Wirecutter buys 450 lb box of Amazon returns
3 days ago
- #secondary market
- #returns
- #consumer waste
- A journalist and colleagues purchased a 450-pound mystery pallet of returned goods from Amazon and other retailers for over $700, expecting a mix of useful and odd items.
- The pallet contained mostly low-quality clothing and other items, leading to disappointment and reflections on consumer waste.
- Returned and unsold goods often end up in the secondary market, valued at $846 billion in the US in 2024, providing affordable options but also enabling overconsumption.
- The team unboxed 430 packages with 582 items, finding poorly made clothing, novelty items, and some usable products, but also 70 pounds of trash.
- Many returns are due to sizing issues, quality mismatches, or personal circumstances, with some items never restocked and instead liquidated.
- Secondary markets and liquidators help reduce waste by reselling items, but they also perpetuate a cycle of overproduction and disposal.
- Social media influencers and resellers profit from unboxing and reselling pallet items, sometimes reuniting sentimental items with owners.
- The article highlights the environmental and economic impacts of returns and overconsumption, urging more thoughtful purchasing and returning habits.