Ecommerce
An exchange costs two shipping legs plus handling, and it is often mistaken for a cheaper outcome than a refund.
Volume
Exchanges processed in the period.
Cost per exchange
Cost to ship the original item back.
Cost to ship the replacement out.
Pick, pack, and processing cost.
Total Exchange Cost
960.00
Exchanges multiplied by cost per exchange.
Formula verified 13 September 2026
Cost per Exchange
16.00
Reverse shipping + reship + handling.
Number of Exchanges
60
Exchanges processed.
Estimate only — platform fees and costs vary; verify current rates. Read the full disclaimer ↓
The three legs of an exchange for your inputs — the return shipment, the replacement shipment, and the handling to process the swap — built up to a per-exchange cost and scaled to your volume. Price differences between items and exchanges that escalate into refunds are not included.
| Component | Per exchange | Across all exchanges |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse shipping (return leg) | 8 | 480 |
| Reship (replacement leg) | 6 | 360 |
| Handling | 2 | 120 |
| Total exchange cost | 16 | 960 |
Estimates only — not financial, tax, or professional advice.
100% private — every number you enter is calculated in your browser and never sent to our servers.
What it calculates: Total Exchange Cost, Cost per Exchange, Number of Exchanges.
Updated 5 June 2026 · Transparent assumptions
An exchange is a return and a fresh dispatch stitched together. You pay reverse shipping to get the original back and outbound shipping to send the replacement, plus the handling to process both.
So an exchange typically costs more to service than a refund does, because the refund stops after the reverse leg. What makes it worthwhile is that the revenue is retained rather than reversed.
Compare the exchange cost against the contribution margin on the order. If the margin exceeds the cost of the two legs plus handling, encouraging an exchange over a refund is the better outcome even though it costs more to process.
It also preserves the customer relationship. A buyer who received the right item on the second attempt is far more likely to order again than one who was refunded and left.
Exchange requests concentrate on sizing far more than returns overall do — a customer who wants a different size still wants the product. That makes exchange volume a cleaner signal about your size guide than return volume is.
A single line generating disproportionate exchanges usually has a sizing inconsistency rather than a quality problem, and fixing the size chart removes the cost permanently rather than processing it more efficiently.
While an exchange is in flight, one unit is travelling back and another is committed out, so two units of stock are tied to one sale. For a thin-stocked line that can cause a stockout the sales figures never explain.
There is also a second failure risk. An exchange that is again wrong costs a third shipping leg and usually loses the customer anyway, which is why getting the replacement right matters more than shipping it fast.
Figures on this page are checked against primary, authoritative sources. Links open in a new tab.
Business disclaimer
Results are estimates for planning and analysis based on the figures you enter. They are not accounting, tax, or financial advice — verify with your own records and a qualified professional before making decisions.
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Published 13 September 2026