Trick, no treat: Small business owners left distressed after Halloween due to 'wear and return' tactics

Some consumers are making the most of their Halloween costumes by wearing them once and returning them for a full refund. Small business owners are left distressed, grappling with damaged goods and the growing trend of “wear and return” tactics.

People wearing costumes roam the streets of Itaewon in central Seoul on Halloween, or Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

Now that Halloween has passed, some consumers are still making the most of their costumes by wearing them once and then returning them for a full refund. While savvy shoppers save a buck, small business owners are left distressed, grappling with damaged merchandise and the growing trend of “wear and return” tactics.

On Monday, various online communities saw a wave of posts from people who shared, “I saved money by returning my Halloween costume right after I wore it.”

They explained that since the costumes are typically worn only for a day, it's difficult to wear them again, and keeping them for an entire year is “awkward.” As a result, they sell them at secondhand shops or return them. They also shared their own “returning tips,” such as which stores are more lenient with returns, what legal provisions to cite when returns are refused and within how many days returns should be made.

Under the current law, Article 17 in the Act on the Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce stipulates that consumers can cancel or return their orders within seven days of receipt.

Small business owners have lamented that consumers are exploiting this regulation to return items after wearing them. There are even cases in which clothes stained with food or makeup are returned, according to some vendors.

“Clothes came back with traces of kimchi juice and a strong body odor,” one costume seller said. “Despite clear signs of use, the return was processed under 'seller's fault,' and I had to bear the round-trip shipping costs.”

“Sometimes it takes over a month for the returned items to arrive via courier,” another seller said. “Even if there are clear signs of wear, it's difficult to respond, so we often end up treating it as a loss.”

While items in good condition can be resold as secondhand, those with serious damage must be discarded, resulting in significant losses.

Because of this, some sellers have started blocking sales a week before Halloween to prevent returns after wearing. However, most are reluctant to do so due to concerns over a drop in sales and thus continue to sell reluctantly.

Another costume seller shared, “I'm already scared of how many returns I'll get this Halloween.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY SHIN HYE-YEON [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]