Ever wondered where Amazon parcels that don’t reach their destination or are returned to the warehouse end up?
You may be shocked to discover that some find their way to shops specialising in lost packages, which are sold off if unclaimed after a certain period. Mónica, a TikTok content creator, recently visited one such shop with the aim of purchasing one of these mystery Amazon boxes.
In a recent video on the social media platform, she revealed: “In my neighbourhood, they’ve opened a lost package shop, and since Andrés [boyfriend] and I are quite nosy, we had to go down to see what we could find..”
Mónica and her boyfriend then displayed the box they’d chosen and proceeded to open it. Despite only spending €15 (roughly £12.5), they had no idea what was inside and kept their expectations low.
“This is the box we’ve picked; Andrés actually chose it because I’m quite unlucky at choosing things; I’m quite bad,” she confessed while presenting the still-sealed box, complete with its Amazon label, to the camera. The young man explained his choice of package, revealing he selected it over others as he could feel another box within, leading him to hope for an electronic item, especially as “the label says one year warranty.”
Upon opening the package, they were astounded by its contents. “This must be fake,” they exclaimed.
“Wait, this is going to be one of those typical boxes that come empty. It’s going to be funny because it won’t have anything, and people will laugh,” the young man said, still in disbelief. Inside was a pair of headphones from a renowned brand which, if genuine, could fetch hundreds of euros.
“How lovely, how amazing. They’re probably fake, but they’re very nice,” they remarked, visibly delighted with their selection.
Recent statistics indicate that around 30 percent of online purchases are returned by customers. This has given rise to a burgeoning market that exploits these returns, offering consumers the chance to buy mystery boxes at discounted rates.
The surge in online shopping has skyrocketed in recent years, fuelled in part by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, returns have become a routine occurrence.
These are items that either don’t match the original order or fail to meet the buyer’s expectations or the product descriptions.
This trend doesn’t just affect shoppers; it also poses challenges for businesses that incur logistical and management costs due to returns. To address this issue, a novel commercial strategy has taken root in Spain: stores that purchase returned goods and resell them at lower prices.
The prices of these packages are significantly lower than the retail price, making them a magnet for bargain hunters. Depending on their contents, some of these packages can cost between 10 and 50 euros, as was the case for Mónica.
