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Inside the black box of Amazon returns

Managing returns can get costly for retailers as well as the planet. 

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Managing returns can get costly for retailers, so much so that many returned items are simply thrown out.

Returns can get costly for retailers, so much so that many returned items are simply thrown out.

PHOTO: AFP

Simone Peinkofer

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E-commerce may make shopping more convenient, but

it has a dark side that most consumers never see.

Say you order an electric toothbrush for Father’s Day and two shirts for yourself from Amazon. You unpack your order and discover that the electric toothbrush will not charge, and only one shirt fits you. So, you decide to return the unwanted shirt and the electric toothbrush.

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