Meaning & use
returned goods for sale
Last updated
Meanings
phraseplural
Items that customers have brought back to a store and that are now offered for purchase again, often at a lower price.
Grammar: The phrase is plural and takes a plural verb: 'Returned goods for sale are kept in a separate area.'
Patterns
- returned goods for sale are ...
- sell returned goods for sale
- a section of returned goods for sale
The store has a section of returned goods for sale at a discount.
Returned goods for sale must be inspected before they are put back on the shelf.
She often shops for returned goods for sale because they are cheaper.
phraseuncountablebusinessfinance
In accounting, the value of merchandise that customers have sent back and that a business intends to resell.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase in financial contexts: 'Returned goods for sale is recorded as an asset.'
Patterns
- record returned goods for sale
- returned goods for sale account
- value of returned goods for sale
The accountant listed returned goods for sale under current assets.
Returned goods for sale are valued at cost, not at the original selling price.
The company wrote down the returned goods for sale after they became damaged.
Common combinations
- a section of returned goods for sale
- The supermarket created a section of returned goods for sale near the checkout.
- returned goods for sale at a discount
- You can find returned goods for sale at a discount in the back of the shop.
- inspect returned goods for sale
- Staff must inspect returned goods for sale to make sure they still work.
- returned goods for sale policy
- The store's returned goods for sale policy allows customers to buy them at half price.
- buy returned goods for sale
- Some people prefer to buy returned goods for sale to save money.
Synonyms and how they differ
- returns
- Informal and shorter; 'returns' can mean the items themselves or the process of returning them, while 'returned goods for sale' specifically refers to items put back on sale.
- second-hand goods
- Broader; second-hand goods may never have been sold before, whereas returned goods for sale have been bought and brought back.
- refurbished items
- These have been repaired or cleaned, but returned goods for sale may be in original condition or may need inspection.
Word family
- return verb
- To give something back to the place or person you bought it from.
- returnable adjective
- Describing something that can be returned to the seller.
- retailer noun
- A person or business that sells goods to the public.
Commonly confused: returned goods for sale or returned goods? returned goods for sale or goods returned?
returned goods for sale vs returned goods
This simply means goods that have been sent back; 'returned goods for sale' adds the idea that they are now available to buy again.
returned goods for sale vs goods returned
This is a passive construction often used in accounting, meaning the same items but focusing on the action, not their availability for sale.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase 'returned goods for sale' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is plural, so it takes a plural verb 'are'. Option 0 uses a singular verb 'is', which is incorrect. Option 2 uses 'was' (singular) and option 3 uses 'has' (singular), both wrong for a plural noun phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “returned goods for sale”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.