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Top ten reasons why you should be buying retail returns.
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10 reasons why you should be buying retail returns

Ben Smith
Ben Smith

Retail returns are a growing problem, with a recent study estimating that it costs the British retail industry £7 billion a year. Another study suggested half of all purchases made online were made by people who had no intention of keeping the purchase.

That creates quite the issue for big retailers, but we provide a solution and it’s a great one if you happen to be in the market to purchase.

We run regular auctions of retail returns, and they’re some of our most popular auctions, with good reason. So, without further ado, here are our top 10 reasons, in no particular order, why you should buy retail returns:

1. You’re getting a bargain

Let’s face it, we all love a bargain. And with retail returns you’re certainly getting one of those. Gone are the days when buying used goods was looked down upon and if a returned item is nearly new you can get incredible value. Why pay full price when you can snap up a retail return for a fraction of the original cost?

2. You’re getting a really good bargain

Up the ante and buy a pallet of raw returns and you could bag yourself the bargain of the century. These are a selection of related items, packed in bulk and then shipped on a pallet to your location for an absolute steal. Here you could pick up a Sage Oracle coffee machine and a collection of other desirable brands for a fraction of their retail prices. Of course, these are raw returns so some items will be better than others. You’ll know what product you’ll receive, just not what condition it’s in until you open up your delivery.

3. Good quality

Here at William George, we hold retail return auctions sourced from the likes of John Lewis, JD Williams and Homebase to name a few so you know you’re getting top quality stuff. Ok, some of it may not be in perfect condition – it has been returned to the shop after all – but it’s a risk worth taking for the quality and price on offer. Items may have never been used, have been used once or simply are no longer in their original packaging.

4. Sustainability

For the most part, returns to a shop can be popped back on the shelf, no harm done. For a large number of items this just isn’t possible. If the original packaging is missing, or if there’s a slight scratch or tear somewhere it has to be classed as used. In the bad old days, this would have been slung in a skip and made its way to landfill. Not so any more. Choosing to buy returns is helping stores reduce their waste, protecting the planet’s precious resources and doing your bit in the fight against climate change.

5. Make some cash

We hold bi-weekly auctions of retail returns sourced from John Lewis alone, so there’s plenty of opportunity to pick up some stock. You can then divide the goods up and sell them on, turning a nice little profit. Some people pick up a pallet because there’s one thing in there they desperately want – then they sell on what’s left. Others have decided to make a living out of it – buying up retail returns, reconditioning or repairing where necessary and then selling the items individually.

6. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

If you’ve not heard this mantra, you should have. It’s the three Rs to cutting back waste. Reduce the amount of stuff; reuse where possible; when all is done with something recycle it. Buying something you need as a retail return is hitting the first two of these so is yet another way of doing the planet a favour.

7. Surprise yourself

Ok, if you’re doing it properly you should know what you’re getting. Each pallet has a description, telling you what you’re bidding for. But if you’re really only buying one item in the pallet with the intention of selling everything else on, then make the most of the surprise. You may find you do not want to part with some of the items you receive or decide to keep them to gift to others. It’s a journey of discovery.

8. Kit out your house

We’ve got retail returns from every department, covering all aspects of life. If you’re setting up home this is a perfect opportunity to make the most of our pallets of raw retail returns. We’ve got auctions of soft furnishings, kitchen appliances, clothes, furniture – everything you could possibly need to make your house a home and often from the best names out there.

9. Bulk buy presents

It might be a bit early in the year to be thinking about Christmas presents but if you’ve got a large family or lots of friends then a pallet could be just what you need. There are pallets of toys which could see you sorted for children’s presents for months or years to come or maybe assorted electricals for the big kid in your life.

10. It’s fun!

Why can’t we have fun while we shop? There’s the thrill of the auction, watching to see if you’ve won and the delight as the clock finally ticks down. Next the sweaty palms of anticipation as you wait for the delivery and finally, at long last, the excitement as your purchase arrives. Just me? Ok, maybe a little over the top but you can’t deny it’s fun. And if you’ve bought a pallet of returns you’ve got a whole boxload of stuff to unpack.

Take a look at this YouTube vid of the contents of one of our pallets and you’ll see how much fun unboxing is and find out more about these auctions here.