We started up in March of 2023 after finding out about how Amazon returns are handled (not the way you might think!). The business was started with the idea of bringing more sustainability to the process, providing employment to rural West Cork in Ireland, and to bring some innovation to the process.
Here’s how we operate: we buy returns from Amazon Spain at auction – a truckload at a time (that’s up to 32 pallets of goods). The inventory is sent via ferry to the Port of Cork, then transported to our warehouse in Drimoleague, County Cork. We then begin the process of sorting through the inventory and assessing the condition of each item. Some items can be evaluated very quickly – a pair of shoes or jeans can be judged “new with tags” after a brief examination. Others take more time. All electronics are set aside to be tested. Things need to be charged, paired with apps, inspected to ensure that all accessories are included…. Many items can be sold as new with the caveat that original packaging has been opened. Lots are sold as used. And, if something is not working, or if it has excessive wear, we will recycle it or donate it to charity.
If an item’s retail value falls below a certain threshold, we will automatically donate it. In fact, within our first three months of trading, we donated over €26,000 worth of goods to Oxfam. They, in turn, sell these products in their charity shops, ultimately going to help people caught up in disasters and conflicts across the world, giving life-saving support to those most in need and helping to rebuild communities. The value of our donations is growing all the time, as our business grows.
Sustainability is one of our core values. This means sourcing environmentally-friendly and recycled packaging. It means reusing every bit of packaging that comes into our warehouse – including shredding old boxes for use as padding, reusing the ones that we can – even composting some of it. Inventory we don’t sell is donated or responsibly recycled. We make every effort to ensure that almost nothing is sent to landfill.
Know that when you purchase from us, that your satisfaction is our number one priority. We will make every effort to ensure you’re happy with your purchase.
