Amazon is announcing that it’ll now be rolling out two new programs for sellers to take advantage of, both of which are geared toward cutting back on waste caused by unsold or returned items. Expanding upon current offerings like Amazon Warehouse and Renewed, its new Grade and Resell program is being joined by a liquidation service. Head below for all of the details.
Amazon rolls out new Grade and Resell program
Targeted at third-party sellers on Amazon, the two new policies that are just beginning to roll out will help cut back on sending perfectly good products into landfills. The first of these is Amazon Grade and Resell, which works as something of a competitor to Best Buy’s successful Open-Box products. Arriving with a similar rating system, sellers will be able to note details on return units in order to grade them before being re-listed on Amazon.
There are four different classifications that we’ve already become familiar with for returned products sold and shipped by Amazon; Used – Like New, Used – Very Good, Used – Good, and Used – Acceptable. Everything works through Amazon’s existing warehouse infrastructure, just like its first-party offerings.
Before the launch of Grade and Resell, storefronts would have returned the items to Amazon anyway, with the retailer opting to donate them on the smaller brand or seller’s behalf.
The second of the two new programs rolling out from Amazon allows sellers to offload those same unsold or overstocked products to wholesalers. By acting as the middle man, the new FBA Liquidations program will let sellers who already hold their gear in the retailer’s fulfillment centers.
What does it mean for shoppers?
In terms of what this means for shoppers, it likely won’t be too long before we see more open-box discounts from third-party sellers. There are plenty of brands who operate their own storefronts on Amazon as opposed to shipping directly from the retailer, Anker for one, so it’s likely we’ll end up seeing additional discounts roll out for those who don’t mind going the open-box route.
These new announcements seem to follow this report from the folks over at ITV News, which detailed how massive assortments of new products were sent to be destroyed, rather than given a second chance elsewhere. Given how big of an issue e-waste has become in the world of consumer technology specifically, the updated policies from Amazon on its Grade and Resell and FBA Liquidations fronts should assist in some aspect of lowering the impact.
As of now, both programs have rolled out here in the United States, as well as Germany, France, Italy and Spain, and soon the UK. The program will be something that sellers will have to opt in on for both of the new services.
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