail Federation and Happy Returns, 2025 Retail Returns Landscape, October 2025. Link · Saved data copy
- U.S. Census Bureau, E-Commerce Retail Sales, not seasonally adjusted (ECOMNSA), via FRED, updated 18 August 2026. Link
- U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, 2nd Quarter 2026, 18 August 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail, NRF and Appriss Retail report $743 billion in merchandise returned in 2023, 26 December 2023. Link · Saved data copy
- Appriss Retail, 2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report, February 2026. Link · Saved data copy
Changes to this page
- : Page published with data to 2025.