Buyer Spotlight: Jay Roberts of Real Deal Warehouse

Around 15% of items are returned to or never sold by retailers; this amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars in merchandise that can’t go back on store or virtual shelves and is slated for the secondary market. This is where B-Stock comes in: we connect retailers’ and manufacturers’ excess merchandise directly to business buyers, including one Tennessee businessman who operates a resale warehouse filled with returned merchandise purchased from major retailers across the B-Stock Sourcing Network.

Jay Roberts, owner of Real Deal Warehouse located in Sevierville, TN, purchases bulk quantities of furniture, home goods and decor, tools, sporting equipment, and toys from big box retailers and then sells it to a steady stream of customers out of his 8,000 square foot facility. Roberts, who got into the resale business by bidding on storage units and selling the goods inside, eventually turned to buying liquidated merchandise from big box retailers; a less fickle product source. He says the consistent supply of product and selection of inventory means he’ll always be able to satisfy the needs of his loyal customer base.

For the last two years Roberts has been sourcing exclusively across the B-Stock Sourcing Network and still enjoys the “element of surprise” when going through the inventory. He cites one occasion when he discovered a Star Wars Death Star Lego set in perfect condition that hadn’t been specifically listed on the retailer’s item manifest.

In addition to the breadth of product available and the direct access to big box retailers through the B-Stock Sourcing Network, Roberts is also able to leverage B-Stock’s suite of buyer services including access to financing through Behalf, an online marketplace offering instantaneous funding. B-Stock partnered with Behalf in order to provide more purchasing power for buyers like Roberts, who can find it difficult to get a business loan through traditional methods. On his experience using Behalf, Roberts says it’s been a great resource to help him fund his purchases and “has a better interface and rates than anything else out there.” What’s more because Behalf facilitates the wire transfer, it saves him a physical trip to the bank and the fee is a lot less.

If you happen to live in the Sevierville, TN area be sure to swing by Real Deal Warehouse (buyers are welcome to “haggle for a deal” says Roberts), or you can check out the latest products that are posted daily on the website: http://www.realdealwarehouse.com/.

To learn more about B-Stock’s network of marketplaces and begin sourcing inventory directly from major retailers and manufacturers, please visit The B-Stock Sourcing Network. To learn more about financing your purchases through Behalf, please visit our Buyer Support Services page.