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global eyes
Amazon takes action on returns and overstocks
POSSIBLY IN RESPONSE to “SHOCK HORROR PROBE” style revelations
in the UK (and subsequently
reported here) about unused and/or unsold products going into landfill, Amazon UK has calmly introduced two new Fulfilment by Amazon
(FBA) programmes it describes as being “designed to make it easier for businesses selling on Amazon to resell customer-returned items or overstock inventory while also giving more products a second life.”
“Customer returns are a fact of life for all retailers, and what to do with those products is an industry-wide challenge,” says Libby Johnson McKee, Director of Amazon WW Returns, ReCommerce & Sustainability.
“These new programmes are examples of the steps we’re taking to ensure that products sold on Amazon – whether by us or our small business partners – go to good use and don’t become waste.”
Designed to make returns available for resale, one of the new FBA programs, called FBA Grade & Resell, is now live in the UK. It will also be available in the US by the end of the year, and in Germany, France, Italy, and
Spain by early 2022.
FBA Grade & Resell gives Amazon’s
third party selling partners the option to sell returned products on Amazon as “used” items, instead of having them sent back to them or donated.
Sellers can choose to automatically route a return into this new programme, where it will be evaluated and assigned one of four standard conditions, after which a price is set and the items are sold just like new ones, albeit with an appropriate description.
The other related Amazon programme, FBA Liquidations, allows sellers to use Amazon’s wholesale resale channel and systems to recover a portion of their inventory cost from returned or overstock inventory by reselling these items through Amazon’s bulk resale partners.
FBA Liquidations is already live in the US, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, and was set to go live in the UK this month.
Previously a seller would either have returns or overstocks sent back to them or have Amazon put the products through its FBA Donations charity programme.
www.amazon.co.uk
Lowe’s does
“Shark Tank” again
Lowe’s and Daymond John, star of
US series Shark Tank, entrepreneur, investor, and best-selling author, have announced the next round of “Making it...with Lowe’s”, the North Carolina giant’s nationwide pitch program
that gives entrepreneurs of all sorts a chance to “take their business to the next level” by selling on Lowes.com and in Lowe’s stores.
With nearly a third of small US businesses forced to close due to the pandemic, and a quarter of minority- owned businesses having temporarily shut their doors, Lowe’s says it is reprising its very non-traditional pitch program at “a time when it is needed most, providing opportunities for diverse entrepreneurs to grow their businesses amid obstacles that can feel overwhelming.
“Making it...with Lowe’s shines
a light on the remarkable stories
of diverse small business owners who are often overlooked and underrepresented,” says Daymond John, who will once again host and give advice to finalists.
“Last year’s program underscored the importance of giving them
an opportunity to break through traditional processes. This year, as so many diverse small business owners begin the recovery process, it is even more important to provide them with a much-deserved space to succeed.”
The first round of Making it...
with Lowe’s attracted 1,300+ product submissions and the top suppliers received invaluable mentorship from Daymond John and Lowe’s merchants that helped them expand their reach, grow their business, and connect with new consumer audiences.
You can recap on who made the grade last year at the URL below.
www.lowes.com/makingitwithlowes
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AUGUST 2021 | NZHJ 33