Amazon, the US- based multinational e-commerce company, has reportedly introduced a new program across the U.K. and U.S., called Fulfilled by Amazon Donations, under which the company will donate unwanted products received from third party vendors left in the warehouses instead of trashing them.
Reportedly, the initiated program will witness several products that could not be sold by the third-party marketplaces go to nonprofit organizations in the US and charities in the UK such as Newlife, Barnardo’s and the Salvation Army.
According to reliable sources, previously the company dumped the products left in its warehouses that could not be sold. These also include products which are usually left in the warehouse mainly because either they have been returned by the customer or are defected.
Supposedly, 2,93,000 products were sent by one Amazon facility over a period of nine months to a garbage dump. In January, a documentary was released pertaining to the disposal practices followed by Amazon in France which involved dumping of over 3 million televisions only in 2018.
Alice Shobe, Director, Amazon in the Community, was reportedly quoted stating that donating unwanted products to the needy will result in strengthening local communities and also transform their lives.
As per trusted sources, the aim of the program is to reduce wastage and provide a friendly and cheaper environment to the sellers in order to get rid of the excess inventory. Before the program was launched, Amazon charged as less as 15 cents per unit to dispose the unsold products.
Under FBA donations, the fee arrangement will remain the same however the introduced program will streamline the process for sellers and facilitate donation of products to non-profit organizations and charities associated with Amazon.
FBA Donations is slated to be effective from September 1. It will become a default option for the sellers that let Amazon store and sell their products.
Source Credits: https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/14/20806167/amazon-marketplace-donate-products-fba-sellers-vendors-unwanted-inventory