Many people have felt the need to shop cheaper– inflation and mass hour cuts have pushed many to be more frugal with their funds and find side hustles that are less invasive on their other jobs or career and less enveloping of their family life. One solution to fit both problems has been buying overstock and return pallets or warehouse products from Amazon, Target, and other major retailers. Some people bought these pallets for themselves while others bought them to resell the products inside and make a little cash on the side.
As time went on, people began to realize that others were very interested in liquidation or bargain bin stores. These bin stores sell products year-round at a discounted price compared to most major retail outlets. Appliances, furniture, clothing, and more fill these locations at anywhere from 50-90% off of the original retail price. The question is, is this new retail model really worth the hype? One of the first major perks is simply the price. One of the biggest benefits of buying wholesale or liquidation is savings, especially if you’re looking to stock a whole store. These stores are packed with high-quality, familiar items at fractional costs. The products, themselves, are usually new or in like-new condition, often being overstock or like-new returns (accidental ordering/wrong product). There are occasionally some used returns that slip through the cracks here and there, but often that isn’t the case.
These products are brands you know and are often just sold off in pallets to make room for new merchandise. The retail value can equate to thousands of dollars– for sellers, that means you can charge less than the retailer while still maximizing your profit. For buyers who don’t plan to resell, that means you can maximize your savings across the board for multiple items.
Another benefit of this type of store is seeing the products en-mass in person. Seeing these products up close versus looking for deals online gives you a much better idea of what you’re getting. For sellers, this is doubly important– actually seeing what you are getting so that you know what you’ll be selling is very important and helpful. A store like this also gives sellers the opportunity to have a much quicker turnaround with the products. Some sellers even make their listings as they shop or during restock and rotations at these stores.
Not all of the benefits are monetary, however. Buying from a liquidation store instead of a regular retailer helps to keep unsold items out of landfills. Clothing and electronics are two of the biggest beneficiaries of this. The sheer amount of these items that are thrown out by major retailers is, unfortunately, very high. By shopping for your clothing at retailers like thrift stores and bin stores, you can help minimize the amount of waste going into the world as unsold goods.
The benefits of shopping in these types of stores are almost as diverse as the products, themselves. You’re also likely to see products you might not normally find at your local retail store since these pallets are coming from warehouses that take in the products nationwide. This means you can make shopping even more fun by finding unusual items. These stores are full of surprises, and that’s half the fun. If you’ve never been to one of these stores before, try it out ASAP– the stock is always rotating and you never know what you’ll find.