There’s nothing more infuriating than getting a gift that you didn’t love or perhaps it didn’t quite fit right. Sure you could return it a store, and maybe even get your money back. But what happens when the gift wasn’t purchased from a store, or you don’t have a receipt? That’s exactly what happened to many holiday shoppers this past season.
Rather than refunding the money, some e-retailers have been known to opt out for a store credit, rather than offering a return for a full refund. If returned items weren’t able to be re-sold, some brands have been sending those items to warehouse auctions.
The warehouse auctions across the country are currently seeing a surge from e-retailers. Rather than manually vetting and selling the items online, e-retailers seeing a surge of holiday returns can simply send those items to the auction houses.
At some warehouse auctions, you may find brand new products or items that have been previously owned. During the holiday season, more auction houses than ever opened up for buyers to purchase returned items.
This is a great way to save money. Many of the items may have still been in the box, while others may have been gently used or returned for assorted reasons. It’s almost like going to a giant garage sale, but not everyone takes the time to search for returned items.
Unfortunately, if you’re unable to return a holiday gift, it’s very likely it ended up in a warehouse auction. Know the return policy before you purchase any items online this holiday season in case it needs to be returned. Otherwise, you could end up with a good deal or an item that you can’t use.