Slightly OT: How Much Do Free Returns Cost Us?

No, can't say that I have. I'm pretty careful what I buy.

Bullshit.

Bullshit.

I recall one time returning an item to Lowes, once to WalMart. Both were in original package, never opened.

Sure, it can happen, but there are abuses. Especially the jerk that uses a tool one time and returns it.

They can be lower yet if the abuses and shrinkage could be stopped. Nearly $50 billion

I believe the topic of conversation is how much free reruns cost us, not theft. That's what I was talking about.

That article discusses the cost of theft and other fraud, not free returns or the "abuse" of such, right?

It's actually worse than that but the point is the same. Buying something with the intention of returning it after use, is theft.

Hence the rise of the "restocking fee", something that really pisses me off.

There is a difference between "try and buy" and "free rental".

If they're in saleable condition after, no harm done.

Depends on the circumstances. If it doesn't do what is advertised or work as intended, I'll take it back otherwise I generally eat it. If it's in saleable condition, including packaging, I'm more apt to return it.

...with the packaging torn all the hell or even damaged.

All you have to do is do a quick search of my usenet posts to see that I am totally opposed to people who abuse the system and use free return policies and a free rental system.

I've seen tools at the clearance end-caps of Home Depot that were used and abused and obviously victims of the free rental abuse practice. That's BS and I'm on record as calling out that kind of crap.

Which brings us full circle back to my OP. When "they" package something that can't be returned in saleable condition, it has to cost *something* when it gets returned.

Here's my exact situation (this time). I needed 3 light fixtures for my yard. I had no idea which would work best. Is a white 900 lumen led spot going to work or will I need 1100 lumens? What about a red led spot light with a wider beam. (Spooky lawn figures)

So I bought 3 of each. I then tried 1 of each - opening them 1 at a time. As it turned out, 1 900 white and 2 red spots fit the bill. However, I also had to try one of the 1100 lumen spots (too bright). So now I'm going to return a unit that is (probably) not going back on the shelf since I had to use an angle grinder, jack hammer and a stick of dynamite to get the damn package open.

Back in the ole days, I would have carefully opened the cardboard box, remembered how it all went back in and returned the item in pristine condition. In so many cases, you can't do that anymore.

Define "work as intended". See my post from a few minutes ago.

When you don't know if it will fit your needs until you've tried it, and *they* packaged it in such a manner that the consumer has to destroy the packaging to get it open, is that the consumer's fault that it is unsalable when returned?

Remember to good ole days of cardboard boxes or a simple price tag?

I didn't call you a thief. Just stating my position.

No problem here.

No, I get it. I'm just responding to others who might take my words out of context or twist them to fit their agenda.

That's a harder call. I wouldn't have returned the opened fixtures. Those that weren't, no problem.

IMO, yes. If I opened it, I wouldn't return it unless it was "defective" in manufacture or design. For instance, a spotlight fixture that wouldn't hold position would get returned without a thought. One that was "warm white" rather than "cool white" wouldn't because that's on me. I should have known better.

The cost of "shrinkage" is bullet-proof "shrink-wrap".

The lack of price tags does piss me off. Nothing seems to be put even near its shelf tag and they're impossible to read anyway.

Even worse, the one who buys a tool, sticks his busted one in the box, and returns it, or who buys a tool, takes some essential but non-obvious part, and then returns the rest.

The problem is, what does it cause to reduce it? Reducing it isn't free.

Some of those returns are theft. People steal items and come back the next day to return them since it is so easy. Others use tools and return them, a form of theft.