A couple spent around £12.50 on a mystery Amazon returns parcel, and had no idea what they would find inside, but were left seriously impressed after opening it
Have you ever wondered what happens to Amazon parcels that fail to reach the recipient or gets sent back to the warehouse for whatever reason?
You might be surprised to learn that some end up in shops that store lost packages and put them up for sale after a time if they aren’t claimed. Mónica, a young woman who has gone viral on TikTok, visited one of these shops in the hope of buying one of these mystery packages.
In a recent clip on the video sharing platform, she explained: “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 showed the box they’d picked and proceed to open it. After spending just €15 (about £12.5) they had no clue what was inside, but had low expectations. “This is the box we’ve picked; Andrés actually chose it because I’m quite unlucky at choosing things; I’m quite bad,” she said while showing the box to the camera, still unopened and with the Amazon label on it.
The young man explained that he chose this package over another because he could feel it contained yet another box inside, so hoped there was something electronic as “the label says one year warranty.”
After opening it they couldn’t believe what was inside. “This must be fake,” they said. “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,” assured the young man, still incredulous. The package contained headphones from a well-known brand that, if original, could be worth hundreds of euros.
“How lovely, how amazing. They’re probably fake, but they’re very nice,” they concluded, although they seemed very pleased with the package they’d chosen.
According to recent data, it’s estimated that approximately 30 percent of products bought online are returned by consumers. This has led to a new market that capitalises on these returns, where users can purchase mystery packages at reduced prices.
The increase in online shopping has been exponential in recent years, partly driven by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, returns have become a common practice. These are products that don’t match what was ordered or don’t meet expectations or descriptions.
This phenomenon not only affects consumers but also impacts companies facing logistical and management costs associated with returns. In response to this situation, a new business model has emerged in Spain: shops that buy returned products and resell them at reduced prices.
The prices of these packages are significantly lower than the retail price. This attracts consumers looking for bargains and savings opportunities. Some of these packages can cost between 10 and 50 euros, depending on the content, as happened to Mónica.
