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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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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.

