Apparel sizing inconsistency across brands causes 70% of fashion returns and forces 'bracketing' behavior

There is no universal sizing standard in fashion ecommerce, so a size Medium from one brand may differ by 2-3 inches from another brand's Medium, and even within the same brand sizes vary across collections and seasons. So what? 70% of fashion returns are due to sizing issues, with return rates reaching 20-30% for apparel. So what? 63% of online shoppers now deliberately order multiple sizes ('bracketing') with the intent to return what doesn't fit, inflating logistics costs. So what? Processing a single return costs sellers 20-65% of the item's original price once shipping, inspection, and restocking are factored in. So what? This return cost burden makes low-margin fashion ecommerce unsustainable for small brands that cannot absorb $15-30 per return. So what? Independent fashion brands either avoid online channels or price in a return buffer, making their products less competitive against fast-fashion giants who can absorb returns at scale. The structural root cause is that garment sizing has never been standardized globally; each brand creates proprietary size charts based on different fit models, target demographics, and vanity sizing strategies, and no marketplace or industry body enforces a common measurement schema.