I’ve got a question to tackle from Karen today, and hers is not unique, in fact, Karen brings up one of the most difficult problem resellers face when buying overstock and clearance items. Let’s get right to it…
Hi Robert, I read and enjoyed your Liquidation Guide, and I’m wondering if it’s possible to find where a particular item that’s disappeared from stores in being liquidated.
I source a lot of things to sell from retail and online stores, and often something will suddenly disappear from the market. Sometimes it’s because a new version came out, although I guess it probably doesn’t matter the particular reason why it’s disappeared from the market. Since I know that item sells and am already familiar with it, I want to find more.
The point is, I’d like to find these items. Is there a way to search for and find what liquidation channels might have an item if you know its name and some of the stores it used to be sold at? Thank you for reading my question. Karen
Answer: Hello Karen, and thanks for letting us know you enjoyed reading the Liquidators Guide. You’ve hit a subject that many question; here today, gone tomorrow is synonymous with the liquidation market. While deals are out there, once the stock dries up, you’ve got to be on the hunt for other profitable inventory.
Working with liquidation inventory is unlike the traditional wholesale market. When buying wholesale, often you can reorder fast selling SKUs again and again, assuming your supplier maintains volume supply.
When dealing with the secondary market, i.e. customer returns, shelf pulls, and overstock, supply is limited and with returns and pulls, loads arrive assorted.
To answer your question directly, try searching online using SKU’s, model numbers, and other identifying marks when Googling. You can always add the terms “closeout” or “Clearance” to your search queries.
Depending on your resell channel, it’s best to supplement you inventory with liquidation purchasing; otherwise, you will be constantly on the inventory hunt. Thanks for emailing Karen, I’m glad you’ve been sticking around our Liquidation blog. Please keep in contact.
