Unhappy Returns

Online shopping has made buying more convenient, sure. But because we can't touch, feel, and try items on when perusing e-commerce sites, return rates have skyrocketed. Each year in the US alone, shoppers return approximately 3.5 billion products, only 20% of which are actually defective. Spoiler alert: these perfectly new and non-defective items that we return? Workers only very rarely restock them for sale.

Today I divulge what *actually* happens to clothing that we buy online and then return; I'm also offering up some practical action steps for everyone (like myself!) who enjoys shopping online.

 

Here's a preview:

[5:15] How did we get here? A brief history of fast, free, no questions asked returns

[7:00] The major differences between forward logistics and reverse logistics

[12:00] What happens to the clothes we return: landfill, merchandizer, or abroad

[16:15] 5 ways to reduce returns sent back to manufacturers

 

Resources mentioned:

• What Actually Happens To Your Online Returns? (via HuffPost)
• Did you know there's a book based on THIS podcast? (Thank you for supporting my work!)

 

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* Want more episodes like this one? Check out #105: Where Do Goodwill Donations Go?

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