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Relaxed customer return policies by major retailers and manufacturers increase customer loyalty but they also drive up the amount of merchandise that is sent back. When you consider that over $260 billion worth of merchandise is returned each year – a lot of which cannot go back on the shelves – that is a huge amount of inventory lying idle. But one company’s headache is another’s opportunity, and for smaller, independent retailers, there has never been a better time to source returned and excess merchandise on the secondary market.
For finance leaders at large retailers and brands, excess and returned inventory can pose a significant drag on working capital and margin performance. With returns projected to cost U.S. retailers $850 billion annually—roughly 17% of total sales—and processing costs ranging…
San Mateo, CA and Chicago, IL, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New data from both Circana and B-Stock reveals the age of smartphones traded-in reached an all-time high during the 2025 upgrade cycle, with most devices being three generations…