English Español Français العربية Русский

RSS Newsletters

Radio TV

LANGUAGE
English Español Français العربية Русский Documentary CCTV+

Radio TV

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.

I agree

01:12

A shop has opened in Brussels selling still-sealed unwanted Amazon parcels by the kilo. It's effectively a lottery ticket which could win the holder a connected watch, a smartphone - or a worthless trinket.

The shop, called "Pile ou Face" - French for "Heads or Tails" - is located near the central square Place Flagey and offers the parcels at $17.40 per kilo. Customers pick a box among the dozens stored in the shop and some open them on the spot.

READ MORE

Where is Flight MH-370?

Meet the 'Chinosaurs'

Why young Chinese are returning to the country

"It's like gambling. I paid 40 euros [$43] and I got three or four headphones, I did a good job," said Paul, who declined to give his last name.

Gisele Peeters was a bit disappointed, though. Her $15 parcel contained an old-style telephone with a dial. "It's not something I would have bought. I'll try to resell it," she said.

Arnaud Userstam, who founded the shop, said connected watches and smartphones are the items people are happiest to get, but others return home with clothes, or sometimes especially weird items.

"A lady got 100 toothbrushes for dogs," he said.

A customer chooses parcels at the 'Pile ou Face' shop. /Yves Herman/Reuters

Userstam started the business after he and his wife wondered what happened with parcels with delivery problems after experiencing the issue themselves. They found out other similar shops existed elsewhere.

Pile ou Face signed contracts with the giant U.S. e-retailer Amazon in Europe to get parcels that were not retrieved from pickup places, that were returned by customers or simply got lost.

Userstam did not elaborate on the contracts, though he said that previously these parcels were just destroyed.