Every year, the holiday returns pile up fast.

"About 17% of all holiday purchases are going to be returned, and that equals about $170 billion at retail," B‑Stock's Sean Cleland said.

Retailers turn to resale platforms

Cleland says restocking those items can be costly and time‑consuming, which is why many major retailers turn to companies like the one he works for. B‑Stock is an online resale platform for returned merchandise.

"What they'll do is they'll segment that inventory, they'll scan it in, process it, and they'll start to sort it by category, and then once they do that, B‑Stock, we will then get inventory information," he said.

Returned goods sold in bulk

The inventory is sold in bulk through online resale auctions. The company's main clients are small businesses, resellers, and refurbishers, but anyone can participate.

"I've done this for 25 years," Shannon Jean said. "Every category you can imagine, from consumer electronics to outdoor furniture."

For Jean, this is a full‑time business.

Resale business draws growing interest

"This kind of resale is super accessible, you don't need a ton of money to start, it's really amazing," he said.

He says once the merchandise is purchased, it's usually resold on platforms like eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

"Now, we teach other people how to do it because the interest level is so high," he said.

He does that through his company, Reseller Mastermind.

Finding what sells locally matters

"The key is to figure out what sells in your local market," he said. "Using places like Facebook Marketplace, you can just drill down into the data."

As for shoppers, that returned gift may just be waiting for a second chance — at a fraction of the price.