Returns in e-commerce are not a mistake but a cost to plan for: the law, the rates and ways to reduce returns.
Author: Borys Terlecki · marketplace sales and implementations at Commercraft · updated: September 2026
In brief
Consumers in the EU have 14 days to withdraw without giving a reason, and from 19 June 2026 every shop needs a digital withdrawal button or form.
In Polish e-commerce 8-10% of orders come back, up to 40% in fashion, and in Germany around 550 million parcels were returned in 2025.
Each marketplace sets its own return minimum, usually stricter than the statutory 14 days, and the cheapest return is the one your product page never caused.
Returns decide channel profitability more often than commission. In Polish e-commerce 8-10% of orders come back, up to 40% in fashion, and in Germany the return rate in consumer sales is around 24%.
Also, from 19 June 2026 every shop selling to consumers in the EU must offer a digital withdrawal button. Below: what this changes in practice, how much comes back per market and how to cut it before the sale.
Across the EU, a consumer buying at a distance has 14 days to withdraw from the contract without giving a reason (Directive 2011/83/EU). If you do not inform them of this right correctly, the period is extended by 12 months.
From 19 June 2026 a new obligation applies under Directive 2023/2673: your shop must have a digital withdrawal button or form, with a confirmation for the customer. Without it, the withdrawal period extends to 12 months and 14 days, exactly as when the information notice is missing. You implement this in your own web shop, since on marketplaces the seller panel handles it.
On a return you refund the price actually paid plus the cost of the cheapest delivery option offered. If the item was on promotion, the Omnibus rule applies: the lowest price from the 30 days before the discount (in Poland since 1 January 2023).
Sources: Directive 2011/83/EU and Directive 2023/2673 (EUR-Lex), Polish regulations implementing Omnibus, in force since 1 January 2023. Status as of September 2026.
In Polish e-commerce 8-10% of orders come back, and in fashion the figure reaches 40%. Germany works on a different scale: around 550 million parcels were returned there in 2025, the return rate in consumer sales was around 24%, and roughly 80% of all returns are fashion.
German shoppers order several sizes to try on at home, because that is a settled buying habit there. In a survey of DACH retailers, 12.2% of apparel companies had return rates above 50%, and 24.5% fell in the 36-50% range.
When you enter German-speaking markets, this cost goes into your margin calculation before launch. After the first month it is often too late to change your price list.
Sources: returns research by the University of Bamberg with EHI (November 2025, 124 retailers from the DACH market), Ageno report on returns in Polish e-commerce, 2026.
8-10%
of orders come back
Polish e-commerce, Ageno
40%
returns in fashion
Polish e-commerce, Ageno
550 million
parcels returned
Germany 2025, University of Bamberg and EHI
46%
of shops pass the return cost
on to the customer, Alsendo, May 2026
Each marketplace sets its own minimum, and it is usually stricter than the statutory 14 days:
| Marketplace | Return rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Allegro Smart! | Smart! subscribers on Poland's largest marketplace return free, without limit | Returns cost the buyer nothing, so expect a higher return rate than outside Smart!. A return address in Poland is a condition for offering Smart! |
| Amazon (Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain) | For items up to 25 € gross you need a domestic return address in the target country or must refund without the item coming back. You respond to a request within 2 days | Without a local address, cheap products effectively become returnless refunds. If you do not respond, Amazon refunds the customer automatically |
| Zalando | At least 30 days to return in all countries, free for the customer. Return processed within 14 days (according to partner agencies) | The old 100 days no longer apply. Over 90% of customers return within 30 days anyway |
| Kaufland | A return address within the EU is a condition of account registration | Shipping from Poland is fine, but the return address must work on every market where you sell |
| home24 | 30-day returns as a condition of partnership | For furniture and bulky goods, plan returns with the carrier, as return shipping can exceed the commission |
Sources: seller terms of Allegro, Amazon, Zalando (partner.zalando.com), Kaufland Global Marketplace and home24, checked 17-18 September 2026.
The cheapest return is the one that never happens, and you can do most of the work before the sale:
a precise description and a complete gallery that leave no surprises,
accurate size charts and fit information, and on fashion platforms sizes mapped to the platform standard, because this is the most common cause of ordering mistakes,
realistic photos showing colour, scale and texture,
clear technical data and compatibility,
honest information about what is (and is not) in the box.
Every question your product page answers up front is one return fewer.
Easy returns make customers buy more confidently, because they risk nothing. That is why a clear procedure, fast handling and a prompt refund matter. On most marketplaces the deadlines are set for you anyway.
The open question is who pays for the return shipment. The Polish market is divided here: 46% of shops pass the return cost on to the customer, 33% offer free returns, 8% do so conditionally, and 11% make it depend on the sales channel. Free returns raise conversion and the return rate at the same time, so decide per category, based on unit margin.
Source: report “Returns in Polish e-commerce 2026”, Alsendo, 29 May 2026.
When you sell from Poland to DACH markets, a return from abroad is a separate logistics task. A local return address, or returns handled by an operator on the target market, shortens the parcel’s journey and the customer’s wait for the refund.
On Amazon you have no choice here: for items up to 25 € gross, a domestic return address in the target country is required, and the alternative is refunding without the item coming back. Kaufland requires an EU return address at registration. With a 3PL operator in Poland, handling one return costs PLN 3 (EUR 0.69)-5, plus return transport and any markdown on the item.
We describe how to set up the whole corridor in our guide Cross-border logistics PL-DACH.
We start with product pages, where most returns originate: descriptions, size charts, photos showing scale and texture. Then we set up a process that meets each marketplace’s requirements and returns logistics in the PL-DACH corridor, including return addresses on the target markets.
We run accounts on Allegro, Amazon and Zalando day to day, so we see the reasons for returns in the data. Tell us which category you sell in, and we will show where it usually leaks margin. Before you commit, run the numbers in our marketplace ROI calculator.
EUR conversions: NBP rate of 18 September 2026 (table 182/A/NBP/2026), EUR 1 = PLN 4.3633.
Borys Terlecki – marketplace sales and implementations at Commercraft. He previously worked on the operator side of marketplace platforms (Mirakl, Munich) and today onboards brands on marketplaces in Poland and the DACH region and runs their accounts.
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