{"id":27942,"date":"2026-04-07T06:23:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/?p=27942"},"modified":"2026-04-07T06:23:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:23:26","slug":"are-haul-videos-making-fashions-returns-problem-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/?p=27942","title":{"rendered":"Are Haul Videos Making Fashion\u2019s Returns Problem Worse?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>All three creators voice consciousness against overconsumption, and not wanting to promote bad habits or unrealistic ideals; however, there are times when, for one reason or another, items do get returned after filming. Returns are a seemingly unavoidable byproduct of the very format that could be tempting, or easy, for others to take advantage of. On the other hand, luxury retailers like Net-a-Porter and TheRealReal often have excessive return policies as a safeguard against \u201cstaging\u201d scams and \u201cserial\u201d return behavior.<\/p>\n<p>TheRealReal, which is a popular subject of try-on fashion hauls, describes excessive returns <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.therealreal.com\/returns\" class=\"external-link text link\" data-event-click=\"{&quot;element&quot;:&quot;ExternalLink&quot;,&quot;outgoingURL&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.therealreal.com\/returns&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.therealreal.com\/returns\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">on its website<\/a> as returning 30 or more items, returning purchases over $10,000, or having an overall return rate as \u201cover 85 percent.\u201d Through these metrics, customers can receive \u201cstrikes\u201d against their account, and in some cases, a total ban. Other retailers like ASOS have enacted policies which deduct small fees from the refunds of consumers with high overall return rates; likewise, suspicion of fraudulent activity can lead to a total account ban.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, Michelle describes an instance in which she returned a jacket to TheRealReal that she had already filmed, but upon reading the comments she had another change of heart. \u201cI checked the video afterwards and all of the comments said I should keep the coat,\u201d she explains. \u201cSo I went back and bought the coat and I&#8217;m so happy that I did.\u201d In this way, the relationship between creator and consumer is symbiotic\u2014growth, engagement, and community become one in the same. \u201cThat invitation for feedback doesn\u2019t just build community, it drives growth,\u201d says Cait Marron, Senior Vice President of creative strategy at Billion Dollar Boy.<\/p>\n<p>Returns aside, brands aren\u2019t blind to the advantages of high-engagement user generated content. In fact, Marron explains that there are times when they are leaning into it. She points to Addison Rae\u2019s collaboration with Lucky Brand Jeans. The brand gifted creators\u2014a common strategy often called \u201cseeding.\u201d \u201cWhat brands increasingly understand is that for better or worse, creators will be honest,\u201d she says. \u201cIn this case, some viewers loved the throwback Millennial aesthetic low-rise jeans, while others gave candid feedback on fit, like shorts running shorter than expected (even if advertised as short shorts). The mixed reactions can be helpful to quickly capture customer feedback for the brand, while also building credibility and driving engagement with the creator\u2019s audience.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Where the creator forms a relationship with their audience, they inevitably also form an informal relationship with the brand, one that is often profitable to the creator. Stewart explains she utilizes affiliate links wherever she can. For readily available items from retailers like Zara, she links directly, for a vintage purchase from TheRealReal, she\u2019ll link to similar vintage or second hand items\u2014not unlike the product recommendations that built the trust and credibility of OG bloggers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat trust often translates into action,\u201d says Marron. \u201cWhen viewers see someone they relate to genuinely endorsing a product, it not only builds brand affinity but also drives intent, people want to know where they can buy it and how they can experience it for themselves.\u201d Though returns are an inevitability of try-on hauls, conscious creators who have garnered trust with their audiences can potentially help reduce further returns\u2014after watching a try-on and review, a consumer may have a better understanding of the garment and what it looks like on different body types, leading to a more informed purchase.<\/p>\n<p>In an oversaturated marketplace, content will continue to evolve; however, some creators are again already feeling a shift. Stewart notes that her videos that receive the most negative feedback are now her \u201cstraight up\u201d hauls, whereas hyper-specific unboxing videos where she compares the same product across different brands\u2014for example, deciding which white T-shirt fits the best\u2014are what engages her community the most.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/are-haul-videos-making-fashions-returns-problem-worse\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All three creators voice consciousness against overconsumption, and not wanting to promote bad habits or unrealistic ideals; however, there are times when, for one reason or another, items do get returned after filming. Returns are a seemingly unavoidable byproduct of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunthow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}