Swiss National Council rejects returns fee

Online stores in Switzerland will not be mandated to charge for the return of goods. The Swiss National Council has rejected a motion proposing a returns fee. The obligation would be an encroachment on economic freedom.

National Council member Michael Töngi had introduced a motion to reduce unnecessary transports, as he said. Around a quarter of parcels are returned by customers. “This is a waste of goods”, he said. Many items are destroyed after being returned. With the motion, Töngi wanted to make ecommerce in Switzerland more ecological and customer-friendly.

Encroachment on economic freedom

However, 101 members of the Council voted against the motion, with 83 in favor and 3 abstentions. With this move, the chamber followed the Federal Council’s request. They argued that a return fee would disproportionately reduce entrepreneurial freedom and consumer benefits.

‘Online stores need to describe products and sizes in as much detail as possible.’

Instead, online stores in the country are responsible for correct product and sizing information, in order to reduce the amount of returns due to wrong sizing or missing information. The matter is now settled and there is no further debate planned to reduce the large amount of returned items.