Where your computed return rate falls, with the rough story each band tells. These are general rules of thumb, not standards: return rates differ enormously by category — consumables sit in the low single digits while apparel and footwear routinely run 20-40% — so read yours against direct category peers and your own prior periods, never a universal target.
Range
What it typically suggests
Under 5%
Low for most non-apparel catalogues — listings, sizing, and quality are broadly matching expectations.
5% – 15%
A common band across mixed catalogues; reasonable for many categories but worth trending for drift.
◀ your rate (8.00%)
15% – 25%
Elevated — normal for apparel and footwear, but a flag for other categories to inspect fit, photos, and defects.
Above 25%
High even for fashion; investigate sizing accuracy, listing claims, and outbound quality control closely.
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: Return Rate, Returned Order Value, Orders Kept.
Updated 5 June 2026 · Transparent assumptions
Apparel and electronics do not share a benchmark
Return rates vary enormously by category. Clothing and footwear routinely run between 20% and 40% because fit cannot be judged online; consumables and media sit in low single digits. Comparing your figure against a cross-industry average tells you nothing useful.
The comparison that works is your own rate over time, and per product. A single line running well above your category norm is a product problem — sizing, photography, or a description that oversells.
A 10% rate on cheap items and on expensive ones are different problems
Two shops with identical 10% return rates can be in very different positions if one returns low-value items and the other high-value ones. Returned value is the figure that belongs in a cash flow conversation.
The calculator reports it alongside the rate for that reason, and also the orders kept — because what you actually retain is the base that has to cover fixed costs, not gross orders.
Reverse shipping, handling and a unit that may not resell at full price
Refunding the customer is only the first cost. There is return postage, inspection and handling, repackaging, and a real chance the item comes back in a condition that will not sell at full price or at all.
That is why a return is strictly worse than a sale that never happened. The return loss calculator prices the full chain; this page gives the rate and the exposure that feeds it.
Wrong size, not as described, and damaged in transit
Return reasons cluster tightly. Sizing dominates in apparel, expectation mismatch dominates where photography or description oversells, and transit damage points at packaging rather than at the product.
Capturing the reason on every return is what makes the rate actionable. A rate without reasons tells you there is a problem; a rate with reasons tells you which of three quite different fixes to make.
Sources & References
Figures on this page are checked against primary, authoritative sources. Links open in a new tab.
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.
Published the calculator with its formula, worked example, assumptions, limitations and a bespoke guide, and added an automated formula test suite covering it.
Tested the return rate, the value of returned orders, and the orders retained, each recomputed from the counts entered.
Tested that returns equal to orders gives a hundred percent rate with nothing kept, and that returned value scales with order value.
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