Axiom Return Solutions Archives

JD Sass is the Co-founder and CEO of Axiom Return Solutions, a reverse logistics company that helps Amazon sellers and brands recover value from returns and improve post-purchase performance. He built the company after identifying inefficiencies in how returns are managed across marketplaces. JD leads a team that inspects, grades, and resells inventory while uncovering actionable data insights to reduce losses. He works with brands of all sizes to turn returns into revenue opportunities and improve decision-making across the supply chain.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:27] JD Sass introduces Axiom Return Solutions and how the business emerged organically from Amazon resale and prep operations
[4:12] Why brands bake returns into the cost of goods and the hidden impact on profitability
[5:56] How removal versus disposal fees changed on Amazon and what that means for sellers
[7:49] JD explains reverse logistics: receiving, inspecting, grading, and reintegrating returned inventory
[9:46] When brands choose disposal and how it affects product control, resale risks, and brand reputation
[14:49] Determining when returns management becomes financially meaningful for a brand
[20:19] Why JD emphasizes data — from fraud detection to product improvements and reducing returns

In this episode…

Returns are often treated as an unavoidable cost of doing business and are absorbed into margins without much scrutiny. Yet behind every return is a set of decisions, missed insights, and potential value left on the table. How can overlooked processes become a meaningful driver of profitability instead of a sunk cost?

As an expert in reverse logistics and returns management, JD Sass explains that brands can significantly improve profitability by rethinking how they handle returned inventory. Rather than defaulting to disposal, he highlights the importance of inspecting, grading, and reintegrating products back into sales channels whenever possible. Many items are actually new and recoverable, and leveraging return data can uncover product issues, reduce future return rates, and inform better operational decisions. JD also stresses the value of filing claims and maintaining visibility into inventory to prevent unnecessary losses.

In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with JD Sass, Co-founder and CEO of Axiom Return Solutions, to discuss how brands can turn returns into a profitability lever. JD breaks down why disposal costs more than brands realize, how to recover value from returned inventory, and what data reveals about return behavior. He also touches on claim recovery strategies and optimizing listings to reduce returns.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

“We receive, inspect, grade, scan everything on inbound, reintegrate back to primary sales channels, resell on secondary channels.”
“A customer return happens always before an item is ever purchased.”
“Amazon can dispose or destroy, recycle, and resell your inventory.”
“If you're removing that inventory and you're getting anything back on that and it didn't take you a lot of time, it's a win.”
“There are opportunities for improvement across the supply chain or the lifecycle of the product.”

Action Steps:

Audit your current returns process: Most brands default to disposal without fully understanding the financial impact. Reviewing your workflow can uncover missed revenue and inefficiencies that directly affect profitability.
Implement a system to inspect and grade returned inventory: Many returned items are new or lightly used. Proper inspection allows you to recover value and reintegrate products back into primary sales channels.
Track and analyze return data consistently: Return data reveals patterns in product defects, listing issues, and customer behavior. Using this information helps reduce return rates and improve overall product performance.
File claims on damaged, missing, or fraudulent returns: A significant percentage of returns qualify for reimbursement but often go unclaimed. Capturing this value can meaningfully improve margins with relatively low effort.
Explore secondary channels for resale or liquidation: Not all returned inventory needs to be written off. Leveraging resale channels helps offset costs and turns what would be a loss into incremental revenue.

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