With Christmas Day now in the rear view mirror, Americans begin weeks of “Returnuary” – the annual chore of returning billions of dollars worth of unwanted Christmas gifts.
Most returned Christmas gifts: What shoppers send back after the holidays https://t.co/MqflQ49655
— Axios (@axios) December 25, 2025
Via Axios:
The weeks-long surge, dubbed “Returnuary,” extends well into January, keeping return counters and shipping networks busy.
By the numbers: 20%–25% of annual sales are expected to be returned in 2025 — representing roughly $1 trillion worth of merchandise, according to data from returns platform Seel, which factors in last holiday season’s return surge.
The average returned item typically falls in the $100–$200 range, returns data firms estimate. Many returned items never make it back onto store shelves.
“In reality, most are never restocked because brands don’t have the infrastructure to process them in a cost-effective way,” Emily Hosie, founder and CEO of open-box marketplace REBEL, told Axios.
That contributes to an estimated 8.4 billion pounds of returned goods ending up in landfills each year, Hosie said.
Clothing is among the most frequently returned items due to wrong sizes, along with electronic gadgets that either don’t fit the giftees lifestyle or are duplicates of items already owned.
The month after Christmas has been dubbed “Returnuary” for good reason. https://t.co/hnYIChkKhM
— Anchorage Daily News (@adndotcom) December 26, 2025
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