It comes with the territory, that when you are buying customer return products and liquidated stock some of the items you have bought are completely useless and ready to go straight to the dump! I will be detailing all the totally useless purchases, the bargains that weren’t bargains, so that we can gauge what proportion of the time we are just buying rubbish. I hope you will find this information useful if you are thinking of embarking on a similar journey.
Yellow Yard Broom With Telecsopic Handle – RRP £19.97
I acquired this stunning broom via auction for the bargain price of £1.95. The delivery apportionment added another £1.00, then add on the VAT and this little chestnut cost about £3.54. It was listed as a RAW Customer Return item, which basically means it hasn’t been examined as to the condition it’s in – you are taking a punt and I was well aware of this when I started bidding. I need a broom anyway so thought it can’t be that bad!
It became clear very quickly why the broom had been returned!
The broom handle was comprised of 4 metal sections that screw together, so not telescopic in the traditional sense of the word but I knew that from the outset. One of the handle sections however was completely bent. I could have listed it as a 39 inch broom for short people but decided to keep it as it would be fine for sweeping the garage.
Seed Starter Kit – RRP £21.43
This RAW Customer Return item seemed like a bargain at £0.66 all-in, including delivery and VAT. And in some senses it was a bargain, just not one I can probably sell at any meaningful profit.
All 5 of the seed trays, the domes and the breather adjusters were present and correct, there was just no sign of any LED lights or the timer. It’s not for me to judge what may have happened to the LED system, but there’s no way the seed trays can be sold for a handsome profit.
Not all is lost though as these will be very useful in the greenhouse next year and would have cost me somewhat more at the local garden centre.
Green Expandable Garden Hose – RRP £39.98
Having had one of these myself I knew there was a fair chance this RAW Customer Return hosepipe would be a disappointment. I was not wrong but it only cost me £2.51 to find out via an auction win.
Immediately upon open the package I sensed this one was likely headed straight in the bin! It had clearly been used quite extensively in the past judging by the amount of dirt on both the hosepipe and the sweet little carry bag. Deciding at best that it would be useful in the garden if it worked I attached it to the tap and turned on the water. Sure enough there was a split or 2 in the hose and the poor rabbit had an unexpected shower. Not a total waste though as the nozzle works just fine and I have a lovely green hanging hook now.
Double Inflatable Airbed / Mattress – RRP £24.99
Definitely not a bargain for the £8.49 it cost me to purchase a customer return airbed with a sizeable puncture in it!
Could it be repaired? Possibly.
Can I be bothered to repair it? No, as I wouldn’t try to sell it and I would never trust the repair to hold, and know I would end up sleeping on the ground after the 1st night of a 2 week camping trip.
Live and learn, sometimes customers return stuff as it is broken, even if maybe they broke it themselves. Retailers are unlikely to go to the trouble of inflating an airbed to see if the customer was telling the truth – more cost effective to bin it or chuck it to a returned stock shifter.