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Price and item availability are among consumers’ biggest concerns this holiday, with inflation surging past 6% and supply chain bottlenecks leaving some shelves bare. To compensate, an increasing number of people are considering gifting used items, particularly those that have been refurbished by manufacturers.
Unlike other used options, refurbished items are often returned to the original manufacturer for testing and repair before being sold again, giving consumers more confidence that what they’re buying is legitimate. Many electronics brands and retailers, such as Apple, Best Buy and Newegg, offer refurbished merchandise, as does home furnishing retailer Ikea, which is facing a supply shortage that will likely last through the middle of next year.
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…