US warehouses are full of "returned goods"! Most of them will be resold on eBay and Poshmark!

It is learned that according to foreign media reports, a 130,000-square-foot warehouse in Texas is filled with returned goods from companies such as Amazon, Target, Sony, Home Depot and Wayfair.

It is reported that workers in the warehouse are liquidating these returned goods, repackaging them, and then listing them on second-hand resale platforms such as eBay and Poshmark .

The number of items returned by online shoppers and then sold on second-hand sites has more than doubled since 2008, reaching a total value of $644 billion in 2020, according to Colorado State University.

Tony Sciarrotta, a well-known figure in the industry, said that part of the reason for US inflation may be the large number of returns generated by online shopping, because these goods must be sold at a loss. This will hurt the profitability of companies and increase product prices at the source.

In addition to inflation, the large number of returned goods will also pollute the environment. According to Optoro's estimates, each year in the United States, returns generate about 16 million metric tons of carbon emissions and cause up to 5.8 billion pounds of landfill waste.

Angrick, head of Liquidity Services (a platform that specializes in handling returned goods for retailers), said that the company refurbishes hundreds of TVs every day, and the refurbished products are sold at about 60% to 70% of the original price. Due to supply chain problems, there is a shortage of new goods, and Americans' demand for second-hand refurbished electronic products has increased significantly, especially headphones and Apple.

It is learned that due to the increased costs of returns and exchanges and strong consumer demand, many retailers have entered the second-hand market. Amazon launched "Warehouse Deals" and "Amazon Renewed" to sell second-hand and refurbished goods respectively, and it also launched "Amazon Outlet" to sell overstock inventory.

In addition, Best Buy and HP also have pages dedicated to selling second-hand items. Julie Ryan, HP's North American manager, said that the page can achieve 80% to 100% recycling of second-hand items.

Editor ✎ Nicole/

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