Did you know? Nearly 5 billion pounds of new-and-used goods from online e-commerce returns end up in landfills each year. It’s a problem that’s only growing as Americans make more online purchases (and returns).

Enter: Public Auctions of Texas — a San Antonio-based business on a mission to change that. How? By offering weekly online auctions of returned e-commerce goods that give a second chance to items that would otherwise end up in landfills (at some pretty killer prices, we might add).

Good for the environment:

We all want to do our part — but who knew that returned pot with a scratch on the lid didn’t make it back to the warehouse?

The magnitude of returns that end up landfills stems from high online return rates. Items purchased online have a 2x higher return rate than products purchased in-store — which translates to over 5 billion pounds of waste + 15 tons of carbon emissions.

Since opening in 2021, Public Auctions of Texas has saved more than 475,500 pounds of goods from heading to the landfills.

Good for consumers:

Inventory changes weekly and includes almost anything under the sun you can imagine — electronics, furniture, appliances, clothing, home improvement goods, decor, and more.

All items are listed in brand new, like new, used, or as-is condition, and bids start at just $2.50. Think: An Apple laptop for $275 (originally $599) or an LG flat-screen TV for $700 (originally $2,199).

How it works:

New inventory is listed in the online Auction House weekly.
In a very-eBay sort of way, registered users bid on items up until Auction Day each Wednesday and Saturday, when all auctions end.
If you win the bid, you head to the warehouse on Sunday or Monday to pick up (and check before finalizing) your purchase.

Ready to get bidding (and help save the earth)? Explore the hundreds of new items added weekly.

Poll

What kind of items would most likely be on your bid list? Let us know.*