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Welcome to gift return season, a boon for resellers and the second-hand market

Just like hot cocoa and Christmas lights, porch deliveries have now become a staple of the holiday season. But what happens when something you bought gets returned?
Sean Higgins
/
KUER
Just like hot cocoa and Christmas lights, porch deliveries have now become a staple of the holiday season. But what happens when something you bought gets returned?

Up to 40-percent of online holiday gifts get returned, according to experts. But have you ever wondered what happens to all those unwanted presents?

Alondra Alarcon doesn’t always return her holiday gifts. But when she does, it’s usually for a good reason.

“It was because they bought me the wrong size of shoes!” she said outside of City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City. “So I had to go and I got the same one, but just the right shoe size.”

Her story isn’t a unique one — especially if those shoes were bought online.

“Consumers return anywhere from 20% to 30% of goods that they purchase online,” said Aaron Provine, president and CEO of Geartrade, a Utah-based outdoor equipment reseller. “[During the holidays] retail sees like 5% to 10% increase in returns. There is a massive amount of returns that end up happening in January.”

The reason is simple: people can’t see how something looks or fits in person before they buy. Even so, the convenience of online shopping just can't be beat.

For the full story, visit kuer.org.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.

Sean Higgins covers all things Park City and is the Saturday Weekend Edition host at KPCW. Sean spent the first five years of his journalism career covering World Cup skiing for Ski Racing Media here in Utah and served as Senior Editor until January 2020. As Senior Editor, he managed the day-to-day news section of skiracing.com, as well as produced and hosted Ski Racing’s weekly podcast. During his tenure with Ski Racing Media, he was also a field reporter for NBC Sports, covering events in Europe.