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I feel the worst about mattresses getting returned. I'm tempted to buy a new bed (it's just that time), but not being able to try them out, I'd feel bad returning one if I didn't like it. Those things are huge and hard to recycle, and you can't exactly resell them.
How do these trackers read a GPS signal from inside these bulky items, plus packaged, plus inside a building?
It got a fix in about 3 minutes, indoors, on a workbench, under 2 shelves of equipment and parts, in a part of a building with a double roof.
And that was the 5th generation chipset. We're on the 9th now, and they're much, much, much more sensitive.
All the habits and assumptions I learned with my 2002-era Garmin eTrex no longer apply.
> 30 to 40 per cent of all online purchases are sent back That seems almost an order of magnitude higher than I’d expect. Setting aside kids shoes (which probably do get 50% returned), I can’t imagine sending back even 5% of my online purchases, let alone 30-40%. I think I’ve sent back exactly 1 Amazon order in the last year, out of nearly 100.
I think it depends a lot on category. What you said about kids clothing is spot on, but I'd expect similar dynamics for women's clothing (tighter fits = lower tolerance, also lower tolerance for color mismatch etc) and there are a couple of categories that I've outright stopped buying on Amazon because of the enormous problem rate, namely whitelabeled consumer electronics. In 2020 I've returned ~5%: markers that were…
* Showerhead that came without box, and clearly used. It still had a lot of water inside!
* Underwear from a brand that sells items inside a sealed bag and discards returns came used, without bag (yuck!)
* A module of Samsung RAM had visible wear signs and didn't work
* Cycling glasses came without box and several missing items
The underwear thing upset me so much I emailed Jeff Bezos. After lots of emails forwarded around, nothing happened.
It's sad because they used to be good. But the number of returned and counterfeit items sold as new is mindboggling.
While this may seem shocking, logistically it makes sense. It’s potentially easier to destroy or dump a returned product than re-preparing it for sale. I went out on a date with a program manager for one of Amazon’s return programs and she told me her job was basically finding out ways to repurpose returns as cheaply as possible. Apparently destroying and dumping it’s the easiest and least resource consuming way to d…
They used to routinely ask the customer to destroy and dump the items, which was certainly less marginally costly. (If it encouraged more abuse, that cost is borne by other business units)
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I have friends who send back nearly everything. Not sure about shoe size? Order 3 sizes, keep the one you like and send back the other two (or return all 3 if you dont like it). Want a shirt? Order 5 and keep the ones you like, if any.
This is the pattern I've seen as well. That and the anti-pattern of using Amazon as a quasi-tool-rental outlet where they buy something for a project, use it, and then return it after the project is done. The 'borrowing' aspect was also an issue at Fry's in the Bay Area where test equipment that they sold would have been used already. Of the two I think the 'borrowing' pattern to be pretty unscrupulous. I see the buy…
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Totally! That’s what I was going for. Least resource consuming but I’m talking about economic resources. Like man hours, packaging, transportation, etc. The environmental impact is big! I hope this is being considered in their Climate Pledge.
If the environmental cost is dominated by shipping I could see destruction as more environmentally friendly. This is likely the for many small cheap items.
1. It’s being hidden from consumers, who might adapt their behavior if they knew a return meant the trash.
2. Stuff is shipped back to amazon and then disposed of.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it depends a lot on category. What you said about kids clothing is spot on, but I'd expect similar dynamics for women's clothing (tighter fits = lower tolerance, also lower tolerance for color mismatch etc) and there are a couple of categories that I've outright stopped buying on Amazon because of the enormous problem rate, namely whitelabeled consumer electronics. In 2020 I've returned ~5%: markers that were…
I've also stopped buying at Amazon after 15 years. Even consumables and small items are problematic. Just in the last year, I encountered many issues including: * Showerhead that came without box, and clearly used. It still had a lot of water inside! * Underwear from a brand that sells items inside a sealed bag and discards returns came used, without bag (yuck!) * A module of Samsung RAM had visible wear signs and di…
Rhetorical question: if the returns are unsellable, why don't they give them away for free to the poor?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is the pattern I've seen as well. That and the anti-pattern of using Amazon as a quasi-tool-rental outlet where they buy something for a project, use it, and then return it after the project is done. The 'borrowing' aspect was also an issue at Fry's in the Bay Area where test equipment that they sold would have been used already. Of the two I think the 'borrowing' pattern to be pretty unscrupulous. I see the buy…
The tool borrowing is unscrupulous, but it provides a ready source of “Used-Very good” Amazon Warehouse tools at 15-35% off, which I do appreciate.