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Welcome to the retail returns season — the much less popular sibling of the holiday retail sales. Every year roughly $260 billion worth of stuff bought at retail is returned, 25 percent of which is returned after Christmas, according to industry estimates — everything from ugly sweaters and ill-fitting pants to that thoughtless hot plate and pingpong table that just won’t fit in the basement.
Total annual returns equal 7 percent of everything sold in the US in a year, not counting autos and car parts.
“The return season is in full swing,” said Eric Moriarty, vice president of B-Stock Solutions, which operates an auction Web site that connects retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon with resellers.
The numbers are hard to ignore. According to the National Retail Federation, retailers expect ~16% of annual sales to be returned, roughly $850 billion in merchandise. According to McKinsey & Company, it’s forced retailers to spend an estimated $200 billion…
In honor of Earth Day, explore how recommerce is transforming the retail landscape by driving sustainability and the circular economy. As the world’s largest B2B recommerce platform, B-Stock enables retailers and brands to redefine sustainability by giving new life to…
When returned and unsold goods tie up working capital and force write-downs, they quietly erode margins, delay cash conversion, and impact financial performance every single day. Discover how finance teams are turning to technology-driven B2B resale platforms to: Improve recovery…