To be disgusted with Amazon throwing out new items?

[rockingthelook]

I saw an item on the news last night about Amazon throwing out brand new items, I just can't comprehend the sheer waste, why not donate to charity? It is also interesting to see that even though it was the main feature of the news last night that it hasn't been reported on the Daily Fail website, however there are plenty of ads/articles highlighting the best buys for the Amazon Prime sale days... just saying......

Yep really bad behaviour on Amazon’s behalf ... the press, well...

Mumsnet are also advertising for them

It’s atrocious. I saw the same report.

:-O I saw the articles for best buys at amazon.
I will never use them again despite the ease

Did the news report explain why items were being destroyed?
I understand if something’s dangerous to use but why were they destroying books?

Did the news item say what the reason was? What their source was?

why not donate to charity?

I'm sure there is a tax incentive not to do so. Something along the lines of it being possible to write out stock which is destroyed, but not given away stock.

Plus, there are costs involved. As well as storing and transporting, you need staff to sorr through it and find out what can and can't be donated, what breaks safety regulations, what is wanted by which charity, what is not salvageable etc.

It's certainly a shame that it's going to be wasted, but it's not just Amazon being too mean or lazy to donate it.

News reported something along the lines of it's getting destroyed due to no space to keep these items after being held for so long and not sold.
Amazon gave a statement where they pretty much dodged the question and said they give a lot of items in charity and nothing goes to the landfill.

I don't understand why don't they just reduce the price down, Atleast then it's not being destroyed, and perhaps they'll still make a little profit on it.

It's not just amazon. Tesco used to do it. I remember new cameras getting scrapped etc. It went off market, they couldn't do anything with it and supplier or manufacturer didn't want it.

It's so wasteful. I bought some plastix storage tubs from a charity shop and the man working there told me they were excess stock donated from Amazon, so I don't know why they have been disposing of perfectly good things.

The same shop also had a huge donation of Wallis jewellry from when the local Wallis closed down, although it's really sad they closed down, it was so nice to see that they donated their leftover stock to a good cause.

It’s an odd one.

My understanding was that companies pay Amazon to store their stuff. The longer it doesn’t sell, the costs increase. The company would have to pay to have it returned so it’s cheaper to just ditch it. Sorting and sending to charity would incur more costs. And would probably devalue the product.

Sad fact of our consumer society.

Couldn’t charities send a “sorter person” into the warehouse and agree to take whatever they can use or sell? (Yes I know COVID etc).
Even if they don’t want a tv for example they can then auction or raffle it to raise funds.

They didn't state exactly what happens to the products once they reach landfill. I'm aware that most tips/landfill wont allow certain items (such as electricals) to be tipped. As they can be refurbished, donated or used for parts.
Maybe these sites have more access or contacts to do this.
Even when items are taken to a local tip they sort it and ensure as much as possble is not put into landfill and used for parts or fixed etc.

So hopefully we just haven't been fully informed of the whole story.

I refuse to use amazon now.

A friend worked at a tip and he made a lot of money on the side.

@jayalfredprutrock
Yes I believe it the actual stock owners who decide to dump their stock as Amazon's charges for slow moving stock are very high and it is cheaper to throw it away rather than pay the warehouse charges.
It makes you wonder what sort of society we have become...

It's disgusting. If they can afford to be throwing new items in landfill they can afford to be letting their staff pee.

It's even more damning in current conditions. In a year which just saw children using their parents phones to access schooling, wasteful behaviour like this is entirely unacceptable.

It's not just Amazon. I knew someone who collected business refuse and she said lots of big stores like toys r us throw loads of brand new stuff in landfill. I don't know how they get away with it. When I had a small business my refuse contracts were checked regularly .

When a business signs up to sell though the service 'fulfilled by Amazon' they have to provide stock to the warehouse. This is on a global scale for some business' who use the marketplace to reach international markets easily. If products don't sell they can pay a lot of money to have the goods returned or pay less money for destruction of the stock. Amazon don't own it so aren't able to repurpose. Terrible I agree and needs a rethink.

People are outraged because it Amazon. In fact its pretty normal for businesses to get rid of unsold goods. "Donate to charity" is a pretty unrealistic idea.

This is normal business practice.

I hope there are people at the landfill sites making a bit of money on the side and the goods aren't actually being destroyed.

@CatsArePeople

People are outraged because it Amazon. In fact its pretty normal for businesses to get rid of unsold goods. "Donate to charity" is a pretty unrealistic idea.

Exactly

It’s not just Amazon, loads of companies do it. The main culprits seem to be ‘high end’ fashion - if they gave it away then it would dilute the brand and make it less sought after if you could get it cheap. I’ve heard stories about Victoria’s Secret and Burberry to name a couple who burnt a load of stuff they couldn’t sell during the pandemic but I assume they all do it.

I find it such an appalling waste of resources, the earth is close to collapse on an environmental level and to wilfully waste items that have used raw materials, power that pollutes while processing, man power and fuel to transport etc. It really is quite awful.

One of my local charity shops sells stuff they get from Amazon.