Shipping and returns benchmarks
Checked November 2026 · 369 established online stores in six niches, 301 of which could be read
What online stores actually offer for free shipping and returns, read from each store's own website. Use it to see whether your own terms are in line with your niche.
- stores read, of 369 checked
- 301
- typical free-shipping minimums
- $50 to $100
- most common return window
- 30 days
- Typical free-shipping minimums range from $50 (beauty and skincare and food, coffee and drinks) to $100 (apparel and fashion).
- Free shipping on every order ranges from 0% of stores (food, coffee and drinks) to 24% (home goods and decor).
- 30 days is the most common return window in every niche where we measured returns.
- Most stores leave return shipping to the customer: 54% to 89% of those whose policy says, depending on the niche.
| Niche | Typical free-shipping minimum | Free on every order | Most common return window | Customer pays for returns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty and skincare | $50 ($35 to $50) | 9% | 30 days | 74% |
| Apparel and fashion | $100 ($100 to $150) | 22% | 30 days | 54% |
| Health and supplements | $70 ($50 to $75) | 10% | 30 days | 89% |
| Home goods and decor | $79 ($50 to $100) | 24% | 30 days | 69% |
| Jewelry and accessories | $98 ($75 to $150) | 21% | 30 days | 63% |
| Food, coffee and drinks | $50 ($40 to $75) | 0% | Not measured | Not measured |
The range in brackets is where the middle half of stores set their minimum. Each niche's page shows how many stores each figure rests on.
How we collected this
- We read each store's homepage and its shipping and returns pages once, in November 2026, and recorded what it offers for standard shipping to the United States.
- Offers only for members, subscribers, first orders, discount codes or a limited-time sale don't count as a store's free-shipping minimum.
- Every figure comes with the store's own wording, and anything we couldn't match to it was left out.
- Stores that block automated visits, or whose pages only work in a full browser, were skipped rather than worked around.
- The stores are established direct-to-consumer brands, so the figures describe them rather than very small or brand-new shops.
How unclear cases were handled
- One page, several countries: glossier.com lists its free-shipping minimum for about fifteen countries. Only the US one ($40+) was counted.
- Offers for some shoppers only: free shipping for members, subscribers, first orders or with a code isn't counted as the store's minimum.
- Amounts written differently: "25 USD", "$25.00" and "$2,000" are all read as amounts, and a window given in months is converted to days.
- Returns: a window for refunds counts; one for exchanges only doesn't. Returns count as free only when the page says so: a "prepaid label" alone isn't enough, since its cost can come out of the refund.
- Food and drink returns are left out: food usually can't be returned, and the windows these stores state are for equipment.
- A figure we couldn't match to the store's own wording was left out rather than guessed. That's why some stores show "Not clear" or "Not stated".
Each niche's page lists every store with its figures and a link to the page they came from.
Setting your own minimum? The free-shipping calculator works out the one that pays for itself, and shows your niche's typical figure.
Cite this data
You're welcome to use these figures in articles and reports, with a link to this page.
EcomWatchdog, "Shipping and Returns Benchmarks", November 2026. https://www.ecomwatchdog.com/benchmarks
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