The Atlantic has a fascinating article about what actually happens to these returns: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/free-returns-online-sh

The Atlantic has a fascinating article about what actually happens to these returns: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/free-returns-online-shopping/620169/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/free-re... TLDR: We imagine they're processed/cleaned/resold, but the reality is that the majority of online retailers just throw the returned product away.