Returns · Cost · Calculator
What do size-related returns cost your jewelry store?
Size-related returns cost a jewelry store more than shipping: each one adds team time, packaging, insurance, fees, value loss, fraud risk and, when it ends in a refund, the margin on the lost sale. Enter your own figures and this free calculator estimates the yearly total, with a full line-by-line breakdown.
Reference values
Where the reference values come from
Ten fields come pre-filled with a reference value: eight in the main form and two in “Refine your estimate”. Each is an industry figure, Aitaca data from its jewelry clients, or an Aitaca estimate. Replace with your own figure. Amounts are in EUR; if you choose another currency, they are converted at ECB rates of 5 October 2026.
| Field | Section | Reference | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margin (% of order value) | Your orders | 50% | Jewelry gross margins average 42–47%, and established direct-to-consumer jewelry brands reach 70–85%. A refunded piece comes back to your stock, so the calculator counts the margin you lose on the sale, not the full order value. Source: Branvas (opens in a new tab). |
| Return rate, including size exchanges and resizes (% of orders) | Your returns | 20% | The jewelry industry range is 8–20% of online orders. Source: Loop (opens in a new tab), Branvas (opens in a new tab), Corso (opens in a new tab). |
| Share of returns due to size | Your returns | 50% | Aitaca data from its jewelry clients. |
| Of size returns, % refunded (rest exchanged) | Your returns | 50% | Aitaca data from its jewelry clients. Every size case that is not refunded counts as an exchange. |
| Shipping insurance (% of item value) | Shipping and packaging | 1.5% | Carriers charge $1.20–1.60 per $100 declared; third-party insurers charge 1–3%. Source: Loop (opens in a new tab). |
| Value loss on returned items (%) | Product value and fraud | 10% | Across ecommerce, only about 48% of returned items are resold at full price, and open-box items sell for 15–40% less. Jewelry usually keeps more of its value, so the reference is lower: an Aitaca estimate for cleaning, re-plating and the pieces sold at a discount. Source: Ringly (opens in a new tab), WarehousingCosts (opens in a new tab). |
| Fraudulent returns (% of refunds) | Product value and fraud | 9% | Returns fraud and abuse, averaged across all retail categories in the US. Counted at the cost of the piece that never comes back. Source: NRF, 2025 Retail Returns Landscape (opens in a new tab). |
| Shipping cost per leg | Shipping and packaging | €15 | A signed, tracked parcel for jewelry starts at about £9.45 with Royal Mail Special Delivery, and £15–25 with an express courier such as DHL. Source: Secursus (opens in a new tab). |
| Packaging cost per shipment | Shipping and packaging | €4 | Rigid jewelry boxes cost $1–10 per unit, and a box with cushioning and tissue $0.75–3.50 per order, before a security seal or branded extras. Source: EcoPackables (opens in a new tab). |
| Staff time per size case | Team time | 20 min | Inspecting a single return takes a trained worker 5–15 minutes. The reference adds receiving, repacking, the refund or exchange, and customer service. Source: Corso (opens in a new tab). |
Fields without a reference value
These depend on how your store works, so there is no figure to pre-fill. Optional fields show an example as a placeholder; left empty, they count as 0.
| Field | Section | How it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| Annual online orders | Your orders | Required. Enter your own figure. |
| Average order value | Your orders | Required. Enter your own figure. |
| Staff cost per hour | Team time | Required. Enter your own figure. |
| I pay the outbound shipping | Shipping and packaging | Optional. Off by default. When ticked, each refund also counts the parcel you sent out. |
| Resizing cost per piece | Product value and fraud | Optional. Empty counts as 0; it only counts if you enter a figure. |
| Payment fees not refunded (% of order value) | Third-party fees | Optional. Empty counts as 0; it only counts if you enter a figure. |
| Returns platform fee per return | Third-party fees | Optional. Empty counts as 0; it only counts if you enter a figure. |
| Orders shipped internationally (%) | International orders | Optional. Empty counts as 0; it only counts if you enter a figure. |
| International shipping cost per leg | International orders | Optional. Empty uses your domestic rate. |
| Duties and taxes not recovered (% of item value) | International orders | Optional. Empty counts as 0; it only counts if you enter a figure. |
| Days a returned piece is out of sale | Stock tied up | Optional. Empty counts as 0; it only counts if you enter a figure. |
| Annual cost of holding stock (%) | Stock tied up | Optional. Empty counts as 0; it only counts if you enter a figure. |
FAQ
Common questions
What counts as a size-related return?
Any order that comes back, or is swapped, because the ring or piece did not fit. The calculator treats each one as a size case: it ends either in a refund or in an exchange for another size. Resizing the same piece in your workshop also counts as an exchange.
Why does an exchange count as two shipments?
Because two parcels travel: the piece that did not fit comes back to you, and the new size goes out to the customer. A refund only generates one shipment, the piece coming back.
Why does the calculator count the margin, not the whole order?
When a size case ends in a refund, the sale is gone but the piece comes back to your stock. What you lose is the margin you would have made, so the calculator counts your gross margin on every refund. What the piece loses before it can be sold again is counted separately, as value loss, and a piece that never comes back is counted as fraud.
What does “stock tied up” mean?
From the moment a customer sends a piece back until it is available to sell again, that piece is out of stock. It still costs you money while it’s away: the financing, storage and insurance of your inventory. The calculator counts that holding cost for the days each returned piece is out of sale. The impact can be bigger than this line shows: if it was your only piece in that size or style, another customer who wants it meanwhile finds it out of stock and may buy elsewhere. Those lost sales aren’t counted, so treat this line as a minimum. This cost is only included if you fill in “Stock tied up” in “Refine your estimate”. Left empty, it counts as 0.
Why does a returned piece lose value?
Before a returned piece can be sold again it usually needs inspection, cleaning, polishing or re-plating, and new packaging. Some pieces can only be sold at a discount, as ex-display or outlet stock. The calculator counts this loss on every piece that goes back on sale, whether it came back from a refund or an exchange. You’ll find this figure in “Refine your estimate”, under “Product value and fraud”. It is included even if you don’t open that section, using a 10% reference value; enter your own figure there to replace it.
How does the calculator count returns fraud?
Some refunds turn out to be fraudulent: the piece never comes back, or a different or damaged one does. In those cases you lose the piece itself as well as the sale, so the calculator adds the cost of the piece on top of the margin it already counts for every refund. You’ll find this figure in “Refine your estimate”, under “Product value and fraud”. It is included even if you don’t open that section, using a 9% reference value; enter your own figure there to replace it.
Does the currency selector convert my figures?
Yes, at fixed rates. When you switch currency, every amount in the form, including the reference values, is converted at the European Central Bank reference rates of 5 October 2026. The rates are not updated live, so check the amounts if you need an exact figure. The result shows every amount in the currency you chose.
How will I see the results?
On screen, as soon as you press Calculate: your annual cost, three key figures and the full breakdown, line by line.
What happens to the figures I enter?
They stay in your browser. The calculator works on your device: nothing you enter is sent to Aitaca or stored.
Go through your figures with us
Book a call with the Aitaca team to see how other jewelers handle ring sizing online.