Returns Desk: Knitwear Inspection Guide

November 6, 2026

Inspect knitwear at the returns desk by checking the cuffs and hem for stretch, the underarms for deodorant marks, and the body for pilling that does not match a single try on. A knit that has been worn for a day will show it at the elbows and the seat. A knit that was only tried on will not, and that is the line.

The elbows tell the truth

Knitwear stretches where the body moves, and the elbows are the first place it shows. A knit worn for a day will bag slightly at the elbows and the seat, because the yarn relaxes under repeated bending. A knit that was only tried on for five minutes will not. Hold the garment flat and look at the elbows. If the fabric there is looser and thinner than the fabric at the forearm, the knit has been worn, and the rest of the inspection should confirm it.

The cuffs tell the same story. A cuff that has been pushed up and pulled down all day will be stretched and will not spring back. A cuff that was only tried on will still hold its rib. The check takes ten seconds and it is more reliable than the tags, which can be reattached, or the smell, which can be faked.

Underarms, and what to do about them

Deodorant marks are the clearest single sign of wear on knitwear, because they only appear when the garment has been worn against the skin for hours. A white mark at the underarm, or a stiff patch where antiperspirant has dried, means the knit was worn, not tried on. A try on in a fitting room does not leave a mark, because the garment is not against the skin long enough.

The desk rule should be simple: a deodorant mark plus any other wear sign is a rejection. A deodorant mark alone, with no other sign, is a judgement call, and the safe call is to accept it, because a customer can get a mark from a single try on in a warm shop. The mark matters most when it confirms what the elbows already said.

Pilling, and how to read it

Pilling is the least reliable wear sign on knitwear, because a cheap knit can pill in a single try on if the customer wore a rough bag strap. A good knit can survive a day of wear with almost no pilling at all. The desk should not reject on pilling alone, and it should not accept on the absence of pilling either.

What matters is where the pilling is. Pilling at the underarms and the sides, where the arms rub the body, points to wear. Pilling on the front of the chest, where a bag strap sits, points to a try on with a bag. Pilling everywhere, evenly, points to a cheap knit, not a worn one. Read the location, not the amount.

The ninety second routine

Hold the knit flat, check the elbows and the seat for bagging. Check the cuffs for stretch. Check the underarms for deodorant marks. Smell the body of the garment for perfume and body odor. That is the whole inspection, and it takes ninety seconds. Two signs of wear is a rejection. One sign is a judgement call, and the safe call is to accept. Zero signs is a clean return, tags or no tags.

Keep reading: WardrobeGuard vs Happy Returns, The returns fraud glossary, and Returns Desk Denim Inspection: Reading Wear in the Places Jeans Cannot Hide It cover the nearby cases in this series.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell if a knit was worn or just tried on?

Check the elbows and the seat for bagging, the underarms for deodorant marks, and the cuffs for stretch. A try on leaves none of these. A day of wear leaves at least one, and usually two. The smell test helps too: a worn knit carries body odor and perfume that a tried on knit does not.

Should I reject a knit with light pilling?

Not on pilling alone. Pilling can happen in a single try on if the knit is cheap or the customer wore a rough bag strap. Reject on pilling combined with other wear signs, like stretched cuffs or deodorant marks. One sign is a try on. Two signs is a wear.

What about knitwear returned with the tags still on?

Tags do not prove the item was not worn. Tags can be reattached, and a knit worn carefully under a coat can keep its tags. Inspect the garment, not the tags. The elbows and the underarms tell the truth the tags cannot.

How do I handle a knit that smells of perfume?

Perfume alone is not a reason to reject, since a customer can spray perfume in a fitting room. Reject when perfume is combined with wear signs like stretched cuffs or bagging. Log the perfume as a note, not as the reason, because a rejection based on smell alone is hard to defend.