Tracking Amazon returns: Here's where they really go (Marketplace)
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- čas přidán 8. 10. 2020
- Where do all our easy and free online returns really end up? We bought products from Amazon and then returned them with tracking devices hidden inside to follow the trail. Next, we posed as buyers in the lucrative liquidation marketplace where we bid on a truckload of returned products. How much can we resell compared to what will get trashed?
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The Problem is .STOP BUYING JUNK YOU DON'T NEED
The problem is that nobody knows at the start what is junk and what is not? If manufacturers knew that answer they would produce just enough to cover the sales. The returns hit the secondary market and if they don't get sold there end up in a dump. The problem is like you mentioned if it can't sell for a discount in a secondary market then the item was junk in the first place.
do not fool yourself. people will be more carefull on spending if government will prohibit returns on a law level. As the result products will be described much better, people will think twice before buying, everything will get cheaper atleast 30%(except food). the next step is global production planning.
Thank you !!!!!
I love thrift shopping and I buy and sell on the sites for second hand items.
@@jaad9848 theirs a thing called reviews that people need to read. Also the descriptions on almost all of it are good enough to tell someone what their buying. Most list material, purpose, design, size and weight. That should be enough for anyone with half a brain and if your not sure then read the damn reviews.
They should open Amazon thrift shops all around the country.
liquidators already exist across the country, many likely include amazon returns.....
they do in the form of online auctions
That’s a smart idea
@@Artyomthewalrus thx for the 411! Peace!
thats funny. amazon opening retail stores... the exact thing their business is destroying?? The whole point of Amazon is to not have stores.
This is definitely true
We used to prep, pack and ship for Amazon resellers. Some of them also attempted to buy Amazon’s liquidations. We would get pallets of Amazon returns shipped to our warehouse and then we had to go through all the boxes of returns and keep the good stuff so it could be resold on Amazon. I’ll tell you right now- over 90% of the items we unboxed were complete trash.
The worst part of all of it was the fact that people would buy items, use them, put them back in the packaging, return them to Amazon. Those “used” returns were dirty, mildewed , moldy, smelly, ripped, and just plain gross. Food was left in them, underwear had been worn, and pet stuff had pet hair all over it.
It’s not so much Amazon’s fault- it’s mostly the consumer’s fault for returning something they bought and used.
They're showing things that are brand new condition being thrown in the trash!
Absolutely agree with you that they are throwing away brand new items that someone at the Amazon warehouse was too lazy to deal with.
If we stop consuming less and we stop returning so much stuff once we have already bought and used this problem would diminish significantly.
When I was in college (late 80’s) I worked at K-Mart and they used to throw brand new, unsold (seasonal) merchandise in the trash all the time.
@@debbiegum2226 Did you and your buddies bring a truck to the back of the store after hours and fish out the booty?
I know that's what I was up to when I worked at a large pet food chain.
We'd mark beautiful 200-gallon acrylic fish tanks as "scratched", or "returned" cover them with cardboard, make the pickup, BOB'S YOUR UNCLE.
No worries about that day
No
If Amazon allowed their customers to keep the item that they were going to return, customers would catch on and start requesting return/refunds all the time. Amazon needs to sell pallets of returned items to third party sellers at a fixed price per pallet. The problem with that of course is that customers who can meet their needs by shipping at thrift stores or other third party sellers are less likely to order from Amazon again. This is a much bigger problem of consumerism and products being designed for consumption not keeping.
What about a reduction in price, say 20% with proof it was defective?
Then give them away to homeless children or church organizations!
The half a dozen times I’ve tried to return sometime because it was defective or wrong item received, Amazon replaced it for free and told me to throw the other item away. I gave them to my stepson, he repaired them & gave them away to a friend. The 2 clothing items I gave to a thrift store. Amazon does sell pallets of returned goods. Vids here on YT attest to that.
@Vic Wiseman. They do sell the pallets already. Where do you think that guy in the middle of the program, who separated products with the narrator, gets his stuff.
I did the same thing he's doing 20 some years ago from Kmart. Bought my first pallet for $1100 the year the first playstation came out. There were 18 of them in there and 14 ended up working
I received someone's order to my house by mistake once. I contacted Amazon to let them know and asked if they were picking them up, giving me a shipping label, or if I could drop them off somewhere and they told me to just keep it. Turned out to be pricey sneakers which was a shock that they wouldn't want them back. The box wasn't even opened.
Amazon just needs to start a non-profit branch of their company that runs like a Salvation Army/thrift store. They can re-sell their returns to people who don't care if the coffee maker was opened and might not be able to afford the original price.
Where do I go to buy some of these pallets for resell
EXCELLENT IDEA!!!
They do resell, but I think only if they were the original sellers. This is probably 3rd party stuff that they can’t claim because it’s the sellers property and that’s probably who decides what to do with their own items. I have bought used/like new items of all types.
From a liability perspective that could be an issue that Amazon just doesn't want to take up.
Because it would be impossibly complex to operate logistically and it wouldn't be financially viable. every item would need to be checked over by a staff member for both condition and electrical safety (where applicable), with the electrical checks requiring a skilled labour force. It simply wouldn't be financially viable to operate something like that.
Returns aren't just opened, they can be damaged, faulty or otherwise adulterated. Its likely the exact reason why the overalls in the program got sent to an electrical waste facility, since the package labeled as "clothes" will have evidently had a large electrical device containing batteries in it.
That's why I hope brick-and-mortar stores never disappear, especially for clothing. Nothing can match physically seeing and touching a potential purchase. Sure, I've found some hard-to-find items online, but I shop at actual stores because it's just not the same online. There's also less packaging waste when you buy in person.
Al C. : Also provides much-needed jobs for people! Closing down all our stores puts people out of work, not to mention brings a screeching halt to those businesses that have been around for over a century!!
I had lost 10 lbs back in April and May and needed new clothes and shoes but with all stores closed I couldn’t. I need to try clothes on so I can’t order online. Stores need to stay open.
Stop shopping at Amazon
@@kathymoore138 yes it's like the devil's double supermarket
@Terrence Bullock I don't think you really understand...sizes/cuts/fits are slightly different by brand, and items look different in pictures or on the hanger than they do on a person. You know what the most returned product bought online is? Clothing. In addition, one rule of clothes shopping is "if it doesn't absolutely flatter you when you try it on at the store, you probably won't wear it". Why wait for an item, be disappointed, go through the hassle of sending it back, risk the refund not going through, and waste ever-dwindling fuel, all for something that could have been avoided by just trying something on at the store? And if you think your return will get resold, think again. After calculating the cost to restock the mountains of returns, Amazon and others decided to just discard the vast majority of returns, meaning that perfectly good returned piece of clothing will end up in a landfill, all because it didn't look or fit like it did on a screen.
When we return an item we don’t know what’s being done with it. I can’t believe the incredible amount of waste and it just doesn’t have to be this easy.
People love convenience. And some people love to complain, at any chance they get. So, Amazon makes it easier, so they can increase their sales.
Shall we just ignore their impact on the environment?
@@swmovancorrect. A lot of this is consumer habit
I’ve worked for Amazon near Cincinnati. After Christmas there are tons of returns. I worked in the clothing hub. We quickly looked over the piece, removed hair using sticky rollers & repackaged most of the items to be resold. It was disgusting enough to make we quit a few months later.
I went back to Amazon just earlier this year. I did large item returns. Everything you can think of is sent back. The return processor takes the item & has just a couple minutes to make a snap determination on if it is salvageable. Damages/torn/holes in boxes is an immediate strike against the item. It was insane crazy! Amazon would much rather take a loss on returns. I lasted there less than a month.
Remember- Amazon does not make the product…. Another company does. Those companies have policies on their new items.
Maybe the countries that make the JUNK need to take them back and give the refunds.
@@lindaslack6871 I bought an Amazon swimsuit, it was not the size as promised, I was going to return it, but it would have been a $45 loss to me, so I kept it, I'd rather give it away, or alter it. Amazon make it that there is no way you can actually make contact with them.
How is it any different from stores? Be try on clothes all the time..
agree, P J L, i worked for one also, same experience.... i lasted 6 weeks, forced to resign because my 350 transactions a day was short of the 425 required....
@@vGREENARROWv it’s very different from stores… at a store you go into a dressing room to quickly try it. Some places you just hold it up to a mirror then maybe mom or the worker says ‘looks good’.
At home it’s more laid back. You open the Amazon box & take out the clothing, you immediately know you hate it but America’s Got Talent is on and you can’t be bothered. Five days go by while your 3 cats - all Turkish Angora - used it as their bed.
They should be donating to shelters, the clothes could clothe many children who are homeless!
you mean give away free stuff??? hahahahah!... you must be young, so naieve...
they rather destroy it than give it away for free, because if they start to give it away for free, the product losses value!..
Why Don't you give away your own properties
s dew is right, without the insult, imagine a clothing line that will undergo product lineup change due to seasonal changes , if they just give away the last season clothes for free, theyll just wait for it, instead of buying it in the store.
It’s expensive to transport merchandise. Cheaper to shred it.
They should but if they do then no will buy the item and want it for free. It’s like restaurants they rather throw the food away then give it to people
Suddenly the movie Wall-E seems closer to reality then ever before.
Waaaaaaalll-e
Yep! We’re getting there slowly.
Sad, but true. 😞
I love that movie ❤️
That won’t happen for years and years and years maybe even never. We still are getting bad but not as bad as Wall-E.
Wouldn't say suddenly as the world been like this and getting worst every year. This pandamic isn't helping as it's making everyone shop online more.
Amazon has got to start a thrift shop!
Entire resale industry has popped up around Amazon returns and keeping it out of landfills
Wont make enough money for them to consider, they better off giving it to tiene ppl for low price
Amazon and other retailers sell returns, refurbished electronics.
They already have & it's called quickpick here in Ottawa 🇨🇦
The fact that they are making all of this happen and get us our products so fast is amazing.
Agreed. I bought something on this past Sunday morning and on Monday morning it was delivered.
When you shop on Amazon, when your looking at an item for consideration. Look below the listed price you’ll see the used and like new tab. Anything you buy from the used and like new section is return goods. When I shop on Amazon I prefer buying used and like new if it’s available. On a few occasions the item still was still sealed and never open. On the package will be an Amazon sticker saying thanks for giving this item a second chance at life. Cute saying and better for the environment
That's good to know. Are those things quite a bit cheaper?
@@mosart7025 they are cheaper. Usually 20-30%
Not always. I have purchased a lot of items in the last month and two of the items were listed as brand new and were clearly used.
@@nicolemarie011 ….They getting lazy @ their jobs!
I bought a USED/REFURSHISED Kitchenaid item and it's perfectly working a year later. ☀
Man this is such a joke as it simply proves that we are so wasteful and many ppl go without simply because of literal laziness.
You have no idea what the word proof means, Do you?
@@FowlorTheRooster1990 If you just discovered that it's about time. It's been going on all my life.
Learn to type losar
@@dreamervanroom what the f are you talking about?
@@Rya_N33 you need a hug or what?
All those Amazon customers concerned about the environment, you're clicking that box to get all your products in one box and one trip, right?!?
Lol, you better believe it
I've never been a big Amazon buyer unless it's something I can't find in my city, but now I'm going to be even more conscientious.
One word: Liability. It's easier to destroy than to donate to charities.
Exactly
@· Or worse ...tracking devices that may get mistaken for illegal surveillance.
So sad especially when clothing and blankets etc could definitely be use for people that need them!
Grocery stores do the same thing with food and lock up the dumpsters 🤷♂️ all liability
Why don't the people who return if a refund donate it instead. They can't just blame the company
I wish they had asked amazon why tiny products (like a single bottle of nail polish) comes in a box that could easily hold two tennis rackets. Small items that are ordered often come in HUGE boxes creating more waste.
Its the computer software they use it is coded to fit the most it can into their trucks and it airs on the side of caution so your stuff doesn't get damaged.
I like getting those big boxes, they make the best compost in the world 👍🏼
Con
for what it's worth, if you reach out to customer service, you can tell them that you want your packages to be shipped with less waste. I did that about a year ago and stopped receiving those massive, unnecessary boxes and packaging. ...But it should be automatic
@@amyw6186 I have reached out many many times to Amazon about the issue. Unfortunately, they do not seem too concerned about how much waste they create.
I usually only return damaged items. For clothing if it doesn't fit then it gets returned. The sad thing about this is the companies that make these products that could be restocked and resold have their stuff dumped or destroyed. It's too bad there isn't a 2nd hand amazon shop (like other companies did) to resell these returned items (usable) instead of ending up in landfills.
The bulk of items being destroyed are bad returns which means the customer returned an item that is not in the Amazon system. It could also be destroyed at the request of the vendor. My best advice, if you want to reduce waste in the return system is to make sure you include a reason for return along with original packaging. I would also suggest returning at a return center to reduce the carbon footprint. Also, I would say that consumers should know that all of these Amazon returns you see in this vid have gone through a return center and processed. The process includes removing customer information(top priority) and grading the item.
Amazon needs a discount store in every city where they resell returned merchandise for a significant discount. How about those empty malls and large stores that have closed down.
they actually do have something like that similar but its online online and in only a few cities are doing it.
Government regulations ends MOST other options!!!
You look like the lunch lady of that old PS2 game Bully
We have a store like that in SC. Glad they’re doing something right here, instead of filling up landfills
@@Kaiyats have no idea who that is but, ok.
Imagine buying a pair of boots and finding a gps tracker in them lmao
Remove the gps tracker and ship it to another side of the country
I found a gps tracker attached to a pallet at my work. Now I know where it came from. Thanks marketplace.
Good point. If it were me I might get paranoid thinking some psycho is stalking me. LOL!
The tracker needs to have a business note with description, and address for the tracker to be sent to so it can be used again in another investigation.
@@psychedelicpython heard gang stalkers are making a little extra money these days following targeted individuals around nonstop. Look into it! Sounds like you could use some extra money 💰 LOL 😂
Makes perfect sense to me... They dump them at a loss wherever and in return don't have to pay taxes... Buyers get fast hassle free returns and fast shipping it's win win...
It's also a win for Amazon because of the fees for being a seller on Amazon.
I worked retail in a college bookstore. One time we got our sweatshirts plus 4 from another college. When I called up to report it, they said just throw them put, as it would cost more money to ship them back to mfr, the. Mfr to send to correct college. and they credited us for the 4 as we were billed for them. I offered them to my employees. They were thrilled.
The lady in pink is “truly shocked” but probably went home and ordered something off amazon
She ordered that brown bag lol
Yes she did 😂🤣she know like Amazon why do people gotta have negative reviews just cause Malls shut down dont be trying mess up Amazon reputation
As the lady said"recycle"...massive choices abound. Is it worth writing off 90%to be *used* in some fashion? or 100 if they can say they were destroyed? As usual it comes down to the almighty dollar! I used to go to an auction every Friday night. Yes, you're bidding blind on a skid worth of "stuff"...but 90% was quite usable and if you had a garage to store pieces for up to a week, a couple of dollars could score you upwards of 500dollars! It was a matter of knowing what sells on kijiji or otherwise privately.
Amazon has the Climate pledge bruh, they ain't messing around. Alot of what you see here is pre climate pledge and will be drastically different come 23-26ish
But that sounds more like you.
The one thing no one is asking, why can’t we talk about consumption? Need versus want?
Want vs need then do research before making a purchase to avoid returning as much as possible.
@@TheHarmacist001 XD
Regular retailers do the same stuff
@ G B
Never bought anything online and never will , and here I am perfectly fine . Buying only what I need and when I need .
No need for credit cards , no credit cards debt .
Enjoying life .
C B oh I agree, food waste as well.
oh sick Roy from the show Storage wars. He is my favorite on that show!!! what a legend
Glad I’m not the only one who recognised him. Love how he is still the instigator 😂
I know someone who worked for Amazon and briefly in returns. They were instructed to toss the items in to be burned. Yes, setting in a broiler -type equipment to burn the returns, even if in original package unopened.
5 billion pounds of waste per year...but they took a write off on their taxes so they aren't at a loss, society is...
Maybe it's time we start rethinking the tax structure.
@@steaklover948 If a company isn't making a profit that is one of 2 causes, either it's in the just opened timeframe and it takes money to make money, or it is in the red, at which point that company should evaluate better shrink reduction methods, lessen operating costs, or go absolvent.
Companies like Amazon and such make a profit, but they call that portion a loss when in reality there are more cost effective measures that could be employed...yet they get that 10% allotment for shrink either way don't they?
And if you aren't making a profit after excessive waste, why would you continue being in business without addressing the massive loss of revenue your shrink is, and why would the government (We the people) allow a write off for such a reason?
It's already in the works!
Amazon never paid taxes and never will.
@@modeerfagaz1503 you know theres like 1.5 trillion us dollars in circulation XD and guess where most of it is
@richard mccann oh my
Woman after realizing what happens with her returns.
"I just truly have so many questions. It does make you rethink shipping at Amazon."
Woman at the beginning of the video.
"I just buy stuff for the summer and then return it for free. Amazon is so great!!!"
What a surprise!!!
You’d be impressive how much junk people buy. Returns should be limited. For the environment.
@@angelgjr1999 agreed
Right? So many people buy things that they know they are not 100% committed to owning.
People like that are immoral as it's the rest of that bears the cost in increased prices.
Right, she was using it in a completely unethical way. It's not free rental stuff.
From experience, I would estimate that I would find at least a third of the returns that liquidator threw away are items I would still find useful, or even sellable, either in whole, or in part.
I go to an auction about twice a month that auctions mostly Amazon, Walmart, and home Depot returns. Have gotten some nice stuff at killer prices. You do however risk getting something broken or missing pieces
Where is this?
@@cindy846 Wooster Ohio
How many of us thought that “returns” were sent back to the manufacturer for repair or recycling? Now knowing that NONE of it goes back to the manufacturer to deal with directly, I’ll think twice before ordering from Amazon.
I actually thought if the returned items were still in MINT condition, they could just repackage it nicely and resell it back online as a "returned item" for a discount.
And the items that were unusable, but REPAIRABLE, due to manufacture defects were either sent to be repaired and THEN resold as a refurbished item online for even more of a discount.
And lastly, if the item is definitely BEYOND repair.........THEN send those items to be recycled first before deciding to send them to the landfill if they're not able to be recycled.
What's your opinion on this?? 🤔
@@electron7659 I bought a certified warehouse deal for a used item I got an office keyboard instead of the one I ordered for 100
It is no different than if you returned the item to a regular store where one out of twenty times the return was incorrectly handled. Have you never worked in retail and/or looked in the dumpsters of a retail store?
The answer to your question was included in the story. Manufacturers choose not to bring back, if it's nail polish or a 30 gallon trash can. Manufacturers.
I have been under same impression that returned item goes back to seller or manufacturer
4:48. These people bought the items to used them on the summer only and return when they no longer need it. Smh. People do that at Walmart also. Losers.
Exactly
Doesn't give an excuse to throw it away.
I never used amazon so I gotta ask, don't they have some sort of time limit?
They ok returning a used stuff but not ok to give it to homeles and poor families!
It's what as known as our disposable society we live in and everyone from the retailers to the customers are guilty for this, buying new smartphones when nothing is wrong with their old one?? or the companies making products that only last a certain time,so that we have to replace it,as it's now happening on a massive scale! alarming too that most if not all gets thrown out into landfills, at the rate of our population, how long do you think that can last???
I used to work retail in some of the bigger chains. The distributor, or manufacturer, will put out a list of products that can be repaired and things that can't. Most things are deemed unrepairable and the retailer will get a credit , and the product is thrown down the compactor to get destroyed. They never test out products that aren't working. A customer may say it's not working so that they don't get a hassle returning it, but in fact it's working just fine. Now, imagine one retailer doing this in each store across the country, then another chain across the country, you get the picture. It's insane.
If returns run as high as 40%, I would say CUSTOMERS are the biggest problem. Almost everything I've ordered from Amazon is grossly over packaged, so I have to conclude that things like the broken guitar in the video are the exception, not the rule. Read item descriptions and reviews carefully, people.
Also, I noticed this video was from 2020. Earlier this year, 2022, I placed an order, and at one point the tracking system said the items I ordered were lost. I contacted Amazon and they re-sent the shipment and I received it. But then, a few days later, the original shipment also arrived. I asked them about returning it, but they told me to just keep it. So maybe their policy has changed somewhat? In any case, I can find a place to donate the items and not have them travel hundreds of miles before they get resold or shoved in a landfill.
And this is true for many big retailers, not just Amazon.
Goodwill is guilty of this too. They price things too high now, then send some of it to their bins for one last chance, but ultimately so much gets destroyed in the name of greed. These companies need to account for their waste.
So who's paying for all these products? Couldn't they be donated to the needy? Recycled? What a sad waste.😡
Exactly
Amazon pays some one to take these and Amazon sells some of these pallets to vendors.
@@teemoleague907 yeah that probably sell it more or just under the original price.
Nature pays
@@Thisismyaccount82 it is just under but depends on what’s wrong with it. New items are about 3-7$ off, used or cosmetic damaged items are 10-15$, and severely used or damaged items up to 20$ off. Just depends on what it is, and what’s wrong. I buy used items Because some of it can easily be restored with paints and things.
I work for Amazon and the return problem is REAL! Because people know that they can return something no questions asked, they tend to buy stuff furiously just to use for a while and return. Things like tools. cleaning products, and electronics. People will buy 3 or 4 different brands of the same product just to compare and then keep the one they like the most. Need to use a drill to install a tv mount... no problem, just buy one on Amazon. Then return it after you are finished. They don't even return the packaging most of the time. Its sickening to see what people think is okay to do just because it is a large company. 90% of the returns amazon takes in just get liquidated to pallet wholesale services for pennies on the dollar. I think that if amazon were to charge a very small return fee, even if it were only 3 or 4%. That would stop a lot of the frivolous behavior. People would think about the purchase a little bit longer knowing that it will cost them to return it.
Damn, I work for Amazon and I'm also a customer. I wish they would change their ways and donate it to people that can use it.
Returning things to Amazon has become so common that Kohls stores now have an employee on hand just to take packages to send back to Amazon. I dont get it. I've been using Amazon for close to 10 years now and only one time in those 10 years did I have to return something and thats because it was legitimately broken upon delivery.
Summers over. Time to return the grill and juicer.
Me too. I think people are just getting used to the system being so easy that they don't even consider the consequences.
Since Amazon has basically turned into a Chinese outlet store - I used to have to order two or three of everything to get ONE that worked properly, so I had pretty regular returns. I finally gave up and started shopping elsewhere.
@@Real_g.s. what? Lol I purchase weekly from Amazon and never had to buy multiples of anything because something would come broken. 🤣 maybe you weren't buying from Amazon itself. I always make sure the products I choose and sold and shipped by Amazon, and not random 3rd party sellers
@@mizzysparrots4874 same what is the other guy talking about
The worst part is that there are way more returns than there need to be due to poor enforcement of product description integrity. Just about every return I have made, especially with clothing would have been easily avoidable if not for missing or false specifications in product descriptions.
Yes I just returned a drum case which I would not have ordered if the dimensions had been correctly ststed
The two sisters returning all that stuff to Amazon - you missed the fact that people use stuff like pool toys and seasonal items, juicers, pretty much anything - then return to get all their money back. Basically stealing.
The problem isn't Amazon, it's people making bad choices and impulse buying.
And not givin a sheet
But than there's people struggling to find warm clothes during winter and single parents who stretch out the diapers because they have enough...smh. Get volunteers to sort through this stuff and donate!!!
Ok, but it's still the responsibility of the people who are struggling to figure out how they're going to find diapers for the kid they made, not anyone else's. Just saying.
Like.. ok.. let me get this straight, do you mean Amazon? Why doesn't Amazon "get" volunteers to sort through everything before donating it?
Right! Stuff like this pisses me off...
Parents should go back to washing cloth diapers. Problem solved. Many problems solved....
Volunteers to sort through 5 truckloads of stuff every week. Not even feasible.
Wow. Amazon could donate all that "supposed" waste to a homeless shelter.
Rule # 1 never give away what someone will buy.
#2 don't encourage homelessness
#3 resale is a big business
+Lynne -- I don't think you're considering the unintended consequences of doing things like that. Especially here in the USA. It sounds good but I can see it quickly getting out of control as a "Gray Market" of goods is quickly built.
@@CitizenPerkins so donating goods deemed trash (especially the clothes) is worse than just throwing them away?
@@msmerlot1979 They are a business. Homeless is not there problem.
And why would amazon give there products away for free just so they can be sold or littered... What do you think homeless people would do with coffee machine? sell it for drugs or leave it on a curb.
Yup and other places where they really need it like group homes or idk battered woman shelters. Kind of makes me not wanna shop on amazon but I can’t stop 😅😑
Keep in mind there's also warranty that cover broken or defective things, and with manufacturers making junk to end up in the junk yard. Cost is a big factor, if the Merovingian was running things Amazon would cease to exist. I'd be more interested in the "try before you buy" thing they offer and what ends up with that stuff.
Entering retirement age, I remember buying all those crap throughout the years thinking I need this or that to make sure my family has everything they need for a good life. Besides, so and so has it and they will judge your family if you do not have the latest gadgets. People do judge you for the crap you have. All along we could have used some of the huge amount of money spent over the years on memorable experiences like family travel, hobby items, self made gifts and so on. In the end, I can't remember much of the things I bought but look fondly of the experience I have had with family, friends and people around the world I met. DO NOT DONATE/GIVE MORE- USE LESS! Amazon and companies like it should be reviewed and held to account.
I live near a fulfillment center that drop ships from Amazon. I've made thousands from what is thrown out in the trash. It never ends and is a gold mine.
I live near some Amazon fulfillment centers. I'm intrigued. Tell me more.
You're lucky
What do you usually find there? What makes you the most money?
i live near one too... never thought about that interesting!
People also need to remember that 60% of the inventory online is sold by smaller companies and individual sellers. They have guidance on how to package and process returns but difficult to monitor.
suddenly i feel better about donating my new clothes that dont fit rather than "returning" them
"Buy less and return less". That's two things a consumerist country like ours shoud learn and fast! Working with sales here, I saw some pretty amounts of things being returned with no reason. People buy for the pleasure of this gest and then get guilty about it, or whatever, to finally return in things that will cost more to be cleaned and reconditioned to be selled as new again, so the company will toss the item. People should think before buying. And before sending back, they should think why they bought it.
Totally agree, online shopping takes away the thinking about what’s really needed , especially for those who have addiction to buy stuff , and now with the coronavirus people are doing even more shopping on line and there needs to be some sort of education for the people to have more discipline .
@@jupiterthesun3217 My behavior of heavily scrutinizing a product before buying it does not apply in online shopping. Hence, I don't shop online.
Yes, think why they are spending/throwing away so much money on STUFF. When they could do so much more with their money and probably finding out it'd be much more rewarding for them long-term... Rather than the short-term excitement from the unessacary purchase of a item.
not only that, I think we should think about quality. When I was a small child in the early 2000s my family and I barely buy and replace the things we already have, because many of the things were built to last. Of course with quality comes with a price, but price can come with credentials and buyer's confidence, so with that I'm willing to spend more for something that will last me for years.
@Me Too when you work in sales you are not allowed to ask why a customer is sending an item back. If it's under the time limit, you just accept.
The fact is that we do live in a consumerist country, that is pushed to buy and consume more each day. Advertisement makes us believe that if we do not buy the newest whatever, we are behind. Our society is structured to be individualized, so we can be competitive, but it is a big scam just to makes us consume more of whatever the industry sells. We are not educated to use and reuse or recycle things, nor to mend what is broken. It only happens because we are in a rich country. But we must think better solutions, or else, we are going to keep waisting things and destroying our planet.
I don't know why they are shocked. It would cost a retailer as large as Amazon way too much to go through and weed out the good stuff from the bad. I worked for two weeks at Walmart back in 2002 and I couldn't keep up the pace. The volume of returns was astounding. Open box, damaged/broken and perishable items cannot go back on the shelves but it has to go somewhere. Most of it goes in the trash. I'm sure Walmart and Target have similar policies to Amazon. I rarely return items unless the item is defective or broken and I'm very mindful of what I order/buy. But, inevitably over time most of the things we have will end up in the landfill since it's not profitable to recycle. All you can really do is be careful of what you buy, try to buy as much sustainable and durable as you can afford. Thrift what you can and donate to thrift stores or resell. I have an old phone, old TV and wardrobe that has seen better days but still works. We can only do the best we can.
Walmart, Target, and Amazon are enormously profitable companies and should be legally liable for usable products ending up in the trash. It doesn't matter how much it costs. If they need thousands of workers to process all the returns properly, so be it. It shouldn't the responsibility of an individual consumer to keep a product they don't need because Amazon will be irresponsible with it if it's returned.
@dzlove because it’s broken - thrift shops won’t accept a lot of items.
Just because that’s the way it is doesn’t mean it is right. Our fundamental system of consumerism in its current state is unsustainable. While it is good to be a conscious consumer, the onus should not fall solely on the consumer, but on the billion dollar corporations that are the root cause of the problem. If they actually cared even a little, they would invest in researching ways to cut waste.
@dzlove Donate garbage? 😒
@@noemipomerleau8219
Someone made a good point about unknown risks and liability protection.
Suppose the returned item had traces of peanuts on it by a customer who was eating peanuts, and this item was repackaged and sold to someone with a peanut allergy, unknowingly, who do you think will get sued and held liable? The manufacturer of the item of course. They can only guarantee the quality and safety of, and be liable for, brand new products.
Amazon sells most of their returns to resellers allowing you to buy perfectly good merchandise at a MUCH lower price.
At the landfill where some of my mates work in the UK they will get sacked if they take anything from site even when its blatantly brand new Amazon returns. Amazon should get fined for every item they put into landfill but as long as you throw cash in the right direction all's good.
Should go to shelters or needing places instead of land filds.
Awesome idea!
Why not donating to Salvation Army, Red Cross, churches, and homeless shelters near destination areas if they are safe ? Also give to cheap retail stores like Dollar Tree. Ocean State Joblot etc for resale at a low price so that low income people can afford to buy good products
@@sammurphy4122 Every poor person enjoys shopping at junk stores hoping to find the least beat up, scratched and dirty thing... some charge more than retail to naive buyers...
@@jackrodgersjr yep. It’s all to run a game on consumers. Even that helping liquidator guy. He’s doing it to save the planet not make several bucks.
Right? I literally shouted "donate it" at my screen
so many people have negative comments about amazon and at the same time are the reason amazon is popular.
I have nothing bad to say about them. I’ve never had a bad experience. Once I ordered a loveseat from them. When the item arrived, the workers could not get it through the door because the door wasn’t wide enough so I had to return it. The men took it with them. Amazon credited my account and gave me $200.00 extra and apologized for the inconvenience.
I love shopping from the amazon warehouse. The stuff is used and usually quite cheap.
I retired from a Major package carrier, in Las Vegas, NV. Several years ago, Amazon had one of their distribution centers in Vegas. They transformed that facility into what became their National Return Center - their only facility at that time, dedicated to package returns. From the end of December until mid-April, that facility received up to 195,000 packages per day, just from my company. It was not uncommon for Amazon to run out of room to park trailers in their yard and we would have to hold them until they caught up. We often had as many as 45, 53-foot trailers in our yard, all loaded for Amazon
yeah many big name stores like Walmart and Target do this for the holidays they just fill the back of the building with storage containers so they can keep up with consumerism
Lady they don't care about what u have to say! Ur nobody to them. One customer leaves, another 3 comes in.
I'm not crazy about ordering stuff online but once in a while when I really needed to, I do order items from Amazon and read the item description very clearly to be sure it is what I want before placing the order. I don't do returns unless the item arrived defective.
I also rarely use etailers. But once I had to return a fully functional trimmer because the listing did not mention the charging current rating. It was mentioned on the product and no such adapter was available with me or any amazon listing.
So while we are paying outrageous prices nowdays, all the retail outlets are just throwing stuff away or destroying it. It makes no sense to me. Why cant we buy some of the merchandise at lowered prices? If the government had to live on $851 a month they would mandate a better way. This honestly makes me sick. And rather angry.
Amazon returns used to be seamless, however that no longer is the case. Third party returns are the pits and even Amazon shipped item returns are becoming difficult. Refunds long overdue once you do return an item have become more the norm than not. I've noticed all the changes in the last several months. I purchase approx 25 items per month and occasionally some need to be returned for one reason or other. It used to be standard practice that once a return was picked up Amazon would issue a refund. Now it's weeks after they receive the return. When I phoned about this issue, I was told it can take up to 4 weeks to issue a refund AFTER Amazon receives it.
Maybe there would be less returns if Amazon would pay attention to quality control before and while shipping.
Would help a lot if we would quit buy cheap garbage made in China too.
agree.. nice pictures and descriptions, then some garbage arrives. it’s their own fault really.
if you can’t see before you buy as if the case online, there’s no alternative for shoppers but returning
That and shipping, FedEx is definitely a company that needs to work on their care for packages during shipping
Would help a lot if Amazon takes care of us the Sellers. We lost a lot of money with the returns.
That is a great idea!!!!👍🏼
As a seller on Amazon, you have the option to have returns just destroyed/discarded by telling Amazon. Many sellers and manufacturers don't actually want the items back and don't know what to do with them since they are only geared towards selling new items.
Do you lose money when this happens of does Amazon?
@@AlexM-vt5pu The seller does as all refunds are debited out of the seller's account. But it may actually be more costly to receive the item back and then have to figure out what to do with it, of course, depending on the item.
5
@@AlexM-vt5pu just like ebay the seller gets the loss..
@@phototristan what type of items does this apply with? If you dont mind me asking what do you sell
That’s bS. What these “liquidators” consider trash and send to landfills aren’t trash at all and they can easily sell for a nice discount. Some stuff isn’t even broken. And just because it’s labeled as “defective” doesn’t mean it actually is. Sometimes the customer will just claim that for an easy return but it’s not actually defective at all. These people claiming to help “rehome” items aren’t doing as much as they could. They are contributing to the unnecessary waste just because something isn’t high value. Someone out there would still buy it for the right price.
Recycle don’t throw out!!!
This is exactly how capitalize is suppose to work, make it, buy it, junk it. It's beautiful.
In 6 years I returned one single thing to Amazon only because they sent the wrong item.
I do my research on products before buying to make sure it's what I want.
Excellent...I think we should boycott amazon.
@@conniehopkins3050 should boycott every retailer because they all do the same. Your consumerism is what's filling landfills. Stop buying stuff so theres less things that go into landfills.
Thanks James.
You should be proud of yourself. I wish i could say the same
Regarding only returning so little
To avoid this buy from a local artist or business this holiday season.
The Government is making sure that they won't be around much longer,small business is done.ugh.
@@markdemell3717 Who told you that? Your Uncle Clarence?
So if you buy local you won't return like people that buy on Amazon...lo.
Your local artist buy from the same supplier mostly china
Buy your PlayStation five from a local artist this year
in store return is rare because stores check the quiality of what they are selling in some sort, but on amazon you get junk or it become junk during shipping so apple and oranges can not be compared, and btw, amazon brought many thing that would not be available to purchase unless you drive miles and mile wasting time: hello that's the advantage of online shopping and free return is crucial part of that.
13:49 The two little tables to place three skids of stuff 😂
"I expect Amazon to listen to me". This woman....SMFH...
Clearly never dealt with amazon
Thoughtless overconsumption leads to sinful waste. They should be given to charities.
A lot of stores give to charities toys and joys different things types of charities those people steal everything they’re on the take I’ve seen it happen
Still ends up in the trash.
I have an Amazon return warehouse in my town. I found it on Facebook marketplace! $300 to $400 for a full pallet. They don't even let you see what's on it, it's all shrink wrapped, you may buy treasure, you may buy trash. I'm not willing to take that gamble
I have been shopping with Amazon since they first started selling only books back in the early 2000s. To this day I have never made a return. Hopefully in some strange way I'm doing my part when it comes to Amazon returns.
I have bought hundreds of items on Ebay and Amazon.. not once return squat. Be smart and you'll buy from good people.
The same here and when I ordered something wrong I want send it back
This is very true, I'm returning things right now because I for once rushed a purchase... HUGE waste of my time, a bit of money and a burden on the environment
huh?
Same. Sadly, bad purchase habits increase prices for everyone and are bad for the environnement. Amazon has it's part of responsability, but the customer too.
same. i have been buying from Amazon for 10 years and never returned a purchase
The return is tax deductible,as a loss,its easier and productive that way.
Wait...why would you do something that is easier and more productive for your business?....lol
Boils down to people are disgusting
and WE are our own worst enemy.
Its nice to know that when you work in a factory helping to make products, 40% of your work is going in the trash.
I sell on Amazon, I can tell you they could easily solve this issue by doing three things:
1) limit the amount of free returns an account or address can do a year
2) allow sellers to block certain buyers
3) ease up on the review system, a couple negative reviews over a month can get an item delisted, and if people aren't given free returns they're more likely to leave a negative review.
@Sophia Wilson I think they already put a lot of pressure on sellers to be accurate. They require them to list the weights and dimensions of all products, and if they receive more than 4% of sales back as returns or negative reviews, their item is delisted and they're told to edit the description.
There's already a big problem for sellers where competing companies use the review and return systems to put their competition out of business.
Not saying it's perfect, but if a seller misrepresents their product, the buyer has protection through the return system.
Amazon certainly watches your returns. If they feel you are above average they can block your account. All retail has returns and shrink in the model. Believe me, every thing you buy has a 10-20%cushion for defective, returns, warranty, etc.
I recently wanted to return a pair of safety glasses because they didn’t work over my regular eyeglasses. Amazon refunded me but told me I didn’t need to return the item. I passed the item along to someone who was totally grateful and can use them. A win win.
Walmart restocks as many things as they can back on their shelves too. I took a brand new bicycle back that the gears were hanging up when pedaling. I returned it and got a gift card for $180 I think it was, went out to my van to get my phone and came back in and followed a guy who had "The Bike" right back to the bike area and restock it. All about that $$!!
Free Amazon send backs are even easier now (at least in the USA). Just get a scan code and then take item to any UPS Store. No label and no shipping box even needed.
Another thing people don't realize is that many of the purchases you make are not from Amazon at all, it's from small independent business owners like myself. These unnecessary returns make it very difficult to stay afloat. People often read books and return them, I then cannot sell them again and must pay Amazon to destroy them. Please do not return something unless there is a sincere need to do so. It's wasteful, harms the environment, and more often than not harms a small business, not the corporate giant Amazon.
So true
It's not on the buyer. It's on Amazon. A buyer doesn't need to worry about it. Amazon should have better measures than the current process
@@dishonored6116 I so agree! Furthermore, charities can make phenomenal use of this waste.
I had no faith in them at all and just assumed that 'returns' would be just sold to other customers as 'used'
@@Wisdom-Nuggets-Tid-Bits Wouldn't surpise me. I don't know why people are so shocked.....Billion dollar company doesn't care about people... Shock horror!!!!!
Not even. I get people's returns that Amazon just repackaged, all the time.
They are.. This isn't ALL returns.. They said they cant keep up with them all, so all the extra goes to this place
They could be if Amazon would just do that!
Ty
and let’s not forget the extra waste generated by the trackers themselves.
The overalls probably ended up in an electronic recycling facility cause it had an electronic tracker in it. Amazon can scan a package and tell if it is electronic or not. By them putting a tracker in the package, it got flagged as 'electronics'.
That's what I was thinking too.
Do not think so. Amazon only depends on manufacturers details for product. One can send anything like this
@@rajchauhan2099 that's if amazon even reads the details, fulfillment centres can be like scanned returned then dump everything in one pile
lol you cant scan a package and just know that it is electronic. stop making stuff up
@@Blox117 I wonder how x-rays work
i really hope marketplace does not put the employees in danger, because they can easily spot even if they blur the face, the body of the employee based on the footage, easily, and fire that employee, but with all that said, marketplace has always helped expose scams, so thank you and keep it up
in danger how? I don't see any danger here... nobody has done anything wrong. I don't even see the point of this video.
@@squirts1 if you own a company and an employee of yours disclose information that could potentially be detrimental to your company or is not permitted to disclose that information but still did do so, then yeah, that employee could get fired
@@Nico-ic3mt there's nothing "potentially detrimental" here... that's my point.
@@squirts1 well yeah but 1:37 we can still identify these people, not detrimental in this particular topic(video) but what about other videos marketplace do wherein they just poorly blurs out people
@@Nico-ic3mt this isn't other videos, this is this video... again, my point is that this video... is pointless. it's uncovering nothing. there's no scam, there's nothing "wrong" with what the company is doing.
I know a few people who work for Amazon in the returns department. They literally throw 14k gold jewly in the trash daily to go to these destruction facilities. Like... why... And if an employee even considers trying to pocket the "trash" then they'll be fired.
Peter Mansbridge was great when he tested a rectal tracking device that one time.
This is small potatoes compared to the scale of all global waste. It's horrific.
There's too many humans.
@@dreamervanroom hence Covid
No what you and i throw away because we are too lazy to recycle is 'small potatoes'. We as a species wont be able to turn this around until companys are forced to follow.
Potatoes are good man
And the Rich get richer...
I bet so many people buy stuff, use it, then send it back 30 days later.
They need to change their policy.
I broke a wrench that my dad had purchased from Sears in 1946, and they replaced it without any question and without a receipt but, it was American made by Craftsman. It used to mean something.
@@bettertvreceptionwithfoilf7100 Craftsman Used to have a life time warranty.
@@gophishn I have a tool box full of them, and they better still have a lifetime warranty.
Almost every homeless person does from Walmart. I'm homeless but I don't return purchases at Walmart because that seems wrong to me. But Walmart puts the items back on the shelves and marks it down a little bit, and resells the items.
Will...Will you just relax, the CBC is making this out to be a bigger problem than it is...do you really think that Amazon gets 40% of its sales returned? If Amazon changes their return policy, then people will return to making billions of purchases at the mall , and the environmental impact from that will be far worse.
I take my amazon returns to a UPS Store. You don't even need to repackage it & you get a refund usually within an hour of UPS scanning your return barcode.
Why doesn't amazon have digging bins like Goodwill does? TONS of people would show up for that!
The problem seems to be that 40% of people order stuff without thinking.
The problem is definitely 95% Amazon. I'm so tired of consumers being blamed for environmental problems caused by corporations. Impactful change is ONLY going to happen at the company level. You, me, Frank, and Marie aren't gonna change anything.
I know alot of people who are always ordering from AMAZON & EBAY. I will not order anything from either one of them.
@@s.l.3281 I agree. Everything is setup for us to buy buy buy without hesitation and endless advertisement. The "educators" are to blame and people follow the path the market they live in created for them.
@Ryan Gates Well then shouldn't you think about whether amazon and other online dealers are the right place to leave your money?
That problem could easily be solved or at least reduced if lawmakers would forbid Amazon to offer free returns. E.g. it could be replaced for free, if it's broken, but they could charge like 2 bucks per return. That would probably stop a lot of people from buying mindlessly.
Is this Amazon's problem, or are people in general just making poor products people find worthless?
Agreed!
@none urbusiness I agree ☝🏻💯% Had purchased an item that someone used, returned and it was missing the most important part THE PRINTED PICTURE that was supposed to come out. China 🇨🇳 does make crap 💩 and we buy it because our Country sold us out to China 🇨🇳 many years back! We lost 😔 so many American 🇺🇸 businesses and that meant losing good quality items and good paying jobs. Now how many homeless people do you see on the streets?! Poverty stricken? Wake up ALL Americans!
@@jenniehuebner3696 While I agree with you, I believe part of the problem is not just that China is making poor quality product, but that they can make inexpensive products. Labour is really expensive in the west (Canada, US, Europe), so most things would just cost way more money to make. Understandably so, people want to buy what they can afford, and that's what China makes most of the time. I would love to buy a laptop or smart phone made in Canada or the US, but it would cost soooo much more for the exact same thing. (also, I'm Canadian, and this a video made by the CBC)
Most of it is all cheap crap that was designed to be disposable so we end up buying more crap which results in us giving them more money.
@none urbusiness wtf, never thought of that!
Although I am sure that most of the returns to Amazon end up where you say they do, some of them get recycled. I have had two instances personally where I ordered items from a seller on Amazon only to receive a clearly previously opened box, open the box and find the item broken or pieces missing - which prompted me to return the item (again)! Very frustrating and the reason I have seriously curtailed (by about 99% any purchases I make on Amazon). I'm done. Thanks for sharing your discoveries.
Makes sense now when Target told me to donate an item to the local community or keep it when Target replaced an item that had a broken lid. Better than shipping it back.
I’ll donate or resell from now on.
THEY SHOULD SELL AS CLERANCE AND FINAL SALES AND SAKE TO PEOPLE WHO WANT THEM.
OR GIVE TO NEEDED SHELTERS AND FAMILIES WHO CAN USE IT.
Good ideal.
its a great idea, you willing to write the check for how much it would cost them to go through every single package returned. i like the idea its just not realistic in any way shape or form.
If Jeff the owner could do that but he busy not wanting to give that option
They already sell it as liquidation/clearance
The problem is that these would compete with new sales/ cheapen the brand. Other retailers do the same thing. Out of season electronics and luxury goods are destroyed by Walmart, despite them being perfectly useful.
It’s a complex issue. Gross, I agree, but for the manufacturer, it’s worth not having competition from your own discounted products