Returns Are the Retail Industry’s Quietly Mounting Logistics Problem | WSJ

If I want to buy something I first look up honest reviews on the Internet or asking around. we are wasting time money resources and materials that don't have to be needlessly be recycled.

I like shopping in person for clothes and fabrics because I know what I am getting. In fact, I do most of my shopping in person. It is convenient to by stuff from online, but I feel being out and about is better for my wellbeing.

Can the brand sell items directly from the original returned to end users at a discount? At least for the items that do not need inspection and end users are ok with them. Cut down all these middlemen?

As a logistical and reseller it makes me laugh at the level of stuff that was created due to wanting to control the market. Greed from the companies and a pure disappointment that they belive that people would be smart. It's just like the companies that use plastic bottles its not their fault people won't recycle single use plastics. You can never depend on the public to do the right thing just like believing a lobbyists or the government is on your side

easy tax Amazon 2% of each return can't recharge any seller fees， Amazon will changed return policy

We help e-commerce sellers to manage their returned items. We have automated all the reverse logistic systems. Please get in touch withus for more info.

Thanks for the informative video. Perhaps companies should publicly state the percentage of returned goods that are thrown out, that way they would get pressure to reduce that percentage and people would be more mindful of what they return.

I would hate to be the person that has to go through and sort all of those pallets of items.

//^///// وحيث ألاسلام هوه الدين السهل الممتنع الذى لا منازع او منافس له على الاطلاق ☝☝☝☝💜💛💚💕👍👍👍👍👍💜💛💚💖👏👏👏👏👏👏👏💜💛💚💖 وحيث ارسله الله عزوجل المعجز البديع مع الملاك جبريل للرسول محمد مكتوبا من عند الله المعجز القدير 👍👍👍👍👍👍 بعد ان غير شياطين السياسه القدماء العهد القديم (((( التوراه ))) بايديهم من اجل مصالحهم الشخصية الزانيه والنجسه الماديه الرخيصه 👹👹👹👹👎👎👎👎👎 فارسل الله عزوجل الانجيل الحقيقى وليس المزيف الان لتصحيح المسار الدينى الصحيح بعد تحريف التوراة للانسانيه جمعاء ...... فارسل الانجيل الصحيح الذى تم تزييفه وتغييره عن مساره الصحيح من جانب شياطين السياسه القدماء تلبية لمصالحهم الشخصيه 😈😈😈😈👺👺👺👺👎👎👎👎 هنا ارسل الله المعجز القدير المنتقم الحفيظ القرءان الكريم والاسلام لا ستعدال المسار الحقيقى للانسانيه وحافظ رسوله محمد والمسلمين المخلصين منهم وليس المدلسين الكاذبون على الحقائق كاملة ولم يتغير من الاسلام وكتابه القرءان الكريم الشامخ شيئا الى وقتنا هذا ✔✔✔✔👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👏👏👏👏 👏👏👏👏✌✌✌✌✌✌✌💜💛💚💕 . الباحث الإسلامي الدكتور / يحي سرحان / منظمة العفو الدولية / 🔊 🔊 🔊 🔊 🔊 🔊 🔊 🔊 🔊

if i was a retailer i would not take the items back i would tell the customer they can keep the item.

oh if the customer abuses the returns process by buying and returning i would ban them and/or report them for fraud.

Gee, what happened in 2020 and 2021 that required us to buy online? Hmmmmmm... Let's get to 2025 to see what trend these statistics REALLY show.

I have met people who think it's cool to send stuff back

Its almost like companies should go back to building high quality, durable products that last and not accept returns so easy. The only reason companies had to shift to a "no questions" return approach is because they sell up-charged trash and they know it. Stop manufacturing trash, from useless little trinkets like party favors to fake wood furniture to brittle cheap electronics. Also, localize more, stop being national and international, its greed is what has caused many of our problems these days.

They should charge a percentage of the product if the person want to return it. Everyone would buy more consciously

Sad. This could all be given to homeless shelters, schools for kids that don’t have clothes or shipped to countries that don’t have as many clothes

I wouldn't expect most consumers to take responsibility and stop returning things even if they were aware of what happens. For one thing, one person's choice has no appreciable impact on the overall problem. The returns policy would have to change for buyer habits to change. Pressure needs to be put on retailers by some entity with the power to make a difference, such as government or the waste disposal companies.

Those numbers are grossly underestimated. A lot of products are so cheap, people won't bother with the return and that's what Amazon dropshippers are counting on.

Why don't they sell it at a cheap price? New to You Returned Goods. Turn the wear house into a wear house store. Make it an "as is, buy at your own risk" store with a no return policy.

LOL returns are such a waste of everything. Thanks Amazon

I work at Ikea in the "Recovery" department, we resale 70% of what gets returned, it's not perfect but we resale a lot of what gets returned back in the "AS IS" section of the store.

Why can’t they open the warehouse and just sell the stuff? This is amazing. I never thought the items went to a warehouse. I thought they went back and was resold. Yikes!

Since 2020 I’ve been very mindful about things I buy. I realized I don’t need 70% of it. It’s actually freeing to not be a slave to debt and a cluttered home.

Hopefully companies will start having more merchandise in physical stores again. I would much rather look at most items before I buy, and clothing NEEDS to be tried on! Not everyone is proportioned the same way, so we need to try on clothes to make sure the fit right and look right. Plus sometimes when we return an order we are out shipping costs - meaning we are having to pay money for items we cannot wear/use.

Knowing this definitely encourages me to go to the store if I can. But so many stores are online only and most don't carry all their online selection either :(

I will still pay 10% premium for a better return policy like Amazon. This is a worthwhile thing to do as buying online is way too risky.

The problem boils down to why physical stores are so inconvenient, then why everything in US is so fking far away, and then the trashy infrastructure in US and car culture.

wow! great knowledge

This week, I bought jeans from Target online. They didn’t fit, so I went through the online return process, and was told that I’ll get my money back, but to donate or give the pants to a friend. The woman at the store told me they have too much stock, and they can’t keep up with the returns. Crazy. I’m going to bring the jeans to Goodwill. It’s a shame these stores aren’t giving their returned merchandise to the indigent.

this short video does not even begin to address corporate waste. Amazon sends goods to the landfill by the truckload, as told to me by someone who worked at the landfill near their large kentucky hub. Corporate waste is a crime against nature and the economy.

😮

Don't understand why much of the return merchandise ends up in landfills when it can be recycled. I mean most of that is plastic, metal, fabric...

I find this so interesting. My company sells pet food and supplies. We truly don’t take returns as seriously. It’s a pain point for the customer, so we make it easy and eat it. I don’t know how else to alleviate returns yet make the consumer happy. We already charge them to send it back to us, so it’s a weird spot. But as a person on this earth i really want to find a solution. It’s going to keep getting worse.

It is horrific. Think before you buy.

If sizing was accurate and standard across all companies it would make online shopping so much easier. I have tried on so many pairs of jeans that are listed as my size that don't fit me at all. I recently bought a dress and made sure to check the sizing chart and measure myself with a tape measure. I was smack dab in the middle of what a medium should be. I got it in and it was way too big for me! It's so frustrating. Thankfully I can sew but if not I would've had to return it.

I thought they resell it all

They could give so much of that stuff to charities to help people out like homeless shelters, abuse shelters and charities that give care packages

😮

If it isn't already a part of it, having a lesson unit about this in high school Economics classes would be helpful. In my teen years (pre-internet) only having the outside-of-physical stores ordering option through catalogs meant not as much of the return quantity amounts, compared to these days. So we didn't dive into this issue in Economics. Now, however,......

Now it's understandable why retails are starting to for-go the "return the product" step. Cheaper just to have consumers keep them.

All the hyt middle class in the comments 😵

God forbid we give these clothes and goods to people in need. Better of destroying it all I guess.

hmmm. i guess this is more of a USA thing

There erupts too much civilisation and away from existence of labouring force in capitalism

Ha! They will change... Right, good luck getting young girls and influences to stop buying 30 pieces of the same thing in different colors in one of their frequent "hauls".

Wow I always packaged up my returns how I received it. Some people just toss things in the box/bag and call it a day. I don’t even return items like that anyway.

Buying from those overstock companies is not cheap and most of the time it's random stuff. You never know what you'll get and the condition of that item. I have never made money buying overstock unless I buy it from the guy that bought the gaylord.

It amazes me that the retail industry doesn't realize it has a list of gold:
Customers that never return anything.
Use that list.

A lot of stores with fitting rooms are still closed in our area. Unfortunately, even if something seems like it will be the perfect fit… sometimes it’s just not. Not having a fitting room available has been by far the most common reason for my family to have to make a return.

Small eBay businesses get affected by returns the most! It’s our least favorite next to negative feedback!

Why can't companies pay a dedicated person to re shelf these items? And I know that they can afford it they just don't want to afford it because greed