‘Bigger than an iPad’: A4-sized clothing tags go viral as Chinese retailers crack down on return abuse
“No returns or exchanges if removed,” the giant tags warn - a viral new deterrent as China’s fashion retailers take outsized steps to rein in costly product returns.
Some fashion retailers in China have been attaching A4-sized labels to their products in a bid to deter shoppers who wear outfits and then send them back for a refund. (Photos: Taobao/Yaoqian Printing, Xiaohongshu/Shengtelai)
BEIJING: About as big as an A4 page and impossible to miss, the tags hang awkwardly off new garments, each stamped with similar messaging: “No returns or exchanges if removed.”
Some of China’s fashion retailers have been attaching these oversized, ultra-visible labels to their products, in a viral bid to deter shoppers who wear outfits and then send them back for a refund.
The tactic emerged as a talking point on Chinese social media in the run-up to Singles’ Day, the country’s Nov 11 online shopping extravaganza known for deep discounts - and a flood of product returns.
The idea is to sift the sincere from the opportunistic - honest buyers keep the tag on only when trying the item at home, while those capitalising on generous refund policies are exposed as the giant label makes one-time wear virtually impossible to hide.
A search by CNA on popular Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao showed several listings from clothing tag manufacturers selling such A4-sized labels.
One manufacturer, Yaoqian Printing, had sold about 4,000 pieces, according to statistics displayed on one of its listings. A pack of 100 retails for 28 yuan (US$3.94), with each tag measuring 15cm by 43cm.
Another supplier, Shengtelai, has sold around 60,000 pieces of the same size. A set of 100 retails for 25 yuan. “Bigger than an iPad,” the seller wrote in its product listing.
Beyond their size, the tags are also made of stiff, eye-catching material, causing discomfort when worn and enhancing visibility, said Jiang Han, a senior researcher at Beijing-based think tank Pangoal Institution, in a commentary published on Monday (Nov 17) by Shanghai-based newspaper The Paper.
The trend marks retailers’ latest imaginative effort to curb questionable product refunds, fuelled by a seven-day, no-questions-asked return policy offered by many e-commerce platforms.
For example, public data places womenswear return rates in e-commerce at 50 to 60 per cent, with livestreaming-driven sales even exceeding 80 per cent, according to Jiang.
Many of these returns are not triggered by genuine quality problems, but by customers who wear the clothes for several days - sometimes with the tags still attached - before sending them back for a refund, he said.
“This practice has become a way for some to openly ‘exploit the system’,” he wrote.
Jiang further shared that retailers have been receiving returned clothing that was “clearly … worn every day”, with the garments showing obvious signs of use - including stains and odours.
“For merchants, the challenge isn’t just that the returned items are hard to resell, they also have to bear additional costs such as storage, operations, logistics and labour,” he highlighted.
State media have also weighed in on the matter.
A Nov 11 commentary by the official Xinhua news agency described the oversized clothing tags as a “clumsy” but practical measure for retailers, saying they serve as an “effective screening mechanism” against malicious returns.
It added that while only a minority of shoppers are abusing the return policy, their actions undermine the industry’s trust system and affect the shopping experience for ordinary consumers.
At the same time, it is crucial to consider establishing more reasonable return policies and enhancing the system of trust, the commentary stated.
These include using big data and other methods to identify those who regularly abuse return policies. The commentary also reminded retailers to focus more on product quality and the accuracy of their descriptions, as many returns stemmed from poor product quality.
During last year’s Singles’ Day sale period, shopowners’ pleas for consumers to stop returning products were instead met with backlash, as thousands of shoppers took to social media to justify their decisions.
Many posted photos contrasting the ill-fitting product they received, versus the product photo advertised in the stores. Others also pointed out that e-commerce shops tend to use generic photos of similar clothing rather than take and display photos of their actual products.
