Net-a-Porter’s policy does address this - their policy is below copied from their web site. It is sad that because of the abuse of some other legitimate shoppers are penalized. Especially tough for customers difficult to fit or don’t have access to B&M stores. Actually encourages customers to try on at B&M stores, shop price and then order on line. Grrrrr a real pet peeve of mine.

“Repeated Returns - We offer a flexible returns policy to make your online shopping experience even easier. We do monitor the number of returns made by customers, and continued returns will be flagged and may, at our discretion, lead to the closure of your NET-A-PORTER account or future orders being refused.”

I wonder if an explanation would help but then again - a customer shouldn’t have to beg to give a business their money.

Ouch, GF, I bet it stung to get that notice (like getting unfairly scolded).

Sierra Trading Post from whom I used to order a lot dings people with return rates that go over 50% counted by item not dollar amount. I stay in good graces by ordering inexpensive basics I know I'll keep (socks) when also ordering stuff I'm not sure about.

I wish retailers would be more up front about what the policies are.

Yes how unpleasant. I’m going to be the devils advocate and say they probably do need to draw the line at some point, but they should state up front exactly how many returns is too many, and they should probably have sent you an email when you were approaching their “red zone” just to let you know (extremely politely of course) that you were getting close.

Snotty is the word that comes to mind...

I’ve never heard of such a thing, and I do a LOT of returns, even the occasional item for a couple bucks to get me over the minimum, which is returned along with whatever didn’t work.

Isn’t net a Portier a Löw budget operation? I’m not defending the suddenness of this move, but it is consistent with lowest prices.

GF - I'm so sorry. That's the pits. I know amazon has banned people for too many returns. I would die if that happened to me since all my needs come in those brown smiley boxes. I did have one really bad experience with Piperlime. I didn't order very much but the few items I did order were poor quality and everything went back. The last piece was a dress, so godawful that I had it on for less than 10 seconds. I got an email from CS telling me that they were accepting the return but that I had obviously worn the dress and this would not be tolerated. I was aghast since I post the return, scanning into the PO the same day I received the item. It was that awful. I got CS on the phone and I reamed them out. I told them it was obvious that I was being targeted with false accusations because of my returns, I had the slips to back up the receipt and return. I demanded that the complaint be expunged from my record and I made them close out my account. Of course, they went out of business not long afterwards. But I am still furious over the incident. I would have been fine if they wanted to close my account but to fabricate a lie and tarnish my good name......I was not going to go quietly into the good night.....(but they did...)

I’m sorry about this gradfashionista. But at least they gave you some warning. At the beginning of the year I had trouble with Yoox (same parent company as net-a-porter). Despite receiving emails confirming my returns and stating the amount of my refunds, they delayed refunding me for months, refused to acknowledge the correct refund amount, and then insisted on refunding me via PayPal even though I used a credit card for the purchases. I eventually turned the matter to my bank. I suspect this was punishment for my return rate (60% of dollar value). Better to have your account closed than to be waiting for 100s of dollars of returns for 4 months.

I think that's silly for an online business ... Especially clothing, how can you possibly know if you can't try on? Their loss!!

For a web retailer this seems especially ridiculous. Bad customer service and lack of transparency is not exactly a recipe for success...

And so what if people are blogging products and then returning them? Isn't that still nearly-free marketing?

I think it is really poor service- I think a courtesy email or phone call prior to doing something like this to talk it through is strongly advisable - it leaves a pretty sour taste in your mouth.

Not in this case - but in the Nordstrom case - I do think their returns policy is overly generous and must increase their costs overall....

I support free unlimited returns within a time period for unworn items with labels - that is essential with online retailers. But open returns for items worn or with no tags must hugely increase the cost of doing business. How do they deal with the worn or out of season clothes - I presume they go to the Rack? I think a six week window (from time of receiving the item) should be sufficient to make a call whether it fits and you like it. But maybe this is because it is often two weeks here so we have to make a call promptly from receiving a package.

I just happened to look up an old J Crew order and I realized I have returned 90% of what I've bought online from them in the past few years. (I do keep what I buy in stores.) I think in my particular case that's a sign that I should stop shopping there -- nothing ever fits right. But it also makes me realize how hard online shopping is. Looking at my returns, they were almost all things I was really excited about when I ordered them, and I would have loved to keep them if they'd fit well.

I need to check policies. What if you keep one item but return the rest? Does that count as returns or keep? Sometimes I order multiple items, keep only one or maybe two and return the rest.

Think they count % of dollar value returns....otherwise-???? OMG, cannot think at.

Yes, I always wondered about open returns and so probably past season (we usually have 2-max. 4 weeks in the EU) and for items worn or with no tags-no way!!!!????!!!! ???must hugely increase the cost of doing business, but think we should not worry for them, they surely have great finances and so hopefully mirrored in the production prices as well:-).

I find that quality and fit are all over the map these days. I try on more than 10 items in B&M stores for every one item I purchase. If I were to order online, it would be worse. Color, fabrication and construction are hard to ascertain from web photos.

@Greyscale, that’s how I stopped shopping at J. Crew. When it’s a single brand, it’s easier to stop the shop/return cycle because changes in the brand’s style, fit, and/or quality quickly become apparent.

@Staysfit and @Lyn67—I don’t know, but I’m guessing that it’s a combination of individual items purchased as well as dollar amount.

In the case of NAP, I thought the trade-off for free shipping and returns were their prices—they rarely have sales, do not price match, and have a 28-day return window. This isn’t generous compared to other big box retailers selling the same brands. In return, as a customer, you get accessibility to current trends. The items I kept from them in recent history were athletic gear and perfume, so not exactly high-end items.

In the case of Nordstrom, their prices aren’t always the most competitive if you have targeted coupons or are shopping on international sites like Farfetch, but I’d rather pay more and have their backing.