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What Is a Liquidation Pallet?

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A liquidation pallet is a bundle of wholesale, returned, refurbished, or liquidated items. These items are secured on pallets and sold in bulk at discount prices. But just knowing what liquidation pallets are might not explain what you can do with them. And the answer to that is simple — make money!

Consumers like you can often get pallets of merchandise at such discounted prices that they can turn around and sell it for profit. You might flip these items in places like flea markets, online marketplaces, or garage sales, just to name a few. If that prospect has piqued your interest, keep reading to find out how it’s done.

Where can you get liquidation pallets?

Pallets like these are sold by various companies across the nation, but it’s important to buy them from a trusted name in the field to keep from getting scammed. If you choose to buy pallets from less reputable dealers, you might find yourself with goods that are far too overpriced to resell for profit. Or you could end up with damaged goods that no one wants.

Reputable online liquidation websites usually have a lot of reviews and easy to find contact information. You should also be able to call them and get any questions you may have answered. These companies are usually very straightforward with their policies and they don’t disappear once you’ve made a purchase.

Where does liquidated merchandise come from?

Most stores have a collection of items that have been discontinued, closed out, returned, or overstocked just waiting to be disposed of. But of course, throwing it out means they lose the money invested in those products.

Rather than doing that, stores like Walmart, Home Depot, Target, and others, unload them for deep discounts to liquidation brokers. These brokers then bundle them and sell them to consumers at prices that are still far below retail.

What kind of merchandise comes on liquidation pallets?

As you can imagine, these pallets have huge ranges — everything from baby goods to electronics. The merchandise changes all the time, depending on the overstock at stores. Some pallets may have 600 pieces of computer software and video games, while other pallets will have 500 pieces of assorted bedding and linens.

What you need to know before bidding on pallets is whether they are manifested or unmanifested. Manifested pallets have the merchandise detailed and listed so you know exactly what you’re buying. But unmanifested pallets are pretty much a surprise — you only have a general idea of what’s there. Unmanifested pallets may be a lot cheaper, but manifested pallets are a much safer investment.

How can you make money with liquidation pallets?

There are several ways people turn pallets into profit. One way is to list the items for sale online on a marketplace like Amazon or eBay. Many people are able to make a full-time income flipping items like these. In fact, six-figure salaries are often possible if you do your research and learn the business.

Another way people earn cash with liquidation pallets is by selling their items locally. They might list them on Facebook selling pages, Craigslist, or the local paper. Or they might even just have garage sales and sell the items that way.

The most successful resellers, though, usually use a variety of avenues, figuring out the most successful venue for each product. For example, larger items are best sold locally so you don’t have to worry about cumbersome packaging and expensive shipping. But small items, like beauty products, will probably bring more money on Amazon.