Nine returns from 120 orders
Neha runs Kurta Kart, a ₹6 lakh-a-year business selling kurtis from a shop in Kanpur. During a four-day online sale she received 120 orders: 70 through a marketplace and 50 through her own WhatsApp catalogue with payment links. Nine orders came back - five because customers said the size was too small, two because the colour was duller than in the photo, one because the parcel arrived six days late, and one cash-on-delivery parcel of 20 pieces worth ₹9,800 was refused at the door. Her marketplace rating fell from 4.5 to 4.1 and the platform charged her the return shipping on the refused parcel. She has also received a message from a 'customer' asking her to cancel the marketplace order and pay directly on UPI for a 12% discount. Her size chart is copied from a wholesaler and gives bust 34–40 without any garment length or waist measurement in inches.
1. Analyse the nine returns and set out the three highest-value fixes, using the numbers.
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Return rate: 9 out of 120 = 7.5%. That is not catastrophic, but the mix matters more than the total.
- Size complaints: 5 of 9 returns (56%)
- Colour expectations: 2 of 9 (22%)
- Late delivery: 1 of 9 (11%)
- COD refusal: 1 of 9 (11%), but 20 pieces and ₹9,800 - the biggest single loss
Fix 1 - Size chart and fit information. The current chart is borrowed from a wholesaler and shows only bust 34–40. Add garment measurements taken flat - chest, waist, hip, length, sleeve length - in inches, plus model height and the size she is wearing, and a line saying whether the fabric has stretch. Most size returns happen because the buyer has no reliable way to choose.
Fix 2 - Colour and photograph accuracy. Two 'duller colour' returns point to studio lighting or a filter. Shoot in daylight against a neutral background, show a close-up of the fabric, name the shade ('mustard', not 'yellow'), and add a small disclaimer that screen colour may vary slightly.
Fix 3 - Despatch discipline and COD limits. One late parcel means the promised despatch time is not being met. Publish a 48-hour despatch promise, keep a despatch register, and share tracking. For COD, set a cap or ask for a part advance on orders above ₹5,000 or above 5 pieces; a ₹9,800 refusal costs forward freight, return freight, repacking and blocked stock.
Rating recovery follows the fixes: answer reviews, resolve disputes within 24 hours, and ask satisfied buyers for honest feedback.
2. How should Neha respond to the request to cancel the marketplace order and take payment on UPI with a 12% discount?
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Decline politely and keep everything on the platform.
The 12% asked for is not a discount request; it is a request to move a sale outside the marketplace, and the risks sit almost entirely on Neha:
- Policy breach. Marketplaces prohibit off-platform diversion of orders. The likely outcomes are a warning, withheld settlement, listing removal or account suspension - which would cut off 70 of her 120 sale orders.
- No protection. If the UPI payment fails, the goods are disputed, or the buyer is fraudulent, there is no escrow, no dispute process and no record of the transaction on the platform.
- Tax and accounting. Every supply needs a GST invoice with the correct GSTIN and HSN. An informal UPI transfer creates an unrecorded sale and a mismatch in her returns.
- Pattern recognition. 'Cancel the order and pay me directly' is a known fraud and harassment pattern, especially when the buyer is new and the order value is high.
A workable reply: 'Thank you for your interest. I am sorry, but orders placed on the marketplace must be completed there, as the platform's rules and your buyer protection depend on it. I can offer you a ₹100 coupon on your next order of ₹1,500 or more.'
Then log the message, report it through the platform's chat/report option if it continues, and brief the person handling her WhatsApp catalogue never to accept a 'cancel and pay me' request.
3. What should Kurta Kart's policy be for bulk COD orders, and how should the refused ₹9,800 parcel be recorded and recovered?
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Policy for bulk COD
- COD allowed only up to a value cap, for example ₹5,000, and up to 3 pieces per order. Above that, ask for full prepayment or a 20–25% advance with the balance on delivery.
- A confirmation call or WhatsApp confirmation for every order above ₹3,000, with the address and the expected delivery date repeated back.
- Clear refusal terms shown at checkout: return freight may be charged on refused COD parcels.
- A simple internal flag for repeat refusers; no second COD order without prepayment.
Recording the ₹9,800 refusal
- Count the returned pieces against the invoice; check for damage and missing tags before returning them to saleable stock.
- Record the loss line by line: forward freight, return freight charged by the platform, repacking cost, and the value of stock blocked for about two weeks.
- If a small part is unsaleable, write it off in the stock register rather than quietly re-listing it.
- Review the totals monthly. If COD refusals exceed about 2% of orders, tighten the cap further.
Recovery
Prevention is cheaper than recovery. A ₹150 prepaid-only surcharge, a confirmation call and a stock-and-freight buffer in the pricing for bulk orders will usually cover the occasional refusal. Do not chase the customer aggressively - a platform complaint costs more than the parcel.