average of $33 for a $50 gift. when a consumer takes advantage of freeshiping, that cost, which is not free, has to be born somewhere, and the only somewhere in the retail setting is in the price of the goods. reporter: the price also extending to the environment. returns produce an estimated 5 billion pounds of waste in 2020. afternoon the returns you make don t make it to the original store shelf but end up in a warehouse like this where they re resold to third parties. reporter: companies processing the unwanted items for some of the nation s largest retailers, now bracing for what they re calling a tsunami of returns. the continued shift for folks for buying online is going to result in some increases in customer returns. reporter: items bought online two times as often as in-store