One of the most sought after customer returned items happens to be name brand electronics, probably due to brand recognition and high resell values. Over the years I’ve spoken to hundreds of people who were excited about the prospect of buying pallets and truckloads of consumer TVs, stereos, game systems, DVD players, Home theaters, and other tech gadgets. Most eager buyers don’t put much thought into how many of those items will be open box (as new), or merchandise needing some degree of repair.
Buying returned electronics may not be in your best interest if you do not have the ability to repair broken items. Electronic pallets and truckloads are very risky because there’s no guarantee as to the ratio of damages in each purchase. Sometimes it boils down to luck; are you willing to wager inventory capital on a purchase with no guarantees as to product conditions?
If you’re still thinking about reselling electronics I would recommend starting with a small pallet of digital cameras or DVD players. Small loads like this can often be purchased from sites such as liquidation.com or Gencomarketplace.com.
Test the waters with a smaller purchase before you dig in and buy a full truckload. I’ve known many buyers who have lost tens of thousands of dollars buying large truckloads of electronics.
Selling Broken Customer Returned Electronics
Small broken electronics can often be resold “as is” to tech savvy people who can repair such items. Most broken digital cameras, DVD players, and home theater systems can be sold utilizing eBay as a resell channel. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and search eBay using the term “broken digital camera” and see what pops up. I think you will be surprised!
If you are new to buying salvage goods you might be better off choosing a different category of customer returned items for a first purchase. Less risky loads include general merchandise, hardware, tools, and clothing.