On July 1, Saudi Arabia's new e-commerce return rule took effect. Cross-border sellers used to rely on "buyers won't bother returning" to save money. Not anymore. Buyers can return goods without a reason within 15 days, and sellers cover the shipping. I ran the numbers: a SAR 200 order loses about SAR 60 to return logistics and reshelving. If your return rate climbs above 5%, your profit is gone.
In my experience, fix the return chain first, not the price. A local Saudi return hub cuts the per-shipment cost from SAR 45 to around SAR 20. Then break return rates down by category — apparel hovers between 12% and 18%, electronics around 3%. Price based on the worst category, not the average, or you end up working for free.
Also, the Ministry of Commerce is auditing total price display. Shipping fees must be shown upfront; fines start at SAR 2,000. We switched every listing to all-in pricing in August and kept returns around 6%. The rule is actually a chance to reset the market while weaker players fold. How are you building return costs into your prices?