If you are an eBay seller, store owner, flea market vendor or even an exporter, yous should be on the look out for new sources for inventory. I am certain that you spend countless hours searching the net looking for new suppliers to buy from.
Have you tried wholesale trade magazines or better know as trade publications? I subscribe to several full color magazines which are mailed to my office once a month, free of charge.
Most of the magazines not only offer tons of new wholesale sources, but also current marketing and retail advice. One magazine in particular, WebWholesaler, is by far the best trade publication out there. Each issue is packed with a variety of wholesale sources for clothing, accessories, jewelry, general merchandise, tools, electronics and more!
I would personally recommend you sign up for a FREE subscription to WebWholesaler. There is no obligation what so ever. Fill out a simple form and you should receive the next issue hot off the press!
General merchandise pallets will consist of various non category items from a particular retail store chain. If you are new to buying liquidated merchandise you should know that most stores separate merchandise into a few different categories of customer returned pallets:
Electronics: As you would assume TV’s , stereos, telephones, iPods, video games consoles etc. In the case of salvage electronics from Sears, you should note that electronics comes in two different loads…N and Y. The designation of “N” stands for national brands like JVC, Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer and the “Y” stands for store brands only. Y loads are heavy in vacuum cleaners, sewing machines and microwaves.
Apparel: Most large retail department stores mix apparel and sell as one category, while the Federated chain of departments stores will actually separate shelf pulls and customer returns in gender specific lots. Sold as Womens, Mens or Children’s you can chose which niche area to purchase.
Sport / Toys: Often loads are filled with exercise equipment, outdoor merchandise, large game tables (pool tables / air hockey etc) and toys. Also found in this category will be infant furniture and/or children’s merchandise (strollers, highchairs and carseats).
Domestics: Comforters, blankets, rugs, towels, pillows and small gift ware. Pallets are usually large and bulky, but typically contain a small number of items. On average 30-50 items per pallet
Furniture: Big box retailers sell a ton of whats called “knock down” furniture. This is the cheap particle board book cases, entertainment centers etc. Pallets and truckloads from this category is very inexpensive as you should expect a high rate of damages. Think about it…many people struggle with putting this furniture together once at home. Pieces crack and break very easily and because of this a lot of this furniture makes its way back to the retailer as a customer return. Tip: if you are going to buy this load makes sure to buy a truckload that way you can mix and match broken pieces.
Housewares: Pots, pans, small appliances, silverware, dishes, knives etc. Anything found in the kitchen can be found in this load
General Merchandise: What does not fit in above will go into this category. Mix will vary, but you can expect to receive hardware, home décor, automotive, garden, office supplies, small giftware etc in this category
Video profile of Kole Imports, direct importer and wholesaler of dollar store merchandise
Wholesale Shoes – Visit Shoenet
I am sharing a secret today, a closeout deal I found over the weekend. It will involve a little web research on your part, but if you are looking for boots on a wholesale liquidation level I believe I found a gem. Go to Google and type in the following “Magnum Mirage” or “Magnum Mirage Desert Boots”.
The boots are retailing online between $35 and $40 per pair and with a quick check on eBay I noticed the same boots at a similar price being auctioned.
I found a small inventory of this particular boot being liquidated by a closeout company called NBC (Name Brand Closeouts). Take a look at the link, which has a few pictures and breakdown of sizes available. It would not surprise me if you could negotiate better pricing on a “Take all Deal”.
Give NBC a call at 512-452-8815. Ask for Stan, Pete or Cody. Remember, with liquidations you must act fast as once this inventory is gone…it is gone for good!
Who does not love playing with remote control toys? As technology advances we are seeing a myriad of new RC cars, trucks, helicopters, airplanes, tanks, hovercrafts and even UFO’s! Whether you sell online through an ecommerce store or list items on eBay, remote control toys command huge profits!
I know of several Kiosk sellers who set up displays in large malls and sell these toys daily. They simply sit around and play with the toys causing children, as well as adults, to come over and “play” before buying. What better way to sell then to let someone take a test drive! In my area the RC helicopters are selling really well, in fact I spoke with a kiosk seller who told me they are having a hard time keeping the little “mini” helicopters in stock.
I have found a few RC wholesalers who offer great pricing and depending on how you intend to resell, some of the prices I found are low enough to resell on eBay!
Small Case RC Wholesalers:
HobbyTron.com offers excellent small case pricing for a range of wholesale RC cars, trucks, airplanes and more. They also offer wholesale Airsoft guns. I cross refernced HobbyTrons pricing with eBay closing auctions and it looks as though you should be able to make a nice profit buying from this supplier!
Valorsinc.com – Another great source for wholesale RC products based out of Texas. You will need to register as a wholesale buyer before you can view pricing. One downside to this website, in my opinion, is the black background.
Emirimage.com – Great selection of the latest RC toys; direct import pricing allows the reseller to buy at a deep discount. Buy low, sell high!
Just what is liquidation merchandise anyway?
When I use the term liquidation merchandise I am referring to one of the following categories or descriptions wholesale merchandise:
Retail Returns
Just as the name implies, retail returns are items that have been purchased by an end user and then returned to the original store for refund or exchange. Returned items usually will have some issues ranging from damage to missing pieces. Incidentally, some items are returned to the original store after an impulse purchases and/or a “changed mind”. In the liquidation industry a returned item that shows little to no damage is considered a “Cherry”. This is where the phrase “Cherry Picked” comes from.
Closeouts
This category of merchandise is comprised of items that are being “closed” out and no longer sold. Can also represent items which are no longer be produced and/or manufactured therefor remaining stock is sold just above cost or in some cases below cost to make room for new inventory.
Salvage Merchandise
Refers to merchandise that is in a form of distress. Salvage merchandise can refer to items that have been damaged in transit, such as an overturned truck or possibly been exposed to flood or suffered smoke damage. Often salvage merchandise is liquidated by insurance companies who are trying to recoup dollars from an insurance claim that has been settled.
Canceled Orders
Large chain stores will set specific requirements for vendors who supply merchandise. For example, a large big box chain store might cancel an order from a particular vendor who cannot meet contract delivery deadlines. Rather than warehouse a large canceled order, a manufacturer might liquidate stock to recover costs.
Overstock
Items which are being liquidated due to a surplus quantity, which cannot be sold or moved quick enough. Retailers will liquidate overstock to make room for new merchandise.
The above categories of merchandise can be purchased well below wholesale pricing and represent an excellent way for store owners, flea market vendors and eBay auction sellers to stock name brand items. They key to success in purchasing liquidation merchandise is finding reliables sources.
If you can buy below wholesale you will be able to offer name brand merchandise at competitive pricing. Liquidation merchandise can prove to be very profitable for anyone engaged in retailing.
I was reading the latest copy of Cover magazine and I stumbled upon a wholesale company called Trademarkcommerce.com. This wholesale company has an interesting marketing pitch as they show you what the products they distribute sell for on eBay and Amazon.com.
I was intrigued to say the least, so I thought I would complete my own research and see if I could come up with the same final selling prices (on eBay) for some of the products they are wholesaling. The products I will be researching today are found on the flyer they are advertising.
You can research an items’ profitability on eBay!
Lets get started……
First of all, if you do not know how to research an item on eBay make sure you take some notes on the following steps:
- Obviously, you will need to go to http://ebay.com
- In the search field enter the item you are interested in researching, press search
- Once the following page loads look to the right of the ’search” button for the link “Advanced”
- Once you have clicked the Advanced link you will be taken to a page where if you scroll down you will notice criteria stating ‘Search Including” – Check this box
- Scroll down and click “Search”
- Results that are displayed in GREEN closed with a winning bid
- You can take those results and average the totals to get a good idea about whether the item in question will sell and how much you can expect to receive as a auction seller
The first product I researched on eBay was the Black iRobot. The advertised wholesale price from Trade Mark Commerce is $101.33. They advertise this product selling on eBay for $179.99.
When I searched eBay I found one iRobot had sold on eBay in the last two weeks and the final auction price was $149.99 with FREE Shipping. I would imagine that the seller paid at least $10 to ship this to the winning bidder, so profit looks to be $149.99 – $10 (Shipping) – $101.33 (Cost) = $38.66 before eBay listing and final value fees.
The second product I researched was the Advent GPS. The advertised wholesale price from Trade Mark Commerce is $99.99. They advertise this product selling on eBay for $229.99.
When I searched eBay I found one Advent GPS unit that had sold on eBay in the last two weeks and the final auction price was $140.24 with FREE Shipping. I would imagine that the seller paid at least $8 to ship this to the winning bidder, so profit looks to be $140.24 – $8 (Shipping) – $99.99 (Cost) = $32.25 before eBay listing and final value fees.
I should mention that while the above two items did sell on eBay, there were dozens of the same item that did not close with a winning bid. Using the ‘Completed” auction search feature on eBay is a great way to evaluate the profitability of an item you are thinking of reselling.
In my opinion, TradeMark Commerce might be a viable option for inventory. They certainly have a diverse product selection. You will need to sign up as a registered buyer before you will be able to view their entire online catalog. Once you are registered you can then check their pricing with the “Completed” item search feature found on eBay.
I would love to hear from anyone who has purchased from this company…any thoughts?
Have you heard of the acronym “NWTS”? This stands for “new with tags” or simply put…having the original retail price tags still attached. If you are an eBay seller or own a clothing store you can buy this apparel at rock-bottom liquidation pricing. How easy would it be to resale an item for $20 that still had the original retail tags still attached reading $134? How do you make a profit selling an item at $20? Buy that item in a liquidation pallet for $2-$2.50! Sometimes even lower!
Did you know that you can buy apparel in mixed assorted pallets filled with jeans, T-Shirts, blouses, dresses, evening dresses, sweaters, slacks, business wear, casual pants, skirts, cardigans, pajamas, camisoles, sweaters, sheer sweaters, jackets, coats and more way below the original wholesale pricing!
I am talking about big name brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Union Bay, Mudd Jeans, Levis, Liz Claiborne, Columbia, L.E.I, BCBG, XOXO, Charter Club, My Michelle, Alfred Dunner, AGB, Say What, Guess and hundreds of other well-known brands.
You can buy this liquidation apparel, also known as shelf pulls, from wholesale liquidators. A liquidator is a company that buys truckloads of merchandise and resells in smaller lots and/or pallets to eBay sellers, flea market vendors and retail store owners.
Here are a few Liquidators who sell this apparel in small lots:
Amlinc.com Allprimeproducts.com Dlmoffprice.com
Think back to your childhood. Do you remember your first business adventure of setting up your own lemonade stand? You would sell cups of lemonade for only cents, and life was good. Life was good up until that kid set up another lemonade stand right across the street from yours and stole your thunder, right? Unfortunately, that kid is back on the block. However, in this situation, the block is located on eBay. In order to prevent these types of kids from earning all the sales, you need to learn how to compete effectively.
Remember selling your lemonade for twenty five cents, only to realize that the other stand sold their lemonade for ten cents? Competitive prices can make all the difference in selling merchandise. Depending on what you are selling, you should search eBay for the same or similar products. Determine the average price for your product, among fellow eBay sellers. You will want to price your product in this bracket, or slightly below if you do not have much money invested in the item you are planning to sell.
Furthermore, the attractive signs advertising for the other lemonade stands really caught the attention of people. The same method works on eBay. Advertising for your eBay store or items is important. Make your existence known on eBay. This will result in an increase of traffic to your eBay store, which increases your chances of gaining sales. Advertise on the internet, such as social networking websites. You can also promote your eBay items or store in your community or through word of mouth. Advertise and promote your eBay store as much as possible through numerous methods.
Another way to direct prospective buyers to your eBay items is to list keywords for each item throughout the listing and the description. These keywords allow your item to be shown when a buyer searches that term on eBay. Make sure your keywords are relevant to your item and utilize the full amount allotted by eBay.
So when selling items on eBay, it is important to remember that an online business is still a business and requires good customer service. Good customer service is the reason all of those power sellers became power sellers. They’ve acquired their positive feedback for several reasons. Among these reasons may be things like prices, fast shipping, reliability, quick to answer questions and concerns, or the diversity of products they sell. Accumulating positive feedback is always a positive gain for your eBay business.
