Free returns are going away
cnn.com
If you’re thinking of sending back a disappointing gift you just received over the holidays, the return may bring even more disappointment.
Americans have grown accustomed to free returns, but a growing number of retailers are charging fees as returns squeeze retailers’ bottom lines.
Macy’s, Abercrombie, J. Crew, H&M and other companies have all added shipping fees for mail-in returns.
And it’s not just the big mall brands, either. Eighty-one precent of merchants are now charging a fee for at least some methods of returns, according to Happy Returns, a logistics company that specializes in returns.
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The main issue is amazon and their insistence on allowing China to sell utter trash, knock offs, counterfeits, and lies.
Amazon used to require someone selling in the US to have a physical presence of at least like a small office building in the US in order to sell goods here. They got rid of that like 10 years ago and now you get bs brands like Liuxipon selling flashlights that are garbage with 300 fake 5 star reviews. Then if they get flagged enough or get enough real 1 star reviews, no problem. Now their company name is Lioxipan and they do it again.
Amazon turned itself into a trash heap.
We started shopping AliExpress instead of Amazon. At least you don't pay the high Amazon prices and are pleasantly surprised when something of decent quality arrives. Got the kids some flying spacemen drones. $1.99 each. They've been playing with them all day long. No complaints. AliExpress even refunded me on a few things that arrived broken, without having to return anything.
That’s exactly what I do because amazon basically sells the same stuff as aliexpress, only amazon insists on selling stuff in higher quantities to jack up prices.
Bigger quantities to up prices?
For example, let’s say I needed a clear container tube for something like lotion. And I only need one, or two. But definitely no more than 5.
Amazon will only sell something like 12 pieces for over $10, whereas on aliexpress, I’ll be able to purchase 1 or 2 for $0.33.
$1 each. 3 for $5.
“I’ll take 3, but I want them individually.”
I understand that the cost per item is the same, but I simply don’t need that many bottles (or whatever it is).  So if I get the bundle, I’m spending more money to have more junk in my household. 
So basically, I’m paying more for the three items that I do need and end up with a bunch of leftover crap. This is not hypothetical. I still have a bunch of leftover stuff that I’m not using in my drawers from scenarios like these.
Cheap until they get popular enough.
AliExpress is already fairly popular
They've also went way up in pricing on a lot of their stuff.