A 4% return rate is not a returns problem. It is a listing problem wearing a costume.
Three buckets, three different fixes
Almost every return falls into one of three buckets, and each one has a different fix.
Expectation returns. The product is fine, but the listing promised something slightly different — size, color, quantity, strength. The fix is copy and images, not the product.
Quality returns. The product or the packaging is failing. The fix is the supplier or the box.
Wrong-buyer returns. Your ads are bringing in people the product was never for. The fix is negative keywords, and it's the one nobody thinks of.
71% said "not as described"
We had a home brand at a 6.2% return rate, well above their category, with ODR drifting toward the line. We pulled the return reason report, which most sellers have never opened, and 71% of returns said "not as described." Not defective. Not damaged.
The listing showed the product styled in a large room. Buyers assumed it was bigger than it was. We added a scale reference to the second image, put the dimensions in the first bullet, and changed one A+ module to show it in a small space.
Returns dropped to 2.8% in two months. Same product, same supplier.
Refunds are feedback you are already paying for. Have you read your return reason report this quarter, or just your refund total?