How to Turn Returns Into Profit (Instead of Cost Center)

Returns are expensive, operationally messy, and far more wasteful than most brands realize. In this episode, Disney Petit, Founder and CEO of LiquiDonate, explains how retailers can turn unsellable returns and excess inventory into a smarter, more sustainable logistics flow that also cuts costs.

Disney Petit is the Founder and CEO of LiquiDonate. Before launching the company, she was employee number 15 at Postmates, where she helped build customer service, launch new markets, and later created Civic Labs, Postmates’ social impact arm. Her work sits at the intersection of logistics, technology, and social impact.

LiquiDonate is the first software platform built to connect excess and unsellable inventory from retailers directly to nonprofits and schools. Instead of routing low-value returns back through expensive reverse logistics, the platform helps brands donate them locally, reducing costs and waste while supporting communities.

You Will Learn:
- Why returns become a major hidden cost center in eCommerce
- How local donations can reduce reverse logistics costs
- Why most brands don’t plan for excess inventory early enough
- How to connect profitability with sustainability
- What it takes to build a supply-and-demand network around returns

Show Notes:
(00:02:01) Origin Story and Mission
(00:04:06) The Hidden Cost of Returns
(00:06:19) How the Donation Returns Flow Works
(00:08:51) Nonprofits and Shopify Setup
(00:10:34) Tech vs Nonprofit Mindsets
(00:12:01) Making Purpose Profitable
(00:14:29) Pricing for Small Sellers
(00:16:13) Rapid Fire and Wrap Up

This episode is brought to you by B2Bware
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