Zara has started charging customers to return products bought online.

Since the beginning of May, Zara shoppers have been charged £ 1.95 to send back items, with the fee deducted from their refund, according to reports.

Items bought in store can still be returned to shops in the same region free of charge.

Inditex-owned Zara’s move to charge for online returns will be watched closely by other fashion retailers in the face of spiking return rates.

Returns have long been a costly headache for fashion retailers and have eroded margin.