New Ont. startup picks up and drops off online returns for customers

A new company in Kitchener, Ont. aims to save online shoppers the hassle of returns by picking up their packages and returning it for them.

Jordan and Chris Fischer started Return Pals in November 2024 after recognizing their own need for help with online returns.

“I am a working mom from home, so I would have packages just piling up and I didn’t have time to return them,” said Jordan. “This was a really frustrating problem. Then I spoke with some friends about it and realized I wasn’t the only one.”

With online shopping on the rise, they saw an opportunity in the community.

How it works

A customer can schedule a pickup online, leave their packages on their doorstep or hand it off in-person, and a Return Pals driver will drop it off at a local post office. They will also send proof that they got the package and sent it off.

“We’ll deliver to Canada Post, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Purolator, or whatever it is,” added Jordan.

There is no limit to how many packages can be sent off at once.

“Each package per pick up is $4.99, and then each additional package within that same pick up is only $1.99,” Jordan said.

Return Pals will collect any kind of package as long as it was purchased online.

Oversized items, however, do cost more.

“I’ve picked up snowblowers… I’ve picked up rugs,” Chris said, while driving to a customer’s home.

The company also returns some items in-store.

“We’ve got our heart and soul into it,” said Chris. “That’s why it’s Jordan and myself are doing pretty much everything. The marketing that you see, the pick ups and the drop offs that you see, all of that.”

Chris said he enjoys helping people and saving them time.

“That’s why we have a uniform driver. He’s your pal. This is someone you can count on,” Chris said.

Customer reaction

Gail Grant from Cambridge, Ont. recently had to return something from Zara and Amazon but she didn’t want to do it herself.

She’s used Return Pals several times and said the service is worth it, as she values her time.

“Especially this time of year. It’s cold. You have to warm up your car. You’re sitting in traffic, you’re sitting in line. It costs gas. I’d rather have Return Pals do it for me,” Grant said.

For now, Return Pals only picks up packages in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge but they hope to expand to other communities in the future.