I’ve been getting a lot of emails and phone calls about finding specific liquidations deals. Popular questions are phrased such as:
Please, for the love of God, help me locate a supplier for True Religion jeans at liquidation pricing!
I’ve been pulling my hair out looking for a consistent source of Apple iPad Air 2’s, can you please help?
Hi Rob…I need to purchase Mac All That Glitters eye shadow by the case, below wholesale. Where do I find this?
OK, here we go people…buckle up, it’s going to get bumpy. No, No & No! The wholesale liquidation industry does not work like this. It’s not about looking for a specific brand or SKU, it’s about looking for great deals to buy and resell. Get it?
OK, don’t think I’m angry or upset about the questions because I’ve been fielding requests like this for years. The problem lies within peoples’ perception and misunderstanding of the industry. Liquidation merchandise appears and then it’s gone; unique items and brands can be scored at various times, but in order to work successfully with liquidation items, you must be willing to buy and resell diverse inventories. If you’re hell bent on finding a steady supply of Gucci handbags…sorry, you will not find it within the secondary liquidation market.
Let’s talk about a recent deal my wife and I purchased. I’m always on the hunt for fast selling, low cost liquidation items and last week I found a great deal on women’s leather clog shoes. No, I was not looking to buy shoes that particular day! I was looking for a killer deal to either flip to one of my wholesale contacts or sell on eBay or Amazon. I utilize several resell channels to move all of the liquidation deals I find. Heck, I’ll even throw some items on Craigslist if I can make a few bucks.
Back to the shoe pallet deal – when I stumbled upon 00this low price deal, I immediately went online to cross-search retail pricing. eBay showed completed auctions selling between $39-$49 per pair. I knew the shoes were a bit trendy, so I called my 27 year old daughter to ask about the brand Urban Outfitters. She told me it was a very popular and expensive brand, and then she told me to buy as many pair as possible- immediately. So I did! The shoes will be arriving next week.
The moral of our liquidation story is this: Don’t go looking for specific brands or items: Look for incredible deals that will generate profit and cash flow.
Oh, and before I forget – I’ll be putting together a case study which will chronicle my purchase of the Urban Outfitter shoe pallet… from sourcing to sell-through. Stay tuned!
