posted on September 3, 2001 08:06:18 PM
did ebay recently bot a dot.com company which sells returns?i remember reading an article somewhere how they receive these shipments,sort them out and list them on their website??
posted on September 3, 2001 08:14:39 PM
eBay was a VC partner in a company called returnbuy.com. They are a fairly new seller but they have become huge in a short time. Although, you won't see eBay cross promote them as they do other sellers (e.g, Disney), due to the painfully obvious conflict of interest.
It's widely speculated here that returnbuy.com gets special treatment with regards to eBay TOS violations.
posted on September 3, 2001 09:34:58 PM
I am in the same kind of business (different merchandise, though) as the original poster. Like him, I'm occasionally astonished at the shenanigans of the retail-buying public, such as people returning charm bracelets that have been personalized and obviously worn for a year or more. Sometimes ignorance and stupidity work in our favor, though, as when a customer returns a perfectly good item because she can't figure out how the clasp works or it doesn't go with her new wallpaper.
There is very little that we toss into the garbage as even the broken stuff can be sold (though not on eBay). It is labor-intensive work.
I am finding in our latest batch there is an unusually high percentage of broken or unsellable/unfixable items. Having gone through over 100,000 items from this same supplier, we have a pretty good idea what the lots should consist of on average. I suspect this latest one was cherry-picked and will inform the supplier next week that we will not be purchasing any more. They just killed the golden goose, as we had been buying ALL their output.
posted on September 3, 2001 10:04:36 PM
An auction house here tried this. Many of the buyers were flea market vendors, so looked like a good deal for us. The first two auctions bidding was hot and heavy. I didn't buy because I wanted to see how it went, and I knew there was plenty to go around.
After checking with the buyers I found out they weren't happy with the stuff. More things than not didn't work, looked bad, or were just plain junk even though the boxes looked great. I was so happy I had taken the wait and see approach.
I don't know what the auction house did with the pallets they had left. They did ask several of us if we would like to buy a pallet. Ha, I guess you know the answers they got.
posted on September 4, 2001 10:13:05 AM
revvassago
Most salvage dealers are in the business of money. They don't care what they buy, just as long as it's cheap enough to provide them with a decent profit margin when it is sold.
If you look hard enough within a specific category or merchandise, you will find one or two dealers that specialize and carry only one or two complementary lines of merchandise. These dealers have the buying power and relationships with the stores to buy trailers and trailers of NEW merchandise, with about 5% being store returns, because stores will just throw the stuff in there anyway.
In some cases, you pay a little more, but not always. But the small (and I mean small) increase in price offsets the amount of "throw away" you get with a load of store returns.
Then you can kiss store returns goodbye and never look back.
I don't have the heart to do store returns, especially of electronics and similar items. I can't stand putting a lot of "work" into selling the merchandise. I'm not lazy, but the opportunity cost is high because there are SO many other things I would rather do than sort out damages and fix stuff. Even though you could walk away with a good margin, you have to look at the time/profit ratio. Could you make the same profit with less time invested?
posted on September 7, 2001 10:31:42 AM
"If you look hard enough within a specific category or merchandise, you will find one or two dealers that specialize and carry only one or two complementary lines of merchandise. These dealers have the buying power and relationships with the stores to buy trailers and trailers of NEW merchandise, with about 5%
being store returns, because stores will just throw the stuff in there anyway.
"In some cases, you pay a little more, but not always. But the small (and I mean small) increase in price offsets the amount of `throw away' you get with a load of store returns."
I'm not entirely sure what you're saying here. If we're buying new merchandise, which we have done in the past, we deal directly with a wholesaler or jobber. There's no "store" to throw in store returns. I can't imagine what business has such a "small" (as you keep saying) price differential between brand-new and salvage goods. Perhaps you can enlighten us, because frankly I disbelieve it.
As I said previously, we don't throw anything away. Everything has a value to the right customer.
The great advantage, as I see it, to buying salvage is that we get a wide variety of merchandise. This plays very well on eBay. There's a huge difference between dropping $10,000 on brand-new merchandise and getting 50 different SKUs, and spending the same amount on salvage and getting 1000 or 2000 different SKUs. Bidders get burned out when they see you're running 20 auctions for the same item.
I bought $10,000 of brand-new merchandise in January and I'm *still* trying to unload some of it. That's not a good use of capital. And it's not a good idea to bore one's audience: the folks who come back day after day to check our auctions for new and exciting stuff.
Salvage works for us because we like surprises. And it helps us keep the fun in bidding.
posted on September 7, 2001 09:24:20 PMI'm not entirely sure what you're saying here. If we're buying new merchandise, which we have done in the past, we deal directly with a wholesaler or jobber. There's no "store" to throw in store returns.
Okay, the topic was about selling store returns. A lot of salvage dealers deal in store returns so it's common to see so much of it being sold. Some stores sell returns for the same price as they sell new merchandise. Especially since we have been experiencing an economic slump lately, a lot of retailers have to get rid of excess merchandise. I know this to be true of a very popular retailer that sells millions of merchandise on the liquidation/salvage market. The store returns and the shelf pulls/ overstock are sold for the exact same price (sold as a percentage of retail). So, in this case, there really is no advantage to buying store returns.
So what I meant about returns being thrown in is that the store staff pulls merchandise from the floor to send back to the distribution center, well sometimes, they will throw the returns in as well and send it all together. So you get some returns mixed in with new merchandise.
As I said previously, we don't throw anything away. Everything has a value to the right customer.
True, but depending on what you sell, some things that are damaged are not salvageable (or worth salvaging) so you can end up throwing things away. Especially with electronics, which is what the guy who started this thread sells. If you get something just totally damaged, you end up throwing it away.
The great advantage, as I see it, to buying salvage is that we get a wide variety of merchandise.
Same here, but at first I thought the only two options were to either sell returns or to order massive quantities of like items to get new merchandise. But not necessarily so. As I said, it depends on what you sell. I know of a few categories that are like this. BUT I have neither the interest nor the time to investigate every category to find out if it is generally the case. That's why I said "I am sure if you look hard enough...."
Oh yeah and at first I thought I had to do the big national retail store merchandise, but I am finding that a lot of small retailers are approachable as well.
Anyway, your general salvage dealer will sell electronics, clothes, housewares, food, toys, a little bit of everything. So they just take what can make money. But there are dealers that just specialize in "salvage" in one particular category and that's where you can get the really good stuff. Because they are buying only in one category, the relationships are there so that they can really get "first dibs" at the sell-offs.
posted on September 9, 2001 04:43:31 AM
Interesting subject.
I used to work retail for Sears and the most outrageous return we accepted during my 11 year tenure there was a
USED TOILET.
I mean this thing was filthy. Used for 9 months and never cleaned. We loaded it on a four wheeler and put up a quarantine around it. Went right in the dumpster after the paperwork was done.
And yes, the customer did get his money back.
After all, Sears' motto at that time was "Satisfaction Guaranteed or your Money Back".
posted on September 10, 2001 08:36:08 AM
Interesting. Who says consistency is important? The poster who started this thread apparently sent damaged goods that she is refusing to refund. Her TOS is firm.
See http://www.auctionwatch.com/mesg/read.html?num=2&thread=418007
posted on September 10, 2001 07:29:47 PM
Most of what K-Mart and Wal-Mart sells these days isn't worth buying new let alone brought back.
I worked at WalMart a few years ago when I started college and my department was clothing. One day a woman brought back a bra that had the underwires hanging out and it looked liked it had been washed a few hundred times. We cheerfully (me gagging as I carried it back to returns) exchanged it.
posted on September 18, 2001 10:22:58 AM
Rewassago.....I was just curious if you were going to let us know how things turned out......did you find it was worth your time percentage-wise to sort through all of that stuff?
posted on September 18, 2001 12:23:15 PM
rewassago
why did you remove ALL your responses from the thread refered to abovehttp://www.auctionwatch.com/mesg/read.html?num=2&thread=418007
seems kind if interesting you would do that. seems like you are one of those who ehine errrr post here that are the main cause of most of their problems. you also have in the past had that holier than thou attitude, now all that seems a bit hypoctritical....your true colors are waving in the wind just like a flag
posted on September 18, 2001 01:03:49 PM
seller has been selling on ebay for 4 years,but this is the first time she ventures into store returns which arrive in pellets by the truckload.
she is dsgusted that consumers return ink cartridges 3/4 used and dried up,she has problem with the buyer of her speakers.
sounds like selling store returns is not exactly playing in a rose garden,
i just look through sports clothings and see folks selling their used stained old nike.speedo tanktop like old vintage rolex watch box?? who is going to buy it??
posted on September 18, 2001 01:34:27 PM
Revvassago: I get email notification and fax notifications weekly from Liquidation companies in Florida and Alabama that sell a lot of store returns by the pallet or truckload. These companies sell items ranging from electronics, tools, furniture, clothing, household goods, hardware, etc. I do not know if you get your supplies from any of these stores, but do not worry because they are reputable.
I have bought several truckloads of construction material from one of them a few years ago and made a nice profit on it. I got the manifest and made a deal with a building contractor who was getting the goods at lower than his normal cost. Fortunately the hardware store that was disposing of the goods was in my city, so there was not a huge shipping cost. The items were good quality discontinued items and not store returns.
About 10 years ago Wal-Mart stores would throw their store returns in the dumpster behind their stores. They later found out that people would raid the dumpster during the night for the goods, and then return them to the store the following day for a refund. They no longer throw store returns in the dumpster because of the type of dishonest things that people would do.
posted on September 18, 2001 08:40:04 PM
home depot is now asking customer to bring their receipts when they return goods.
some folks have found ingenious way of raisng cash.
posted on September 22, 2001 09:25:14 PM
Regarding the other thread:
It has nothing to do with this one, it has been locked, and therefore I will not discuss it.
Regarding my pallet purchases:
I am currently running approx. $800 in the red. I have about 30 items to list yet, and do not believe I will make up the remainder. This is not counting in eBay fees.
I have decided that purchasing without an original manifest from the store the items came from is what I did wrong. I purchased partial lots (a few pallets of a truckload). The truckload had a wholesale value of $110,000. I have no concrete way of determining what my items had a wholesale value of.
posted on September 22, 2001 10:59:14 PM
About 10 years ago Wal-Mart stores would throw their store returns in the dumpster behind their stores. They later found out that people would raid the dumpster during the night for the goods, and then return them to the store the following day for a refund. They no longer throw store returns in the dumpster because of the type of dishonest things that people would do.
He he.. I suppose if it was 3 years ago, people would have been raiding the dumpsters for EBAY sale-able items..
Yes this doesn't surprise me, if you've ever worked RETAIL. My sister worked at a discount clothing store (brand names) for years. She finally had to quit, got just sick of what people would return to the store (used/filthy/broken items, that were bought ages ago).
Target has a new RETURN POLICY now, you have to have a receipt & there is a time limit also.
In High School, I had friends who would return their old shoes to Nordstroms & get new ones.
All that & a Bag of Chips Too!!
posted on September 23, 2001 05:50:52 AM
birgenstock allows you to return your shoes after wearing them for 6 months!!
by then they figure you have grown to wearing them ,you dont want to return them.
after xmas,new york dept stores have to brace for returns,some folks will return clothes they made themselves with a sewn macy label to macy.
revvassagi,sorry to hear you are in the red,it is hard to take on a new category.
some sellers have done very well dealing in electronic goods,mib or returns or floor samples,those are the ones who have been in that retail business to begin with.
i at one time thought about estate jewelry,then i realise it costs too much and i know too little.
posted on September 23, 2001 08:35:52 AM
I see nothing wrong with using store returns for your own profit.
I do heavy amounts of scanning and the scanners die after a 4-5 weeks of 8 hours a day of scanning. I simple return it to Sam's for a new one until they no longer carry the item. On a $100 scanner I can get 4-6 returns. When sam's stops selling the item I simply return it to WALMART.
To me they are a big company and it's no skin off their a$$ if I do this.
I'm sure that someone eats the cost but as long as I get my 6-8 items for the price of one I'm happy.
I even had a $2000 computer that fell off the desk after a few months of use I simply brought it in and exchanged it for a brand new one.
posted on September 23, 2001 09:57:40 AM
joe is abusing good stores with good customer service,as most customers do not use their scanner 8 hours a day ,7 days a week.]one of these days,he would be escorted out of the store and told not to come back!
posted on September 23, 2001 05:34:31 PM
No I'm not joking, Sam's has a 110% satisfaction guarentee. And their return policy states they will take a return for any reason up to 90 days from date of purchase except computers which is 30 days. As far as I'm concerned I pay my yearly membership and purchase literally thousands of dollars in merchandise from them a a year. I am simply following their policy.
As far as being escorted out of the store surely you are joking.
Do you think a customer service person making $6 an hour cares about my returns. I even asked them what they do with their returns and was told they are returned to distributer.
They make the satisfaction policy I was not satisfied ergo my return.
posted on September 23, 2001 05:53:51 PM
It is not the customers that should be blamed for returning damaged merchandise, it is the stores that should be blamed for having such ridiculous policies. You can return things within 90 days for ANY reason?? If that is the case at some stores, how can you blame the consumer? If someone's teenager has a bad day and takes it out on the toaster bought 2 months ago, and the store says they'll take it back, why not? The store is basically telling people that they don't mind if you damaged it on purpose, or if you abused the product, we will take it back... Why should the customer feel bad about it when the stores are asking for the damaged products to be returned? The bright side is, a lot of stores are starting to realize that such liberal policies are insane, and are changing their ways...
posted on September 23, 2001 06:24:15 PM
yes,stores can only do so as long as they make money,home depot realised it is giving away cash every day in 5 figures per store,multiply that with number of stores they can and it spells CASH BLEED.
also manufacturers some day will squalk.
unless they can all build these into the prices,which means we will all have to pay for joe's returns/
i belong to sam club,i just dont see how any one find so many things to buy-on the grocery side,dry good,canned goods frozen goods aka goods which have long shelf life,prices are not a bargain.
they make it look like bargain,membership fee,someone at the door,waehose decor,buy in bulk,
on the office equipment side,i dont see much bargain either,may be i have not looked hard enough,please enlighten us.i shop at compusa they are okay by me
I was so happy I had taken the wait and see approach.