Just like everything else in retail, the impact of returns is much bigger during the holidays. The National Retail Federation estimates that returns will add up tosome $260 billion this year. And according to Marketplace, of the 600 million packages delivered between Thanksgiving and Christmas, about 10 percent, or 62 million, are expected to be returned in January.
Where do all these items go? Many shoppers might believe that they end up back on shelves, but most of the time they’re passed off to liquidators and resellers—or they’re thrown out, if that’s the cheapest option. The startup Optoro, as The New York Times reports, is handling returns for companies geared toward reselling returned products instead of creating waste. Optoro’s pitch is about reducing waste, but also about helping retailers recoup the cost of returned items by reselling them directly online.