OT: Amazon's returned merchandize

[Black Forest]

My wife buys a lot of stuff off Amazon. They have great delivery times and an even better return policy. If she buys something on Amazon Prime and doesn't like it she can send it back no questions asked. Today she took an item to the UPS store to be sent back to Amazon. The label Amazon emailed her to send it back was put on the box. The instructions said she didn't have to pack the item that UPS would do that for her. The wife came home and told me the UPS store attendant told her nothing gets sent back to Amazon actually but everything regardless of what it is goes into a blue sack and goes to Poland to be burned. Meaning if my wife buys a jacket for €500 and doesn't like it or it doesn't fit so she sends it back to Amazon it actually just gets burned. That is crazy. I understand the economics of why they do it but the environmental impact is terrible. Shame on Amazon. On a positive note I have a friend that owns a chain of high end grocery stores here in Germany. Instead of him throwing all the food away that is approaching use by date he puts it all in big coolers just past the checkout area. Anyone can take whatever they want for free from these coolers. The intent is for poorer people to be able to save money on perfectly good food. He says not many "well off" people take advantage of the system so it works out well.

[RSG]

I find that hard to believe about Amazon! How can they take that kind of loss and still exist! Here in Canada (and likely the US) there are these Binge Bins popping up everywhere. Not sure exactly how the process works but I'm guessing they bid on skids of stuff from Amazon. The buyers then drop it in an outlet were they sell it on a sliding scale so, Friday is like 25 bucks and by Monday, after it's picked over everything is like 5 bucks.

[RMinMN]

I think the UPS employee is misinformed. Amazon doesn't want it back but it goes to a reseller who can sell it as used or refurbished. Even things that are in their original packaging must be sold as used or refurbished. Clothing may be an exception.

Check out Amazon Warehouse for some of the returned items. Sometimes you can get a pretty good deal there.

You also might want to look at Amazon Renewed.

[Willy]

I think the UPS employee is misinformed. Amazon doesn't want it back but it goes to a reseller who can sell it as used or refurbished. Even things that are in their original packaging must be sold as used or refurbished. Clothing may be an exception.

Check out Amazon Warehouse for some of the returned items. Sometimes you can get a pretty good deal there.

You also might want to look at Amazon Renewed.

^^^^^^^^
This!

Amazon didn't get big by foolishly destroying billions of dollars worth of of saleable merchandise.
There may be some items that simply aren't worth salvaging due to handling costs but I'd bet that list is small.
If there's 50 cents a piece profit on 10,000 items it'll go out the front door and not out the back and into the dumpster.
There use to be a time when the customers were often allowed to keep an item rather than it being returned due to shipping and handling costs but that business model has changed as well.

[Bob Engelhardt]

[...]
Check out Amazon Warehouse for some of the returned items. [...]
You also might want to look at Amazon Renewed.

We've had a Prime subscription for I don't know how long, more than 10 years for sure, and I never knew about the Warehouse or Renewed! Thanks for the tip.

[GordonL]

At least locally many of the returned Amazon items are offered as pallet load on a bid basis. Many of the returned items are offered on Facebook marketplace and Craigslist at 50% to 75% off list. Usually they show a screenshot of the Amazon page. Frequently the item will start out at 75% then drop to 50% etc. I am sure that some of the items on a pallet end up being unsold but I don't know what happens to that. I talked to one of the resellers and she stated that most of what she did not sell went to the thrift store.

[Mcgyver]

I find that hard to believe about Amazon! How can they take that kind of loss and still exist!

I doubt it will cost amazon anything, it'll be back charged to whoever sold it to them or to whoever they selling on behalf of. A lot of not most consumer goods work that way.

[boslab]

Quite shocking that stuff is just binned really, however in the U.K. Tesco used to throw food in a dumpster and pour bleach over it rather than give it away, ( however when I was in the met police in London marks and Spencer’s distributed at least 10.000 meals every night without seeking publicity.
the world is surely screwed beyond saving .
mark

[MikeWI]

Spencer’s distributed at least 10.000 meals every night without seeking publicity.
mark

And that's the way it should be. If you're really doing it out of the goodness of your corporate heart, don't brag about it, just do it. I hate when companies talk about how wonderful they are for doing "charity".

[nc5a]

There was a very interesting article in the paper awhile back about this very subject. If you google "amazon dumping products" you will find enough documented evidence from many sources to make you sick. Since these stories surfaced Amazon claims to be correcting their behavior but I highly doubt it. The waste Amazon created is criminal in my opinion.

[RSG]

I doubt it will cost amazon anything, it'll be back charged to whoever sold it to them.

That makes sense. Can't see them taking a loss, instead they pass it off to the smaller guys LOL! I guess when a company is that big they call the shots.

[RB211]

Happening for a second time now, I return something to the UPS store, I get issued a refund, then 3 weeks go by and Amazon tells me I still need to return the item or I will be charged?

[Black Forest]

I will try to verify if Amazon is really doing this in Germany. If they do in fact put it in the blue bag then it is going to get burned.

[wierdscience]

Happening for a second time now, I return something to the UPS store, I get issued a refund, then 3 weeks go by and Amazon tells me I still need to return the item or I will be charged?

That has happened three times to me recently. Two of those times were orders that were lost, that Amazon replaced, only for the original order to show up also. Both of those times I had to chat with a rep to get things straightened back out. The third time was the same, except when the order arrived anyway, one of the items was missing. I went through the same process and tried my best to make them understand that the order arrived missing one item, but they didn't get it right and I had to go back through the whole process again before they fixed it and I got my credit.

[gellfex]

That would be surprising. I know for a fact things returned to LL Bean get sorted and resalable items are stocked. A friend's octogenarian father in Maine works sorting the returns!