These are dark times for us. Our naira is at an all-time low and shopping online from any foreign country is nearly unaffordable. However, we are Nigerians and how does that saying go?

“No matter the economy of the jungle, a lion will never eat grass!🦁”

If you can still afford to shop online, every dollar must be well spent! The last thing you want is to be stuck with items you don’t like or would rather not keep, hence this post.

There are so many reasons to love Asos, however, unlike for European countries, Asos does not refund the cost of shipping items back to the United Kingdom from Nigeria. Consequently, finding the most cost-efficient way to return items became important to me. After much research and inquiry, I’m recommending NIPOST. Yes, the Nigerian Postal Services.

Having served our British colonial masters, NIPOST dates back to the 19th century and despite being old and somewhat fledgeling, it’s still here to serve you! With branches in every state, NIPOST promises “To provide affordable, reliable and efficient postal service nationwide and worldwide”
Believe it or not, they do provide international shipping and like most courier services today, the cost varies with the weight of the items to be shipped.

Now, since you have a 28-day window to return your purchases to Asos, let me make a few suggestions:

1. Check Everything:
   Try on the clothes, shoes, bags or whatever it is you bought. Decide what you are keeping and what you are not.
2. Return Form:
   Now is a good time to fill out the Returns Form, the sheet of paper that’s usually included in every order. If you can’t find it, or misplaced it, you can download a pdf copy here.
3. Pack them up:
   Put together those items which you have decided to return. Fold and pack them neatly and as lightly as possible. I prefer to use the nylon bags they came in. Don’t forget the Returns form.
4. Extra Nylon Bags:
   Pack a few extra nylon bags, some brown paper, sellotape and a pair of paper scissors. They will come in handy at the post office.
5. Locate Post Office:
   Find the Post Office nearest to you.
6. At the Post Office
   • At the counter, have them weigh your parcel. Be sure to see the weight on the scale for yourself. Depending on the weight, split your parcel. E.g. If your Order is 1.8kg, split it in half so you have 2 orders of 0.9kg each. This is where those extra nylon bags come in. The goal here is to keep each parcel below 1kg.
   • This is helpful because items weighing over 1kg are categorized as “parcels”. To ship, they are placed in cartons, making your items weigh more. (i.e. your parcel which weighed 1.8kg could now weigh up to 2.5kg and cost even more to ship. However, items weighing less than 1kg are treated as documents and simply wrapped in brown paper.
   • NIPOST requires your items to be wrapped in brown paper over the nylon bag. There’s usually someone selling brown paper there in the post office (N150 per sheet). The officer will usually help you wrap up your items. Prior to this, remember to put your Returns Form amid the items (after peeling of the Address sticker on it). Your parcel will be weighed again for good measure, but have no fear, brown paper weighs next to nothing.
   • Now stick the Return Address sticker (ASOS, Barlby Road, Selby, YO8 5BL UK) on your wrapped > Parcel and it’s ready to go!.

It takes about 7 working days for a parcel to get to Asos, but it takes a little while to get sorted so, say about 10-12 days. You’ll get an email from Asos Care informing you about your returns and the amount of money to be refunded. You should receive your refund in your bank account between 5 to 10 working days. I get mine in 7 days.

I hope I’ve been helpful pending when Asos begins free returns from Nigeria. For now, please remember to shop responsibly!😊