The pandemic has led to a huge rise in online shopping. And record spending from last year means record returns. But what happens to the items we send back is often a mystery.

NPR correspondent Alina Selyukh reports on the like hood of an unwanted holiday gift making it into another customers hands.

And Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi of NPR’s Planet Money podcast visits a bargain bin store in North Carolina where dogged resellers rifle through mounds of unwanted items to find something they can turn for a profit.

Listen to the full Planet Money episode here.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.