Use Case

Returns management built on immutable events

The reverse logistics market is worth $957 billion. Most returns platforms treat it as a workflow problem. TES treats it as a data problem — every item, every custody transfer, every valuation is an immutable event.

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Reverse logistics market

$957B

projected by 2029

Return rate (ecommerce)

20-30%

TES lifecycle stages for returns

captured → identified → valued → ... → resold

Lifecycle

10 stages from return to resale

Every transition is an immutable event. Every event triggers AI enrichment. The item's complete journey is always queryable.

captured

Customer initiates return — agent creates thing, uploads photo

identified

Vision AI identifies brand, model, colorway, condition grade

valued

Market pricing estimates resale value (low/mid/high)

returned

Shipping label generated, tracking number assigned

received

Item arrives at warehouse, custody transferred to facility

inspecting

Physical inspection confirms AI assessment

processing

Routing decision: refurbish, resell, recycle, or donate

certified

Item meets quality standards, ready for next life

listed

Published to resale channel with AI-generated description

resold

Purchased by new owner, custody chain complete

Why TES

Not another returns workflow tool

Workflow tools manage the process. TES records the truth. Every item has a complete, AI-enriched, immutable history from the moment it enters the system.

AI-powered item identification

Upload a photo — TES identifies the brand, model, condition, and market value automatically. No manual data entry, no product lookups.

Complete chain of custody

Every holder transfer is an immutable event. Customer → carrier → warehouse → processor → new owner. Full provenance at any point.

Vector search for matching

Find similar items across your entire inventory using semantic search. Match returns to catalog products automatically via embedding similarity.

Event-sourced audit trail

Every status change, location move, and valuation is recorded as an immutable event. Reconstruct any item's journey at any time.

Multi-channel settlement

Financial events trigger settlement automatically — refunds, store credit, resale revenue. Full double-entry ledger support.

Compliance built in

EU AI Act transparency, Digital Product Passport data, and environmental impact tracking — all derived from the same event stream.

Implementation

Process a return in 4 API calls

Create the item, upload a photo for AI identification, advance through lifecycle stages, and transfer custody — all via the GraphQL API. Every step is an immutable event.

Read the docs Try the GraphQL API

1. Create returned item

mutation {
  createThing(input: {
    name: "Customer return"
    current_stage: "captured"
    holder_id: "holder_customer_01"
    holder_type: "customer"
  }) { success eventId }
}

2. Upload photo → triggers AI enrichment

mutation {
  uploadThingImage(id: "thing_ret_01", input: {
    url: "https://uploads.example.com/return.jpg"
    type: "photo"
  }) { success eventId }
  # → vision, pricing, valuation, embedding
}

Use Case

Track every return from capture to resale

AI identification, chain of custody, and settlement — all on one immutable event spine. Free tier available.

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